TravelGolf.com
- Updated Daily |
Golf Search
-
Course ReviewsCourse GuideResort FeaturesTravel FeaturesGolf InstructionGolf PackagersReader Forums
The Daily Blog Archives
Tim McDonald   Tim McDonald
   a TravelGolf.com Blog
-
Blog Home | The Daily Blog | Worldwide Golf Blogs | Free Golf Podcasts

American airlines suck! Congress needs to open American skies to European airlines

Wednesday May 7, 2008 | 12:41:06 459 words, 853 views
Win a free golf book!

The differences between commercial airlines in America and everywhere else in the world, including Africa, Asia, Antarctica and any other continent they happen to find would fill a Super Wal Mart.

American planes are dingy, grubby and probably contagious. There’s an air of desolation as soon as you walk into the cabin. It’s like being locked away in a Mexican jail on trumped-up drug charges.

The seats were designed by midgets, for midgets. A chimp might be comfortable, but only if he were a very small, tranquilized baby chimp who didn’t mind sitting erect, like a granite statue, and did not require food, water or air.

U.S. airlines charge you for every inedible fake-foodstuff they have the gall to try and feed you. The only free entertainment airlines in the U.S. have is that game you play where you try and keep from getting a disease.

European airlines gleam like diamonds, with bright, pretty colors. They smell like rose gardens and the stewardesses are happy people with beautiful smiles, whose only purpose on earth is to make you feel like a rock star.

They have something called “economy extra,” for us people who aren’t rich enough for business-class but don’t want to mingle with the hobos back in economy. The seats are wide, cushy and luxurious; you can stretch out like the Sultan of Dubai and have dreams of conquest and sexual pleasure.

You don’t have to play forearm wars with the fat, hairy goon sitting next to you, reeking of Old Crow and stale peanuts.

European airlines bring you good food and plenty of it. And free alcohol! They let you watch free movies, good ones.

I just completed a 24-hour journey from Denmark to Florida and the only delay I experienced was as soon as I got back in the U.S. The Continental flight was delayed about an hour and a half and, wouldn’t you know it, I was stuck in Newark, New Jersey, surely the armpit of the Milky Way.

There was another delay after we finally arrived – there was no one at the gate to let us in!!

By the time I got off the plane, I was a small, rolled-up ball of defeated and humiliated humanity. By contrast, when I disembarked a European flight, I felt like a young turk striding confidently across the planet into a bright, fine morning.

There is an issue pending in Congress involving the ability of European airlines to compete in U.S. domestic market.

I beseech every member of Congress to LET THEM IN!

Those who vote against it should be doomed to spend an hour in Newark.

Why not more?

Even after all I’ve been through, I couldn’t do that to another human being.

Comments:

Comment from: Brandon Tucker [Member] Email · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker
One of my biggest mistakes is having flown KLM on my first trans-Atlantic flight. Since then I've flown mostly U.S. carriers and its just not even been close to the level of luxury.

Even flying within Europe, I love the newspapers and the coffee when you get on board, the stylish and smiling flight attendants...

Upon landing in Prague, Czech Airlines softly plays Smetana's Moldau, the country's most famous symphony. If that isn't a suitable welcome into a foreign land I don't know what is.
Permalink 05/07/08 @ 14:28
Comment from: Jennifer Mario [Member] Email
I don't know--I flew Alitalia from Barcelona to Rome and back a few years ago and it was not the pleasant experience you're describing. It was more cramped and dingey than any US flight I've taken. The only upside was the free wine. Maybe they've gotten better since then?
Permalink 05/07/08 @ 14:53
Comment from: Jonas Heimisson [Visitor] Email
I work at an airliner in Europe and know something about this. Alitalia is a very crappy airliner and it hasn't improved at all. They are in fact about to go under.

But I have to agree with you about the difference in US and Euro airliners. The service tradition is richer in in Europe. The main transatlantic airliners in Europe keep a very high service level, e.g. BA, Air France, SAS, KLM and even smaller ones like Icelandair.
Permalink 05/07/08 @ 16:57
Comment from: Kiel Christianson [Visitor] Email
Oh, and you haven't lived until you've flown JAL, Korean Air, or Singapore Air. Talk about service, luxury, and, well, humanity.

Thanks to U.S. deregulation (begun under Carter, then completely codified by Reagan), airlines were freed to slash prices, then had to slash services to cover the lower revenue. And now, thanks to 25 years of minimal if any profits, they don't have two dimes to rub together, much less a nice pot of liquid assets to help soften the blow of high fuel prices.
Permalink 05/07/08 @ 20:50
Comment from: BV [Visitor]
You want REAL "luxury"? Fly Qatar Airlines...period.

Out bound from Dulles was 'coach' class. Recieved free food (better than any I've had in 1st class on any US carrier) whenever you wanted it, free drinks - including beer/wine/spirits and they're Muslim - and a 14 inch LCD terminal on the seat in front of you to watch whatever first-run movie YOU want (there was a selection of about 50) that ALSO does duty as an MP3 player!!!

I flew back to the US in their 'business class' and OMG...it was everything coach had PLUS the seats turned into BEDS and the food was BETTER yet!

I fly about 150K miles a year both within the US and abroad. The ONLY US carrier I use is Continental, and that's just because they are the best of a bad lot. At least I don't have to fly coach within the US - now THAT would be a fitting punishment for our legislators (an hour in Newark smacks of 'cruel and unusual punishment'....lol).
Permalink 05/08/08 @ 12:50
Comment from: OrlandoGolfBlogger [Visitor] Email · http://www.orlandogolfblogger.com
I took a flight from London to Orlando via Virgin Airlines and I thought I was accidentally bumped up to first class. They gave you this little goodie back that had tooth paste, a tooth brush, those sleeping eye cover things, ear phones, soap, lotion, the whole 9. I was really impressed.. Oh, failted to mention, FREE booze! Ofcourse the connecting flight from VA to Orlando was a bit different...
Permalink 05/08/08 @ 16:36

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be displayed on this site.
Your URL will be displayed.

Allowed XHTML tags: <p, ul, ol, li, dl, dt, dd, address, blockquote, ins, del, span, bdo, br, em, strong, dfn, code, samp, kdb, var, cite, abbr, acronym, q, sub, sup, tt, i, b, big, small>. Bloggers reserve the right to edit or delete comments. Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
(Line breaks become <br />)
(Set cookies for name, email and url)
(Allow users to contact you through a message form (your email will NOT be displayed.))
Grass is green. What color is grass?
-

Misc

GolfPublisher.com Add GolfPublisher.com articles/headlines to your web site
Course Reviews | US Golf Guide | Resort Features | Travel Features | Golf Instruction | Golf Schools | Golf Packages | Free Vacation Quote

© Copyright 1997-2008, WorldGolf.com, LLC. For questions, comments or suggestions on any of our network publications, Contact Us!
Privacy Policy