Originally Posted by
NickB
I have to agree with bubbashow on this one. Americans complaining about European business class not being business class because of the seating has just about as much meaning as Europeans complaining about US domestic "first class" travel not being first class because it does not normally give lounge access. These are different markets with different characteristics. Expecting one market to have the characteristics of another one is just reflective of one's own parochialism, whether it is in one direction or another.
As well, it isn't like another airline offers a better quality business class in Europe - it doesn't. A comparison is only useful if it shows that one service is notably better than another. Comparing AF service from CDG-FCO to DL service from JFK-ORD doesn't really help people and just frustrates you.