4 ms·

The low cost carriers I've flown in Western Europe and Asia were way better than the the regular US carriers (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) They had much bett

The low cost carriers I've flown in Western Europe and Asia were way better than the the regular US carriers (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) They had much better seating, planes, restrooms, policies, etc. By contrast the US has the worst airlines out of anywhere I fly. Even the regular non budget ones are bad. Frontier and Spirit are the only airlines on my "never ever again" list, no matter how much cheaper they are. I've never felt as dehumanized, like cattle to the slaughter, as when flying on them...

hunter-gatherer 2y ago
Yeah, this is it. Frontier is great if you're flying from something like Las Vegas to Phoenix by yourself and have nothing to carry besides a water bottle and a protein bar in your pocket. Anything else the experience gets wildly unreasonable.
pb7 2y ago
>The low cost carriers I've flown in Western Europe and Asia were way better than the the regular US carriers (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) They had much better seating, planes, restrooms, policies, etc. Which carriers exactly? None of these things are true. Most ULCC have thin plastic seats that don't recline, no IFE, no Wi-Fi, paid food and drinks (good luck getting even a cup of water), charging for selecting seats even at check in, same restrooms (they don't choose the restrooms), policies that include steep fees if you have to interact with any staff, draconian adherence to sizes of bags that will clearly fit just fine but they need to make extra money somehow, super thin fleet that is all but guaranteed to leave you stranded if there is IRROPS, flying out of airports with limited amenities located far from civilization, websites and apps that barely work, the list goes on and on. There are only two benefits: they are cheap and if shit goes wrong, EU261 will compensate you. That's it.
- rsynnott 2y ago
  After spending an 11 hour flight recently with the person in front resting gently on my knees for about 9 hours, I'm all for non-reclining seats; Ryanair is into something there.
  - pb7 2y ago
    I've never had this issue as a 6'3" person that's in the 99.9th percentile for miles flown across 30+ different airlines. You must be a giant. For giants, they have economy seats with extra legroom, premium economy, and business class.
  - wkat4242 2y ago
    True and most flights in Europe are so full you can't reasonably recline anyway. However the new extra thin seats of ryanair do really feel hard after an hour or two. I don't mind the lack of recline but they need more padding IMO.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> low cost carriers I've flown in Western Europe and Asia were way better than the the regular US carriers (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) They had much better seating, planes, restrooms, policies, etc Examples? I’ve done every mode of transport in Europe. The planes are your buses.
- rsynnott 2y ago
  The only domestic flight I've been on in the US was United, and it was possibly the worst flight I've ever been on, though my judgement may be coloured by how late it was. Beyond that, though, I'm not sure I've ever been on a plane that felt as much like it was... falling apart (I'm sure it was structurally safe, but some of the ceiling panels were out of place, a number of seats were broken, etc). It wouldn't fly (see what I did there?) with Ryanair.
- solardev 2y ago
  Legroom and general plane modernity/comfort were the big ones for me, as well as check-in and luggage drop-off procedures. The European and Asian airlines do the basics really well, and I never felt uncomfortable in them. I remember loving my experience with Norwegian Air, for example, which beats ANY US airline I've ever flown on (United, Delta, Southwest, American). Only Alaska came close, but only during covid (when there was a lot of empty space). Otherwise, in normal times, the US airlines have incredibly cramped legroom, really old planes that you often can't stand up in, have minimal overhead space, etc. This is especially true in regional/rural routes, but even the urban hub to hub ones are not great in my experience. The US airlines are generally tolerable, but they just feel... bad. Like they don't really care about their customers at all and are just trying to milk you for every last cent and would really prefer that you simply not be a customer if you're not satisfied, so that somebody else can take your place, rather than trying to make you comfortable. Everything is cramped and dirty and in a rush and poorly run all the time. By contrast, the processes in Europe and Asia are so streamlined and the staff were much nicer. However, Frontier and Spirit were especially atrocious. I've never known anyone who was willing to fly them more than once. "Never again" is a common refrain I hear whenever I discuss them with other travelers, or even just walk past one of their lines in the airport. Ugh. > I’ve done every mode of transport in Europe. The planes are your buses. Sorry, what do you mean by that? Not sure what "planes are your buses" means? Over here, some of our airlines are about as bad as our (terrible) Greyhound buses. Some are even worse than that. I never had that kind of experience abroad.
shiroiushi 2y ago
For international flights, US airlines are better than the horrible domestic flights, but it's still really pathetic when you compare any US airline to any Asian airline. Even the staff on Asian airlines are far better; American staff generally have attitude problems.
- prewett 2y ago
  Well, Americans have attitude problems (which I say as an American)... I've never had any problems with American flight attendants, though. Or even the planes. I mostly just want to get there, I bring a book or a programming project, and all I need is a seat. Low expectations, I guess.
- kasey_junk 2y ago
  That was not my experience flying in China. The staff was bad, the plane was bad and the facilities were retched. I’ve not done it more than a handful of times so don’t want to say it’s universal but Chinese airlines do not compare favorably to American ones in my limited experience.
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    Chinese international flights, or domestic? I'm talking about international flights here.
    - kasey_junk 2y ago
      International, though admittedly it was regional.

hunter-gatherer 2y ago

Yeah, this is it. Frontier is great if you're flying from something like Las Vegas to Phoenix by yourself and have nothing to carry besides a water bottle and a protein bar in your pocket. Anything else the experience gets wildly unreasonable.

pb7 2y ago

>The low cost carriers I've flown in Western Europe and Asia were way better than the the regular US carriers (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) They had much better seating, planes, restrooms, policies, etc. Which carriers exactly? None of these things are true. Most ULCC have thin plastic seats that don't recline, no IFE, no Wi-Fi, paid food and drinks (good luck getting even a cup of water), charging for selecting seats even at check in, same restrooms (they don't choose the restrooms), policies that include steep fees if you have to interact with any staff, draconian adherence to sizes of bags that will clearly fit just fine but they need to make extra money somehow, super thin fleet that is all but guaranteed to leave you stranded if there is IRROPS, flying out of airports with limited amenities located far from civilization, websites and apps that barely work, the list goes on and on. There are only two benefits: they are cheap and if shit goes wrong, EU261 will compensate you. That's it.

rsynnott 2y ago
After spending an 11 hour flight recently with the person in front resting gently on my knees for about 9 hours, I'm all for non-reclining seats; Ryanair is into something there.
- pb7 2y ago
  I've never had this issue as a 6'3" person that's in the 99.9th percentile for miles flown across 30+ different airlines. You must be a giant. For giants, they have economy seats with extra legroom, premium economy, and business class.
- wkat4242 2y ago
  True and most flights in Europe are so full you can't reasonably recline anyway. However the new extra thin seats of ryanair do really feel hard after an hour or two. I don't mind the lack of recline but they need more padding IMO.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> low cost carriers I've flown in Western Europe and Asia were way better than the the regular US carriers (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) They had much better seating, planes, restrooms, policies, etc Examples? I’ve done every mode of transport in Europe. The planes are your buses.

rsynnott 2y ago
The only domestic flight I've been on in the US was United, and it was possibly the worst flight I've ever been on, though my judgement may be coloured by how late it was. Beyond that, though, I'm not sure I've ever been on a plane that felt as much like it was... falling apart (I'm sure it was structurally safe, but some of the ceiling panels were out of place, a number of seats were broken, etc). It wouldn't fly (see what I did there?) with Ryanair.
solardev 2y ago
Legroom and general plane modernity/comfort were the big ones for me, as well as check-in and luggage drop-off procedures. The European and Asian airlines do the basics really well, and I never felt uncomfortable in them. I remember loving my experience with Norwegian Air, for example, which beats ANY US airline I've ever flown on (United, Delta, Southwest, American). Only Alaska came close, but only during covid (when there was a lot of empty space). Otherwise, in normal times, the US airlines have incredibly cramped legroom, really old planes that you often can't stand up in, have minimal overhead space, etc. This is especially true in regional/rural routes, but even the urban hub to hub ones are not great in my experience. The US airlines are generally tolerable, but they just feel... bad. Like they don't really care about their customers at all and are just trying to milk you for every last cent and would really prefer that you simply not be a customer if you're not satisfied, so that somebody else can take your place, rather than trying to make you comfortable. Everything is cramped and dirty and in a rush and poorly run all the time. By contrast, the processes in Europe and Asia are so streamlined and the staff were much nicer. However, Frontier and Spirit were especially atrocious. I've never known anyone who was willing to fly them more than once. "Never again" is a common refrain I hear whenever I discuss them with other travelers, or even just walk past one of their lines in the airport. Ugh. > I’ve done every mode of transport in Europe. The planes are your buses. Sorry, what do you mean by that? Not sure what "planes are your buses" means? Over here, some of our airlines are about as bad as our (terrible) Greyhound buses. Some are even worse than that. I never had that kind of experience abroad.

shiroiushi 2y ago

For international flights, US airlines are better than the horrible domestic flights, but it's still really pathetic when you compare any US airline to any Asian airline. Even the staff on Asian airlines are far better; American staff generally have attitude problems.

prewett 2y ago
Well, Americans have attitude problems (which I say as an American)... I've never had any problems with American flight attendants, though. Or even the planes. I mostly just want to get there, I bring a book or a programming project, and all I need is a seat. Low expectations, I guess.
kasey_junk 2y ago
That was not my experience flying in China. The staff was bad, the plane was bad and the facilities were retched. I’ve not done it more than a handful of times so don’t want to say it’s universal but Chinese airlines do not compare favorably to American ones in my limited experience.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  Chinese international flights, or domestic? I'm talking about international flights here.
  - kasey_junk 2y ago
    International, though admittedly it was regional.