Here's a chance to rate OW members you've flown, by class flown.

As quality of service varies from flight to flight, it's not a particularly scientific study, but as of 19 sectors flown over Christmas, here's my nominations (also based on other OW flights during 2003):

BEST F
It's a tie between BA and CX. No runners up, period.

BEST J
An interesting one, depends very much on route, date and crew, but based on most recent LH experience, I'd say:

1. CX (Service, food, comfort)
2. BA (Great cocoon seat design, service and food varies from great to, er, ok)
3. QF (Haven't flown NBC yet so based on older cabin design which lets the side down, but friendly service, ok to good food with some reasonable Aussie wines).
4. AA (Bit of a poor J product, but Yanks understand customer service)
5. AY (Characteristically spartan but efficient and pleasant)

and not even ranked:

LA (Enrique Cueto should spend less time developing luxury condos in Santiago and more time concentrating on the quality of what used to be a world class carrier but now looking pretty poor)

IB (It doesn't matter how many times you fly 'em, in any class, they do their best to make your trip as unpleasant as possible).

So, as for your thoughts?

F

BA (alas haven't flown any of the others)

J

BA (seat for longhaul - shorthaul (EC) is way down the list)
CX (IFE, food, service)
QF (haven't flown WBC yet)
AA

Y

CX/QF
AA (MRTC)
BA
AA (LRTC)

Lounges

HKG - Wing/Pier
LHR - Concorde Rm/MB Spa/First
SYD/MEL

[This message has been edited by alect (edited Jan 06, 2004).]

Only experience in F (likely too spoiled now).

My ranking from my personal experience - around 20-30 longhaul F flights per year - and yes, it depends very much on the crew, the airport etc:

CX (good seats, good food, good service, great lounges, but a bit unflexible with problems with reservations and not very helpful there)

SR (not yet member: nice seats, roomy, very friendly service, food usually good to very good)

QF (seats on a 747 a little small, food ok, very nice and conststent service, ok lounges)

BA (similar seats as QF, but a little different layout, food ok, service inconsistent between good and unattentive)

LA (seats are flat, but old style, friendly service, ok food, ok lounges

AA (flagship suites are good, other seats ok. Food ok to bad, service good to plainly horrible, lounges ok to less than ok - the least consistent experience)

- tie with -

IB (similar seats as LA, friendly but amateurish service, lounges ok)

This was a joke right? Just to make sure we're paying attention?

I've got to agree. The AA International FA's are the worst part of flying AA. About 25% of the time I get off the flight mad.

BA has the best J seats, CX is the best in F in all respects, CX has the best IFE in all classes, CX has the best FA's in all classes, AA has the best coach service because of MRTC.

As for food, CX is really slipping in J. I just flew LAX-HKG this week and it was not good. QF food in J is quite good usually. I don't generally like BA's food in J. Its not bad quality, I just don't like the usual selections.

LA and IB are adaquate in J and F, but nothing special.

Sorry, but no experience on F. I guess we're talking about long-hauls flights here? I've also included experiences from short-hauls.

AY J-class: long-haul seats could be better (comparing to what QF or CX is introducing). Food and especially wines are good (with the nice Iittala glasses). FA's are usually attentive but sometimes a bit cold. Short-haul seating is awfull but service is OK.

BA J-class: CW seats are OK if you're less than 6ft and haven't got too broad shoulders. A soft duvet instead of the blanket. Food and wines could be better (especially short-hauls). FA's usually friendly and attentive. Good amenity kit and lounges (good that they have also an arrival lounge). Short-haul seating same as AY, food not very impressive.

QF J-class: I've only experienced long-haul with old J-class. Food and wines were good. FA's attentive and friendly with a relaxed attitude. Amenities were OK.

After March, I'll be able to give my thoughts on CX and LA J-classes.

As I said before, it can be pretty subjective stuff, but on the whole I've been lucky and had super crews looking after me on AA flights - F, J and Y.

But then there was the Tom Selleck-lookey-likey who wouldn't stop talking over the tannoy on a JFK-BOS hop; shame none of us were in a position to offer him a walk-on part.

Time to revive this thread based on travelling every OW carrier bar Air Fungus during the past few months. Of course all my own subjective opinion.

Best overall experience
Cathay Pacific - even when it goes wrong they'll do everything they can to make it right. The standard-bearer for OW.

Worst overall experience
LAN - when it goes wrong, it's a disaster. If you don't want to take my word for it, use the search function on this board.

Best Biz Class product
British Airways - despite the variable to poor food and some crews who make you feel it should be a privilege to travel BA, you can't beat the flat beds.

Worst Biz Class product
A tie between LAN and American Airlines [for the latter my opinion is based on SCL-MIA and MIA-MEX - still trying to get the lumps out of my back from the hideous seats]

Best shorthaul carrier
Depends on class flown, but if it's J then I'd say it has to be Finnair. Comfortable cabin, excellent food and drink and fantastic service. Qantas and Cathay also get a thumbs up.

Worst shorthaul carrier
Having endured a fair few BA Euro Traveller nightmares, not to mention poor experiences in Club Europe, I feel very spoiled having now been exposed to a few more domestic hops on AA in Y. That said, crews do try to make up for it. LAN is worth a poor mention for having only a one-class (Y) service on domestic routes (except Easter Island), but the quality and abundance of food and drink is almost up to the standards of Club Europe on BA.

Best Lounge
Standards have dropped at the LHR Concorde Room, though the one at JFK is still something of an oasis. But the winner, yet again, is CX's The Wing at HKG. Where else can you take a bath and sip good champagne between flights? As for the smoking bar in the J section [should you have the unpleasant habit] - this is as civilised as smoking rooms get (though the ones in both Concorde Rooms also get mentions in dispatches).

Worst lounge
Apart from the airports which don't have any at all, or where they're located in places which are outside security [anyone who has flown via MIA will know what a nightmare this can be], Admirals Clubs are still of fairly dubious quality [the one in SCL an exception to the rule]. As this is a OW thread I can't vote for any of the BMI Diamond Club lounges - which remain uniformly dreadful - so it'll have to be BA's contract lounges at PRG or LIS.

Best food / drink
Cathay. Stars all round. Finnair also get an AAA+ rating.

Worst food / drink
Irrespective of cabin, BA's offer ranges from adequate to shameful.

Am sure there are those who will seek to endorse / disagree.

I have another nomination for worst lounge - the EI Gold Circle lounge at Logan. Quite the most desperate pit of a lounge I have ever seen.

^ ^ ^

The AA International FA's are the worst part of flying AA. About 25% of the time I get off the flight mad.
[/QUOTE]

25% is about my ratio as well

25% is about my ratio as well[/QUOTE]
We usually opt for BA across the Atlantic but recently did AA both ways. I was prepared for the worst, but both crews - gentlemen - were excellent. Not as good as Cathay at their normal (although we once had a Cathay crew in the front, into LAX, that was probably a touch worse.) So it's YMMV.

What probably doesn't vary from flight to flight is the "stuff" that management gives the crew to work with. AA has clearly designed their "stuff" to satisfy the most discriminating free-upgrade passenger. They get no revenue, so spare every expense.

Nope my earlier observation about AA was based on some superb transatlantic runs (the flying sort
) - brilliant crews and cabin comfort. Having now flown a few more internals and South American routes I've seen the light

I just spoke to a FF a while ago and he had his first transatlantic flight on IB. After not having flown them for a few years, he said he was positively impressed: clean, attentive crew, excellent food. He particularily stressed the soft seats. And that's someone who flies BA twice a month across the pond.

I guess it's time to put our clichees aside and give IB a new try. If they have evolved as much as the country has since joining the EU, .... now .... where could I fly to ...

I fly IB fairly often, and find them pretty much the same as any other airline, in the sense that the experience will range from sublime to abysmal, depending on cabin class, crew, aircraft type, day or night flight, their mood, my mood, companion, etc. The best IB of the day will run rings around the worst LA/AA/BA/etc., and viceversa, of course.

I would not choose IB, but would not avoid them at all cost either, except for FFP issues.

[Three days ago I flew EZE-MAD with IB: great plane (340-600), great crew, decent food/drinks, cheerful atmosphere, everything right,... until two babies started to cry in unison and in crescendo; from then on several passengers lost their cool, the FAs reverted to dragons, the food/drinks got harder to get, even the movie broke down, for pete's sake, and a fine flight turned into a 12 hour nightmare]