Clarius

Just took Asiana economy ICN-LAX-ICN, A380 upper deck seat. Service on both legs was the same, and I found it to be noticeably below what it was on my last trip two years ago:

- No hot towels or wet tissues of any kind were distributed

- No meal menu

- No drinks after departure

- First service of any kind was meal service. Drinks were given out together with the meal. When asking for Coke, I was asked whether I wanted a full (small!) can, or just a cup. Come on, even asking this question feels stingy.

- During meal, no FA was seen. No one came around to with water and wine bottles as is common on many airlines, or was accessible if you wanted a drink refill. The FAs did come around with coffee and tea at the end of the meal, though.

- When collecting the trays, there were no beverages on the cart. It really felt that they actively wanted to discourage passengers from having more than one cup of drink.

- Tooth brushes and other amenities appeared in the lavatories only towards the end of the flight

On the plus side, I still found the quality of the meals to be quite good, and slippers were found on every seat upon boarding. FAs did come through the cabin with water and orange juice occasionally during the flight, but not more often than on your average airline.

I think the only real advantage that Asiana now has in economy class is the very generous seat pitch. The service is very average and behind airlines such as Lufthansa who have upped their game considerably.

sol95

Just got back home from SYD-ICN-NRT-ICN-SYD all on OZ. SYD-ICN legs in J, ICN-NRT in Y.

Just as a point of reference, on both Y flights, I received a welcome greeting from one of the FAs. As I noted in my original post, this is one part of the old service that I don't mind has gone. But have any else noticed they've made comeback?

jon503

I didn't get one as of January this year. I have my next flight to FRA in late April, will see if I get one then.

Personally, while the greeting certainly is no essential part of the service to me, I do like it as a nice little extra - one of the many little things that made me appreciate Asiana. Taking away the greeting by itself doesn't do much for me, but together with other service changes, I do think it plays a part in a perceived drop of service quality.

nme7

With Asiana posting a profit last quarter, I have noticed a slight change in service in Biz class. Amenity kits have returned for flights leaving the US. Also the welcome greeting is back. Economy still stays the same... no menu, no hot towel, etc.

ttuna3

Just did OZ203 (midnight LAX-ICN), no greetings even from the FA that works my section, first time that's happened since I made D+. Same thing on OZ102 to NRT but the shorter haul flights have been hit and miss the last year or so anyway.

Toothbrushes were back with the toothpaste in the tube, no menus but at least the food was pretty good for Y (penne pasta or bibimbap). Check in and the lounge at ICN were still the usual happy to see me and efficient as ever.

Hopefully the old greetings will come back, that doesn't cost OZ anything in either time or money to make nice to your best customers.

warrenw

The paper box meals are the worst. On short flights (did ICN-NRT, 2 hr flight) I don't care for food but they don't even ask they just put it in front of you anyway. It's literally some of the most disgusting food ever.

Long haul food on the other hand is perfectly fine.

dpy940307

flew Asiana new york for Christmas (JFK-ICN-DLC-ICN-JFK). As a diamond i used to get a personal greetings even in Y. This time i didn't get any, even in C.

Food wise I found the korean meal roughly the same. The meal never changed in my 8 years of flying betwen US and Seoul in Y. Im also pretty sure that there has never been any menu in Y. Asiana is also the only airline i know to provide full meal on 1 hour flights like ICN-DLC.

sol95

Well, you're incorrect on that one. You probably just never paid attention to it.

Y menus were standard in OZ for many years. Here are 2 sample pics of one...

https://www.yelp.com.sg/biz_photos/a..._ouOhD6XfPUjTQ


https://www.yelp.com.sg/biz_photos/a...7otrbVu95Q5DrQ

Also, in C, I suspect a huge number of passengers, if regulars on OZ, are Diamond. After all, only takes 40,000 miles to reach Diamond status. So personal greetings there would probably take too much time.

Paella747

I still have several of my Y menus from ICN-MNL.

It's actually a little book that has a map of the city and destination information, too.
Think I have some from BKK, as well...

El Puerco Volante

"service" and "Y" doesn't make sense in one sentence. If you want service - fly private, F or, to lesser degree, C. When I had to endure a flight in Y - I was happy that I arrive to my destination in one piece and nobody kicked me in the face. That's what you paid for - all the rest is a bonus to be grateful for.

Regards,

El Puerco Volante.

jon503

That comment astounds me. Obviously, it would be ridiculous to expect the same degree in service in Y as in C or higher - otherwise why pay more. But "service" not making sense is patently absurd. If that were the case, all of us who often fly in Y would just stick to LCC. OZ costs a premium over say, Jeju Air, to pick a local example, and it does so for a reason. We certainly can expect service commensurate to that price difference.

Airlines compete on numerous factors, from airports served, over scheduling, to hard and soft product. As much as I like OZ, on many routes they are left with odd scheduling, the fleet size is too small and their pockets are not deep enough to maintain the cabins to the latest standard across the fleet. To make the ticket price worth it, the lever Asiana can pull is soft service, and in the past, they have done so brilliantly by offering many little things that taken together really make a difference - having relatively more flight attendants per passenger, slippers, menus, comparatively good food, frequent drinks to keep people hydrated, friendly flight attendants, personal greeting or blocking the middle seat for status members, etc.

Lately, there has been a sense that as Asiana struggles financially, some of these soft service elements have been slipping (though I still maintain some hope that Asiana will come to its senses and not cost cut away the one thing that is keeping it in the race). Providing data points on what was just a below-average flight and what service elements have actually been cut is the point of this thread. Going on about there not being "service" in Y is exactly why I hate flying US domestic. There are people willing to pay extra for service in Y, but don't want to pay 2-3x for C and surely, they can expect something in return.

El Puerco Volante

That's a very naive expectation. In Y you are paying to get to your destination. Excepting anything else is a road to disappointment (as this tread actually shows). If you are paying a premium to fly one carrier's Y over another's - you are simply wasting your money and show that you are susceptible to marketing tricks.

Regards,

El Puerco Volante

sol95

Are you trying to be "funny". Or is English not your first language?

Because your grasp of what the word "service" means is totally not what service actually is!

No matter what class (private, F, C, or Y), the primary purpose of what you're paying for in flying is, in your words, "to get to your destination". Now what differentiates between the classes is the level of "service", with their varying rates of cost. Now it's up to the passenger to decide what they can afford and what is the best value in terms of "service" vs "cost".

You don't fly F or C because only those cabins have service. They have better service. Now, the word "better" is a word of degree. Since it seems hard for you to get it, let me spell out the obvious for you. F service is "better" than C. And C service is "better" than Y. But also, when you compare different Y products, some have service levels "better" than other Y products. In other words, while Y is not the same as C or F (obviously), it still has some level of service.

This thread is not arguing that Y on OZ should have the same level of service as private, F, or C. It's arguing that the standard of service which was normal in Y on OZ has changed. The service in Y is, of course, different to service given in C or F. No fool expects C or F grade service in Y. But the service in Y on OZ has noticeably changed in the last few years.

It may be that you're lucky enough to normally travel on the pointy end of the plane. In which case you don't really have the experience/data to make a valid comment at all. For those of us who do fly Y quite often, the changes have been noticeable.

It's not naivety.

It's reality.

zeer0

Yea what an astoundingly shallow statement. There's a huge difference between for example the Y product of say Asiana vs Air Asia or even a legacy like United. Compare them and then we'll take your comment even slightly seriously. Additionally, many of us fly the same carriers for status. So we're willing to pay more in Y, the perks and rewards pay for themselves.

zippy the pinhead

Catering for a redeye out of LAX:



OZ 203 Breakfast, catered out of LAX.
Breakfast "omelette?"



The usual bibimbap, OZ 203, catered out of LAX.

It could be worse, no?