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[tenured_feminist]

Because we have to.

My nominee is United.

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

Northwest. I grew up in North Dakota, and for years this was the ONLY  airline that flew in and out of the state. I came to loathe them.

My dad's favorite joke:

Disheveled traveler runs up to the ticket counter and says, "I need to get to Dallas in the worst way."
The ticket agent smiles and says, "That would be Northwest."

[poiuy]

Northworst.

My lost baggage runarounds are becoming Byzantine.

Though some of those smaller regional airlines
are also pretty bad, surly staff etc. (e.g. AirTran)

[icurhere2]

Northwest.

Don't even get me started on attempting to use the frequent flyer miles I had the misfortune of "earning".

[voxprincipalis]

Oooh, I like Northwest and have never had any trouble.

Until recently there was a Musicians' Union boycott of Delta because they refused to let traveling musicians bring their instruments on as carry-ons. Delta recently changed their policy and the boycott has ended, but I won't be quick to fly on that airline. A lot of their planes also have overhead compartments that are too small to put instruments in. If my instrument can't fly in the cabin with me, I don't fly that airline.

VP

[historywoman]

In the dearly departed world of airline food, I'd nominate U.S. Airways.  I used to travel with them when they served snack boxes and meals that you didn't have to pay extra for, and they served some of the most disgusting slop I've ever seen as hot meals.  Their snack boxes frequently contained moldy cheese and rancid nuts. Uggh. 

And, speaking of U.S. Airways flights, the regular ones are OK lately. Not really much to complain about.  However, woe be unto those who get stuck on a U.S. Airways Express flight operate by Piedmont Airlines or others (usually shuttle flights, but not always).  Shabby, dirty terminals, uncomfortable airplanes (often turboprops or very small jets), and very harried, tired flight attendants.  Pilots look harried, too.

For all-out discomfort:  Southwest Airlines.  They get you there cheaply; they get you there quickly, if you don't mind riding in the Greyhound Bus of the skies.  Better bring your shoehorn or a crowbar to fit your self into the seats.

HW

[trabb]

I like Northwest - never (yet) had problems with them.  My worst is definitely Delta.

Here's my theory, however.  Airlines all suck.  Our worst airline will always be the one that we fly most often.

[expatinuk]

I was decked by a Northwest gate attendant once. She plowed through me to attack the flight attendant who was with me.

It's a Federal crime to attack a flight attendant.

We were held up for 5 hours while the Feddies did their thing. (we were already 5 hours late)

It's NOT a Federal crime to attack a passenger.

Passengers can sue.

And get money. Enough to buy a house.

[old_school]

Though some of those smaller regional airlines are also pretty bad, surly staff etc.
(e.g. AirTran)

AirTran = formerly ValuJet

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

I was decked by a Northwest gate attendant once. She plowed through me to attack the flight attendant who was with me.

It's a Federal crime to attack a flight attendant.

We were held up for 5 hours while the Feddies did their thing. (we were already 5 hours late)

It's NOT a Federal crime to attack a passenger.

Passengers can sue.

And get money. Enough to buy a house.

That reminds me. Anybody remember which airline had the incident where a husband and wife serving as pilot and co-pilot got into a fight that involved the crash ax while flying?

That airline wins my vote.

[studentaffairsgal]

Northwest.

Don't even get me started on attempting to use the frequent flyer miles I had the misfortune of "earning".

Oh no! Don't tell me that--I've got 80,000+ that I'm saving for a trip to South Africa one of these days (yea, I know I'm about a quarter of the way there, but still)! Is this an effort in futility!?

Say it ain't so ...

[dr_stones]

Anything other than Southwest sucks at this point.

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

Northwest.

Don't even get me started on attempting to use the frequent flyer miles I had the misfortune of "earning".

Oh no! Don't tell me that--I've got 80,000+ that I'm saving for a trip to South Africa one of these days (yea, I know I'm about a quarter of the way there, but still)! Is this an effort in futility!?

Say it ain't so ...

Take care to keep track of when the miles expire. You don't want to save those miles just to have them start disappearing in chunks.

[iomhaigh]

Northwest.

Don't even get me started on attempting to use the frequent flyer miles I had the misfortune of "earning".

Oh no! Don't tell me that--I've got 80,000+ that I'm saving for a trip to South Africa one of these days (yea, I know I'm about a quarter of the way there, but still)! Is this an effort in futility!?

Say it ain't so ...

I haven't had any issues using my miles with Northwest.  

My sibling tells me that Aeroflot, in the late 1980s, was hands down the worst airline that my sibling has ever flown.

My worst was EgyptAir, but that was mostly because I was groped by fellow passengers while walking down then aisle when I was too young to be groped by anyone, and the plane was just horrifically smoky.  

[prytania3]

Egyptair is a horror! Did you have to fly back to the airport after take off because one or more engines wasn't working? I thought for sure I was going to die slamming into one of those desert pyramids.