I'm really really tired of Delta. I won't go into my laundry list of issues but they are numerous.

We have flown them since we started going to Europe in 2001. We always flew out of Cincinnati when we lived in a podunk town.

Now that we live in L'ville literally 5 minutes from the airport, I'm not fond of the hour and a half drive home from the airport. It's hard after a transatlantic flight. Continental flies from L'ville to Neward and from there non stop to many European destinations. For an open jaw into Rome and out of Paris next summer they're also a bit less than Delta. I also like how their web site lets you see availability for award travel by color coding a calendar, letting you see at one glance which date would work.

Unfortunately we have 70k miles between the two of us on Delta and are picking up another 10k in October. I'd hate for these to be wasted. What I'm thinking of is not only not flying Delta but cancelling the Delta AmX miles card and getting the Continental MC. With my husband's work expenses we earn a lot of miles on the card.

Feels weird though because it's been Delta for us for five years. Going to Europe means flying Delta. I've never even been on a Continental flight. How are they?

You should check on who Delta's partner airlines are -- and Continental's for that matter. Chances are you can use your Delta miles on a Continental flight. I have miles with Alaska Airlines, and can use them on AA, Delta, Continental, British Airways, Air France, and several other partners.

I too had loyalties with Delta but am switching since they made us use double miles for FF tickets to Maui even though I was on the phone at midnite 330days prior to the flight. 70,000 each for a coach seat! Continental is prettyy good at least domestic wise. They were in the top half when rated recently. For Italy travel now I strictly use Britsih airways.

Unfortunately, we're all basically in the same boat -- we're not getting the same tickets with our FF miles on our usual airlines anymore. So we have to go with the best deal.

A good friend just flew free from Chicago - Paris on Continental using credit card FF miles. He and I used to be able to use our many American Airlines miles, but now it's very difficult. Unless you want to want to use 100,000 miles for the "Anytime Ticket." Anyway, he had to change planes in Newark on this trip but he was happy with Continental and would fly them again.

This is our first year not having Medallion status with Delta after having it for about 10 years. I am using up our miles on free tickets - even if we have to do double miles. I used to fly on them whenever possible, but now I take Southwest to the west coast (after being stranded in Salt Lake City one time too many). And we are doing British Airways to Europe (but that is not so great for going to places other than England, because you have to change planes in London).

I got rid of our Delta AMEX cards and got a platinum AMEX card collecting miles in Membership Rewards, so we can transfer them to any airline. And a BA Visa.

After all those Delta flights over all these years, it did feel strange leaving them. And I agree, most of the airlines are the same - might as well go with one that has the routing you want. For me, the BA direct flights from Denver, Dallas and Phoenix work well - so far.

I just used 100,000 of my Delta miles (in April/May) to fly from Portland, Oregon to Paris and back. I couldn't get anything online, but when i phoned Delta, I was able to get a Business/First Class Continental flight on the way out and a Delta Business Class flight on the way back. Delta and Continental are partners, so I'm not sure it matters if you switch...unless Delta goes out of business and maybe not even then.

I will say that there was a world of difference between the service and seats on Continental and Delta. Continental was much nicer - even for the domestic flights. On the international Delta flight, the food was O.K., but not worth staying awake for. On the Continental flight I would not want to have missed it! Continental's seats in Business/First were wide enough that I could sleep on my side in a fetal position like I normally do. I couldn't do that on the Delta flight. The first-class domestic flight on Delta was very uncomfortable and the restroom was gross and tiny.

So, while I agree with you that Continental has better flight service, I was able to get the booking through Delta, using my Delta miles. I think I booked in January for the April/May trip. That seems pretty good. Maybe I was lucky. But if you still have leftover miles with Delta, you might want to stick with it. You could still fly Continental and credit the miles to your Delta account and you could use Continental awards.

Christine

Yes, you can use your Delta miles for award travel on Continental (a Skyteam partner). Here is an extensive discussion on Flyertalk on using Delta Skymiles for a Skyteam award.

Okay - here's the funny thing. We have mostly Continental miles b/c we fly out of Newark. Chris rakes up a few hundred thousand each year. That said, the last few times we've tried to use them, Continental has never had seats available (especially to Europe and now Israel). So we've ended up going on their partner airlines (especially Delta). So in the end, I'd fly Continental for better comfort/service but don't count on them for FF seat availability.

Hmmm ... glad to hear Continental is more comfy than Delta.

Vico girl - we're trying 330 days out too and that's part of my frustration, that even that far in advance for only *one* ticket we can't get even clsoe to what we want. We even offered up suggestions for putting us on partner routes (like COntinental and Northwest) and they still said Nothing Nothing Nothing. Unless we want to use 100,000 miles that is. Which I don't have.

t-mac, keep trying. The airlines do not decide 330 days out to make 'x' number of frequent flyer seats available on a specific flight. 330 days out, they might be not put any ff seats on a flight. Then six months, three months or even three weeks out, they may realize they're not going to sell out the flight, and add a few ff seats. It can happen at any time, or not at all if they think they can sell out the flight without allowing ff seats.

quote:

Originally posted by Kim:
t-mac, keep trying. The airlines do not decide 330 days out to make 'x' number of frequent flyer seats available on a specific flight. 330 days out, they might be not put any ff seats on a flight. Then six months, three months or even three weeks out, they may realize they're not going to sell out the flight, and add a few ff seats. It can happen at any time, or not at all if they think they can sell out the flight without allowing ff seats.

I would be ok with trying for a couple months but I couldn't stomach waiting until 3 weeks before we go! We're booked on a cruise that leaves Rome June 11, so I have very specific needs as far as when I have to be there. I'm a big nervous nelly about not being able to get on the flights we want if we wait too long.

I've found some good flights at good times -- *if* I use 100k miles. I have resigned myself to trying to do that. He has 50, I have 20 and I hope to get anoher 30 from my parents. We have to pay to transfer them, but these tickets are F I F T E E N Hundred dollars, so I can absorb the cost of transefering miles to save that much on one.

You know, in 2004 we were able to get Biz class tickets for high season to Europe - TWO of them. 80k miles each. Those were the days. Sigh.

I know; we've pretty much resigned ourselves to never getting the "cheap" ff seats again for flights to Europe. But we did pretty good for Israel, 100K for first class.

quote:

Originally posted by Kim:
I know; we've pretty much resigned ourselves to never getting the "cheap" ff seats again for flights to Europe. But we did pretty good for Israel, 100K for first class.

It wouldn't bother me at all to spend 100k if it were for first class!

I did the math and it wouldn't benefit me enough to pay all the transfer costs to get up to 100k miles for SkyChoice. Two tix on Continental = $2600. One paid ticket plus fees to transfer miles on Delta = $2200. I'm not using up all our miles to save $400. Plus my mom won't just *give* me the 30k miles. She wants me to pay her for them. It makes me cranky talking about this. I need to think about truffles instead.

When are you going again? There have to be other alternatives.

Woohoo! I just spent all evening on the Delta site patiently plugging in city combination after city combination and finally got a 50k ticket. I needed t ogo L'ville to Rome and Paris to L'ville and I got close!
WE're flying to L'ville to Budapest via Atlanta and JFK. We'll spend the night in Budapest (I wanted to go back to the baths there anyway) then hop a cheap flight to Rome in time ot catch the ship.
Then coming home it gets squirrely:
CDG-JFK, shuttle to EWR to Cinci to L'ville.

I called Delta to price out the paid ticket on this route and it's $1384. Still steep but much better than paying double that. And the nice lady I spoke to told me about a better route that will have seats released tomorrow that doesn't involve an airport change in NYC. I've got the seats on hold for 2 days and can change them if I can find soemthing better.

In my methodical search for June 9 I found only two cities in Europe we could get to: Berlin and Budpapest.

Thank goodness we're settling this. I was *really* concerned about the price of these tickets!

I'm glad it worked out!

It got even better this morning. It occurred to me that if htye had one seat for 50k, perhapd they'd have two. I called them before work and spent another 45 minutes, and now I have *both* flights on hold for 50k miles each. I'm out a few hundred dollars to transfer the miles from my mom, but I'm still way, way ahead of the game!! What a relief!
Now I just have to find the best way from Budapest to Rome early on a Monday morning.