The dirt on the airlines

Having had the experience of flying on American Airline, Delta, Northwest, Continental and United, it is no wonder that the US Airline Industry is in a tailspin.

From the time I was born till the age of 24, I had the luxury of travelling only on Singapore Airlines. Not that I was of some Royalty lineage, I would then have my own private jet. And it's not that my family owns the airline, but I was lucky that my father was a pioneer at Singapore Airport Terminal Services and he and his family (that's us) are able to receive complimentary flight tickets annually to anywhere in the world on SIA and we would use the tickets if we have the money to travel or else it will just be to KL.

So I have no basis for comparison. And anyway, at most times, I have nothing to complain about SIA.

Until I couldn't receive anymore complimentary tickets, so I have to save and scrimp to travel and I have since travelled on Thai Airways, Mauritius Air, EVA, ANA, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, Emirates, Virgin, Qantas, British Airways and all of the above US carriers.

Frankly speaking, everything on the US carriers really sucked. Big time.

From seating space, to inflight entertainment, to quality and customer service of flight crew and even the baggage unit, hospitality, food ...everything failed miserably.

Seating space is crammed. You can feel the front seat right smack on your face. And I mean really right smack and even more so if the passenger in front had adjusted his seat to lean backwards. Your knees will touch the seats that it will be hell to just move out to the loo especially when you are on long flight and have a kid with you. So it's better to get the aisle seat.

Inflight entertainment. When most flights have upgraded to touchscreen monitor and have continuous and uninterrupted entertainment, the US Airlines in general, expect us to watch the movies at their own timing, not ours. When I thought that Americans are technologically more advance, their aircrafts, however, are behind many Jurassic years away. The remote control at the side is not covered unlike JAL so most often our arm would have pressed onto the keypads and accidentally change the channel or volume. This can be irritating not only to you but if you unknowingly pressed on your neighbour's remote. The aircrafts do not even have games to entertain those who do not want to watch the movie or listen to the radio. At least, with games, it will help to keep kids entertain on long flights. Talking about kids, they are not very kid friendly. They don't provide complimentary toys or games or snacks for the kids much less smile at anyone of them or assist to make a crying infant and a stressed passenger comfortable. I sense that kids are more of a pest than anything else to the crew.

Quality of crew. First thing, you don't really get good-looking stewards or stewardesses but that does not matter if you can work but if you are also overweight and really old and does not look like you can stand for very long, it is a wonder whether you are of any help. One thing for sure, unlike other airlines, the crew on the US airlines do not offer help with your luggage. To hell if you are struggling, they will not bother. Usually, during boarding, the crew are hardly in sight or you may spot two of them happily yakking or gossiping together while a passenger is struggling with his or her luggage.

And I can tell you I have met many downright RUDE airline crew from American Airline as well as from the other US airlines. With the exception of one or two smiley crews, perhaps the ones that I encountered are those who are either waiting for retirement, or the work is no longer enjoyable to them. To these crew, may I suggest that they should just get themselves grounded or work in a non-customer service department. Without them, at least the flying experience will be much more pleasurable.

Once on a Continental flight, after having made my halal food request a few days earlier, this particular stewardess said rudely that I did not make the request, she does not have anything for me so point blank, she told me that it's either I eat or don't. And to think that the airline that I took before that connecting Continental flight, which is United Airline had my halal food so I was surprised that Continental could have blundered that and blamed it on me. On top of that, they did not even offer an alternative until I suggest whether my son and I could have some roll and butter.

At another time on another US airline that I cannot remember which one, this steward was stumped when we asked for our halal food, because according to him, he had asked us earlier and we told him that we didn't want to eat. My husband and I looked at each other and wondered when did he ask us. He was upset and I don't understand why and went to the galley to get our food at the same time complaining to his colleague loudly about us.

On American Airline, I heard this rather rude stewardess speaking in high tone to a passenger who could hardly speak English. In a very loud and sarcastic voice, she said, "I cannot understand WHAT you are talking about." Opening the foil on the food, "You want this or this?" "WHAT?" "WHAT?" "YOU DONT WANT TO EAT?" "FINE!!!" and she stomped off. Is this the way they treat passengers or is this the way they treat Asian passengers? And I can vividly remember her name.

Again on AA, my husband was asked by a stewardess, "We have pork. You either eat it or you don't." Mindless people! Clearly, she had served us our halal meal earlier so I think she is probably suffering from selective amnesia. Then there is something really wrong with their recruitment strategy.

Another time on AA, another stewardess kicked my leg twice and at both times without apologising. Something was on the floor but she couldn't just pick it up and yet she just brushed it off with her foot and kicked my leg instead while I was snoozing.

And the food is downright miserable, deplorable and horrible. When halal food is available, it is often the same white pita bread, weird tasting curry tofu, sour tomato eggplant and some bland yellow rice. Sometimes some "grass" is included. For heaven's sake, we are not vegetarians. The US airlines forgot that when we request for halal food, it will mean that all our food on that flight whether breakfast, snacks, tea or dinner will have to be halal as well. It only happens on US airlines somehow. Most often the snacks given to us are not halal as these would be the same snacks given to every one else and these are usually pork, chicken or beef sandwich. I think this is a case of blatant ignorance and total insensitivity on the part of the airline management to cater to the varied needs of their passengers.

Most of the other airlines fare much better than any US airlines, that's for sure. For now though, I believe Emirates will definitely give SIA a run for their money. While I find that JAL and Korean Air have rather good inflight entertainment and "dainty, polite" crew, I find that SIA crew is a bit "crass" these days, but food and hospitality is still the best. The crew on Air Mauritius is rather "snooty" but Virgin's crew is "hilariously weird" or is it "weirdly hilarious" while Qantas and British, are "politely snobbish".

US airlines better buck up or maybe not...