Tag Archives: Cathay Pacific

TRAVEL SAFE: When you can’t go

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Having to cancel a trip you’ve planned for month — and already paid for, can be emotionally painful. But the pain need not be financial, as well, and you may not even need travel insurance to avoid it.

You’re looking forward to the big trip you’ve booked and already paid for, when illness or injury suddenly strikes you or your family and you can’t go — and you don’t have travel insurance.

You suddenly find yourself out of hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, right?

Not necessarily.

I learned this when I recently had to cancel a flight to Hong Kong aboard Cathay Pacific due to a family medical emergency.

All I had to do, the airline told me, was to get a letter from the doctor confirming the situation, and they would let me change the flight or refund the airfare — without penalty.

Not for nothing is Cathay Pacific rated a five-star airline by the British airline rating site Skytrax.

Naturally, there’s a catch. If you reschedule the flight for a later date and the airfare has gone up since you originally booked it, you’ll have to pay the difference. And with fuel prices being as volatile for the airlines as they are for the rest of us, the difference could be pretty hefty.

As a rule, I always get travel insurance for major trips, since it covers a lot more than just trip cancellation, but the fact that at least some airlines are willing to do that is good to know.

Bottom line, if you know a medical situation might come up that could cause you to cancel your trip, you need to check with the airline before you leave on their policies for reimbursing due to medical reasons.

And if it’s possible that you may have to cut your trip short because of an emergency back home, you definitely will need travel insurance for that, because you could incur some major travel expenses trying to get home on short notice.

Something else I learned through all this: if you’re willing to pay the higher premium, you can buy travel insurance that will let you cancel a trip for any reason, and reimburse your pre-paid costs.

It could be due to a medical reason or some other personal emergency. It could be due to a natural disaster or some man-made upheaval. It could be because you just changed your mind and don’t feel like going anymore.

The reason doesn’t matter. You don’t even need a reason, really.

The one catch, aside from the higher premium, is that you have to buy this insurance within a relatively few days of pre-paying your trip.

For more information on these and other travel insurance questions, hook up with the folks at the US Travel Insurance Association.

The point in all this is to make sure that when you do take off on that great, long-awaited trip, your peace of mind comes with you.

ALSO CHECK OUT:
MEXICO: Liability insurance — get it or else!
TRAVEL GEAR: Back that thing up!
TRAVEL SAFE: Securing your luggage, Part 2

AIRFARE ALERT: Hong Kong at a premium

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© Maurie Hill | Dreamstime.com

© Maurie Hill | Dreamstime.com

Cathay Pacific is putting their Premium Economy section up for sale for flights to Hong Kong. If you’ve never been to Asia, it’s your chance to experience upgraded service from one of the world’s few 5-star airlines.

For the next five days, Cathay Pacific has the mother of all airfare sales going to Hong Kong. Premium Economy seats starting at $1,629 round-trip from four US gateways — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

(A BIG shout-out to IBIT’s own Aviation Queen, Benet Wilson, for pulling my coat to this deal.)

Two things make this a serious bargain. The first is the fare itself. For not a lot over a standard Coach fare, you get a better seat in a separate cabin with lots of amenities. About the only things you don’t get are the lay-flat seats you now find in Business Class.

All very important when you’re going to be on an airplane for 15 hours.

The other thing that makes this a great deal is the airline itself — and how often these days do you hear anyone say that?

Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong and they know it well. More than that, it’s one of the world’s most respected airlines when it comes to in-flight service and the way their cabin crews treat their passengers.

I’ve been raving about these guys since I first flew with them in 1976, and they haven’t lost their touch. Of the roughly 700 airlines in the world today, they are one of only six to win a 5-star rating from Skytrax.

You have two reasons not to dawdle on this deal. The first is that it’s only good for five days. The second is that there are only about 30 Premium Economy seats aboard Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777ERs.

And no, those are not Boeing’s problematic Dreamliners, so no worries there.

If this deal appeals to you, head over to the Cathay Pacific Web site and get busy.

ALSO CHECK OUT
CATHAY PACIFIC: A good airline gets better
The world’s best airlines
FLY THE FLAGS, Part 1
FLY THE FLAGS, Part 2

AIRLINES: Same as it ever was

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Boeing 747 | Photo courtesy of Singapore Airlines

Travel+Leisure magazine readers make their annual choice of the world’s top 20 airlines. Asian, Pacific and Middle Eastern airlines dominate the top spots. European carriers fill out the rest. US airlines? Barely there.

There are certain things in life you can always count on. Water will be wet. The sun will rise in the East. And Asian airlines will be deemed the best in the world by those who fly.

I know Singapore Airlines only by its reputation, but that reputation is solid enough to make Caesar’s wife look like Paris Hilton.

The latest evidence comes courtesy of Travel+Leisure magazine, which annually asks its readers to name their favorite 20 airlines worldwide, based on cabin comfort, food, in-flight service, customer service, and value.

This year’s winner, for the 17th year in a row: Singapore Airlines.

The nation and people of Singapore are teased and mocked somewhat as allegedly being rigid, emotionless and anal-retentive to the max. But when some of the world’s most experienced and discerning travelers name your airline the best in the world for 17 years running, you clearly are doing something right.

And that’s not the only consistency revealed in this latest T+L airline survey. Of the top ten spots, six are held by airlines from Asia or the Pacific region:

  • Singapore Airlines
  • Air New Zealand
  • Korean Air (South Korea)
  • Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
  • Asiana (South Korea)
  • Thai International Airways (Thailand)

Two of the remaining four spots go to Middle Eastern airlines — Emirates and Qatar. The last two positions are held by a European airline, Virgin Atlantic, and its US spinoff, Virgin America.

(NOTE: T+L counts Virgin America as a US airline. IBIT does not.)

The rest of the list looks like this — Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Japan, Tahiti, Switzerland, Israel and Finland.

The one and only true US carrier (for my money, anyway) to crack this list — JetBlue, in 16th place.

I’ve flown a handful of these airlines myself — Cathay Pacific, Japan Air Lines, Air Tahiti Nui — and I can tell you they have their spots in T+L’s top 20 on merit. Likewise, I know a lot of folks who have flown JetBlue and swear by it, so I suspect their place in the top 20 is legit.

The question that always comes to my mind is, why is the rest of the US airline industry utterly unable to join the company of the world’s elite airlines?

Because the most surprising thing about the T+L list is that it’s no surprise at all. Virtually every credible survey taken of the world’s air travelers for the last two decades yields pretty much the same results, year after year after year.

The Asian, Pacific and Middle Eastern airlines dominate. The European airlines represent. US-based airlines will show up somewhere toward the middle of the pack at best, depending on the survey’s format.

When it comes to naming the world’s best, America’s airlines barely show up at all.

This is not an aberration. This is not a fluke. Flukes don’t last 20 years. The question is, why?

The clue lies in the categories on which T+L readers based their ratings — cabin comfort, food, in-flight service, customer service, and value.

In all these areas, there is a common thread among the top airlines. They go above and beyond the call for their passengers, both in the air and on the ground. They may not always be the cheapest seats in the sky, but you know you’re always getting your money’s worth, and then some.

I stil have vivid memories of trying to get out of a hopelessly overcrowded Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris one cloudy fall morning.

Six different jumbo jets from six different airlines, including Air Tahiti Nui, had been scheduled to take off from the same terminal at more or less the same time. That meant funneling close to 2,000 passengers simultaneously through exactly three security gates.

The lines of people checking in and then trying to get through security barely moved, backed up so badly that they merged into one another. Some people spent a half-hour or more before realizing they were in the wrong line. Airlines were announcing imminent departures. French airport security was totally indifferent.

The businessman in from of me was trying to get back to Toronto. Air Canada literally had left him at the gate the day before under these same circumstances. Now, he was back for Round Two, fearing he was about to be left again.

All the while this nightmare was in progress, a check-in clerk from Air Tahiti Nui was running — and I do mean running — up and down the different lines, shouting at the top of her lungs:

“If you are flying on Air Tahiti Nui, do not worry! We will not leave without you!”

By now, Im wondering if I can get back to my hotel in time to reclaim my old room.

That Air Tahiti Nui flight pushed back from the gate an hour late, but it left Paris with every one of its passengers. I was among the last six to board.

How many US-based airlines do you think would have gone that far for its last six passengers — and Coach passengers, at that?

Yeah, right.

By and large, US airlines are not horrible. They’re just not great, either. Worse, they seem to be okay with their middling status, as long as they can show a profit.

Being mediocre is not a crime. Being content with it is, or it should be.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so galling were it not for the fact that this is the country that not only invented the airplane, but invented the airline business itself.

What would it take for America’s airlines to raise their game in the eyes of the world’s travelers? Any ideas?

CATHAY PACIFIC: A good airline gets better

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© Maurie Hill | Dreamstime.com

After upgrading their Business Class section, one of Asia’s best airlines is turning its attention to the back of the airplane, all in response to competition from regional rivals.

According to the British airline rating site Skytrax, there are exactly seven airlines in the world worthy of a 5-star rating. One of them is Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong, which flies throughout Asia and across the Pacific.

Having recently remodeled their Business Class cabins, they’re now turning their attention to the back of the airplane in a big way. And if you’re going to be on one of those 14- or 16-hour trans-Pacific aerial ordeals, that’s good news, indeed.

Especially when it comes from an airline whose reputation for cabin service is among the best in the world.

I flew this airline many years ago between Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok. That reputation was well-deserved then, and judging by their Skytrax rating, it still is.

NO COMFORT FOR OLD PLANES
CP’s plan for their economy seats is a two-parter. Part 1 is to create new cabins in Coach on their long-range Boeing 777ERs and Airbus A330s. That’s the good news.

The bad news? The Coach seats aboard their older planes, such as the Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s, won’t be upgraded.

This is why you need to pay as much attention to the airplane you’re flying on as the price of your ticket.

CP had tried this kind of Economy upgrade five years ago, replacing the traditional reclining Coach seats with hard-back seats that slid forward to recline, similar to the hard-back, lie-flat seats you find in many Business and First Class sections.

But they didn’t sit well with a lot of passengers, so it’s back to the future with old-school reclining seats in Sardine Class.

I had my own experience with hard-back, lie-flat seats early this year on British Airways between LAX and London Heathrow. Absolutely, positively, hands-down the most miserable two flights of my life.

STRETCHING OUT
The amount of legroom in the new Cathay Pacific economy seats — measured by what the airlines call “seat pitch” — will remain at 32 inches. That’s more or less standard industrywide, and for most passengers, it’s decent.

(I’m hoping they give those seats just a touch more hiproom as well, but I doubt it. That’s where the real misery is these days on long flights — and not just because I’m as wide-bodied as any jumbo jet.)

What will be different will be the amount of recline in each Coach seat. You’ll be able to lean back an extra two inches. The airline also is promising more personal storage space in Coach.

For those who have trouble sleeping in Coach on flights of any length, that extra two inches of recline should be good news. For those who like to use their laptops while the passenger in front of them sleeps, maybe not so much.

What can I say? In life, there are tradeoffs.

The other half of their plans involves creation of a new Premium Economy section on its long-haul flights. Wider seats, with a generous 38 inches of seat pitch.

Anyone shorter than, say, Yao Ming should be able to stretch out in grand style.

WHAT, NO XBOX?
Add in a touch-screen video monitor for entertainment, wi-fi Internet access and outlets for Apple digital devices, along with CP’s usually glittering cabin service, and you may be reluctant to get off the airplane.

Naturally, you’ll be paying extra for the comforts of Premium Economy. How much extra, the airline didn’t say in their announcement yesterday.

This is all due to take effect starting next March — first on flights to/from Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver and New York. The rest of their long-haul routes,including Los Angeles and San Francisco, will follow.

(NOTE: When it comes to flying to Asia from the West Coast, San Francisco often is somewhat cheaper than LAX, and Vancouver may be cheaper, even substantially cheaper, than both of them. That combination can create some intriguing vacation opportunities).

RAISING THE BAR
Cathay Pacific is facing heavy economic pressure from Singapore Airlines and China Southern. Both are flying the double-deck Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet, which carry more passengers per plane than anything else flying.

Cathay Pacific’s way of fighting back, as explained by CEO John Slosar, is “providing a superior experience in all classes of travel.”

If you’re accustomed — or perhaps more aptly, resigned — to the way US-based airlines treat their passengers, you may find that statement more than a little eye-opening.

Facing increasing competition from rivals, airlines in this country typically respond by cutting back on the number of available seats, or reducing seat pitch to cram in a few extra seats, or raising ticket prices — or charge for services that had always been free in the past.

How many would try to meet the challenge of competition by offering all their passengers — not just the high rollers in First or Business Class — a better flying experience?

Am I the only one who thinks our airlines could learn a lot from these guys?

AIRLINES: Comfort at a Premium

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Photo courtesy of Cathay Pacific

For a little extra money, you get a lot of extra legroom, nicer seats, and in the very near future, some real entertainment perks.

​There’s some buzz among the airlines these days about “Premium Economy” — and if you’ve resigned yourself to suffering on long flights, you need to pay attention.

​Airlines are creating new sections in their aircraft for seats one level — or perhaps a half-level — up from standard Coach, or what I like to call “Sardine Class.” They go by names like “Premium Economy” or “Economy Plus” or “Economy Comfort,” but the basic concept is the same.

For a little extra money, you get more legroom, an extra amenity or two — and increasingly, a slightly nicer seat than in regular Coach.​

You’ll play more — on transoceanic flights, maybe substantially more — than Coach, but half or less what you’d pay for Business Class.

​You could think of Premium Economy as the poor man’s Business Class, but if you’re much over 5’9″ tall and on a flight lasting longer than five hours, you’ll may call it salvation.

These days, Coach seats tend to to have truncated leg space, miniscule recline (what the airline wonks call “seat pitch”), narrower seats…or all of the above. And the vast majority of them will be in rows three seats across.

Think about sitting that way for 10, 12, 16 hours or more. Are we having fun yet?

A number of airlines have caught on to all this, hence the rise of Premium Economy.

It makes sense. A lot of airlines are having a hard time filling those pricey Business Class seats, and so many First Class seats are going unfilled that some airlines are ripping them out altogether.

Enter Premium Economy. From the airlines’ standpoint, they won’t make nearly as much money per seat as Business Class, but if they’re priced attractively enough, you can sell out the whole section on every flight.

That’s more than you can say for Business or First Class.

Some suggest this is just another airline rip-off — a seat substantially more costly than Coach for half the extra space of a Business Class seat. Consider this from the highly respected Seatguru.com:

“A Premium Economy fare is generally 65% less expensive than a Business Class fare. In terms of space and amenities, these two classes are VERY different with Business Class offering up to 50% more legroom, significantly greater recline, more substantial legrests and headrests, and superior food and wine offerings.”

For me, the issue is not Premium Economy v. Business Class, but Premium Economy v. Sardine Class.

Trust me, on a flight lasting double-digit hours, it’s no contest.

Another thing: The comfort of some Business Class seats, especially those that have two passengers facing each other, is highly overrated, as I found on a recent British Airways flight to London.

So if you’re looking down the barrel of a 10-, 12- or 16-hour flight — and you’re not made of money — Premium Economy could be a worthwhile option.

CATHAY PACIFIC RAISES THE BAR
Air New Zealand, Qantas, Japan Airlines, British Airways and United Airlines have already installed Premium Economy sections on their aircraft or are expanding them.

Comes now Cathay Pacific its own Premium Economy sections starting next spring.

Two things make this significant. One is that Cathay Pacific specializes in long-haul flights around the Asia/Pacific region, lots of flights of 10 hours or longer.

The other is that CP is one of only seven airlines in the world with a 5-star rating from Skytrax.

So whatever they ultimately do with their new Premium Economy section, odds are you’ll like it.

​​

ALSO CHECK OUT:
Go to the Head of the Class — Airline fare class, that is

AIRLINES: Know your alliance, Part 2

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SECOND OF TWO PARTS

  • Star Alliance
    27 airlines, 4,000-plus aircraft, 1,160 destinations in 181 countries

  • SkyTeam
    14 airlines (plus 12 “member affiliate” and 13 “non-member affilate” airlines), approx. 3,500 aircraft, 960 destinations in 169 countries

  • oneworld
    12 airlines, 2,400-plus aircraft, 871 destinations 150 countries

At first blush, the airlines alliances may look like just a mechanism for the airlines to get around antitrust laws, a way of reducing their costs and artificially controlling ticket prices. But in a lot of ways, they help us out.

For one thing, they make it possible to use your frequent-flier miles from Airline A to book flights on Airline B, and rack up miles on one airline that you can apply to many others.

And there are some more subtle ways the alliances work in your favor. This from Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst for Forrester Research, an international market research firm in Cambridge, MA:

“Being able to check in once and get all your boarding passes, checking your baggage once an picking it up at the final destination, no matter how times to change planes or change airlines. Many of the alliance have antitrust immunity. That allows them to coordinate not only on prices, but also coordinate on schedules.

“Airlines in the same alliance will often try locating their flights close by to one another to make their connections easy.”

What’s more, the alliances have put together their own Web sites that allow you to book flights online. Feel intimidated trying to work out a potentially complex international routing? No worries. Star Alliance, SkyTeam and oneworld will gladly do it for you.

So how do you connect to these guys? There’s a good chance you already are, since there’s at least one major US-based airline in each alliance.

Which means that if you’re enrolled in United’s frequent flier program, you’re already a member of the Star Alliance. If you’re a frequent flier with Delta, you’re already connected to SkyTeam. And if you’re earning miles on American, you’re already hooked up with oneworld.

But that’s by default. How do you choose an alliance for yourself?

Unless, you’ve already hit the lottery, cost is an obvious first concern. But remember, airlines and alliances alike watch one another’s fares like the proverbial hawk, so don’t expect radical differences from one to another.

Other factors can vary a lot more. Here are some of them:

  1. The nature of your travel
    Where in the world do you do most of your international travel? Where do you anticipate doing a good amount of international travel in the future? Which alliances offers the best mix of airlines to the places you most want to go?

  2. Your flying experience
    Which alliance has the airlines you most prefer to fly? Which are the most convenient for you to use? Which are the most comfortable, offer the best service? Or to put it a another way, which ones make you the least miserable the most often?

  3. Safety
    Check out the safety records of the airlines in an alliance, especially the ones with which you are the least familiar. How many serious accidents have they had in the last year, the last five, the last ten? Is their fleet fairly new, modern, up-to-date — or are most of their planes significantly older than you are?

One alliance might be better for travel in and around Europe, another better for Asia or the Americas.

But remember, you’re not flying on an alliance. You’re still flying on an airline. And everyone has their likes and dislikes.

Take my own case. Star Alliance is by far the largest of the three, but because of my destinations up to now, I’ve done most of my fling on the smallest — oneworld.

But as my travels have broadened, the number of airlines I’ve flown on has grown. I now have a real fondness for Air France and KLM. Both are with SkyTeam.

The alliances may cover the Earth, but when it comes to Africa, the Mother Continent is largely out of the picture. Only three of the 53 airlines in the alliances are based there. Egyptair and South African Airways, are with Star Alliance, while Kenya Airways is hooked up with SkyTeam.

oneworld has no African airline members at all.

Slowly, that may be changing. Kenya Airways already is a member of SkyTeam, and Ethiopian Airlines may be a full partner in the Star Alliance by the end of September.

Further, Ethiopian already has its own reciprocal agreements with a dozen different airlines in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

But just because an alliance has few airlines or even none in Africa, that doesn’t mean they can’t get you there.

oneworld may be the smallest alliance, but one of their principal members, British Airways, has 16 African destinations on its route map. Air France, a major member of SkyTeam, has nearly 40. The Star Alliance weighs in with South African Airways and their 29.

Reaching most of those destinations will mean connecting through Europe. If you’re looking for direct flights from the United States, especially to sub-Saharan Africa, even the massive Star Alliance takes a back seat to SkyTeam.

The reason: Delta. They have more direct US-Africa flights than any other airline, period.

Bottom line: You know what you like. You know where you’re going. With those factors in mind, you choose your alliance the same way you choose your airlines.

Carefully.

ALSO CHECK OUT:
AIRLINES: Know your alliance, Part 1

IBIT on The Cheap: AIRFARES, Part 2

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Kaua'i parrot

Kaua'i parrot | © Greg Gross

I feel sorry for anyone trying to search out a good airfare online these days. So many Web sites, so many options, so little candor. Not only are airlines pricing structures downright Byzantine, but airfares are so volatile, it’s insane.

During a 5-hour train trip once on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from Santa Barbara to San Diego, my wife and I considered a December flight from LAX to Paris.

We leave Santa Barbara at 7:01 a.m.

9:40 a.m.: I break out the laptop and start scanning airfares. The Air France round-trip coach fare for two is about $2,500. Too steep. I then check Expedia. Same airline, same flights: $2,300. Better, but not better enough.

10:12 a.m.: I check out Kayak, which simultaneously scans multiple airlines and even other reservation sites. Air Tahiti Nui has the same Paris flights for $2,100.

10:23 a.m.: I jump on the Air Tahiti Nui site (always check the airline site as well as the other reservation sites). Their Paris fare: $1,800. Nice. But a hunch leads me back to Expedia.

10:32 a.m.: On Expedia, I find the same Air Tahiti Nui flights, same days, same everything…$1,685. I don’t understand why this is, and I don’t care.

11:12 a.m.: We pull out the plastic and pull the trigger. We have our tickets, at a rate almost $900 less than Air France.

The train arrives at our station at 11:49 a.m. We’re home by 12:15 p.m. I jump on the Web and check Expedia again to admire the bargain price that we found.

The fare is now just over $2,400.

In five hours, the fare for the same trip had gone down nearly $900 and back up almost the same amount. In the four months between the time we booked and the day of departure, it will oscillate up and down, but never again fall below $2,000.

This is not a tout for Expedia. We just as easily might’ve found that fare on Travelocity, Orbitz, Vayama or any of a thousand other sites. The point is, when we found it, we moved on it.

MORAL: Search carefully, search thoroughly, but when you find a fare that’s comfortable, don’t second-guess yourself. He who hesitates can lose a ton of money.

That’s one tip. Here’s another: Don’t think airline. Think alliance.

Nowadays, brand loyalty to a single airline may be overrated.

A few years ago, American Airlines made a big deal out of removing seats from their planes to create more legroom in Coach. Being 6’3,” I couldn’t wait to enroll in their frequent-flier program. I figured I’d found my airline for life.

A few years later, they put them all back in, but I still didn’t have enough miles to go anywhere. I was stuck. In the end, though, it’s all worked out. Why?

Many of the world’s major airlines have banded together in operational marriages-of-convenience called alliances. They divvy up routes, reservation systems, even passengers, among themselves. It’s called code-sharing.

They also accept one another’s frequent-flier miles — and that’s a good thing.

What does all this airlinespeak mean to you? It means that if you book a flight from Chicago to London on United, you may find yourself on a Lufthansa jet instead.

The three biggest alliances, in order, are Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld.

My principal alliance is Oneworld. Among its 11 members are the airlines I either know best or fly to my most desired destinations — American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Air Lines and LAN. They’ll be joined in two years by Air Berlin, a fairly new airline that looks really promising for decent airfares into the heart of Europe.

Check out the alliance sites. Not only will they tell you who their individual member airlines are, but you can even plan itineraries and book flight through the alliance sites.

Find an alliance you can stick with. Enroll in the frequent-flier mileage program of the airline in that alliance that you use most often. But just to cover yourself, sign up for frequent-flier mikes with an airline in the other major alliances, as well!

Another thing about frequent-flier miles: They’re good for more than just flights. You also might be able to use them to buy access into those cushy airline lounges, the ones reserved for First and Business Class passengers. Not just one, but any lounge in the alliance. Comfortable chairs. Free food and drinks. A little peace and serenity before that 11-hour killer over the ocean.

Just sayin’.


NEXT TIME: When it comes to travel costs, what is real — and how to find out!

The world’s best airlines

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Guess who didn’t make the cut — again?

Skytrax, the Britain-based airline research outfit, has unveiled its annual awards for the world’s top ten best airlines.

The overall winner for 2010 was South Korea’s Asiana. Singapore Airlines, whose cabin service is the stuff of industry legend, was once again second. Qatar Airways moved up to third. Last year’s winner, Cathay Pacific, slipped all the way to fourth.

Fourth? Are you serious? I’ve flown Cathay Pacific. Where are these judges from, East Umbria or East Germany?

In fairness, though, I have to say that the top three finishers this year all have sterling reputations among their peers — and more importantly, with their passengers.

Overall, five of this year’s top 10 are from Asia (Asiana, Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines), three from the Middle East (Qatar, Etihad, Emirates) and two from the Pacific region (Air New Zealand, Qantas).

From the United States, the birthplace of aviation and home of the world’s very first airline — zero, zip, zilch, nada, nichts, rien, walou.

We didn’t even win the regional award for best airline in North America. That went to Air Canada. Continental was second, Delta third.

For you penny-pinchers out there — and these days, that’s just about all of us — the North American winner in the category of best low-fare airline was Virgin America. Canada’s WestJet was second. Southwest Airlines got the bronze.

All of you travelers out there who are surprised, raise your hands.

Even if you’ve ever only flown on U.S. carriers, you already have your own ideas about what leads to this annual shutout, which has been more or less the norm for the last decade or so. And if you’ve flown on any of the winners, you know for yourself that it was no contest — and never really is.

Of course, Skytrax doesn’t rate the world’s airlines according to their speed and skill at inflicting its passengers with add-on service fees. If they ever do, America’s airlines will take that prize, going away.

You can read the full results for Skytrax’s airline awards here.

FLY THE FLAGS, Part 1—

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Sometimes the national-flag air carriers of your vacation destination might offer not only a better airfare, but a better flying experience.

When traveling outside the United States for the first time, you may reflexively jump on the first U.S.-based airline flying there.

Hold up.

Many countries have their own national-flag airlines that fly from U.S. airports. They’re not necessarily government-owned; they just “represent.” And even in this era of mergers, buyouts and code-sharing alliances, not only do their fares often compare with those of U.S. airlines, but they may offer a much better travel experience, making them a better value for the money.

As a college student, I started hearing from friends who’d flown on JAL, Japan Air Lines, and marveled at the experience. Back then, there was no Travelocity or Priceline, and thus little talk of bargains. But they raved over the service.

Several years later, on my first trip to Asia, I flew on one of JAL’s shiny new Boeing 747s, and everything was exactly as advertised. I felt I’d experienced the pinnacle of air travel.

In reality, I had no idea.

CATHY WHO?
Part of this trip called for a five-hour flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong, and I couldn’t wait to get back on board that JAL 747. No such luck. The flight would be made aboard an old Boeing 707, with some outfit called Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong.

Cathy who? Never heard of ‘em. I knew that plane, though. One narrow aisle, six cramped seats across. Misery, here we come.

The surprises begin the moment we board. I knew being a stewardess was hard work, but these women are running up and down the aisle. I overhear someone say the stewardesses have to speak the languages of all the countries the airline serves, which is half of Asia. Pretty impressive.

A few minutes after takeoff from Tokyo Haneda, a steward is dispensing drinks from a cart — mainly Foster’s Lager from Australia and San Miguel beer from the Philippines.

“Complimentary,” he says. That wouldn’t happen on a U.S. airline.

Pretty cool, and this Foster’s not bad, either. When he comes back offering refills, I reach for my wallet. If the first beer was on the house, most likely they want cash for the second, right?

THE MAGIC WORD
“No, no, sir, it’s complimentary.”

Suddenly, I am liking this airline.

Dinner is up next. They give us…a menu? Your choice of entrees, appetizers, desserts? Linen napkins? Silver silverware?

All this, in Sardine Class.

I’m now liking this airline a lot.

Here comes steward again, and he’s packing — a bottle of Australian red wine in one hand, white in the other. Your choice. I didn’t even know Australia made wine.

“Complimentary,” he says. And so are the refills. Had the red wine last time? Care to try the white?

Good God, who are these guys?

A PARTY SEVEN MILES UP
And the food? Before long, perfect strangers are swapping entrees with one another, and marveling over all of it.

When the steward spots a trio of convivial seatmates, he leaves them a bottle of wine, or two. It’s a party, y’all…at 37,000 feet!

And yes, it’s complimentary.

By now, I’m convinced there’s something seriously wrong with the airplane and they’re hoping we won’t notice. But we’re spinning wildly out of control and—

No…wait…that’s just my head.

Everybody’s loosening their seatbelts, waiting for the cabin crew to clear away our trays so we can comfortably settle back into what is now a very contented flight.

Only steward isn’t done with us yet. He’s bringing the after-dinner cognac.

Do I even have to say it now?

I’m now convinced that the wings have fallen off the aircraft and we are plunging at warp speed toward the Pacific—and I really don’t care!

We make a brief refueling stop in Taipei, then take off for the second leg of the flight to Hong Kong. And that whole sequence described above — drinks, dinner, wines, cognac — starts all over again!

AWARD WINNERS
We are a very mellow planeload of tourists when we stroll, roll and occasionally stagger out of Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong and onto the buses taking us all to our hotel.

When the tour guide asks if anybody’s hungry, we look at her like she’s lost her mind!

Poor girl, wasn’t her fault. She’d never flown Cathay Pacific.

All national-flag airlines are not created equal. JAL no longer has the sterling reputation it did back in the 1970s. They recently even had to get bailout help from American Airlines. Talk about a reversal of fortune!

Cathay Pacific, however, has been named Airline of the Year by the British airline research group Skytrax five out of the last ten years. Their other top-rated airlines have names like Singapore Airlines, Asiana, Qatar, Etihad, Thai Airways, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines and Qantas — not just last year, but consistently.

Singapore in particular has built a reputation for efficiency and service that spans decades.

You’ll notice there’s not a single U.S.-based airline in that list. Even European giants like British Airways, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa don’t make the cut.

Surprised?

Not all national-flag carriers measure up to the standards of these airlines, but a common thread runs through all those who do: It’s not just about the money. National pride is involved.

The people who work for these airlines see themselves as ambassadors for their countries, they know how much tourism means to their national economies, and they want to “represent” the best way they can.

So when you’re researching a trip to abroad, look into some of the national-flag airlines of that country. The experience might almost make flying fun again.

In the next segment, we’ll talk about airline safety, including how to check out an airline’s safety record and the red flags that make an airline one to avoid.

How to survive airline food

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“Please return all seat backs, tray tables and your sense of taste to their full, upright and locked positions…”

If you’re like me, you’re a little ambivalent about airline food.

The stuff that’s slid in front you usually has all the culinary appeal of “government cheese.” It speaks volumes when the foodie Web site Chowhound asks its members to name “the least bad airline meal” they’ve had. Not the best, just the one that didn’t entirely suck.

On the other hand, when airlines cut costs by cutting out meals, or make you pay extra for some utterly non-descript brown bag lunch grabbed from a jetway bin, you feel a bit cheated.

Airports are now offering sandwiches, pizza and other take-out food for sale near departure gates, but often at ridiculous prices. Airport security has left us no alternative to that $5 bottle of purified tap water, but do you really want to pay $11 for that turkey-on-wheat, hold-the-cellophane?

Let’s face it, if good food is a travel priority of yours, you don’t need to be on an airplane, anyway. Even so, you do have options, the first of which is to be picky about your airline.

There are Web sites, produced by experts and by air travelers alike, that rate the airlines for their fare instead of their fares. Others review the in-flight meals they’ve sampled themselves. They examine meals in all classes — Coach, Business, First — even airport lounges.

Some go so far as to take pics of their in-flight meals so you can at least see how they look.

They may even show you the meals served to flight crews — and no, they’re NOT the same as yours! What’s more, a lot of flight crew bring their own food on board with them.

As you’ll see when you check them out for yourself, air passenger surveys of airline meals can go from zero to murderous in an instant.

One of the things you’ll see consistently in those surveys is that when it comes to feeding their passengers, American airlines — including American Airlines — consistently rank toward the bottom with the flying public.

So which air carriers fly to the top of the food chain? Most often, it’s major Asian firms like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Among the European carriers, Air France ranks high among frequent fliers.

(The French actually rank high in something involving food and drink. What a shock…)

Check out the recent survey found on SeatGuru.com. Singapore was Number One of the top four, followed by British Airways in second and Air France fourth. A US carrier, Continental, actually snuck into the third ranking among passengers. The four bottom feeders in the SeatGuru survey? American, United, US Air and Delta.

If everything else is equal in terms of price, connections and seat comfort on a long-haul flight, you might want to look for an airline that feeds more than just your sense of adventure.

If you’re serious about trying to maintain a healthful diet, whether on advice of your doctor, for religious reasons or just to stay sleek and sexy in that coach seat, what you consume when you’re airborne is important.

It’s also important to your morale. On really long flights lasting five hours or more, a good meal (or two) may be the second-most important thing you have to look forward to — other than getting off the plane. It’s equally important if you travel with kids. Nothing like some tasty treats to keep their spirits up, and short-circuit that infamous and endlessly repeated question: “Are we there yet?”

Some airline web sites will let you in on the meals they plan to serve on your specific flight; most won’t. You can take your chances, or you can:

  1. Order a special meal, or
  2. bring your own

Virtually every airline offers special meals that meet specific dietary or religious requirements, and you can usually select those offerings listed on their Web sites. Not into red meat? You can order seafood. Not into flesh of any kind? These days, they offer multiple types of vegetarian fare.

Jewish? Muslim? Hindu? The airlines have you covered, but you don’t have to practice any of those faiths to order any of those meals, which often are better than standard fare. Lactose intolerant? Gluten intolerant? Allergic to nuts? The airlines will hook you up.

It gets better. Those who order special meals get fed before the rest of the passengers. Best of all, you don’t pay a dime extra. All the airlines ask is that you give them a certain minimum advance notice, usually about three days before your flight, if you want one of their special meals. That’s fair.

There’s one last option, and some think it’s the best one. You can prepare your own in-flight meals and snacks, and bring them on the plane with you.

And yes, there are sites with advice on how to do that, too. With a little thought and preparation, you can make tasty, nutritious meals for you and/or your family with minimum hassle.

You find those sites, along with other sites related to airline food, on the Cool Travel Sites page on this blog.

You may notice that some of those sites haven’t been updated in a few years. Then again, neither have the menus of many airlines, so it all evens out.