crew attitude difference
 

I just flew back in J HKG-JFK via YVR. I have to say the crew's attitude difference is very significant. There are already a number of reports that complains about the US-based crews, and my guess is the YVR-JFK part is manned by US-based crews.

Anyway, from HKG-YVR the crews are amazing. Always smiling, polite to a fault, and go above and beyond to make sure you get everything you wanted, if not more. One even apologize why she couldn't serve coffee to me with the fasten seat-belt light on and she literally talked for 2-3 minutes in her apologies. I was taken aback by that. I asked them are they HK-based crew and they say yes.

Then the YVR-JFK flight. Immediately I notice an attitude shift. No smiles, indifferent business-like tone and service. To be fair it's not like they are bad or horrific, but compared to HKG-YVR it is just the gulf of experience is so wide that it's worth mentioning.

...and the best crew I've ever had on CX was based out of YYZ, to counter the implicit conclusion here that HKG crews are better than North American ones. I've also had stunning service from a SFO-based crew, as well as a dreadful one. In HKG, like everyone else I've had amazing crews based in HKG ones, and terrible ones as well. I'm sure everyone has different experiences. There are people who post on this forum who I think fly SFO round trip a few times monthly, and they probably have a more fair representation of US-based crews than the rest of us. I fly SFO 5-6x per year (the only one I'm sure in the US where CX bases cabin crews), and I'm not even sure that's a fair sample size. I don't know half the time where they're even based, and it seems pretty much like the standard inconsistent CX service to me. Sometimes superb, sometimes underperforming.

Btw, does CX even base cabin crews at JFK? I thought they didn't....in which case you would've had a YVR-based crew, which is splitting hairs here but isn't part of the US.

These problems should be determined by the CX management in the base cabin crews for each area.

I have to say, CX does have inconsistent service. I sometimes ponder around the fact of why they achieved Airline of the Year award.

I had some awesome crew on CX107 from HKG to AKL last week and was so impressed by one of the crew members that I filled in a comment form prasing her. The purser didn;t quite know what to do with it.

Probably because suckers like me keep giving them "Fantastic" reviews (during the HKG-YVR leg they asked me to fill out a survey and I gave them best rating for literally everything.)

Not saying anything since I fly CX occasionally. But in terms of consistent service SQ is better and ANA would be the hardest to beat.

I think this thread will be a popular one :)

IMO, an airline reflects the 'attitude' of its homeland. Has anyone ever flown on Olympic airways? Let's just say the customer service attitudes onboard are 'different' from the Asian carriers, in that regard, we, as CX regulars are spoilt.

SQ FA's are organised but robotic, Thai are lovely, Qantas are very confident to the point of either being rude or excellent, whereas our own Cathay exude a kind of 'HK' atmosphere in that they are well presented, love to bustle around and look busy (even if they aren't), have a multicultural crew and are very consistent.

That said, it often surprises me with CX how 'on' or 'off' a whole FA crew can be. That is, how a positive or negative attitude can seemingly involve more than one of the FA's allocated to a flight. Sometimes it is the foreign born FA allocated to a flight that provides the warmth and good service that seems to inspire others.

Just a thought.

I have flown this route a couple of times. IIRC, CX888/9 HKG/YVR/JFK is usually staffed with mixed crew, both HKG & YVR based. For the HKG crew, they have this horrific 8-day pattern (crossing 3 time zones).

LAX based crew only does HKG/LAX route, same goes for SFO & YYZ based. I don't believe CX has JFK based crew.

I fly mostly to the US. I totally agree with both QRC3288 & Theaser's observation, the lack of consistence in service level. I also have personally received excellent service from North America based crew and I had my share of hair pulling moments (both on ground and in-flight).

It is a bit annoying that you have to depend on luck for a good service, but hack, isn't that what life is all about ;)?

There are at least two cultures that are fundamentally unsuitable for the service industry - that of the Greek's and Russian's. If I ever have the misfortunate of having to travel on a Greek or Russian airline then I shall apologise to the FA's upon boarding for bothering them.
I think the ISM and his/her pre-flight prep talk makes quite a significant difference to the performance/attitude of the crew on that particular day.

Hmmm...maybe I am visiting a different Greece than everybody else, but I found the Greeks to be, warm, welcoming, open, friendly, helpful, non-judgemental, hospitable to a fault, and generous to the point of embarrassment. I’m not sure which of these qualities would make them “fundamentally unsuitable for the service industry” or “'different' from the Asian carriers”. Actually that’s not true, I think a few of the above qualities (say open and non-judgemental) apply far less as typical ‘attitudes’ of some of the Asian ‘homelands’...but that doesn't mean that I don't think the airlines of the Asian 'homelands' are not great airlines, that give great service.

RE: Olympic Airways. You needn’t worry about them being a bad airline anymore, since they don’t exist anymore. As of a few days ago, the airline has been sold/denationalised reorganised and rebranded. It’s Olympic Air now.

I will have to add to that it you probably mean AIRLINE service industry rather than generalise the two simply because...

Cos if its airlines, I can add a lot more to that than just the two cultures..

BINGO!!!! That is exactly what makes the difference.

I would concur with you on both counts - I've been to Greece and the locals were exceptionally friendly and patient with foreigners. Unfortunately, Olympic Airways has historically had a lot of problems -namely financial and poor labor relations that may have contributed to their rather mediocre service reputation. Perhaps the new reconstituted airline may be a new start.

The YVR-JFK-YVR part is usually the YVR-based crews.

Just for argument's sake, even if that premise were true, what do Greeks have to do with CX service (as this is the CX forum, and not OMNI)?

But your premise has been disputed even so.

Woud you say you have the wide experience necessary to assert the conclusion that specific cultures -- of entire countries outside the key metropolitan areas -- are 'fundamentally unsuitable for the service industry'? E.g., if true, that even training would make no difference to the service experience in the long term?