En route from Barcelona to Geneva at the moment and for the first time in a long time, I am happy with my flight experience. Not just happy, but extremely pleasantly surprised. Swiss Air is a throwback to the good old days when airlines used to serve you food for free, when they showed movies even on short flights, when they would give you as many drinks as you wanted, and when they didn’t care if you have three large carry-ons bags.
The stewardess says to the passenger in front of me, “White wine, yes of course. And another drink as well?” He was already reaching for his wallet, probably being used to likes of Delta and Continental. His jaw drops. He cant believe his ears. He says he´ll have a water and I´m sure he’s happy for the rest of the day. He even starts some small chat and she happily chats back. I don’t think Delta stewardesses even remember how to smile, their faces plastered into a constant glowering expression of hate.
What has happened to the airlines? Why can Swiss Air do this, while everyone else seems to have turned into penny pinches sniveling anger mongrels? Last minute (i.e. day before the flight) Swiss Air´s ticket for this route was the same it had been last week, and was half the price of SleazyJet.. hm.. sorry, EasyJet. EasyJet: where you have to hide your extra carry-on behind your back, pay out your nose for luggage, food, and drinks. Where the plane smells like death. And where you’re treated like such cheap dirt that you step off the airplane thinking what you did to deserve this.
I should give myself some credibility. For someone who doesn’t work in the industry, for someone who isn´t a top manager and for someone who doesn’t get paid to do it, I fly a ridiculous amount. In August alone, I took thirteen flights, including two trans-Atlantic and two trans-Pacific. And unlike most people who travel that much, I fly economy. As of late, the experience has gotten so bad, that it becomes unbearable. 10 hours on Hawaiian Airlines from Sydney to Honolulu without a TV and having to pay for drinks and with food that looked like it has previously been digested by someone else. Luckily on some airlines, I hold elite status, giving me access to Economy Plus (god forbid they would ever upgrade me to Business!), and Ill have to say KLM and Lufthansa often surprise as well. But on the whole, its usually a long unpleasant affair aided only by sleeping pills.
I can´t speak about the Asian airlines, which I’ve heard wonders about, or about flying business class, but for regular travelers, ultimately in Europe, Swiss Air has to be the best. They make flying the way it should be. The way it used to be. Pleasant, easy, and affordable. And now back to the comedy that’s on the flip down TVs. Everyone is laughing, more drinks are being served, and life is good. When will the other airlines catch up?
The Little Observer 