US airlines could learn something from more civilized Euro carriers

A trip last week opened my eyes to how bad US air travel can be. As numerous US airlines cite financial woes, bankruptcy etc, I can’t help but think it’s their fault. Believe it or not, airlines in other parts of the world don’t make you put up with the kind of junk we put up with in the states.

Exhibit A: I flew Delta last year from Florida to Spain, which was nothing short of a nightmare. I was kicked off a flight I was already seated on, because my seat happened to be double assigned to a mother with her two kids. Despite being one of the first ones to check in for the flight, I was rudely and hastily removed from the plane.

Things got worse fast, when told I wouldn’t be able to get on another flight for over 24 hours – and that all the hotels in Atlanta - host to the 1996 Olympic Games - were out of rooms, so they gave me 20 airport bucks and I spent the night in the airport. Also, despite giving my luggage a day’s head start, it showed up to Europe exactly two days before I was scheduled to leave, but they wouldn’t deliver it to me. I had to pick it up at the airport just to check it to fly home.

Delta flew me first class to Europe, but that was hardly worth the hoops I had to go to just to get any kind of compensation.

Exhibit B: Austrian Airlines on the other hand took care of me in a far more civilized manner last week. After missing a connection in Vienna to Greece, I was told that was the last flight to Athens that day and would have to stay overnight. However they offered to put me in a very nice hotel either at the airport or in the city center with complimentary taxi service (which I chose), bought me a very good dinner and breakfast and let me use their business lounge to send an email to the people I was meeting in Greece. I didn’t even tell them I knew celebrity golf stalker Chris Baldwin.

The only way I would fly Delta again is by hostage. Austrian Airlines however didn’t lose many points with me.