What are the best airlines to go with?

It depends on where you are going. Not all airlines go to every airport. using one that has their hub on your trip will probably work out better. It's only a couple hours.

To be honest, when you're flying "steerage" and domestic, all of the major carriers are pretty much the same. And all the travel sites give you the same price. What I tend to do is use travel sites for comparison shopping, then book directly with the airline on its own site. Takes out the middleman, just in case something goes wrong. Because those travel sites aren't "full service" and won't do a whole lot for you if you're having problems.

For equal cost, I'll go with Southwest Airlines, though (and you won't find them on Kayak). Their flight attendants are allowed to have a little fun at work, and that seems to make the entire experience a little better for everyone. Yes, it's true, you don't get an assigned seat, but I'm okay with that.

I use Jet Blue for my trips, good service & the price is less then most air lines.