[taurath]

Flight experiences are really just anecdotal if you're talking about the same "class" of flight. I know people who fly regularly and are perfectly fine with Delta while they'd never fly American. At the same time, its always felt like the "national" domestic airlines have had very poor service - I liken it to GM and Chrysler vehicles.

[digikata]

The quality of the experience can also depend on what routes and/or hubs people use regularly. Airlines also have different grades of presence at various airports.

[jmspring]

For years, I felt Lufthansa was better than United for SF -> Germany flights. Especially after the merger with Continental. Lately though, LH has been in decline.

In general, I find United to be ok for the travel I have done. But they aren't what they used to be. Also, my options are limited if I want to do SF -> Europe direct and not go to CDG, Heathrow, etc. KLM wasn't bad, but it's also One World and I don't fly American or Delta domestically.