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Emirates named World's Best Airline in 2016 Skytrax Awards (Top 10 announced)
- Thread starter RustyNails
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AstroNut325
Member
I never fly USA airlines unless there is no choice or I'm just doing domestic travel.
The Asian, European and Middle Eastern airlines are leagues ahead.
The Asian, European and Middle Eastern airlines are leagues ahead.
There are direct flights from Dallas to Dubai on Emirates.
ryutaro's mama
Member
In other news, the worst airlines are:
RyanAir
easyJet
RyanAir
easyJet
You get what you pay for. They definitly have their place.
EasyJet is actually 38th. Surprisingly, there is actually a lot of low cost airlines on the top 100 list. I don't really understand why people hate them so much though. They get you where you want cheaply, and at that price you can't really expect world class service.
The actual worst airline would be Air Koryo, the only airline Skytrax rated with 1 star.
I rather fly Qatar than Emirates to be honest, just feels like their service and food is better. Also, flew the A380 Emirates has and it's not that great. Rather fly Qatar Airways' Dreamliner (haven't flown Qatar Airways' 380 tho).
That being said, Emirates is still top notch. Don't get how Turkish Airlines is top 10 tho, never found them to be particularly good.
That being said, Emirates is still top notch. Don't get how Turkish Airlines is top 10 tho, never found them to be particularly good.
They have Messi and Kobe.
TheSecondSpitter
Member
I flew Qatar recently on a long haul flight -- it's the single worst airline experience I've had. Never again. Emirates craps all over it. And United has improved out-of-sight in the last 12-18 months.
One of the biggest reasons is all major US Airlines have powerful labor unions for pilots and fight attendants. This means that these airlines pay a shit load of money to employees who have been retired for years. Also there competition to be a flight attendant is really high on the best international airlines but American airlines can't push out old or underperforming staff because of union contracts and therefore a lot of the crew just aren't as professional as the competition.
Also, international service is not a priority for any American carrier so they just don't invest the same kind of money. They fly old, shitty planes. The average age of a plane on Emirates, Etihad, and Singapore is like 2 years while on a major US airline it's 10+. Even on Lufthansa you'll be flying an A380 or 747-800 while on American Airlines it'll be a 10+ year old 777.
TheSecondSpitter
Member
Emirates have Giroud!
So Emirates is better looking?
ZackieChan
Member
This is definitely true
not that I'm complaining
Dreams-Visions
Member
Virgin America is that nice, eh?
I've been partial to Jet Blue here.
I've been partial to Jet Blue here.
GoldenEye 007
Member
Oh yeah, I heard about that. Relatively recent, I think. I just can't see me ever having a desire to go there.
Although I guess many places, including the US, has had their share of human rights violations.
It's pretty good, definitely my favorite domestic carrier. Jet Blue is stepping up their game big time but I still like VX better. Alaska is really good too.
victreeb3l
Member
I dont have really have any problems with the overall rankings except I'd put Etihad over Emirates easily. Their new a380 business and first class put everyone else to shame, especially Emirates whose offerings look dated and tacky now.
I mean look at this:
That said, I've always had a great flight with Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. Excellent food and service.
I mean look at this:
That said, I've always had a great flight with Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. Excellent food and service.
It's not that great. It's purple mood lighting and a wacky in-flight safety video. It's the same shit as every other US carrier dressed up in an ironic poop emoji t-shirt.
victreeb3l
Member
That Virgin America in flight safety video is the corniest, cringest shit in the world. I felt second hand embarrassment for the staff on the flight.
Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines are my favorite domestic airlines. They dont offer any fancy shit but they have a solid economy.
AFAIK the Middle Eastern airline companies receive heavy subsidies from their governments so they can splurge on service and accommodations.
Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines are my favorite domestic airlines. They dont offer any fancy shit but they have a solid economy.
AFAIK the Middle Eastern airline companies receive heavy subsidies from their governments so they can splurge on service and accommodations.
Really?
I have been on just about every kind of airline in the US. I may have actually uses all services at one point or another since I used Spirit for the first time just a few weeks ago.
I am not shocked that there are better services.
Out of those two RyanAir is truly, truly awful. I've had the misfortune of flying twice with RA have regretted it.
For a short flight EasyJet is fine.
ThreePiMatt
Member
On multiple flights to and from Japan I've been on United, JAL, ANA, and Air Canada. While there is certainly a level of "niceness" from the Japanese carriers, from just a comfort level of economy class I don't feel there's any real difference.
Although they deny it, both Qatar and emirates receives billions in subsidies from their governments, allowing them to run an excellent quality service for decent prices. US airlines meanwhile provide a service that feels designed to save every cent they can at the expense of the traveller, making flying with them a miserable experience.
GoldenEye 007
Member
Hard to have high expectations for a $12 flight, though!
I took a Germanwings/Eurowings flight in May from Heathrow to Berlin Tegel and I was really impressed. Probably among the most legroom on that plane I've ever had. Was really shocked.
UnluckyKate
Member
Because services in asian are 50 years ahead of europe and USA.
Even gulf companies crushed us to the point.
casablanca
Member
Took Emirates qatar and singapore airlines planes this year.
Feels like heaven next to air france or any other company i used before.
Feels like heaven next to air france or any other company i used before.
victreeb3l
Member
Really thinking about using up my points for a Singapore first class round trip. Trying to find the longest first class trip on a nice airline so I can prolong the experience lol
Vigilant Walrus
Member
I did Hong Kong - Istanbul with Qatar, and it was the best experience I've ever had on a plane.
I was incredible impressed. When you've had a long vacation, it's really nice not feeling you're being treated like an asshole.
The plane had really nice spacing, there was a powerful level of air con, the food was a lot better than I was used to, and they gave a free package with blinders, ear plugs, ear buds, toothbrush and even socks.
It was also the flight where I saw Louie for the first time. An episode where he goes to china. It perfectly summed up my experience during that vacation. totally surreal. Louie goes to Beijing and people just stare at him.
I was incredible impressed. When you've had a long vacation, it's really nice not feeling you're being treated like an asshole.
The plane had really nice spacing, there was a powerful level of air con, the food was a lot better than I was used to, and they gave a free package with blinders, ear plugs, ear buds, toothbrush and even socks.
It was also the flight where I saw Louie for the first time. An episode where he goes to china. It perfectly summed up my experience during that vacation. totally surreal. Louie goes to Beijing and people just stare at him.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
For a US Airline, it's pretty good. I mean, it doesn't do anything spectacularly different, but the food, seats, video, and lighting set it apart.
Eh. I like it for how corny it is. My aunt called it "grotesque".
But yeah, not the best for an early morning flight or probably even for the stewards.
Who the fuck knows what will happen to it when they fully merge with Alaskan next year.
broncobuster
Banned
Of those my flights in the past five years on Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, Singapore, and Lufthansa were all great. I'd like to try Qatar one of these days.
They do. Flybe is my favourite budget airline. So simple, easy, cheap, but not tacky.
The Albatross
Member
Emirates sounds like an awesome airline with great rates, but let's keep in mind virtually every international airline company has filed formal complaints with Emirates running an unfair business:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_business_model#Accusations_of_unfair_competition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_business_model#Accusations_of_unfair_competition
Not sure when they started but I think I took it back in 2013. I only use Dubai for connections to India. So if you have any desire to check out India from dallas, Emirates is the way to go. And it's most of the time cheaper than other airlines
Emirates is amazing, I fly economy and sometimes business with them and the experience is just awesome.
- They allow you to freely choose your seats at the time of booking, including emergency exit seats for free.
- Free 10mb of internet so you can text people in the air
- So much food and free quality alcohol
- Free chauffeur car when in business to/from airport
- Huge screens with so much content (although they censor films/TV)
Only bad thing is that Dubai airport is now literally heaving with people 24 hours a day (thank god I have an e-gate pass), and the new airport is still far from finished and only partially open to some airlines.
- They allow you to freely choose your seats at the time of booking, including emergency exit seats for free.
- Free 10mb of internet so you can text people in the air
- So much food and free quality alcohol
- Free chauffeur car when in business to/from airport
- Huge screens with so much content (although they censor films/TV)
Only bad thing is that Dubai airport is now literally heaving with people 24 hours a day (thank god I have an e-gate pass), and the new airport is still far from finished and only partially open to some airlines.
Admiral Woofington
Member
As someone who has had the chance to flow in the business/first class section of an Emirates plane, let me just say that this is 100% truth fact.
each person gets this amazing chair that can go basically fully flat on the ground and double as a bed. The film/tv services has amazing selections (they better for like a 16 hour flight to dubai where I live). The employees treat you as a king and the food is pretty damn decent.
The comfort of the chair though is the highlight by far, I had straight up a bed. The downside is that when I sleep face up I tend to snore so I slept as little as possible due to that and to try to avoid jet lag.
each person gets this amazing chair that can go basically fully flat on the ground and double as a bed. The film/tv services has amazing selections (they better for like a 16 hour flight to dubai where I live). The employees treat you as a king and the food is pretty damn decent.
The comfort of the chair though is the highlight by far, I had straight up a bed. The downside is that when I sleep face up I tend to snore so I slept as little as possible due to that and to try to avoid jet lag.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Since I always fly with western airlines, on transatlantic flights, I can confirm that Lufthansa really is a cut above the rest. First and foremost, I think their pilots are freaking experts at avoiding turbulence. Every single time I flew with AlItalia or Air France there was a "ohshit we gonna die" segment of flight with the turbulence so bad that once sounded and felt like aIrplane crashed into something. People screaming, just unbelievable, and it happened after the pilot flew for like an hour through the storm (WHY?!). Not a single one time with Lufthansa. Its way beyond the coincidence IMO, and It's gotten to the point that I refuse to fly with anyone else. They've also never lost my luggage (Italy did), never had to skip the connecting flight because they were late. Good movie selection during flight and screens in every seat. Serve all kinds of drinks for free (alcohol and non). Just no complaints at all.
way cheaper, actually. They get subsidized by the Emirates, which is why they can afford to offer top quality service for a low price. Their entertainment library is great and free Champagne even for economy class is pretty nice (on top of affordable ticket prices). I think they've won the awards several times in recent years
The Albatross
Member
This is a really good question and one that is rarely asked, and people dismissively say "because they want to screw us!" But then, why can't international airlines come in and compete with American airline companies, which would then cause the US Airlines, JetBlues, and others, to start competing...? Well, because they're not allowed to be law.
Non-American airline companies cannot provide domestic flights in the US because of 'cabotage' restrictions, an ancient word, but the law of the land. It's a protectionist law but it also prevents a company like Emirates from coming in and flying vastly cheaper flights using vastly lesser paid employees, getting gas subsidies from the UAE, and paying no corporate taxes in the UAE. If Emirates came in and competed directly with Delta, Delta would be put out of business.
But beyond that, the flying experience is further made worse in the US By a few major factors:
- There is very little competition between country-wide air travel. You have 3 major country-wide airlines, and then mostly only regional airlines, but because of individual contracts at specific airports, one airline will "dominate" an airport and consider it their "hub."
- Non-US airlines have wages far below US airlines, which are protected by federal laws and importantly a very strong Airline employees union.
- While Singapore or Emirates can hire only beautiful, twenty-something women, and mandate that they wear a specific outfit, wear certain makeup, and act a certain way, American airline companies are forbidden from discrimination in hiring along any race, sex, age, or gender lines. Singapore Air only hires beautiful young women for customer-facing positions who are only temporary, contract employees and only the best of the best (or most beautiful) get their contracts renewed.
- None of the US passenger flight companies are state owned or state subsidized, which isn't the case for dozens of major airlines that they compete against.
- Airline jobs are high-paying in the US and are considered "career" jobs. THis is a good thing for airline employees, but it can have mixed results for passengers, who may feel like trips to the airport are more like trips to the DMV... Airlines in other countries that generally perform highly in these comparisons are aggressive with hiring and firing, employ many workers on contractual basis, and have wages well below your average American airline employee lifer... Who may be in the industry for decades, have seniority over routes, and may not be as motivated as a young person competing for a contract. This isn't the case for all European airline companies, though it specifically is the case for Cathay, Singapore, Emirates, and many other high performing airlines.
- Geography and population density play a significant role in European air travel, and airlines also have to compete with a functioning rail system between many large cities. This drives ticket prices down. Further, there isn't government & airline collusion in Europe to limit flight numbers like there is in the US. I don't know if you remember how air travel used to be, but in the 1990s, you'd regularly fly in empty 747s in long trips... This is virtually eliminated now, and if you have an empty seat next to you on a flight, it's considered a miracle. Europe hasn't adopted this model as quickly. This leads to more flights that need seats filled at lower costs in Europe.
GoldenEye 007
Member
On the flight attendant thing, couldn't US airlines get away with that by basically using the Hooter's standard? Hire women as "models" therefore giving the company discretion on appearance.
Lots of good info, though.
Lots of good info, though.
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