DeltaAirLines posts

By Molly McCluskey
Daily Finance

Travelers struggling to determine the true price of airline travel amid hidden fees will be faced with another struggle this holiday season: rude employees.

The discount travel site Airfarewatchdog.com surveyed 1,005 travelers and found that American Airlines is considered the rudest, followed closely by United, with Delta coming in third. Which was the friendliest of the airlines -- or, in this case, the least rude? That came down to a four-way tie between Alaska, Frontier, JetBlue and Virgin America.

It's probably not a coincidence that United and Delta are also the carriers with among the highest fees for reservation changes, traveling with a pet, and on-board food and drinks.

Have you ever been on a flight from hell? I sure have, more than once. Check-in lines that seem to never end; rude staff, sneaky baggage fees; delayed flights with no explanation; flight staff who disappear after take off; passengers who got drunk on board; emergency landings because of passengers who got drunk on board; broken entertainment systems; broken air conditioning; bad food; no food; chairs that don't recline; and crammed seating with flat headrests that result in the person next to you sleeping on your shoulder. You name it, I've experienced it.

The more bad flying experiences I've had, the more I've come to appreciate the flights with good service. I'm also more likely to fork out a little extra to fly with a good airline, especially over long distances. Some of my personal favourite airlines are Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways. Two of those airlines were named in the list of the world's top airlines by this year's Zagat survey.