In the above trip report, I mentioned that when we were over Long Island on approach to JFK the Captain came on to wish all the foreign passengers a nice stay and to welcome the American pasengers home. I thought it was a really nice touch, and the thought crossed my mind that there was something special about flying across an ocean on an airplane that has an American flag painted on it...
I'm sure the general service on American carriers is a notch below that on foreign carriers. And if I were a business traveller flying abroad frequently, I'm sure I'd want to try all different airlines at least once. But I really do find flying an American carrier abroad to be comforting...Do any other Americans share this feeling?
Braniff747SP From United States of America, joined Oct 2008, 2606 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 4098 times:
Do I feel pride seeing a beautiful N-registered plane with American titles? Yes. Do I feel better flying? Maybe. Do I prefer to fly AA, UA, CO, et al? Hell no. The service is terrible. If the service was better, sure. But there is no airline in the US (that i know of) that has the standard of service of EK, SQ, etc.
Happy Contrails!
The 747 will always be the TRUE queen of the skies!
DeltAirlines From United States of America, joined May 1999, 8770 posts, RR: 13 Reply 2, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 4085 times:
If I'm on a dirt-cheap fare, then I sure do fly American carries, as I get full frequent flyer mileage credit, while I don't get that on some of the dirt cheap fares on foreign airlines.
If on a more expensive ticket, then I go for convenience.
YYZRWY23 From Canada, joined Aug 2009, 561 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 4074 times:
Even though I am not an American, I would like to weigh on on flying your national carrier abroad or a carrier from your country as opposed to a foreign one.
Even though I travel more with foreign carriers US, UA, AA, not foreign to most, but for me ) I do like boarding an Air Canada plane with the maple leaf on the tail knowing I am flying with (Air) Canada. No actual reason, but I also like to support the carrier that serves my country most, which is AC. The way I figure it, if I go on vacation to another country and contribute to their economy (taking money out of the Canadian one), I like to travel with AC giving them and our aviation industry a boost.
Hope my neighbours to the south didn't mind a polar bear budding in on this..........
YYZRWY23
[Edited 2009-09-15 20:22:35]
If you don't stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them.
Goldenshield From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5418 posts, RR: 13 Reply 5, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 4034 times:
Quoting Braniff747SP (Reply 1): But there is no airline in the US (that i know of) that has the standard of service of EK, SQ, etc.
No US airline is government-subsidized like EK, SQ, etc., either.
Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
TomFoolery From Austria, joined Jan 2004, 492 posts, RR: 2 Reply 6, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 4009 times:
Internationally, since I have choices, I tend to avoid US carriers. When I do fly a US carrier, I tend to lean toward NW, and that depends on the aircraft- The A330's have a good selection of entertainment, they are new, and the service is no worse than any other carrier. I like the 2-4-2 (Y). I have never had a problem connecting through the (US) airports- DTW and MSP is a breeze.
I like MUC and AMS airports, which results in eith KL or LH, I will tolerate CDG if there is no other option and possible delays are not an issue, opening up AF.
OS is not bad, except for some reason, I stopped liking VIE. BA and VS are great, but I wont do LHR.
I avoid nearly all us carriers who's name starts with a vowel, and certainly those that begin with "U" internationally and domestic US.
The US has very few carriers that can compare with foreign carriers (excluding no frills) with regard to service standards and offerings.
As for subsidized services, it is common for states, cities, regions, even individual airports to offer "grants" to airlines who maintain a certain number of routes (for example, Portland pays DL to maintain service to NRT). While this is not regarded as a subsidy, what is the difference?
Cgnnrw From Germany, joined May 2005, 1074 posts, RR: 3 Reply 7, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 3987 times:
I prefer European carriers when I fly to the US because I feel the service is usually better. I really like AF and OS. KL was good back in the mid-90s but I think their service has declined a bit. LH isn't bad either. If I do fly a US carrier it's usually DL simply for the miles.
Cubsrule From United States of America, joined May 2004, 21214 posts, RR: 19 Reply 8, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3976 times:
Quoting Braniff747SP (Reply 1): Do I feel pride seeing a beautiful N-registered plane with American titles? Yes.
I don't go out of my way to fly American carriers. However, when I was living in Santiago, I loved going out to SCL and seeing a DL 763 and a couple of AA birds lined up on the tarmac during the day. It definitely brought a smile to my face. There's something comforting about little pieces of home when you are abroad.
I can't decide whether I miss the tulip or the bowling shoe more
Bochora From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2008, 491 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 3942 times:
Quoting Goldenshield (Reply 5):
Quoting Braniff747SP (Reply 1):
But there is no airline in the US (that i know of) that has the standard of service of EK, SQ, etc.
No US airline is government-subsidized like EK, SQ, etc., either.
That is neither here nor there.
If you can afford it hen why not.
Bongodog1964 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2006, 3012 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (3 years 8 months 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 3923 times:
Quoting Goldenshield (Reply 5): Quoting Braniff747SP (Reply 1):
But there is no airline in the US (that i know of) that has the standard of service of EK, SQ, etc.
No US airline is government-subsidized like EK, SQ, etc., either.
The financing of EK is open to interpretation, I'm sure however that that is not the case for SQ
DesertAir From Mexico, joined Jan 2006, 1389 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (3 years 8 months 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 3897 times:
Since I only fly internationally once or twice a year I tend to fly AA or one of their affiliates, like Mexicana to add AAdvantage Miles. In the near future I will be flying from the Tijuana airport and hope to fly Volaris and Interjet. But to answer the question, I like to fly foreign carriers for their service and the novelty.
PITIngres From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 954 posts, RR: 12 Reply 12, posted (3 years 8 months 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 3876 times:
Quoting Rjpieces (Thread starter): For the Americans on this site, do you prefer to fly American airlines when travelling abroad?
No, but as a practical matter, many of the international flights I take end up being on American carriers because of available, schedule, or price. Occasionally a foreign carrier will have a reasonably competitive price and a schedule I can live with, and in that case I'm willing to pay extra to fly the foreign carrier -- just to try something different.
Buck3y3nut From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 864 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (3 years 8 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 3810 times:
Most of the times when i fly internationally, the cheapest fares are with non-US carriers. Therefore I like traveling with them; however I have traveled AA across the pond and the service wasn't something to brag about. It was more like me getting from point A to point B on time. That's just about it...
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5670 posts, RR: 29 Reply 14, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 3675 times:
I like to fly on SkyTeam carriers out of DTW. I always liked NW's service, I have yet to fly DL TATL. I really liked KL's AMS-DTW product. I would fly them again on that route. I would choose NW/DL because they have a lot of service out of DTW and I earn miles. If they can fly me to where I want to go out of DTW and it is on a Skyteam carrier I don't care what flag is on the plane.
StarAlliance38 From United States of America, joined Jan 2008, 1445 posts, RR: 4 Reply 15, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 3667 times:
I am proud of flying N-birds, but if my money allows me, I would like to fly a foreign bird sometime. The N reg gets boring. I think the US aviation industry is great, but I always wonder why the European market is much more affordable. That's why I wouldn't mind more airlines in the US.
But I try to support my national carrier amap, and also I get the milage,
Hope a Viking contribution is ok Smile
Hey, Grinddal, my wife and I just took our first trip on SK (ORD-CPH-ORD, A-340) and had a wonderful experience! We have flown on many airlines both US and non-US based, and we were both very favorably impressed. I will definitely be a repeat customer!
Had a great time in CPH as well!
Quoting TomFoolery (Reply 6): I avoid nearly all us carriers who's name starts with a vowel, and certainly those that begin with "U" internationally and domestic US.
Extremely well put!
Quoting Falstaff (Reply 14): I like to fly on SkyTeam carriers out of DTW. I always liked NW's service, I have yet to fly DL TATL.
I too have always liked NW's service, and prefer their A-330's to most other aircraft in Y. I have also flown DL extensively internationally and always like the 767 Y seating. The A-330 has better IFE in back, but I don't use that, so it's non issue to me. I like the Business cabin on both NW and DL just fine, I think the A-330 is nicer, but think the DL service is maybe a bit better on average. Either way, I have no problems with either, and will be interested to see how the final merged product is.
Brons2 From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 2969 posts, RR: 5 Reply 18, posted (3 years 8 months 17 hours ago) and read 3512 times:
If I'm paying, I'll usually fly with an EU based carrier. Never been to Asia, but would probably pick an Asian carrier in that case.
However, I'm big into the AAdvantage program, so if I have the miles I'll just cash them in for an AA flight, like the last time I flew into Paris. The service was not bad, but not great either. It was adequate, I guess.
I'm sad that NW was swallowed up by DL, in past years, I recommended them without hesitation TATL due to the new A330s with AVOD and friendly service, especially from the southern belles from MEM. After that, there's not really any N registered carriers that I would go out of my way to recommend.
Firings, if well done, are good for employee morale.
Odysseus9001 From United States of America, joined Oct 2008, 119 posts, RR: 1 Reply 19, posted (3 years 8 months 17 hours ago) and read 3512 times:
Yes. After flying many US and foreign airlines to many places over the years, I'm come to prefer flying U.S. airlines (though I make an exception for AF). Why?
Service and frequent flier program. In general, I understand FAs and customer service agents on American carriers and they understand me. I believe its a subtle cultural thing that underpins how we interact. I am more comfortable with the slightly more informal and friendlier manner of service. The odd thing is this is true of both native-born and foreign-born FAs on American carriers. Also, frequent flier programs and perks for loyal fliers often provide a powerful incentive to fly local carriers.
To this general rule preferring American carriers, I will note some particular exceptions:
a) I've always felt comfortable with Air France service agents in flight, at CDG, and elsewhere. AF seems to be able to overcome the cultural barrier and make me feel welcome in a way BA and LH just cannot.
b) I had a bad experience on a LH TATL with unfriendly attitudes toward all coach customers, and unfirendly attitudes I encountered transferring through Frankfurt. I now sort through United TATL flights I am considering to make sure it is on United metal.
c) I avoid JFK whenever possible.
d) I obviously fly a lot of non-US carriers when doing flights between cities outside the US.
Because of my particular set of destinations (Eastern Europe and SA) over the past few years while on international travel, I favor flying DL, though I've done UA as well. Most other US carriers other than DL tend to be a bit more conservative in their route planning and don't go where I want to go. Turns out, the world has many beautiful and interesting places to see. Kiev was a nice surprise, as was rural Romania, Athens, Istanbul (one of the most unique cities on earth), Poland (downtown Warsaw in winter), South America, just to mention a few. Combining my wanderlust with the preference for a U.S. carrier puts me on DL a lot.
ExFATboy From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2974 posts, RR: 9 Reply 20, posted (3 years 8 months 7 hours ago) and read 3482 times:
I generally fly US carriers when leaving the US, mainly for the FF miles, and especially to get full credit for elite qualifying miles, since I'm usually in one of the el-cheapo fare buckets and if I take a non-US carrier I get less credit.
When I used to fly on business between NYC and London, I took BA as much as possible, since back then I was flying enough to get a usable number of BA miles, and BA offered a much better business-class experience.
I also like to take CO when visiting my friends in the south of England since I can fly right into Bristol from EWR, be in my rental car 30-40 minutes after landing, and not have to cope with London traffic.
Mortyman From Norway, joined Aug 2006, 3227 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (3 years 7 months 4 weeks 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 3440 times:
Well, I have flown with Pan Am and Delta.
I don't think that they can compete with KLM or SAS when it comes to service.
However I am happy to have flown with them. Pan Am because of it's history and in general I fly American carriers rarely these days, so it's a nice touch. When I flew Delta earlier this year I thought the plane looked dirty and the staff seemed very stressed.
I have to say though, that Air New Zealand from London to Los angeles and back is my best experience.
SQ_EK_freak From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2000, 1583 posts, RR: 21 Reply 22, posted (3 years 7 months 3 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 3306 times:
Quoting Goldenshield (Reply 5):
Quoting Braniff747SP (Reply 1):
But there is no airline in the US (that i know of) that has the standard of service of EK, SQ, etc.
No US airline is government-subsidized like EK, SQ, etc., either.
The financing of EK is open to interpretation, I'm sure however that that is not the case for SQ
Flanker From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 1609 posts, RR: 2 Reply 23, posted (3 years 7 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 3288 times:
I have only flown on United overseas. It was not a great experience, however it was not due to the airline.
90% of the time i fly with Lufthansa internationally and i love it.
Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an unlicensed pharmacist
Chootie From Germany, joined May 2007, 273 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (3 years 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3214 times:
Being an EX-PAT, I must agree, seeing N- birds is really like seeing a piece of home.
However, I usually choose anything but a US-carrier.
I first off like to choose the flag carrier of the country I am visiting. Then if it is to go back home the the States, I try to choose a carrier I have not yet flown on.
Don´t get me wrong, but all of that "charging for everything" that most US carriers are doing is just pathetic and basically, forcing the public to choose otherwise.
As far as FF programs go, I do not benefit from a US one so why be loyal to them?
I love my home country(USA), but not the airline industry there.
End of rant...
chootie
25 DocLightning: Yeah, there is something about watching a UA 744 climb out of SYD. You're far from home, but home isn't far from you. But on SFO-SYD, give me the QF
26 Flyboy36y: I used to like to board a US carrier after a long trip abroad. However, as the non-US carriers restricted miles benefits, I started flying on the US c
27 Tennis69: Flying to Europe I use Delta and to Asia I use Korean Air or China Southern.
28 Ikramerica: I prefer USA carriers mainly because, if there are irregular ops, as an American citizen I'm more likely to get preferential treatment and a straight
29 Aaron747: You've clearly never flown anyone the likes of ANA. Lost a strap on my bag after claiming it inbound to NRT once from SFO - complained to a claim che
30 AAExecPlat: Generally, I would prefer flying LH, SQ, CX, etc., but the differences these days in service aren't as pronounced as they used to be. The only signifi
31 EIASJ: I've got to qualify my response by saying my only flights abroad have been on the T/A route in Y but after my experiences with US Air and AA I'll avoi
32 Hjulicher: I'm going to start by saying these are the airlines I've flown internationally. US-Based: (in order of # of times) NW, DL, CO, US Foreign Based: KL, A
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) I do like boarding an Air Canada plane with the maple leaf on the tail knowing I am flying with (Air) Canada. No actual reason, but I also like to support the carrier that serves my country most, which is AC. The way I figure it, if I go on vacation to another country and contribute to their economy (taking money out of the Canadian one), I like to travel with AC giving them and our aviation industry a boost.
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