Cathay Pacific was pretty good. The Middle Eastern airlines…Emirates, Qatar, etc are also excellent. But I always had the best on Singapore. I did that Houston-Moscow-Singapore many times. Another Asian airline that I really like is EVA. They’re not quite Singapore, but still very good. And light years better than any US airline, of course.
Is this because these other airlines do most of their business with business customers who are willing to pay more for better service, while US airlines do most of theirs with cattle class customers whose overriding priority is price? Or is that too simplistic a view?
You are 100 percent correct.
It’s not just the business class though. They’re far superior in coach and in their domestic “cattle” flights too. Mainly because they believe they owe their customers the best experience they can give. US airlines don’t give a shit about you. To Singapore Airlines, you’re what keeps them in business. To United, you’re an annoyance who’s just getting in their way. I think a big part of that is cultural, where service industries and jobs are seen as honorable professions, not looked down upon. You see the same in restaurants, retail, etc too.
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This is part of a larger aspect of a cultural respect for your fellow person that has been lost in this country.
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Also, some of the better Asian airlines are largely government owned so they can concentrate on customer experience and still turn a reasonable profit without having to deal with an army of fuckwit fund managers demanding that they squeeze every last dinar out of every poor bastard on board.
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I’ve flown Singapore twice in basic economy and it was a thoroughly decent experience both times. Not only do you get a curry, the cabin crew do not truck any nonsense from the passengers. No one is getting up when they’re told not to or using their phone during takeoff/landing.
The cabin staff are friendly, polite, extraordinarily efficient and easy on the eye, but do not fuck with them.
And free Singapore slings until you black out.
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All the weather and force majeure caveats still apply. Be ready for even-more-ridiculous messages in your app saying Flight XXX has been canceled or delayed due to weather. Because a rain shower popped up in Boise 6 hours before when the plane took off from Butte and and they had to deviate 2º for 5 minutes and now the whole system is backed up.
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Just finished 5 days in New Orleans for JazzFest and related shenanigans. I’m unable to count how many I have been to but it’s always the most effective battery recharge I’ve tried. If you love music, NOLA and Louisiana spirit then I highly recommend you try it at least once.
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I am jealous
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I’m mean…you do it once, it’s hard to not do it again and again.
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Been there, but its been a while
What - and I cannot emphasize this enough - the fuck?
Dean, 45, had an active lifestyle and was believed to be in good health prior to his “sudden” death on Tuesday, following the onset of a fast-moving infection. He was stricken with Influenza B and MRSA, and developed pneumonia.
Whoa! Who was it whose signature read, “This isn’t Russia, is it?”
Was there at the end of march for a CLE and had an amazing time. Stayed in the quarter and walked everywhere. Lots of fine dining but lost weight because i walked so much. Best fine dining was St. Germain. Less spendy but very good was Cuchon. Strongly recommend the WWII museum. Such an amazing city. World class history and culture.
That’s one of my favorite restaurants. I also recommend MaMou and N7.
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I liked but did not love Mamou; will definetly try N7, thank you for the recommendation. ST. Germain is a must go–my wife and i will go to NO more often because of it.
NO was the first place that i went to on a road trip where i picked the destination. Saw the sun rise in the dungeon (bar) over 30 years ago, and the bar is still there. A month ago in an upstairs room in the Dungeon watched a local young woman hog-tied and airborne with skilled shibari knots proudly promote her beloved new orleans to a young couple who had just road tripped down from Milwaukee.
