He certainly gained some flying miles.
An avid traveler flew every airline in the United States for a week-long trip where he was practically stuck in the sky.
Eric Decker, better known by his digital name Airrack, uses his online presence to pull off wacky feats, including making the world’s largest pizza and meeting infamous former Walmart employee Gail Lewis.
Decker, 27, who says he risked his life for the experience, set several rules he had to follow when he decided to fly the 28 national airlines that took him everywhere – and also nowhere.
“I’m willing to dedicate as many days of my life as it takes to try every airline in the country,” Decker said.
The first rule, the YouTuber could not leave the airport system and had to stay in an airport or on a plane.
For his second rule, Decker obligated himself to buy the “nicest” seat offered by each airline, and he rated the experience of each flight on four elements.
“Price, comfort, service and something I like to call the X factor. I want to give these airlines the opportunity to surprise me,” the YouTuber said.
Having to stay inside the airport system throughout the expedition meant he had to do everything inside the airport system, which led to his final requirement.
“Rule number three: All meals, drinks, bathroom breaks and sleep must take place on the plane or at the airport. Live next to the plane, die next to the plane,” he said.
To help him correctly rank all the airlines, Decker asked some of his friends to test all the lounges and bathrooms on board, including rating the flush power and the number of paper folds. toilet.
Decker’s first three flights were either delayed or canceled, causing chaos in his “meticulously planned flight map.”
His first flight was with United where he experienced a delay that caused some passengers to miss their connecting flight, but Decker wasn’t worried until he boarded his second flight, which was on Horizon Air .
“The first thing I immediately noticed when I boarded Horizon Air was that it was about 120 degrees inside,” Decker said. “The second thing was once everyone got on the plane, they immediately asked all of us to get off.”
The flight was ultimately canceled, forcing Decker to give the airline the lowest rating possible, Level F.
Decker’s cameraman Jack, the man who tested every toilet on the plane, gave budget airline Avelo a B rating for its “pretty quick flush” and “hop-on hop-off private jet service » JSX ranked Tier C alongside United.
Allegiant Airlines
Allegiant Airlines was rated A-tier for its “very clean” bathroom despite single-ply toilet paper.
Southwest Airlines
Back in the main cabins of flights, Decker nearly struck gold when it came to the “notorious” Southwest Airlines.
Decker got a front-row seat thanks to the low-cost carriers’ open-seat model.
“This is by far the best seat I’ve ever had on a Southwest flight,” Decker said.
However, a 4-hour delay and a cost of $221 brought the airline to Level C.
Spirit Airlines
The YouTuber’s next flight was on Spirit, on which Decker heard horror stories while the $544 one-way ticket didn’t help.
The plane itself was the newest and cleanest plane of the trip and Decker quickly fell asleep, only to wake up after landing.
“This Spirit flight was the cleanest, smoothest, kindest staff I have interacted with during this entire time. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Spirit Airlines is B level.”
Outline Airlines
One of the smaller planes Decker rode was from a former military charter from the mainline Contour airline, which shared the flight with Flying Finn because once the plane landed in Missouri and three people got off, the rest passengers were back in the air.
The convenience of not having to change planes and the excellent in-flight service due to the small number of passengers earned both companies a place at Level C.
Silver Airways and Frontier Airlines
Silver Airways, much like Decker’s experiment with Horizon, never took off and earned its place in Tier F, leading the YouTuber to Frontier Airlines.
Decker enjoyed every aspect of the Frontier, including presenting his “Best Flight Attendant” and “Coolest Person to Sit Next” awards to Flight Attendant Tamisha, as well as cards -gifts.
Delta Airlines
Delta, with Decker’s seat “comfort plus” access to the Delta lounge access to a wide variety of food, on-board shower and snacks and free refills, the airline has almost reached the S level as well, but was placed next to Frontier because of the $513 price tag.
On the fourth day of the trip, the YouTuber and cameraman Jack spent “marathoning a handful of mediocre flights,” including Republic Airways, New Pacific Airways, Delta Republic, and Delta Connections.
Cap Air
The smallest plane Decker took on his excursion belonged to Cape Air, which primarily serves Boston and several Cape Towns in Massachusetts.
Before boarding the six-seat plane, Decker and his luggage had to be weighed at the boarding gate.
With minimal legroom and motion sickness, the $459 flight earned a Level C rating.
Endeavour, Sun Country and Hawaiian Airlines
Endeavor Air earned an A-level rating, despite a hefty $838 price tag.
Sun Country ($251) and Hawaiian Airlines ($978) both received B-level grades.
Alaska Airlines
While flying on Alaska Airlines, Decker has a new friend who talks about life in the Last Frontier, including seeing moose in his backyard.
Decker’s experience on the flight earned the airline an A-level spot.
After crossing the ocean to Hawaii, Jack boarded two smaller planes in the 50th state, Mokulele Airlines and Lana’i Air.
The second flight with Mokulele was canceled, forcing Jack to give it an F, but Lana’i was a private jet for $169 that received an S-level rating.
After traveling the country for seven days, Decker booked himself a flight home on American Airlines, where he sat on what he called the “most luxurious domestic flight,” which was the “only thing that kept me going” throughout his week-long adventure. .
Instead, he gave up his seat to go see his mother, giving American Airlines an E rating.
New York Post
