I love Alaskan Airlines...It's always a fun trip...The peopel are super friendly, make us laugh but also explain the seriousness and importance of the safety rules...Very warm people...it's fantastic...I will always go for Alaskan first!
Permalink | Report

As a former employee of American, I would say Jet Blue.
Permalink | Report

From my experience Delta is the best, attendants are very nice, usually a tv somewhere on the plane so you dont get too bored, and a quick smooth flight.
Permalink | Report

I just flew to 15 cities on JetBlue, so I am obviously biased, but they proved to be the best for a few reasons. Disregarding price, they are the best, they give you more. And here's why...

1. Best in flight entertainment 36 channels of DIRECTV

http://www.jetblue.com/about/whyyoulllike/directv/guide/TribuneTVFront/

2. 100 channels of satellite radio

3. Unlimited snacks. JetBlue has great snacks, you can choose from. Usually 4 different kinds of snacks, and they gladly provide you another one if you ask them. They have Terra Blue Chips, Stella Doras, Animal Crackers, and Munchies to choose from.

4. Extra legroom, even if you're over six feet tall you'll easily have enough legroom.

5. They are usually quick, and you get there on time for the most part.

6. Free wireless Internet in hub terminals, especially T5 in JFK and Long Beach

7. Great pilots, and friendly flight attendants.

8. They fly to many locations, especially popular locations like New York and California.

9. No first class, as they believe everyone is first class!

10. Perfect flight record, and passenger safety and comfort is very important.

The only thing that might challenge JetBlue is that they do not fly to continents outside of the U.S. other than a few islands in the Caribbean, but then they have partners who do. So, my pick is JetBlue!

Now, I'm not saying you would always fly with them, as they don't fly everywhere, but they are a great commercial airline.
Source(s):
http://www.jetblue.com/about/whyyoulllike/index.html

Permalink | Report

Virgin atlantic is the best.
Great price, the flights are very punctual, your comfort is guaranteed, nice customer services and polite staffs.
what else can you ask for.
Permalink | Report

I had my fair share of a plane ride, and i thought asian airliners are best, They served more food choices , sometimes gives unlimited drink for free. however it's more on your preference. most airline companies have their plus and minuses, cathay pacific served nice food, singapore airlines, swiss air and loads of other companies. I had an excellent service with american airlines. I was traveling from amsterdam to new york, when I was late for checking -in and all sit for economy class was all taken, so they place me on the first class section although my ticket was ordinary. Just to accomodate me. i don't recommend being late in check. It could cost you schedule problem.
Permalink | Report

i think alaska is best
Permalink | Report

Without question, Qantas is regarded as the best airline in the world the last 90 years, period. Australia’s national carrier has never lost a commercial jet airliner nor had any jet fatalities.
http://www.johnnyjet.com/blog/uploaded_images/A380-smaller-705720.jpg

If you don´t believed it, well... take the word of one of the most famous Hollywood actors, John Travolta, who is a commercial jet pilot with 5.000 hours of flight and also became Qanta´s Global Good Will Ambassador in 2002. He put his prestige and his name to endorse what he considers the best airline in the world, and this coming from a multi-millionaire who doesn´t need to get pay by this company. He did it for the love and passion for aviation.
http://www.geocities.com/johnny_loves_kelly/John-Quantas-Salute.jpg

You heard the man: "The Greatest Airline in the World".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzCV3hCXBFk

In 2009, Qantas was voted the sixth best airline in the world by research consultancy firm Skytrax. It is also the world's third oldest continuously operating airline after KLM from the Nederlands and Avianca from Colombia.

Service Award:
* Skytrax Airline of the Year - listed in the top five airlines in the world for five consecutive years - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Entertainment:
* WAEA Avion awards Best Overall In flight Entertainment - 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006

Wine Awards:
* Most Original First Class Wine List - 2007, 2008 cellars in the Sky Awards.
* Best First Class - 2007 Cellars in the Sky Awards
* Best Business Class Sparkling Award - 2007 cellars in the Sky Awards

Design Awards:
* Australian International Design Award of the Year - 2009 Airbus A-380 Economy Seat

Qantas never crashed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeYf-rhMQIQ

Qantas - The Spirit of Australia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxECee2a2Vg

Where else could you find an airline which is supported, loved and defended with pride by an entire nation? Such an airline must be something unique. There is no other airline in the world that holds the impressive safety record that Qantas had shown during so many decades.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/2007_Qantas_Logo.svg/541px-2007_Qantas_Logo.svg.png
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas

Permalink | Report

Southwest is my favorite. It's by far the most entertaining, which might not be a value you typically assign to airlines, but when you think of how you're going to be stuck on the cramped plane for much longer than you'd probably like to be, it's something that goes a long way once you're in your seat.

They're a smart company, and I doubt that you're more likely to explode on one of their planes than any other major airlines. Maybe .002% more likely or something minuscule like that, but unless you're incredibly concerned with safety I doubt that would really shake you. They use only one model of plane, so the pilots and flight attendants should all be very comfortable and used to their vehicle, which I think would be beneficial in case of emergency.

It's hard to do something with style in an industry that could be seen as boring from an outside perspective, but there's no denying that Southwest has an incredible attitude that many of the other airlines could benefit from.
Source(s):
http://37signals.com/svn/archives2/yin_yang_southwest_airlines_vs_the_indus...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Airlines

Permalink | Report

In my opinion Indian Airlines is the best for commercial Airlines because it price is almost reachable to all category of people and they provides good service to their passengers.
Source(s):
indian-airlines.nic.in

Permalink | Report

Virgin America, absolutely. A cross country flight (SFO to JFK) is about $100. They have a great menu, awesome computers screens, and fantastic customer service. The personal monitors allow you to listen to music, order food, watch movies or TV, or even chat with other passengers on the flight. From the check-in counter to the arrival gate, I always get the impression they are really trying to make sure everyone has a great traveling experience.
Permalink | Report

Virgin. Because its service matches its price !!
Permalink | Report

In India I would rank Kingfisher Airlines as the best commercial airline.
Permalink | Report

West Jet, its a Canadian airline but you MUST give it a try if you can.
Permalink | Report

On the world scale, the general consensus is Singapore Airways is the best. They have won awards and are supposed to be a quality airlines. If you are American as I expect, I would say Continental. They have recently increased their quality of service and are now one of the top American airlines. They provide many comforts on planes like food, pillows, blankets, etc. and have great customer service. Lastly, being a prominent airline they are going to be very safe and reliable.
Permalink | Report

Delta airline is the number one rank because his service is very prompt
Permalink | Report

I'm going to suggest Singapore Airlines.

They've been consistently excellent for decades, and always featuire in rankings of the best airlines. They are also a phenomenally well-run and successful business, though that's not so important to a passenger as the customer experience they deliver.

http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/5star.htm
http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/SQ.htm

When looking at responses to questions like this, bear in mind that when people vote on satisfaction that is always in comparison to their expectations. For example, in car surveys Toyota usually scores much higher than BMW. It's not because Toyotas are better cars in absolute terms, but because BMW customers have very high expectations.

Btw, with regard to safety, all the major world airlines have a good safety record with not much difference between them. Asking which is safest is like asking whether BMWs, Mercedes or Audis are safest. There's so little difference, it's hardly a burning issue.

More answers on airline safety here:

http://www.mahalo.com/answers/air-travel/what-is-the-probability-that-a-commercial-airline-pilot-will-be-in-an-airplane-crash-at-sometime-in-their-life

http://www.mahalo.com/answers/panic-attacks/are-there-recorded-cases-or-personal-experiences-of-pilots-experiencing-panic-attacks
Permalink | Report

I would rank the Commercial Airline with the least amount of accidents as #1. Therefore, I would go with Southwest Airlines, which has never had a fatal event compared to their accident rate and the amount of flights they have taken. Before other researches look and see Delta ranked as #1, let's look at the fact that Delta Airlines had a fatality in 1996, so why they were ranked #1 over Southwest, I am sure, but again I am sticking with the airline that had the least accidents and least fatalitites. Way to go Southwest with NEVER having any fatalities.
Source(s):
Planecrashinfo.com

Permalink | Report

I use Airtran and Southwest because they use mostly smaller airports and you can get in and out with ease.
Permalink | Report

american airlines
Permalink | Report

I would not suggest any airline until they start paying their employees better.
Your average commercial airline pilot makes between 17-24 thousand a year, and most of them are on food stamps.

This is not just an answer that I stole from the new Mike Moore Movie, I have many friend's who are commercial airline pilots. They are all struggling, and work second jobs outside of flying those huge planes full of human lives.

If it were me I would want the person flying my butt to be wide awake and very pleased with his job.

Not trying to scare you, and I can not speak for all airlines.
Permalink | Report

For domestic, US, flights I have to say I have had great success with SouthWest airlines. The prices are equal to what you get. The employees are usually pleasant and in some cases even fun. For me, flying is a way to get from point A to point B and I am not a fan of paying for things I really don't want or even if I do, the quality is typically poor.

For international, non-US, flights, British Airways rocks! Even in coach you really feel taken care of. The flight attendants are professional but still human. On one memorable trip when I was a teenager, I was excited and wide awake while the majority of passengers were out cold. On the way to the rear lavatory, I noticed several attendants nibble on extra shortbread cookies. On the way out of the bathroom they asked me to join them for cookies and milk and we laughed and talked for almost an hour.

I'm sure my experiences would be different if I rode first class, but I don't so there you go. =)
Permalink | Report

Virgin!http://www.travel-betty.com/9-reasons-virgin-america-is-the-best-domestic-airline-flying-today/
Source(s):
http://www.travel-betty.com/9-reasons-virgin-america-is-the-best-domestic-a...

Permalink | Report

Emirates by far as they have superb customer service
Permalink | Report