Why such big difference up in the sky?

[Ian_Lee]

Generally speaking, most East and Southeast Asians with the notable exception of the Japanese, are rather less than polite when compared with Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Australians.

However, when you are up in the sky (I mean inside the flight cabins), things seems to make a 180-degree turn.

No matter which Asian Airline you are flying -- Malaysian Airway, Singapore Airline, Cathay Pacific, JAL, KAL, China Airline or even Air China -- those flight attendants seem to smile most of the time no matter how many unreasonable demands you have made.

On the other hand, all those nice girls who are generally friendly that you come across on the streets of Sydney, London, San Francisco,.....etc seem to suddenly change face and give you a cold shoulder when you are on the flights of UAL, KLM, Qantas,.........Virgin (IMHO they provide the worst service).

Why is there such great contrast?

[xuechengfeng]

Be careful, you may be barking at them to fetch you a drink, and they are merely smiling while spitting in it.

[ala]

Simple, you pay for your service.

[SassybutSweet]

I agree!!! They may be taught no matter how much the person bugs you, you have to smile, its your job!! But when preparing a drink and no one is around they may want to express their anger!! I would rather someone annoy me by ignoring me, then to have someone smile at me and surprise me with a little extra something in my drink!! At lease if they ignore you you'll know that your not consuming some unsavory thing someone else discarded!! I know its a headache but thats life!!!

[Ian_Lee]

But mileage wise, it is much cheaper for me to fly to Asia than to other parts of US.

In fact, US-based airlines generally do not give discount to kids who travel on domestic routes as international routes do.

So actually it is cheaper for me to fly to Asia if my whole family travels.

And worst of all, they say that six major US-based carriers are on the brink of bankruptcy.

[Ian_Lee]

Ala & sassybutsweet:

You guys' imagination run too wild.

Service wise, most non-Asian carriers are substandard. Just go check the toilet by the end of a long haul flight. Almost every non-Asian carrier has a filthy toilet which condition is comparable to the squat toilet in rural Henan.

My guess is that most American, Aussie, Canadian and European girls actually regard flight attendance as a disgusting job and never try their best to perform.

[keith]

My guess is that most American, Aussie, Canadian and European girls actually regard flight attendance as a disgusting job and never try their best to perform.

Do Oriental girls regard a job as flight attendant/cabin crew as a prestigious job then?

I just want to know the general opinion.

PS: I agree Qantas crew service is awful - I've flown it more than 20 times over the last 10 years and they are always poor.

I think CX and maybe Thai Airways rank among the best in terms of service - so my Japanese friends say.

[holyman]

oh, i think they really do funny things if u're overbearing, according to my cousin and an ex-girlfriend who are both flight attendants...

i think malaysian airlines is pretty bad, keeps forgetting to bring what u want(i think taking 3 drinks in a 7hrs flight is nothing really, but i have to remind them a dozen times). i think cathay, singapore airlines and all nippon airways is pretty good.

[laurent]

I travel extensively around the world and I have a preference for some airlines and avoid others. Service on board all depends on what the customers expect. If the customers expect little, like in North America where taking a flight is like taking the bus, service will be poor, toilets dirty and generally it is just a means of transport. But if customers expect a lot and demand a lot the airline will provide a better service. In Canada most people want cheap fare and little service, so you have discount airlines like Westjet who amuse customers by trowing rolls of toilet paper down the aisle, it's an on board game. So this also explains why cabin crew are surly, many have over 30 years of service and are near retirement.

In Asia I noticed that flights like Cathay Pacific are clean, efficient and nice, why because customers want it that way. But if tomorrow customers decided otherwise I am sure the standards would slip. It is all about attitudes and demand.

[Guest Yau]

the most obvious difference to me is the age.

I got a business class ticket to USA a few years ago. It was my first time to ride on this flight on United Airlines.

Clean toliet, good food, ample variety of snacks, comfortable seat-bed. Everything was nice. Then a flight lady, obviously a targeted customer of Botox, came to me and smiled. "Mr Yau..." she asked "...what would you like to drink?"

Anyway, the grandma-style service is professional and warm, though a bit strange to me.

[holyman]

oh man, grandma style...

[Guest Yau]

Haha.

It seems to me that elder women can be seen in most US work places, no matter it's in business trade show or on the flight, thanks to the anti-age discrimination ordinace and the power of union.

Is it also common in europe?

[Bamboo Grove]

Generally speaking, most East and Southeast Asians with the notable exception of the Japanese, are rather less than polite when compared with Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Australians.

(underlining in the quotation is mine)

Ian_Lee, you should try the services in most hotels or bigger restaurants in Thailand, can't call these people impolite.

[holyman]

thais are generally polite becos of their buddhism background. i had the chance of living with 2 thais during my uni days and they are very polite people(plus their countrymen in uni), they speak softly and had good manners.

[keith]

I thought Chinese people had Buddhist/Confucian background too. How come many of them are so noisy and rude?

[pazu]

Generally speaking, most East and Southeast Asians with the notable exception of the Japanese, are rather less than polite when compared with Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Australians.

No no, can't really agree. Haha. It's true that if you say Chinese and Hanoian are rude, but Thai are very friendly, much friendlier than many Europeans. haha.

[yonglan]

No matter which Asian Airline you are flying -- Malaysian Airway, Singapore Airline, Cathay Pacific, JAL, KAL, China Airline or even Air China -- those flight attendants seem to smile most of the time no matter how many unreasonable demands you have made.

Servility and obsequiousness are not politeness and comity

Anyway, I have noticed -- and I know that this will be controversial -- that they don't accept anything less than politeness from non-asians.

As for why the Western flight attendants are that way, part of it may be contrast, part of it may be they don't like they're job. Far from being raised to be in any way yielding, Western women IMnotsoHO are raised to be overly-aggresive.