Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Flash Ipanema]

With all the extra charges for previously free services (i.e. food, drinks, baggage), what do you think are the best airlines? Considering price, amenities, services, cleanliness, friendliness, etc.

I flew American from Seoul back to Texas and I wasn't impressed at all. I thought alcohol was free on transatlantic flights but apparently not anymore. I then flew American again to Seattle because it was the only one with direct flights. About a four hour flight and no food service except snacks for sale, which appeared to mostly be of the chip variety. Again, not impressed.

[ttompatz]

Singapore air, Korean air, Asiana, Japan air, EVA air, Philippine air, Cathay Pacific, China air, Royal Thai, Emirates, to name a few ...

They are all full service - meaning FREE meals, drinks (beer and wine in economy - full bar in business or better), entertainment (seat back screens on many), 23 kilos baggage for non-NA destinations, 50kg (or more) for flights to/from NA.

Avoid North American carriers if you want quality or service. They don't know the meaning of the words.

.

[ajgeddes]

[joesunsangnim]

asian airlines have far exceeded the quality of service you'll find on any western/american airline.

[Flash Ipanema]

[joesunsangnim]

when I was on a flight to new york from here on NWA, a steward shoved his finger into the face of the person next to me saying:

"just wait a minute! im really busy right now and I'll get to you when I can!"

this type of action would get a korean/japanese/thai/chinese stewardess in a lot of trouble with possible suspension. but not in the good ole U.S. of A.

[ajgeddes]

I always fly Cathay Pacific from here to Toronto. Yes, it is out of the way and it adds a lot of time but the flight is always great and pretty comfortable. Also, now I have enough airmiles with them that for my next trip, I could fly as far as Dubai or Darwin for free, with return.

[ajgeddes]

I should also say that I never fly Korean Air to Toronto because for the entire 15 hour flight they only show 2 movies and the screens are so far away that for the Korean movie, you can't even read the subtitles. When I did it, it was the most boring flight and I was going crazy trying to find something to do. It seems to only be the Toronto flight where they don't offer a personal media screen.

[articulate_ink]

In the US? JetBlue seems to be building Austin as a focus city. They are a league of their own, despite a few fumbles along the way. Continental is the best of the legacy carriers; they've been focusing on service for a long time, and they had the good sense not to merge with United a couple of weeks ago. Alaska Airlines is generally very good, too. In my 6+ years on the West Coast I flew them as often as possible. Virgin America seems promising.

US to Asia? All the ones ttompatz mentioned, plus Malaysia Airlines, Etihad, Qatar Airways. The major East Asian and Middle Eastern carriers are setting the standards right now. The US carriers... well, I did have a good flight to Seoul from San Francisco 3 years ago on United, and their transpacific flights are reportedly much better than their domestic offerings. That said, fly with somebody else if you can.

[teacharoundtheworld]

Thanks for the names of other good airlines - I've had plenty of bad experiences with Continental (losing luggage especially) when I went to Nicaragua/Jamaica from Detroit

[sojourner1]

Thai Airways is top notch in my book. They impressed me with good attitude, impeccable cleanliness, impeccable service, impeccably dressed stewardesses, and awesome professionalism.

Most non-American airlines beat the pants off of US based airlines such as Northwest, American, United, etc. I have to say that American standards and work ethics went the way of the Dodo bird while non-Americans take the idea to a higher level. The advantage of flying in/out the USA is you get a 2 - 50 pound bag allowance regardless of airline as well as a large carry on and personal item allowance.

Many Germans on holiday in Thailand talked so highly of Emirates that it is the best airline in the world. Thai ranks well up there and they say Korean Air is great too.

[Flash Ipanema]

I ended up with Singapore Airlines on my flight from San Francisco to Korea and it was AWESOME. Flight attendants were nice, very cool native uniforms, good food, free drinks and a huge array of on-demand services for my personal tv. And for some reason it was the cheapest flight on Expedia! I flew United to S.F. then Singapore to Seoul one way for $755 including all taxes and fees, about two weeks before the flight. Awesome.

[eac02]

I had great experiences with both Swiss Air and Lufthansa. The United flight I took to Tokyo was ok.

Basically all US airlines suck. Midwest is still better than most of the others but it doesn't fly many places and it too has gone down in quality. I think Air Tran is the worst, I flew with them last week and it was terrible- the most uncomfortable seats and the plane was dirty. A lot of US airlines are offering a new upgrade option for $50. You get a little more room and food and beverage service, basically you get what you used to get before the airlines started downgrading everything.

Does anyone know how to get bumped to business or first class for free? I hear people bragging about how they get upgraded all the time but they never say how. I think they are liars

[dwitch]

1.Emerates.
2.Singapore.
3.Thai.
These are the top 3 in my opinion.

[mrgiles]

1. Emirates.
2. Singapore Air.
3. Asiana (although i guess i'm showing my bias here).
4. Cathay Pacific.