Vancouver - Los Angeles - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore - Dubai - Doha - New York

Join me as I travel around the world in 9 days
on four of the world's five-star airlines

Monday, June 2, 2008

So, what is the best airline?



Well, after 9 days, 7 flights, 8 airports, more than 23,000 miles, and 2 aborted landings, my around the world adventure has come to a successful end. The first thing that people ask me is which is the best airline? It’s a very difficult question to answer, because there are so many variables that influence an experience, such as the route, time of day, number of passengers on board, and aircraft type. I had trouble finding any fault with Singapore Airlines, but the cabin crew had it relatively easy, because there were very few passengers on that flight. Would the service have been different if the plane was full? Maybe not.

First of all, you could never go wrong choosing to fly on one of these airlines. There is a reason that each has been given a 5-star distinction. There are many similarities in service delivery between the airlines, but they also have their own strengths and weaknesses. Even though I said comparing the airlines is difficult, I have noted the top airlines in each category below based on my experience.

Friendliness of cabin crew
Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines
The gracious nature and kind hospitality of these crews was remarkable and something that is hard to recreate. There is something special about south-east Asian hospitality that allows these two airlines to excel in this area.



In-flight entertainment
Cathay Pacific
All of the airlines have good in-flight entertainment systems; however, if I were to choose one as a standout it would have to be Cathay Pacific’s new Studio CX.


Pre-take off service
Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines
On both flights, Qatar Airways brought a basket of candies for passengers on a 45 minute flight, and water was given to all economy class passengers before take-off. Singapore Airlines scores top marks for being the only airline to offer real hot towels before take-off. Qatar offered warm towelettes a few times during the flight, but again Singapore Airlines raises the bar offering real towels. Cathay Pacific did not offer any towels.

Food
Qatar Airways
All of the airlines offered good food and selection, but I’ll give the nod to Qatar Airways for offering a light meal on a 45 minute flight. I was disappointed that Malaysia Airlines did not offer a light snack on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, and the croissant in business class should not have been hard. Kudos to both Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways for providing warm bread rolls in economy class.


Seats
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is currently configuring their aircraft with new seats, and I was fortunate to try them on my flight to Vancouver. The lumbar support is excellent, and there is extra support that “wraps around” from the lower back. Singapore Airlines had a good seat with extra “padding” on the edge of the seat, which provided support to the back of the thigh.

Airport
Singapore Changi
Hands down, Singapore wins this contest with opportunities to keep passengers busy and entertained. Plus it’s the only airport I know of that offers free 2-hour city tours, and has a dish of candy for passengers at the immigration counters. Singapore does offer free wireless internet, but the drawback is you have to register using a mobile phone number, which maybe most people carry with them, and I am the only luddite that doesn’t have one. Kuala Lumpur comes a close second for airports. I didn’t experience the economy terminal at Doha, so can’t comment, but the premium terminal offers first and business passengers a comfortable place to rest before one’s flight.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats on organizing and experiencing such a fantastic journey, and kudos to you on the well written tale of your adventures.

YB.

Unknown said...

Hi,The foreign company does not establish a presence in Qatar, instead an agent is appointed to market goods and services within
company formation in Qatar.Thanks....