In recent years I have flown on several airlines between the U.S. and Korea.  One was through a discount flight on the U.S. carrier Continental.  The second route was through Asiana which flew direct.  While both planes landed only a short distance from each other at neighboring airports, I can tell you as a passenger that their services were a world apart.

Browse this year’s Top Ten Airlines, and what may or may not surprise you is that no American carrier is on the list.  And although Continental earned the World Airline Awards for the North America region, you have to consider their competition!  You may also notice that Asiana, on the other hand, has won the ”Best Cabin Crew” and “Best Economy Class” categories.  These are two vital categories for any visitor to South Korea and traveler in the region.  Asiana joins other regional carriers Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Korean Air as among the region’s best.

The bottom line is if you want poor service and the security provided by a veritable police state in the cabin, fly American carriers all the way.  If you want to fly with younger, more attractive flight attendants who are motivated to make your flight as comfortable as possible, fly any Asian carrier (e.g. Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Asiana, etc.)

American flight attendants are a cranky bunch. Demographically they are the among the oldest flight attendants in the world (thanks to unions and low pay).  That’s not the only reason why so many of them project an undercurrent of anger on the job. Unlike any other carrier, I think 9-11 has impacted them in ways that took them completely out of the service mindset and put them into a paranoid security mindset.  They won’t acquiesce to your polite request for ice.  I honestly think that some flight attendants secretly want you to be a terrorist who rises from his seat to demand ice, so that they can pummel you with all the rage of their crappy job.

Who among us hasn’t seen this aboard an American carrier: clipped directions, slammed trays of food, and the kind of tone a traffic cop gives when they tell drivers to keep their hands where they can see them? 

I think American flight attendants have lost the mystique of flying (and understandably this is not entirely their own making.  Airline companies are also to blame.)  Passengers suffer when American air crews are not revitalized with new, energetic people.  This is a simple HR fact. 

Most people who are on the job now are just stuck in the job and clearly, they are not hiding how much they hate it.  Check out this NY Times piece which, called “Flying the Unfriendly Skies,” which much to everyone’s surprise, blames passengers as being rude!  I’ve never seen such a woeful excuse for their declining performance.

In wide contrast, for example, Korean Air and Asiana act like what many of us expect an airliner to be.  Mostly younger, attractive female flight attendants selected by a process long considered sexist, their service is congenial, attentive, and respectful.  They go out of their way to see to it that you are comfortable. 

To me, the difference in treatment is analogous to the kind of treatment a young, caring mother gives her children and the kind of ‘tough love’ a cussing grandma who just wants the grandkids to be quiet gives.

What do you think?  I get the sense that these comparatively newer airlines, with their priorities on building brand and a strong customer base, are playing with a leaner playbook harking back to the golden age of flight.  Have you had good or bad experiences on American carriers or Asian carriers? 

Link tip: Seat guru can help you find the most roomy seat in Economy class!

–James F., a travel writer, frequently hops around Asia and swears by Asiana

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