In mid-May, I flew on a Delta A220 from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and returned on an American Boeing 737-800.

My United Boeing 737 Max 8 flight was from LaGuardia to Denver International Airport in early July.

I'm a low-maintenance budget traveler who usually only has a carry-on. I mostly don't like checking luggage because I'm impatient and don't want to wait for it at bag claim.

There's also the risk that my bag won't reach my final destination, but I mostly trust the airlines — and I have an AirTag for backup.

However, if you're worried, Department of Transportation data says American and United had the worst mishandled luggage rates in 2023, with 0.76 and 0.73 bags mishandled per 100 bags enplaned, respectively. Delta was the best-performing of the three, with a rate of 0.47.

In all cases, the ticket can be upgraded to regular coach for things like an assigned seat and no change fees. I'd recommend paying up if you want a little more control over your reservation.

The point of basic economy is to lure in price-sensitive travelers (like me) with a fare that only requires you to pay for what you need. It's basically the low-cost model but with the perks of mainline cabins, like inflight entertainment, free snacks, and reclining seats.

Unlike American and Delta, United made its offer as barebones as possible by not allowing carry-on bags at all.

Except for most international routes, anything more than a personal item on United has to be checked. Delta and American allow a carry-on and a personal item for free.

Meanwhile, the seat rule is the same across the board — you pay extra to reserve one. Otherwise, you'll get a random seat at check-in — and I ended up with a middle seat on every flight.

For example, a one-way basic economy flight from LaGuardia to Chicago in mid-October is $56 on American, Delta, and United, according to Google Flights. Other dates show similarly close fares.

After the added fee and hassle of checking a bag on United, I'd book one of the other two by probably flipping a coin since I simply don't care about status.

The United plane I flew on was retrofitted with the airline's enhanced "United Next" cabin that it unveiled in 2021.

It offers the regular bells and whistles you'll find on most American and Delta narrowbodies, but you can also connect Bluetooth headphones to the seatback screens.

It was a much better option than using regular earbuds, especially if you're stuck with the scratchy airline-provided ones.

Delta's Bluetooth is not available in coach. United is the only US airline to offer it cabin-wide, fitting Bluetooth on some 100 planes.

The airline expects to roll it out on 800 aircraft by 2032.

I am addicted to competitive reality television shows like Big Brother and Survivor, and they're my go-to on flights. The tablet holder was perfect for my taste, but I doubt I'm the popular opinion.

If you rely on seatback content, Delta and United may be your better bets.

However, according to American's website, some of its single-aisle planes, including some A319s and the transcontinental A321T, have screens.

Most of the airlines' updated Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies have headrests, tray tables, seatback pockets, power ports, free snacks and drinks, and decent legroom and seat padding.

According to their websites, all three offer the standard 30-31 inches of pitch in regular coach, which is always plenty of space for my 5'3" self. Taller travelers may consider upgrading to an extra legroom seat, though.

I also had no customer service issues, with all of the airlines' airport agents and flight attendants being equally helpful and friendly. Granted, that's not always been the case in my years of flying, but bad apples exist at every airline, so I don't put much thought into that.

As a remote worker, I fly mainline airlines partly for the WiFi because I can access it fully free with my T-Mobile phone number. In my experience, the connection is mostly consistent across the board, and I could stream with no problem.

If you don't have T-Mobile, Delta is the best for internet as it continues to add unlimited free WiFi for loyalty members on its planes (you just need to make a free account).

United's domestic WiFi costs $8 for MileagePlus members and $10 otherwise. Messaging is free and works on apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, American does offer ad-powered free internet, but my flight was limited to just 20 minutes.

American's strategy is likely to show people what the WiFi is like and entice them to buy a flight pass, but the up-to-$20 price for internet on my flight may be a little steep for some travelers.

I specifically flew the updated cabins on American, Delta, and United's single-aisle Airbus and Boeing aircraft. However, all three still have some dated narrowbodies that don't offer all of the latest perks.

According to their respective websites, Delta's Boeing 717s lack seatback screens, as do many of United's 737-900s and 757-300s and select cabins on its Airbus planes (minus the A321neo). And you won't find power on all of American's Airbus narrowbodies.

While this will likely change as airlines continue to retrofit their fleets, I suggest you always check the airline's website outlining its fleet to see what you can expect before booking. The plane type will be displayed at booking and on your reservation.

I got a headrest and a comfortable enough seat on all three airlines' planes despite getting stuck in the middle seat on each.

Plus, every flight was perfectly on time. In fact, all three scored an on-time rate of at least 80% in 2023 — Delta at about 84% and the other two both just over 80%. United got roughly the same rate as in 2022, with Delta and American both improving year over year.

According to global travel data provider OAG, that's considered good punctuality in the airline industry. But remember, delays and cancellations can happen to any airline at any time, so sometimes it is just luck.

The aft lavatory on Delta's A220 fleet has a full-sized window. I'd consider it the best window seat onboard, and we aviation enthusiasts have dubbed it a "loo with a view."

You won't find the unique window on other US A220 carriers like low-cost airlines Breeze or JetBlue — though the latter has better legroom than any of the Big 3.

Delta consistently has the best on-time performance of the Big 3 year over year. It's, personally, rarely done me wrong. However, the other two have been hit-or-miss over the years, but customer-focused improvements are evidently working.

American has proven it isn't the inconsistent airline I used to avoid, while United's new domestic product is easily competitive but still lacks some freebies like the WiFi and carry-on offered by its rivals.

I live closest to New York-JFK and LaGuardia, so booking American and Delta for convenience, even if it costs more, makes sense since United has much fewer flight options at both NYC airports.

I'd also prefer not to travel all the way to United's Newark, New Jersey, hub for a flight. Again, it's case-by-case, but United's fare would need to be stupidly cheap.

And remember, we're talking domestic flights here. International is an entire other ballgame.

Firstly, if you care most about punctuality, the data says book Delta. Plus, the airline is consistently awarded for its premium-focused service and comfort, so it's just a safe bet — but you may see higher fares because of it.

United's upgraded cabin is just as nice as Delta's, and I'd argue it's actually better with the Bluetooth option. But you'll want to pay up for at least regular economy to get a carry-on for domestic flights.

While I've had my issues with American in the past, the airline has fully grown on me. It is often among the cheaper options, but most of its narrowbodies don't have a seatback screen.

You'll still get entertainment on American but on a handheld device. If you're like me, who watches content on a personal device, I'd say that's a win-win.

Vance served as a public affairs marine in Iraq, liaising between service members and members of the press. After his military service, he majored in political science and philosophy at Ohio State University.

Chilukuri Vance grew up in a suburb of San Diego. Her parents are Indian immigrants, The New York Times reported.

Chilukuri Vance told Fox News in June that her parents' Hindu faith was "one of the things that made them such good parents, that make them very good people."

In law school, Chilukuri Vance served as executive development editor of the Yale Law Journal and managing editor of the Yale Journal of Law and Technology, according to a bio on the website of her former employer, Munger, Tolles & Olson, that has since been removed.

She also worked pro bono with the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic, the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, and the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project.

Chilukuri Vance told NBC News that she and Vance took all of their classes together and were friends before they started dating. When they were assigned to work on a brief together, Chilukuri Vance said she was impressed by his diligence.

"I've never seen anybody so starstruck," their law school professor, Amy Chua, said of Vance in an interview with NBC News. "It was love at first sight."

Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, The American Conservative reported. Chilukuri Vance was raised Hindu.

When asked about their interfaith marriage in a June interview with Fox News, Chilukuri Vance replied: "There are a lot of things that we just agree on, I think, especially when it comes to family life, how to raise our kids. So I think the answer really is that we just talk a lot."

Vance's memoir details his working-class upbringing and the lives of poor, white Americans. He also wrote about how Chua, his professor, encouraged him to focus on his relationship with Chilukuri Vance as a Yale law student.

When Vance asked Chua to recommend him for a federal clerkship, she warned him that it's "the type of thing that destroys relationships."

"Amy's advice stopped me from making a life-altering decision. It prevented me from moving a thousand miles away from the person I eventually married," Vance wrote.

"Most important, it allowed me to accept my place at this unfamiliar institution — it was okay to chart my own path and okay to put a girl above some shortsighted ambition," he continued. "My professor gave me permission to be me."

Vance worked at Mithril Capital, a VC firm backed by Peter Thiel, in 2016. One former coworker previously told Business Insider that Vance was often away from the job promoting his book, "Hillbilly Elegy."

Thiel ended up being instrumental in Vance's rise to power in politics, donating $15 million to his Senate campaign and encouraging Trump to choose Vance as his running mate, The New York Times reported.

Vance went on to work at Revolution, a VC firm in Washington, DC, before founding his own firm, Narya Capital, in 2019.

Meanwhile, Chilukuri Vance worked as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson before leaving to clerk for Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the US Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts. Following her clerkships, she returned to Munger, Tolles & Olson, according to a bio on the firm's website that has since been removed.

Their first child, 6-year-old Ewan, was born a month before Chilukuri Vance began her clerkship with Chief Justice Roberts, NBC News reported. Their son Vivek is 4, and their daughter Mirabel is 2.

In the ad, Chilukuri Vance described her husband as "an incredible father" and "my best friend."

In an interview with Newsmax about the ad, Chilukuri Vance also responded to media reports about Vance's dramatic transformation from a "Never Trumper" to a staunch Trump supporter.

"Sometimes people say that he's changed a lot, but the truth is I've known him now for so many years and he's always been so true to himself," she said.

"I'm not raring to change anything about our lives right now, but I really believe in JD and I love him, so we'll see what happens with our lives," she told Fox News.

On the first day of the Republican National Convention, when Trump announced Vance as his vice presidential pick, a spokesperson for Munger, Tolles & Olsen told ABC News that Chilukuri Vance had left the firm.

"Usha has been an excellent lawyer and colleague, and we thank her for her years of work and wish her the best in her future career," the spokesperson said.

The monastery accumulated multiple parcels over time, Mirr said.

Before monks bought the property, ranchers and farmers who had settled there years before occupied the land.

"They based it on a 14th-century design of a monastery from France," Mirr said. "They had the brothers there help build it."

There have been additions since then.

Along with a chapel, prayer areas, and living quarters for the monks, there are additional buildings that were built during expansion, like barns, sheds, and an old schoolhouse.

There's also a retreat center where events are held.

According to Mirr, only about six monks still live on the property. More than a dozen monks lived there in the late 1950s.

"That is part of the reason they're shutting down," Mirr said. "There are just not as many gentlemen in the world — at least in the United States — who want to become monks. And it's just much more of a facility now that they can manage.""

On Sundays, the monastery still holds mass for the public.

"Somebody can have a different idea of what can be done," Mirr said. "Some people say, 'Does this have to be a faith-based enterprise advisor?' Well, maybe there could be a combination of uses out here, too."

One developer approached him with dreams of building a swanky private club, Mirr said.

"When a developer comes up, and they say, 'Oh, we're going to try to go after this many homes or make it like a Yellowstone Club.' And maybe in any other area that could work, but we just know it won't likely work here," Mirr added. "Why go through the brain damage of going through a county approval process that's subject to public scrutiny that would just taint the property?"

"The owner won't be there 24/7, 365 days a year," Mirr said. "But they will have a rancher that will manage the ranch subject to a grazing plan."

There is a local rancher that takes care of the property and takes into account wildlife conservation, water irrigation, and cattle, Mirr added.

The property has water rights that date back to the 1800s, and the water carries to the Colorado River.

"Water is important, and certainly they mainly use it for growing hay, but that ground that is irrigated helps support wildlife habitat and other things for the area — and it's just a great amenity," Mirr said.

Mirr said that unlike a state like Texas, which sometimes allows basically unfettered building on wide open spaces, Pitkin County has a "growth management quota system," which essentially sets limits each year on the amount of square footage that can be built in a neighborhood.

"Ultimately, somebody who buys this will have to work with the county on some level," he said. "Either accept what they're going to give you, or negotiate with them through a process called the Open Space Master Plan Concept or something similar where you can have a negotiated settlement and still provide a lot of conservation results and outcomes."

"You can count them on two hands," he said. "Our focus really is to look at a conservation buyer, ultimately, who can work with the code and work with the open space."

Mir added that an eventual buyer could build "a family compound or something of that nature, where you could build home sites, and you could build more barns and outbuildings."

"If this were 3,800 acres in central Colorado, nowhere near here, it would take on a much different valuation," Mirr said.

Snowmass Falls Ranch, a 650-acre parcel in the same county, sold to the county for $34 million earlier this year.

The monastery is more than five times its size, but it helped Mirr get a sense of an appropriate asking price.

"Aspen's an international city," he said. "If you look at the people who own properties in Aspen, they're from all over the world ‚ a much more diverse buying pool than any other city in Colorado for sure."

In addition to the Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen hosts other events that draw national and global attendees, including the Food & Wine Classic.

"Thirty minutes to a ski area at 3,800 acres — there's nothing like this in the United States," Mirr added.

In "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," Cressida Cowper is a one-note bully of London's high society, and she never becomes friends with Eloise Bridgerton, Colin's younger sister.

However, in the series, the writers evolve Cressida (Jessica Madsen) as a character through her friendship with Eloise (Claudia Jessie). We learn that Cressida bullies others due to her insecurity of not having any friends or suitors.

We also learn that Cressida is in a tough position because her parents insist on her finding a suitor. She needs a husband to escape her family.

Cressida develops from the one-note bully to a fully realized woman trying to survive in the Ton.

The friendship also develops Eloise. Since season one, she has been a self-obsessed, slightly insensitive, reckless young lady. She doesn't listen to anyone's advice until her friendship with Cressida, and the audience can see her maturing this season.

In "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," most of the tension in Penelope and Colin's relationship comes from his realization that she's Lady Whistledown.

But the timelines are a bit different in season three of the show. To up the urgency, "Bridgerton" instead creates a romantic rival: Lord Debling. Like Penelope, Lord Debling is looking for a match — but he seeks a practical, rather than romantic, one given that he plans on traveling for years at a time. For Penelope — a.k.a. the Ton's most prolific gossip columnist — that's pretty ideal, even if she'd prefer love.

It's nice to see someone genuinely interested in Penelope (other than Colin, after he gets his act in gear), and Sam Phillips' Lord Debling is a great mix of polished, detached, and a little bit odd. Seeing Colin jealous is pretty delightful, too.

Francesca Bridgerton is the not-so-secret second lead of "Bridgerton" season three. Hannah Dodd takes over the role from Ruby Stokes, who departed after the show's second season, and handles Francesca's debut with aplomb.

Francesca's storyline this season is different from what we've seen from the other "Bridgerton" couples, due in part to the fact that her true love story in the books is still yet to come. Contrary to her mother's aspirations, Francesca isn't set on a love match — she mostly wants a kind husband and a good life. Still, she finds a kindred spirit in Lord Kilmartin, a man who prefers to bond in silence and rearranges music for her at the drop of a hat.

This part of Francesca's story takes place on a different timeline in the books vis-à-vis Penelope and Colin's. But it's great to see her develop a relationship and get more space as a character prior to her eventual time as a romantic lead.

In season three, part two, "Bridgerton" revealed that it had changed the gender of Francesca's eventual love interest: Michael was now Michaela, her husband John's cousin.

In "When He Was Wicked," Francesca's book in the series, she eventually falls in love with John's cousin Michael after John's death two years into their marriage. But in the season three finale, John introduced Francesca to Michaela — and Francesca was visibly smitten.

Changing Michael's gender, and therefore key elements of his and Francesca's story, has proven to be divisive for book fans, though Quinn publicly stands behind it. But Francesca's story does easily lend itself to a queer interpretation, and it's huge for "Bridgerton" to set up a queer relationship for one of the siblings.

Every "Bridgerton" man needs a good opportunity to showboat, and this is Colin's.

Before a hot-air balloon launch, an unmoored rope and an unusually windy day cause the balloon to drift off. Colin, his forearms exposed, grabs one of the ropes and rallies a group of men to heave the balloon and its basket back onto the platform.

This scene has everything: a brute display of strength, Penelope almost getting caught in the balloon's path because she was busy staring at Colin, and Lord Debling chivalrously protecting her from harm. Colin receives plenty of adoration from the audience, but he only has eyes for Penelope. If only he understood that he was in love with her!

This incident doesn't happen in "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," but it's the perfect dose of jealousy-tinged frivolity that we need in "Bridgerton."

The first two seasons and "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Series" have been mainly focused on young people falling in love. The same situation occurs in the "Bridgerton" books.

But in season three, we finally get a hint at an older love story with the burgeoning flirtation between Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis).

It is really great to see one of the show's best older characters get a romance. Violet and Lord Marcus have both been widowed, so it would be a great opportunity for the series to develop a "second love" relationship.

"Bridgerton" hasn't gone full out on this relationship just yet — but there's a lot of potential going forward.

This may not have been Benedict's season, but the writers' room didn't leave him hanging. The show has periodically teased that Benedict may not be straight, and this season, it finally pulled through by sending him tumbling into the sheets with Lady Tilley Arnold and her friend Paul. Benedict's queer! All rejoice!

Benedict is now firmly in his fling era, which is a bit at odds with the fact that it seems like his romance is due next season. But whatever — it's fun enough that "Bridgerton" finally opened up this side of his character.

The other side of the threesome coin: Benedict is still a bachelor.

By "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," Benedict had found his lover and was already married.

However, the "Bridgerton" TV series skipped his romance for now, so he is still single and lost. While Benedict's casual relationships were fun in the first season, it was a little disappointing to postpone Benedict's romance to give him another fling.

Benedict is one of the best Bridgertons. We want to see his love story!

One of the best past of "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" was Penelope's friendship with Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), a wise, independent widow in the Ton.

She was part of Penelope's transition coming out of her shell, and their conversations always showed that Penelope was so much braver than she thought. Their interactions are among the few insights into Lady Danbury's personality in the book series since she is a more minor character there.

Though Lady Danbury has been more developed in the TV series, she doesn't interact with Penelope much. Pen is left to fend for herself without any friends this season other than Colin, though Lady Danbury supports her after she reveals her identity.

This allows Penelope to find the courage alone but doesn't help Lady Danbury's arc in season three. Lady Danbury randomly props up Francesca instead, but this pairing has no interesting interactions.

"Bridgerton" leaned pretty hard into the entire "these poor young women don't know how sex works" thing in season one. While potentially realistic, by season three it's become a bit tired.

Penelope's sisters, Prudence and Philippa, are both married, and their mother is putting pressure on both of them to produce a baby. If either of them had a son, that child would become the new Lord Featherington. That's particularly important, given that Lady Featherington herself is under threat from the Crown to have to transfer their estate to another family.

Unfortunately, Prudence and Philippa are shockingly clueless when it comes to procreation. But by this point in time, the bumbling sex schtick is a bit tiresome. In "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," the Featherington heir race isn't a part of the plot — and while it's an understandable concern, it could do with a bit of nuance this season.

Luckily, by the end, all three Featherington sisters have managed to conceive. In a twist, it's Penelope who has given birth to the new Lord Featherington.

In "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," Penelope isn't the youngest Featherington sister. In addition to Philippa and Prudence, she has a younger sister — Felicity.

Felicity is close friends with Hyacinth Bridgerton and serves as another conduit of information between the Bridgerton and Featherington families. In the book, Lady Featherington schemes to set Felicity up with Colin, a prospect that Penelope balks at. But Penelope and Felicity are close, and her friendship with Hyacinth is a regular sense of entertainment.

It's easy to see why Felicity isn't around in "Bridgerton" — frankly, there are plenty of characters to keep track of, and she doesn't play an irreplaceable role in Penelope's story. But Felicity's inclusion in the story adds a bit of levity through her friendship with Hyacinth. It also underscores the tensions within the Featherington family: Lady Featherington thinks much more highly of Felicity than she does Penelope.

The "Bridgerton" book series has bigger gaps of time between the events of each book. This means that by the time Penelope and Colin get to their love story in the fourth book, Penelope is 28, and Colin is 33.

Penelope's desperation to find a husband makes a lot more sense in the book: In that era, she would definitely be considered a spinster at 28.

Penelope is only in her third year in society in the TV series, so her desperation feels forced.

In addition, the timeline in the book version supports their rapid transition from friends to lovers. Colin would be mature enough to realize Penelope's beauty and have known her much longer. Therefore, he would have less hesitation in marrying her quickly.

This is a tricky one, because the Whistledown reveal in "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" is also a bit wonky. In the book, it's Colin who presents his wife as Lady Whistledown at his sister Daphne's ball — and he does so without Penelope knowing that he's going to do it.

In the show, Penelope decides to reveal herself by confessing to Queen Charlotte and asking to justify herself to the public. It means that Penelope gets to divulge the information more on her own terms. But the reveal ends up feeling rather anti-climactic on screen. Philippa Featherington ends the awkward moment with her now-iconic, "Now, Varley, the bugs," but the entire sequence comes off abrupt.

That's not to say the reveal in the book is perfect — but there's something to be said for the romance of Colin making sure the entire Ton knows that his wife doesn't stand alone.

In "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," Cressida figures out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown due to Penelope's own error. Penelope says that it would "break my heart" if Cressida turned out to be Whistledown after she publicly makes the claim. Later, Penelope repeats the same turn of phrase in a column.

"She is nothing more than a scheming imposter, and it would break my heart to see my years of hard work attributed to one such as her," Penelope writes.

Cressida catches the mistake and figures out Penelope's identity, highlighting both her own cleverness and Penelope's carelessness.

The show goes for a more direct approach. Cressida learns about Whistledown from a printer who tells Cressida that Whistledown is a redhead.

Sure, we end up in the same place — but it's a bit more fun when Penelope's hubris is almost the cause of her undoing.

"Bridgerton" season three is available to stream on Netflix.