Airlines

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Anyone has used a non US airline such as Korean or Asiana? I read this policy.

http://www.ehow.com/list_7451068_requir ... n-air.html


How come United for instance doesn't follow this policy? I do watch news from Seoul and see different women doing the news. Their looks? Pretty, skinny and young. But it doesn't seem to appeal the male news anchors for some reason. Some are older than say 30. So Diane Sawyer bye bye! I also hear that Korean Air flight attendants are much much nicer than their US counterparts. I did fly Korean Air long time ago and have to agree. They have the best uniforms for flight attendants too. I have flown on United multiple times and have yet to see a pretty, skinny young flight attendant. It's strict policy that Korean Air has but I think it's great in a way.

I have not flown with korean air but i have worked as a customs officer at an international airport in the australasia region. The nicest airline by far is singapore airlines for crew EASILY!

My therapist's good friend flies all over the world and she also mentioned how Asian airlines in particular the flight crew are much nicer and prettier. Yes I did read that Singapore Air is very very good. I flew Icelandic Air from BWI to Paris in 1999 and the flight crew were so nice to me. The food was so good and I sat in economy plus!

Asian airlines (particularly Korean Air, JAL, to a lesser extent Cathay Pacific which used to be the gold standard) are old school about customer service. Most Americans have rarely if ever experienced serious customer service in any form and honestly I don't think they even know what they should be getting anymore. The American airlines are pretty much all budget carriers, ranging from functional (JetBlue/Southwest) to dysfunctional (United/American). Back when customer service was serious, airline tickets were a lot more expensive relative to the average income of an American, despite oil being relatively inexpensive. Airports were a lot less busy (see http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16750). You could walk onto an airplane without showing your ticket or going through any type of security. Things are different now.

First and foremost, employers should not be making hiring decisions based on anything other than the requirements of the job.

Flight attendants exist first and foremost for passenger safety. There is nothing more important in the job than effectively managing an evacuation. While is this certainly the exceptional event--most of us will never experience an evacuation in our lives--that by no means diminishes its importance.

So contrast two incidents: AF358 and SQ006. In the former, a Air France A340 overran the runway at Toronto, fell into a ravine and was destroyed in the resulting fire. All 309 passengers and crew survived. In the latter, a Singapore Airlines 747 began its takeoff roll on a closed runway, struck equipment and was destroyed on the runway. Of 179 people on board, 83 died.

Now I will grant you that SQ006 was a more catastophic circumstance--but in both cases evacuations were able to be undertaken. The SQ flight had fewer passengers (159 vs. 297) more crew (20 vs. 12) more exits (12 vs. and yet reports from survivors indicate that flight attendants failed to initiate evacuation, did not direct passengers in the operation of emergency exits that they, themselves had failed to operate, leaving passengers to find their own escape routes (this was on the upper deck). Other reports indicate that some flight attendants fled before passengers had evacuated.

Now top notch service from attractive flight attendants is all well and good. But when the worst happens, I expect crews to be able to handle it. After SQ006, my confidence in the pretty young things that are hired by Asian carriers has taken a hit.

Fly I refuse to.

James, you have a point that Singapore Airlines probably has or had some issues based on the experience of SQ006. It's possible those issues are shared by other Asian airlines.

I think the main driving factor behind who North American airlines hire is financial though. With a median US salary of $36,000, they have almost no wiggle room to be choosy about who they hire. Waitresses (in restaurants better than Denny's or Chili's) usually make a fair amount more than that.

Since the Sq006 crash, Singapore has a policy of hiring security at each international airport one guard for cockpit and one for tarmac and their captains have to do a 30minute sweep of all engines and ground equipment prior to takeoff. I had many a boring shift sitting in a cockpit on a singapore airplaine.

Too hectic through security, right? Too many people on board.

I've never used a national airline, but I've been on many charter planes.

Planes go too high in the air and too fast for my taste. I know thats the whole point of flying. I'm terrified of heights and plane crashes. Crowds, rude people, etc aren't a problem. The possibility of crashing is the problem for me. I'm envious of people who aren't afraid to fly, but I so rarely have a reason to fly that it's not worth getting therapy about and I'll just live with my fear.

Or take a train.

Trains for me is good. At least you are on the ground and its a smooth ride. Plus more to see instead of clouds and more clouds.

None of which stops a PIC from turning onto an inactive runway, or gets an F/A initiating an evacuation.

I used to be a PPS solitaire on SQ. The last flight I took on SQ was SQ001 on October 31, 2000. I was in the air between HKG and SFO while SQ006 was in flames and I have not taken an SQ flight since--nor, indeed, any other Asian carrier.

I'm not bothered at all if my flight attendants are young and slim. I care more about the cost and the leg room.

Air France are great. They give you a free glass of wine!

Entirely too many trust issues for me to consider being an airline passenger, though vintage Boeings are one of my SIs. Another factor to consider; basic logic dictates that more engines on an aircraft=safer aircraft. I feel like I am screaming at the world with the mute button on that long-haul ships with the exception of the A380 are phasing to twin. I'll bet if they thought they could get away with running just 1 engine they would, to avoid overhead like maintenance and fuel

Flying internationally is much better overall in my opinion and flying domestically is not great unless you can afford first class or business class. I really wish it would get competitive between airlines or something would make the airlines make more comfortable seats. Going by train can be fun and more comfortable than flying usually. In Europe people travel by train quite often.