The average flier probably doesn’t pay too much attention to flight attendants. They merely want to get from point A to point B without hassle. As long as a member of the cabin staff doesn’t spit in their drink, bar them from the lavatory or spill coffee in their lap, everything is roses.
For other fliers, though, decent service is one of the necessities of a positive air travel experience.
In recent years, some aspects of the in-flight experience have been taken out of the hands of flight attendants. It is not their fault that most airlines have adopted a la carte pricing; forcing passengers to pay for everything from a blanket and pillow to a drink to (allegedly – see below) the bathroom.
Most fliers will cite these recent a la carte experiences as proof that in-flight service is not what it used to be. Of course, this is mostly due to cost cutting measures made by the airlines, not the misdeeds of cabin staff.
Peanuts and water have replaced full meals or more substantial snacks on most flights, and frequent fliers may even find these munch-ables a rarity. Still, food plays an important part in people’s perceptions of airlines.
A recent survey by SeatGuru showed that food, when it actual was served, was worst on American Airlines, United and US Airways. International airlines scored much higher, with Air France and Singapore Air topping the overall list. Continental was the only US carrier to receive a significant amount of positive feedback from survey-takers for its edibles.
Though not part of an official survey, Doug Lansky, author of the worst-of-travel book Titanic Awards, recently published photos of the five worst airline meals in the Huffington Post. If you want to cure your hunger pangs, merely taking a look at these photos – featuring the culinary miscarriages of Aeroflot, Ukraine International, Air Bostwana and Alitalia – will be enough to have you rummaging through your carry-on for that Snickers you think you remembered to pack.
Low-cost-carriers are notorious for their non-customer-service-oriented staff. Ireland’s Ryanair employs flight attendants who are often more akin to surly junior high hall monitors than helpful customer care representatives (perhaps taking a cue from their brash CEO). In the US, regional carriers affiliated with major airlines (such as American Airlines affiliate American Eagle) generally score quite low on quality surveys. Independent LCCs in the US fare much better when it comes to customer satisfaction. JetBlue, Southwest and Midwest often top survey-informed rankings.
Skytrax, a research firm that ranks airlines worldwide after extensive user-surveying, is a good source for learning the quality of international airlines. The only carrier to receive one-star (out of five) is North Korea’s national carrier Air Koryo.
There a numerous two-star airlines, though Ryanair is the only notable member of the group. Its now-infamous staff received only a single star when it came to helpfulness and treatment of passengers. National carriers of less visited countries (Air Nepal, Cubana Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways and Air Malawi) are Ryanair’s low-quality peers, though operations budgets may be a major reason for poor performance and lack of amenities.
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