Here’s a topic that I figured would be interesting to discuss — which airlines have the most consistently excellent flight attendants?
Of course the single most important thing an airline can do is transport you safely between two points, ideally in a timely fashion. However, beyond that, there’s huge variance in the quality of airlines, with service being a major differentiating factor. So in this post I wanted to discuss what makes for great inflight service, and which airlines offer the best service. There are no right or wrong answers, but just opinions and experiences.
In this post:
What makes for great inflight service
I’ve written in the past about how I don’t think there are any airlines that consistently offer good service on the ground. The reality is that there are just too many variables, there are a lot of contract workers, etc., so at least I haven’t found any airline where ground service is consistently stellar.
Inflight service is a different story, though. There are some airlines that offer better inflight service than others. If you ask me, there are several major factors that contribute to that:
- Consistency is key, and knowing that you’re going to have a great crew with each flight; some airlines have huge variance in terms of service levels (especially at Gulf carriers), and that’s not ideal
- Flight attendants have to by trained and given the tools to provide a great experience; some airlines invest a lot of money in service training and execution, while other airlines… well, don’t
- Some airlines just don’t really give their flight attendants the chance to shine due to service procedures (for example, I’m thinking of Cathay Pacific’s assembly line-esque approach to business class service)
- There’s no denying that culture also fits into all of this, and there are some countries that just have more customer service oriented cultures than others (in Japan you’ll get great service at a convenience store or at a Michelin-starred restaurant)
- Accountability is important as well, with airlines having a more structured hierarchy of crew generally offering better service than airlines without that, since you have a direct “manager” you’re reporting to
- For global airlines, service experiences can be very different depending on the language you speak, the culture you come from, etc.; awareness and sensitivity to that is important
The airlines with my favorite flight attendants
With the above out of the way, I wanted to share the airlines where I consistently find the flight attendants to be the best.
Let me frame it this way — when I board a flight on these airlines, I know with 99% certainty what level of service I’m going to receive in terms of friendliness, attentiveness, attention to detail, etc. Of course there’s going to be some variability, since we’re all individuals with our own personalities and ways of doing things. But at least I generally know what to expect.
With that in mind, below are my picks, starting with my absolute favorite (and yes, there’s quite a geographic bias here, but I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way).
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is one of my favorite airline brands in the world. What makes the airline so special isn’t the seats or the planes, but rather the staff. In my experience, Singapore Airlines flight attendants just operate on a completely different level.
They have such an incredible eye for detail, so that premium cabin service on the airline almost feels more like a synchronized performance than service. Most impressive of all, Singapore Airlines crews consistently operate at such a high level, all while making it seem completely effortless.
There’s not an airline where I’ve found service to be as consistently great as on Singapore Airlines, and that’s what makes the airline such a pleasure to fly.
EVA Air
Taiwan is a competitive aviation market, and I’d argue that EVA Air is the best of the airlines there in terms of service. I’ve found EVA Air flight attendants to consistently be very detail oriented, friendly, and professional.
While China Airlines and Starlux Airlines also often have great service, it seems to me like EVA Air is a bit more consistent in terms of service delivery. When you add in EVA Air’s excellent soft product (the airline has one of my favorite business class products), flying with the airline is a treat.
Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia has received many awards over the years for having the world’s best cabin crew, and I’d largely agree. While the carrier’s product has otherwise slipped quite a bit, I’ve found Garuda Indonesia flight attendants to consistently be very friendly and professional. Admittedly that probably largely reflects that Indonesia has a great service culture.
All Nippon Airways & Japan Airlines
Japan has two global airlines — All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines — and I’ve found both airlines to offer perfect Japanese service inflight. I get a bit less excited about service on Japanese airlines for the simple reason that the service level is perhaps less reflective of something special about the airlines, and rather just reflects what’s special about Japan as a country.
Thoughts on service on some other airlines
I wish I could make a longer list, though the above are probably the only airlines where I’ve consistently had service that I’d consider to be very good. Now, I do want to address service on a few other airlines:
- Among the “big three” US carriers, Delta has marginally better service than American and United, but the difference isn’t as noticeable as in the past; that’s because the airline also has a ton of new employees since the start of the pandemic
- JetBlue has dedicated flight attendants who work in Mint business class, and I find them to be excellent; however, that’s a subset of flight attendants, rather than all flight attendants at the airline
- I’ve had some of the best service of my life on Gulf carriers, as airlines like Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar, have some exceptional flight attendants; the issue is that there’s huge variability, and there are also some subpar crews who do a poor job
- I can’t really say I’ve found any major airline in Europe that consistently has great service, though I’d say that perhaps I’ve had all-around better experiences on Air France than other carriers; though the French also do have a certain charm to them that I imagine contributes to that
Bottom line
Not all airlines are created equal when it comes to service. Admittedly we all have different perceptions of service on various airlines, though personally I’ve consistently had the best experiences on Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, All Nippon Airways, and Japan Airlines. I’ve had amazing service on other airlines as well, but the issue has been consistency.
Which airlines do you think have the best flight attendants?
Dear ben,
Until us airlines stop awarding trips based on seniority , rather than merit , performance and attendance. Fas won’t get out of their way to shine .
I picked Garuda anytime! Will never say no! If any requests not available, alternative item will be offered. Very accommodating..I think it's their upbringing and culture.
The author is right, absolutely right. If we pay for business class on whatever airlines, I also found American Airways never give services different from economy, so why passengers need to pay more. Thanks for you article.
Best experiences: Malaysia Airlines MH
Worst experiences: Qatar QR
Hear me out! Say what you want about Spirit as a company, but their crews have always been nice, down to earth and hilarious. Considering what they deal with daily too, they should be an honorable mention. Seems they do their best to work with what they have. (Which isn’t much)
If they’re not serving champagne, they’re rubbish ;)
Very strange not to see your beloved Qatar Airways. Or is it as others have pointed out Asians just go the extra length to ensure great service. I think even on Qatar it would have been the Asian FAs who would be more like the FAs on Asian carriers. I had a FA each from Thailand on two Oman Air flights and they were fantastic!! (Though Thai didn't make it on Ben's list)
Air India. All international flights and even on rare occasion, when i have traveled in India on national flights, the FAs have been top of their job and amongst the best I have experienced in the world.
US is a lost cause. Nowadays i just grateful if the FAs do not look annoyed when i encounter them.
While I agree SQ generally have great service, there are some points that annoy me. The tendency to wake up passengers to confirm whether they want their meal or not. Particularly in Y this is often done by poking the passenger's shoulder or shaking the seat.
Cut to Japan Airlines where they just put a small post-it in front of the passenger, explaining that you can just call a flight attendant if you want...
While I agree SQ generally have great service, there are some points that annoy me. The tendency to wake up passengers to confirm whether they want their meal or not. Particularly in Y this is often done by poking the passenger's shoulder or shaking the seat.
Cut to Japan Airlines where they just put a small post-it in front of the passenger, explaining that you can just call a flight attendant if you want your meal when you wake up. On JAL I have had my full economy class meal heated and served waking up with 40 minutes to go to landing.
Virgin atlantic is surely the best in europe and is for sure better then delta
according to my experience virgin has the best flight attendants in the north america-europe by far
Only because Delta owns 49% of VA and exerts an incredible amount of influence.
Agreed. Though I had only flown on VS once but it’s a great experience that I don’t find in US carriers.
In the US so much of our world has gone the way of Wal Mart. Cheap prices and not much else. Airlines, particularly, for coach flyers have gone that route.
My vote for best flight attendants of 2023 are from Alaska. My experience as MVPGold always gets a consistent named welcome, specialty chocolate, and when I was injured on a work trip to Boston the crew understood I was traveling with a broken patella and did whatever they could to make my trip back to CA as pain free and uneventful as possible. Amazing folks that really seem to care.
In Europe the crews on Aegean are veryf good always polite and welcoming. So unlike BA whose crew standards seem to go from bad to worse
SQ is generally very good. One bit to pick I have is that on BLR-SIN which is a relatively short redeye flight, pax are forced to un-recline seats, open window shades, stow baggage, stop charging etc a full 50-60 mins before landing. That’s at least half an hour sooner than is really necessary. The loss of 30 mins of sleep can make or break your day. I don’t like how they are so rigid with...
SQ is generally very good. One bit to pick I have is that on BLR-SIN which is a relatively short redeye flight, pax are forced to un-recline seats, open window shades, stow baggage, stop charging etc a full 50-60 mins before landing. That’s at least half an hour sooner than is really necessary. The loss of 30 mins of sleep can make or break your day. I don’t like how they are so rigid with this and don’t take into account the length of the flight and time. Otherwise, pretty much flawless.
Get a pen from the SQ girls and thanks me later
Hahahaha! The warm pen. We used to ask for pens on every flight.
I’ve had only good experiences on NH, JL, CX, BR, and TG, and there is very much a cultural element there. I’m in Thailand right now for my 15th trip here (came over on NH in J) and like in Japan, even the service at a 7-11 is better than the service at many restaurants back home in the US.
I’ve also had amazing service on AM (especially on their 787s), with meal service...
I’ve had only good experiences on NH, JL, CX, BR, and TG, and there is very much a cultural element there. I’m in Thailand right now for my 15th trip here (came over on NH in J) and like in Japan, even the service at a 7-11 is better than the service at many restaurants back home in the US.
I’ve also had amazing service on AM (especially on their 787s), with meal service that far exceeds any US Airline (yes, even “premium” Delta, Timmy). I do speak Spanish with near-native fluency (although not the Mexican dialect) so that might help with the service.
LX is consistently good across the Atlantic, but their intra-European service is just as blah as most of the carriers. LH and BA were good at one time, but I now avoid them if I can.
As far as the Big 3, I think that you are drinking the Dunn-flavored Kool-Aid on that one. There may have been a time when Delta was a “premium” domestic carrier but those days are long gone. Some of the worst service and nastiest personnel I’ve seen has been from Delta in the last couple of years. I have status on all 3 alliances (1K United, Medallion Gold, Alaska Gold) and as of last year, I scaled back Delta significantly, dropping from Diamond Medallion to Gold, and only using them when absolutely necessary.
The DL gate and baggage agents at LAX are almost universally a cross between prison guards and DMV workers. I’ve never wanted to get in the face of the CSR as often as I have wanted to do with Delta gate and baggage agents. Of course, I haven’t done so because those power-hungry morons would immediately call the police if you even gave them a side-eye glance, let alone dared to speak in a castigating tone. (Yes, I’ve witnessed it, and even gave one passenger my business card if they needed a witness to
Testify that it was the DL agent’s conduct and not the pax’ conduct which should be an issue.
And while UA had some rough years under the Smisek regime, and while there is certainly still room for improvement - particularly regarding certain aspects of the meal service, like the ability to order special meals on flights under 2000 miles in the pointy end of the plane - I find the flight attendants to range from good to excellent, the ground staff to be friendly and attentive, and the staff in the lounges to be wonderful. And, most importantly, they get me there safely, and generally on time.
Ben, does this tie into the story of the SQ flight attendant feeding a five year old boy while he played with his iPad and the father sat in front of them?
Very divided opinions, ranging from “great SQ service” to “inattentive father filming his son who is old enough to feed himself”, though I guess both can be true.
Curious on your opinion of this.
Economy class I’ve found Lufthansa flight attendants to be significantly better then AF, KLM, Emirates, and Etihad. Etihad crew were very rude.
In the US Delta followed by Southwest, then American, United, and Frontier. United crews don’t seem interested anymore
I would agree about SQ being tops. The way the sense what the customer needs and then try to overachieve expectations is just amazing. And this in every cabin. So I will gladly give them my business when traveling between Europe and Asia/Australia. They also sense what mood you’re in: if relaxed they will try to chat with you, if busy with work they will limit interactions. I also agree that CX has slipped lately....
I would agree about SQ being tops. The way the sense what the customer needs and then try to overachieve expectations is just amazing. And this in every cabin. So I will gladly give them my business when traveling between Europe and Asia/Australia. They also sense what mood you’re in: if relaxed they will try to chat with you, if busy with work they will limit interactions. I also agree that CX has slipped lately. TG was always wonderful too although not so good at solving matters that go wrong. Their ground product at BKK was great though, I have fond memories of the former Royal Orchid Spa.
Some of the European and American carriers mentioned could be more erratic but also there you get wonderful professionals who love their job and give their best to make customers feel comfortable and safe.
For a fair and balanced comparison, perhaps it would have been good to mention the “perceived best” from the various continents instead of only mentioning Asian airlines in this article.
It’s not that hard to explain some of this..the US3 each have 25-26K cabin crew, hired from one of the most diverse and heterogenous pools of candidates, herding cats would be tons easier than achieving consistency. The Asian carriers cited here generally have about 5 to 8K cabin crew (even AF only has 13K) and most of them are hired from a relatively homogenous pool of people…of course you’re going to get much more consistency in service delivery.
Wtf - this is so racist!! What’s wrong with you people???
What’s wrong about pointing out the ‘Diversity’ and individualism of the US population? On all other occasions you leftist woke guys do like to celebrate diversity.
The NA airline apologists in the comments section here are the reason why US airlines and US customers deserve each other.
The whole crap about treating white guests "better" is a joke. I'm Asian, and while some do tend to treat Westerners better (because in Asian culture, it's normal to treat guests better for the duration of their temporary stay), there are other aspects where Asian guests get "better treatment". In the end it's a...
The NA airline apologists in the comments section here are the reason why US airlines and US customers deserve each other.
The whole crap about treating white guests "better" is a joke. I'm Asian, and while some do tend to treat Westerners better (because in Asian culture, it's normal to treat guests better for the duration of their temporary stay), there are other aspects where Asian guests get "better treatment". In the end it's a wash, but no matter what it destroys the service culture in the West.
You’d wash a white man’s feet if you had the opportunity. Indians are the same way. It’s sad and rooted in colonialism.
Are US airlines not run by white men? I suppose my criticism of their companies must be tickling their masochistic tendencies according to your conjecture.
Unless, of course, your views are just a sad reflection of your own insecurities.
Had excellent AA flight attendants in first/business PSP-DFW-MAD in September. Food was also better vs past flights. Also excellent AA staff JFK - PHX enroute home. UA and skywest staff PSP - DEN - LGA and via ORD enroute home were also excellent. That was in October. UA to Europe out of SFO can be hit and miss. As someone pushing 70 and has flown all over the world had first Iberia flights in Sept. Hope I get to fly them again.
I would agree. SA, the ME3 and at the bottom would be the US carriers. Maybe just my luck but Delta has been the worst- by far. Air France in J was pretty bad too.
A man is alone in an airport lounge. A woman walks in and sits down at the table next to him. He decides that because she's wearing a uniform, she's probably an off-duty Flight Attendant. So he decides to have a go at picking her up by identifying the airline she flies for, thereby impressing her greatly.
He leans across to her and says the British Airways motto, “To fly, to serve?” The woman looks...
A man is alone in an airport lounge. A woman walks in and sits down at the table next to him. He decides that because she's wearing a uniform, she's probably an off-duty Flight Attendant. So he decides to have a go at picking her up by identifying the airline she flies for, thereby impressing her greatly.
He leans across to her and says the British Airways motto, “To fly, to serve?” The woman looks at him blankly. He sits back and thinks up another line.
He leans forward again and delivers the Air France motto. “Winning the hearts of the world?” Again she just stares at him with a slightly puzzled look on her face.
Undeterred he tries again this time saying the Malaysian Airlines motto. “Going beyond expectations?” The woman looks at him sternly and says, “What the f*** do you want?”
“Aha”, he says,... "American Airlines.”
As someone more "chronologically gifted" than your average reader I find riding in First On Lufthansa I am laughing and having great conversations with the flight crew across the Atlantic.
I give a nod to Japan Airlines flight crew over Singapore. Since Singapore put the awful seats in the A350 I now view the Singapore Business Class as kind of an also ran product.
I just flew Korean in Business after a long hiatus. In...
As someone more "chronologically gifted" than your average reader I find riding in First On Lufthansa I am laughing and having great conversations with the flight crew across the Atlantic.
I give a nod to Japan Airlines flight crew over Singapore. Since Singapore put the awful seats in the A350 I now view the Singapore Business Class as kind of an also ran product.
I just flew Korean in Business after a long hiatus. In the past I have had attendants in First that didn't speak English and service was rather cold. This time there seemed to be a swarm of attendants who were warm and friendly. I was shocked.
Domestically...Delta and Southwest flight crews over United and American.
SQ consistently has the best premium cabin service. QR also has an awesome premium cabin. I have consistently had awesome service on the numerous flights I have taken on these two carriers. As it relates to American carriers, or carries in general it depends on the crew. On a recent flight on AA from ORD to LHR the service was excellent. The purser was attentive and seemed to enjoy what she was doing and it...
SQ consistently has the best premium cabin service. QR also has an awesome premium cabin. I have consistently had awesome service on the numerous flights I have taken on these two carriers. As it relates to American carriers, or carries in general it depends on the crew. On a recent flight on AA from ORD to LHR the service was excellent. The purser was attentive and seemed to enjoy what she was doing and it showed. On the return leg from LHR to LAX the crew was cold and had no desire to be working. They served a meal and a drink and put snacks out in the business gallery and then disappeared until 90 minutes before landing. Recently on a flight from LHR to DUB and DUB back to LHR on BA in economy, the purser came to our seats before take off and thanked us for being Oneworld Emerald, which I thought was a nice touch since our status is from AS and it shows that they took the effort to look at the passenger list and noted who the frequent flyers are. I have also had great service on UA from SAN to SFO in economy, where they did a full drink service on the way out, but on the return said that due to the short flight there would be no service in coach and they basically never left their seats during the flight. AS is also consistent with their level of service, with the chocolate and free drinks to elites.
OMG, BEN, you really have some sick readers. I am Asian and I had great service from JAL, CI and Korean flight attendants. Asian flight attendants provide great service because in general they grew in tighter society and environment and were trained from their youth to not to offend other people.
I am Asian too, and I agree. Everybody gets great service in Asia. The cultural emphasis on getting along with each other, avoiding confrontation, helps a great deal to make customer service interactions very pleasant.
Another reason Asian service providers are great is their education. Asians on average receive much more education at the grade school level. Education does not necessarily make someone friendlier, or better at customer service -- but it tends to make...
I am Asian too, and I agree. Everybody gets great service in Asia. The cultural emphasis on getting along with each other, avoiding confrontation, helps a great deal to make customer service interactions very pleasant.
Another reason Asian service providers are great is their education. Asians on average receive much more education at the grade school level. Education does not necessarily make someone friendlier, or better at customer service -- but it tends to make someone more empathetic and better at communication. A lot of friction in flight attendant interactions with customers boils down to miscommunication or a lack of empathy.
I once saw a passenger on American Airlines LGA-ORD ask a flight attendant what to do about a tight connection. The flight attendant said simply, it is not my problem. You will never get a response like that on an Asian airline.
I have to agree with JAL. One time I was in intra Asia business class. My seatmate spilled his drink and only a little splashed on my shoe, not a big deal. The flight attendants was quick to mob things up. Then just before we begin to descend, one of them brought me a card to read. It was an apology for what happened and asked if everything is ok even though it was not their fault. They didn't want to ask me directly fearing that it may embarrass my seatmate.
I personally find AA FAs to be, on the whole, slightly better (less worse?) than DL FAs, though the difference is not huge and could very easily be route-specific given how much route-to-route variance is exhibited by FAs on both airlines.
FALSE. Delta is premium.
Obviously Lufthansa isn't on the list. Rude, obnoxious and uncaring
There are so many variables here but assuming the focus is on a premium cabin I have consistently had great service on JAL, Thai, Qantas, Emirates and Lufhtansa - but what has always been the standout is Cathay. I know things have slipped a lot there in the past few years. I've yet to fly SQ other than in economy. On Qatar I've had wonderful and also odd experiences (the cabin manager was headed for...
There are so many variables here but assuming the focus is on a premium cabin I have consistently had great service on JAL, Thai, Qantas, Emirates and Lufhtansa - but what has always been the standout is Cathay. I know things have slipped a lot there in the past few years. I've yet to fly SQ other than in economy. On Qatar I've had wonderful and also odd experiences (the cabin manager was headed for her rest and asked me to observe if the staff were not doing their job properly and to report back to her - I was stunned when she said that. So peculiar to say to a passenger). A lot of pax are moving to SQ ex Australia so I am going to give that a try as Qantas too has slipped in recent years and I do enjoy Changi as a transit hub.
Obviously Asians are better at serving white men of privilege like Ben. This is a sick post.
I agree to a point. There is so much entitlement attached to this post, and to some of the comments. All of the "top" airlines in one location? It's almost as if individualistic western flight attendants are too uppity for the privileged few.
@ Dempseyzdad -- This post isn't an attack on flight attendants in the United States. Rather we just have a different service culture in the United States. Here we have decent service any time there's tipping involved, while otherwise there's not much pride taken in service.
Of course there are exceptions -- there are lots of fantastic flight attendants at US airlines -- but that's because they choose to live their life that way,...
@ Dempseyzdad -- This post isn't an attack on flight attendants in the United States. Rather we just have a different service culture in the United States. Here we have decent service any time there's tipping involved, while otherwise there's not much pride taken in service.
Of course there are exceptions -- there are lots of fantastic flight attendants at US airlines -- but that's because they choose to live their life that way, rather than because there are standards in place that ensure that.
Singapore Airlines flight attendantsv treat whites differently than than they do other Asians. A lot of the review of these airlines depends on your ethnicity. I wish it was not so but unfortunately it is.
I can barely even parse Dempseyzdad's post. The idea that "individualistic" inherently requires that one exhibit traits like "incompetence" and "laziness," and specifically precludes traits like "diligence" and "detail-orientation," is positively deranged.
@ Vinay -- I don't think that's fair, but I'm curious, which airlines do you think have the best service?
Not including one ME3 carrier shows you have a fetish for subservient Asian ladies. I’m surprised you didn’t include Thai airways because the ladies get on their knees in first class to take your order.
Love this. Sure Ben is privileged, but you don’t have to be to fly biz/first thanks to credit cards and people like Ben spreading the good word.
Ben has linked in the past to anti-white racist gobbledygook (kinda like your nonsense comment here) saying white people have a long history of violence, etc. but those links can no longer be found on OMAAT.
I hope this can be a learning moment that not...
Love this. Sure Ben is privileged, but you don’t have to be to fly biz/first thanks to credit cards and people like Ben spreading the good word.
Ben has linked in the past to anti-white racist gobbledygook (kinda like your nonsense comment here) saying white people have a long history of violence, etc. but those links can no longer be found on OMAAT.
I hope this can be a learning moment that not everything has a racial or gender component, Ben is praising people from other cultures as he can and should, and that anti-white racism is unsurprisingly, well, racist.
Ben isn’t a true American and really hate America. He should move to china or North Korea.
Now, that is truly offensive, Will. But I guess apologies aren't your strong suit ?
Too broad, too general, and too subjective. Unless Singapore starts flying SFO-LHR, I won't have any chance of seeing for myself this miracle of 100% "awesome" service, since I have ZERO desire to visit Asia again. Flight Attendants are individuals. They are put together on a plane randomly (most times), and it is possible to have an amazing AND an awful experience on the same plane. I've had some of the best service on AA...
Too broad, too general, and too subjective. Unless Singapore starts flying SFO-LHR, I won't have any chance of seeing for myself this miracle of 100% "awesome" service, since I have ZERO desire to visit Asia again. Flight Attendants are individuals. They are put together on a plane randomly (most times), and it is possible to have an amazing AND an awful experience on the same plane. I've had some of the best service on AA and some of the abysmally worst...does it mean I can lump them all in one? No. No, it doesn't.
@ Dempseyzdad -- If I may ask, why do you have zero desire to visit Asia again? And like you say, there's a lot of variability at US airlines. If you ask me, what makes service great is an airline with fairly limited variability in terms of service levels. That's exactly why some airlines have made my list.
Ben, I lived and worked in Taiwan as a Mormon missionary for 2 years, which allowed me to become a fluent Mandarin speaker and land a job as a FA. I flew to almost every country, state and city, but Asia obviously more than others...I've seen what I wanted to. I am not disparaging Asia. I have had Americans, tell me to my face that Asian airlines are better, and that's after I worked my...
Ben, I lived and worked in Taiwan as a Mormon missionary for 2 years, which allowed me to become a fluent Mandarin speaker and land a job as a FA. I flew to almost every country, state and city, but Asia obviously more than others...I've seen what I wanted to. I am not disparaging Asia. I have had Americans, tell me to my face that Asian airlines are better, and that's after I worked my ass off using all the available tools given to me by my airline, but also my inherent work ethic. There is absolutely no way you can judge an entire airline's FA's by the 1 or 2 crew you interact with.
I am on an Aeromexico flight and their cabin crew is great. Way ahead of anything else I have experienced in the Americas.
Americas refers to North America and South America. Didn't realize Mexico is no longer part of North America.....
I’ve always thought Singapore Air staff offered the best, most consistent service but my last few flights with them also added friendliness to the mix. We visited Singapore this year for the first time in a couple of years (usually visit most years but…covid) and found the same thing, always known for efficiency, it’s now more relaxed and friendly. Can’t wait to get back there!
I agree that Singapore FA's are among the best. I fly to Europe every year on Singapore from Australia. Their etiquette and attention to detail are a cut above the rest.
the real question is where one can have a career and whether part of the 'attraction' to a company is their endorsement of western work values.
Japan is one of the few countries on the list where older workers have a chance in a service industry.
SE Asian countries allow all kinds of restrictions that inhibit career development esp. for women in service industries.
Middle East countries simply have different views of...
the real question is where one can have a career and whether part of the 'attraction' to a company is their endorsement of western work values.
Japan is one of the few countries on the list where older workers have a chance in a service industry.
SE Asian countries allow all kinds of restrictions that inhibit career development esp. for women in service industries.
Middle East countries simply have different views of authority and source employees from around the world so impose tight standards that would never fly elsewhere.
There has to be a balance; western airlines including from the US and Europe can do alot better on service - because all have done so in the past.
"eastern" airlines need to focus more on human rights values including career development.
Yeah, no-one asked that question Tim.
because you don't want to think about values but it is indeed implicit in the discussion. It is as much a part of the discussion as culture.
The US needs human rights work, too. When others hide behind lawyers and manipulate the legal system to terrorize that is shortchanging human rights.
When companies are afraid of unfairly being sued or when companies or state universities hide behind lawyers to outspend the little guy, that's no human rights. When workers stage nasty surprise strikes despite a decent salary, that's wrong.
FAs do not have career development except to get a higher rank. FAs...
The US needs human rights work, too. When others hide behind lawyers and manipulate the legal system to terrorize that is shortchanging human rights.
When companies are afraid of unfairly being sued or when companies or state universities hide behind lawyers to outspend the little guy, that's no human rights. When workers stage nasty surprise strikes despite a decent salary, that's wrong.
FAs do not have career development except to get a higher rank. FAs becoming pilots is extremely rare. Senior FAs make more at the expense of younger FA, like prey.
Tim Dunn, however, is correct in that Delta is the best on the planet. When they start TPE service in 2024, EVA Air is going to collapse because of Delta's legendary service. Ha....not really. DL can't compare to EVA
you were doing so well until the last paragraph.
You might be surprised how well BOTH do on SEA-TPE.
and some FAs do move into management and do well at it.
Delta, since you mentioned it, has several execs that started as FAs.
And some Delta FA’s get arrested on felony charges for drug trafficking and theft, and wind up in jail.
everyone makes choices.
You CONSISTENTLY choose poorly.
You sound consistently dumb.
I'm gonna go with Spirit. Consistently friendly, consistent in their service, block the overhead bins for bulkhead customers, and above all deal with a far broader spectrum of customers than any of the other airlines listed. The inflight situations they handle are often unmatched. They deal with lots of first time flyers, people who need education on the business model, and more individuals flying at the edge of their means. Takes a special person to...
I'm gonna go with Spirit. Consistently friendly, consistent in their service, block the overhead bins for bulkhead customers, and above all deal with a far broader spectrum of customers than any of the other airlines listed. The inflight situations they handle are often unmatched. They deal with lots of first time flyers, people who need education on the business model, and more individuals flying at the edge of their means. Takes a special person to deal with all that.
Spirit FAs were surprisingly great this year aside from the one grandma that decided to wake the cabin up on an already delayed flight where it was close to 2AM at our arrival destination to tell us we are 30 minutes away from Houston and give the biggest Credit Card pitch ever witnessed.
Re Spirit flight Attendants , I have had the most consistently rude and with zero customer service skills while lacking common sense .
I normally do not comment here but the post above when an already delayed flight at 2 AM to do the credit card scene? This shows total lack of common sense . I often wonder why the Spirit flight attendants seem to want to be the center of attention ? Loud and most unprofessional every time I ( (used ) to fly them.
There are certainly some surprises out there. Some of the best I've encountered were at Aerolíneas Argentinas, El Al, and British Airways. In the USA, I have found that some of the best are at regional carriers, Skywest in particular, but I've had memorable crews at CommutAir.
In continental Europe, I agree that Air France/KLM wins every time for grace, kindness, and hospitality.
The worst (in memory) were at defunct airlines: Business Express,...
There are certainly some surprises out there. Some of the best I've encountered were at Aerolíneas Argentinas, El Al, and British Airways. In the USA, I have found that some of the best are at regional carriers, Skywest in particular, but I've had memorable crews at CommutAir.
In continental Europe, I agree that Air France/KLM wins every time for grace, kindness, and hospitality.
The worst (in memory) were at defunct airlines: Business Express, Trans States Airlines, Comair (USA), ExpressJet, Colgan Air, and different versions of Northwest Airlink. Maybe there is a lesson in that.
As for carriers that still fly, the lousiest have all been at United and LATAM.
Without question, the best in economy and business class FAs is on EVA Air. Singapore Airlines is a close second and they have slightly better personality and communication probably due to English being widely used and an official language in Singapore.
Air France is very ordinary but I see them as a fraction of a point better than average.
In the US, no airline stands out but Delta and Alaska occasionally are minimally...
Without question, the best in economy and business class FAs is on EVA Air. Singapore Airlines is a close second and they have slightly better personality and communication probably due to English being widely used and an official language in Singapore.
Air France is very ordinary but I see them as a fraction of a point better than average.
In the US, no airline stands out but Delta and Alaska occasionally are minimally better so if there were scores, maybe they would be 0.07 points higher on average. American Airlines gate agents can be dictators and I have seen a rare AA FA that way.
Southwest FAs are a bit too folksy.
Disclaimer is that, among the airlines mentioned, I had limited contact with Air France (4 flights) and EVA Air (4 flights). The others ranged from dozens to hundreds.
Such an accurate list. The Airlines of North America are a Continental Disgrace. Quite tough to go back to after experiencing Asian carriers.
I have only flown Singapore once and in economy SIN - FRA - JFK. I was not feeling well and wanted a hot toddy. The flight attendant wasn’t allowed to put the alcohol in my tea but he made it work and gave it to me to mix. Really appreciated that and made sure to fill out a comment card.
Delta, because they are the best at generating premium revenue. -Tim Dunn
How does pre-2017 Cathay compare? IMO it used to be pretty comparable to BR/NH/JL/SQ, but nowadays...
@ David -- Cathay Pacific has a lot of great employees. I think the issue is that at least in business class, the airline has never really had a service flow conducive to providing great service that stands out. It has been assembly line-esque for as long as I've been flying with the airline.
I agree that EVA’s staff are excellent. I recently flew Emirates and she was probably the best FA I’ve ever had in 50 years. She was from from São Paulo. She was also the bartender in BC in the A380 so I was able to speak with her off and on for over 12h. Also need to give a shout out to my “home airline” Air Canada -their FA’s are always engaging and helpful. Best in NA (that I’ve experienced).
Air Canada .... Yeah right !
French “charm”
Oh là là
Spoon feeding white children is disgusting @SingaporeAirlines
Just screams white privilege. I feel sorry for your cabin crew!
Are you okay?
It sounds like someone needs a time out...
It sounds like someone endorses white privilege
It’s super weird for you to lecture a Singaporean on their culture. That smells very very racist to me. Almost like you think that they don’t know when and how to apply their own values and morals to situations.
I wonder if you’d mind posting your opinion of Singaporean people on a more public forum and tagging the government just to see what they think of your outsider perspective?
I’m confident they’d have a response.