My WORST Flight Experiences - What Happened on These Flights?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.พ. 2023
- What was your worst flight experience? I recently experienced some of the most uncomfortable, expensive, and basic services on my recent flights.
I had an uncomfortable flight on Southwest Airlines to Dallas. Nothing really went wrong. Just one of those days you have no shoulder room with 3 big guys in the same row. It was beyond a tight squeeze. Southwest has a free seating policy which is more speedy but has no guarantee of seat and space. The narrower width on the 737 didn’t help of course, I think A320 may be better in my situation with a wider fuselage.
Next, I flew on Delta B717 to Atlanta. The flight time was 2 hours and there was only a snack available in First Class. This does not compare well with many international airlines which serve a full meal for the same length of the flight. It reflects the current state of airline service. The fares are much higher now but passengers are not getting more out of it.
On my recent United flight from New York to LA, I was served very basic food and the spoon was not even cleaned and checked properly. United has probably one of the worst in-flight catering over the years.
I’ve also had some good experiences recently on Bangkok Airways and Korean Air. All passengers on Bangkok Air can enjoy the airport lounge before the flight and receive a full meal on a 1-hour domestic flight.
Bangkok Air footage: Jakkrit Prasertwit
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Share with us - what are some
of your best or worst flight experiences?
Qatar Q-Suite in January - worst bed ever - painful, couldn't sleep. So where is it you go, Lufthansa Aviation Center in Frankurt to check out the new first class ?!
hey SAM, I am a big fan of u my worst experience was actually on Etihad airways, i'm a vegetarian and they gave me a fish and chicken meal, by the time i got my vegetarian food it was cold
my worst flight is when we was flying to Dublin there was so much turbulence when we was about to land it was so scary
At my front there was a child also in my back and beside me, and they cried at same time, i booked for a window seat to enjoy the view but it all gone i was so annoyed of crying babies mid flight....
One time check indigo airline
Here in the U.S., it appears that the airlines care more for their shareholders than their stakeholders. Service has declined, incredibly.
Same in Canada, prices are rising and quality is declining.
There is something incredibly wrong with US at all 🙁 . Just see the situation in LA, sick society could not take care of homeless people 🙁
The shareholders will learn soon enough. Look after the customers first and then the shareholders will reap the benefits. Short termism and corporisation doesn't work. I will NOT fly on any US major carrier.
No, Americans have just got even fatter. How is that even possible? Stop stuffing your faces with junk food.
Same in Australia
As a dedicated Delta Medallion flyer I can attest to their domestic first class service not being what it once was. I flew through the pandemic, half full planes, a bag with a Biscoff cookie, bottle of water, and hand sanitizer even in First. When they slowly brought back beverages along with their boxed meals, I was optimistic that things would return to normal soon. Pre-pandemic the flight from Albuquerque to Atlanta (and vice-versa) included a hot meal served on linen with metal utensils. Just a few weeks ago, there was no food service on the flight out, just the same old snack tray being passed around with nothing you would want for breakfast on the early morning flight. The return flight, pushing 3 hours, still serving the boxed meals which have grown old and tired by now (not to mention sometimes soggy or stale). I used to pay for first but have since stopped due to the lack of service and price gouging. Even when I get a complimentary upgrade or use my upgrade certificates, I feel cheated. Thanks for bringing this topic to the surface Sam, perhaps it will influence some change back to once we once had.
Agree 100%. Hopefully someone with Delta is paying attention here.
There needs to be more competition in the US airline market. The big airlines know they have us by the balls. Today they are charging more and delivering even less.
While much of this has unfortunately been that way with the airlines for well more than a decade, the COVID excuse for so many different business serving up crap sandwiches (not just talking about food or travel) is so old, tired and frankly bogus. In case no one has noticed:
- No more 24 hour WalMarts (and there were many); they all close at 11with no plans to revert
- Target in South Florida previously closed at midnight, not 10PM, presumably with no plans to revert
- Publix all closed at 11PM, now it's 10PM with no plans to revert
- The 24 hour pharmacies are farther and fewer between
- If you rental car breaks down or you're in an accident after 11PM, good like trying to get a tow before 7 or 8AM. Already happened to me twice with National - and I'm Executive Elite level there
- In many city-pair markets, flight frequency is down 25-50%, and in some cases eliminated
I don't see any sign of these returning the great American status quo of service and options that we once had.
@@Originalman144 I disagree with needing more competitions or airlines. More competition just means race to the bottom with very poor services. In most regions of the world there are only a few airlines competing for passengers and therefore their margins are higher and can provide better services.
@@SteppeNomad585 can you name these regions? In Asia where the best airlines are clumped together - the competing hubs are practically neighbors.
It's nice to see a video of Sam's bad airline experience. I have only seen his business class and premium trips, but knowing he has to suffer like the rest of us is comforting.
😆😆😆
somewhat
Lol 😆 🤣 comforting 😅 naaaaa , he just tells us to make more money and maintain business class lol
We're on same page😂😂
You call this suffering?Just stop flying it isnt good for the enviorment!
One of my worst turned into one of the best, I was on a domestic Qantas flight within Australia, although I had a "window" seat, there was no window next to me and it was a bit tight, plus the person in front of me put their seat back from the beginning, I couldn't even open a book to read, once we were in the air, the passenger in front of me even refused to put their seat up when dinner was about to be served, I asked the staff if there happened to be any spare seats, they returned with good news and escorted me up to Business 😊
I love Qantas, my fave airline. It was worth asking. We’ll done. 🇦🇺
@@AnneMB955 .. the food served on QANTAS is nothing bettter than slop nowadays .. absolutely disgusting
hate Qantas. go Air New Zealand
That was very kind of them. Also, nice to get rid off the kneecap crusher and you can chill in business. With legroom.
I flew from New York to São Paulo with American Airlines back in 2013. It was a Boeing 777 and it was occupied to maybe 50%. It was so silent and calm. A bit strange.
The cabin crew, who almost fought for running down the isles, was so bored and it ended up that they invited me to their area. They served me coffee, snacks, and Cointreau and after a while they told me: “You can take a middle row and lay there, we’ll get you extra pillows and blankets.”
The only negative part was that the aircraft was so damn cold in the cabin. But, it makes you sleep very comfortably.
It was kind of surreal with such a huge aircraft and hardly no passengers. Normally those flights are full.
Sadly I had that happen to me and I wasn't moved but had to eat in the galley
Thank you for putting these American big 3 airlines on the spot! Unlike us have no voice, we appreciate your efforts 😊
Not worst but a quite hilarious experience of KLM. Back in 2017, I flew from Amsterdam to Chengdu in a B787 of KLM. Since I booked a seat beside emergency exit, the screen is foldable. However, the lock of the screen was broken, so the screen could not stay in front of me unless I held it with my hand. You can imagine how boring it is for a 10 hour flight. 1 year later, I flew from Amsterdam to Beijing. Still KLM, still B787 and still a seat beside emergency exit. Guess what, it was the same seat on the same plane, and the screen lock was still broken 🤣
May as well always make sure you have a book ready, or take a nap😉
Finally after years Sam Chui knows what it's like to be an average human flying in coach.
hey, that's a bit rude to say, isn't it?
@@shook9702no it's not rude lol
@@shook9702it's just reality
Southwest is low cost though so you can’t expect much
One time I took a spirit airlines flight this one passenger had a big dog with him this dog was growling through the flight I was mad 😡 like a mofo that I ended sitting next to him with this big as phuck dog 😂
This is the first ever post from Sam Chui that is actually critical of airlines. I appreciate this as the vast majority of his uploads are uncritical and therefore not very useful to passengers. It's fine to be an enthusiast but that enthusiasm needs to be balanced with fair but truthful comments that give useful information sorely needed. So well done and please keep these coming.
and these airlines (especially in the US, but also in Europe) need to be called out.
he did say that it probably isn't SW's fault, tho
Hi Sam! Love your videos! Takes me back to when I was a frequent business traveler. Now I provide the latest travel news for folks planning to visit Las Vegas. Keep up the great work.
Sam, it's a pleasure watching your videos & your perspective of different airlines. Looking forward to your experience on Lufthansa new First Class. 👍
Dude, you had me howling with that United has officially given up bit. Best description I've heard in all my years watching you, good stuff as always
Thank you for the informative video you have shared to us, your viewers Sam! Your untiring effort is commendable! I hope Southwest, Delta and United will soon improve their services.
American sucks as well.
I wouldn't hold my breath 😅
Another great video Sam, love how non biased you are and keeping it real always
Worst: 1995 on the old Aeroflot, Tu154 from Yekaterinburg to Novosibirsk. Woman boarded with a hyperactive spaniel (allowed into the cabin at that time). Dog pooped just as the plane rotated. Flight attendant addressed the issue once the plane was up at cruise but the damage was done. The smell lingered for the whole flight.
Best: 1985 on Pan Am's Flight 1. My wife (to be) and I were both working on a hospital project in Riyadh. When we got our R&R, we flew on a 35 day round the world trip to get married in Hawaii and see the sights from Singapore, Tokyo, a diversion down to Darwin Australia, back to Tokyo and on to Kauai where we were married then to the mainland U.S., London and finally back to Riyadh. I think because we were flying on Flight 1, the flight attendants loved our story of falling in love in Saudi Arabia and going to Hawaii to be married. Long story short on every flight we were showered with champagne from first class and got lots of special attention. We were in economy but the food was always good. I miss the old Pan Am - great onboard staff and service was tops! They made the flying part of the trip totally memorable.
I totally agree with you Sam!. local domestic flights in America are the worst,even in first class
Yip thats what greed do
They’re too busy being woke.
Go woke, go broke.
@@jacobusbotha3738 That is what government tax payer bailouts do. I fixed it for you.
If first class is worse, think about economy class
Don't fly Delta or United , they're both garbage. American Airlines stands head and shoulders above most US carriers.
Great video Sam. Yeah, I noticed the smaller food tray on a recent international flight. The airlines are up to all the tricks, but having you Sam speak up for passengers is well appreciated.
Thanks for going through this for the benefit of our viewership, Sam!
Hey Sam, former (Sabena) flight attendant here and big fan of your VLOGS! Thank you for sharing real life stories of your travels, the good the bad and the ugly :)
Have you noticed the high number of comments here?
I think many can also relate to your experiences and if those US Legacy carriers would watch this VLOG, you as a well known and highly respected AvGeek have more power to advocate in all our names for improvements where needed. Thanks for speaking out!
Thank you for another great video mate. I enjoyed every second. Please keep it coming.
i enjoyed watching and listening to your review with different airline and planes... more power to you Sam
Great video! I’ve definitely had quite a few memorable bad experiences on Southwest. Their boarding process is just so stressful compared to traditional airlines.
Helpful content, Sam. Passengers can manage their expectations on these airlines. Safe skies!
Aloha, Sam! Had similar no-shoulder-room front row experience on Southwest from BWI to TPA in 2018 but at least the fare was inexpensive that year. Looking forward to your presentation on Lufthansa's new First Class. Mahalo for another great video. Robby 🙂
Sam, aside passenger-related issues, I've seen a degrade in quality of the goods and services in service industries in general in the United States. This includes airlines. It's like they're only interested in taking your money and not wanting to deal with people. It does sour the experience, but it's like it has become a societal norm in the U.S.
I agree. It goes for the lounges too. United Club lounge food was pathetic. No real hot food, just frozen egg rolls and dry pathetic sandwiches.
A year ago I heard an air stewardess say that she is a safety officer on board the airplane and her job is to ensure the safety of the passengers. It isn't wrong but that is not the full scope of the job. By saying that, she is effectively throwing away the "service" part of her job.
The excitement of riding an airplane in the States have drastically been reduced and now seems like taking a bus. Amtrak offers much better service. For a short haul flight, you still need to be at the airport early enough to go through security and drop off luggage. In essence, it is preferable to just take Amtrak or a first class bus and still make the same time to get to your destination in relative comfort vs a plane ride .
@@renealcid6708 uhm, no. Most people don’t have time to take some nasty old train. Trains are antiquated technology, we should not be using something like that to transport people still to this day. Time is more valuable than that. I’m not getting on a 20 hour train ride when I can fly there in a few hours. Nobody has time for that anymore.
@@renealcid6708 it’s still more exciting than Amtrak, a glorified government bus service creaking along at a walking pace down freight rail lines.
Hey Sam, thanks for sharing your travels even if it's something not so great hey everyone can learn and do better!
Thanks for your feedback. i agree we can all learn and hopefully do better!
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Love your videos Sam…your passion for flying and frequency let’s me vicariously travel the world via economy or the crème de la crème…I’ve flown Emirates economy from Newark to Dubai…outstanding service and then business and first class in Korean and Singapore in another trip and didn’t want to leave the plane it was such an amazing experience! Bon voyage!
wow! 1st class lufthansa looks really promising. Hope to see your test review asap!
A flight attendant once thought she was doing me a favor by moving me to an exit row because I was so nice to give up my seat so a mom can sit with her daughter. The only issue was that it was a middle seat between two very large gentleman.
Don't simp for a woman who isn't even your partner. I would have said no.
As the saying goes: No good deed goes unpunished!
I've been on delayed flights where we were baking on the tarmac but no drinks were offered. I've seen an entire section skipped over (my section included) during a beverage service. I've had flight attendants snap at me for taking pictures outside the plane in preparation for takeoff.
@@damienyuen7718 my guy.. being courteous to a family so they can sit together isn't "simping"
Let's not just think it's an issue with 'very large gentlemen', some of my most uncomfortable middle row experiences have been sandiwiched between 'plus' sized ladies. We were all uncomfortable.
Love watching your videos Sam
Very entertaining
Another great video
Cheers 😊
To be fair to Delta, I can relate and experience flying from New York to Seattle, I was in the aisle, where the trays turn. I was bumped by the trolley a few times that night my legs were really sore. I had to fly back to Ireland Ireland in a weeks time, so I found Delta while I was in Seattle and politely complained if they could put me on a seat with plenty of room because I don’t want to experience any more discomfort. They thanked me for being so polite and they hung up. I flew back from Seattle to New York to join my flight to Ireland. When I walked on board, I was directed to the business class section. I mentioned to the hostess that I am only traveling coach. She said “ you were upgraded to business class by the company as a special offer,” so I sat in business class all the way to Ireland; I thought that was nice of Delta.
How many years ago was that? I'd be surprised if this happened within the last 10 years. Things have gone downhill, consistently.
Thanks Sam, big fan of yours!
Sam was the ultimate secret shopper for all of us here in the US. Thank you for calling attention to what our carriers need to improve on. Every time I fly I want a quality experience along with the good flight. I’m pretty loyal to Delta because I’m near one the hubs and I’m in their rewards program. But I too wish to see more for the customer. I imagine pandemic was tough for carriers but adding quality food back on top tier tickets is just good for business. I basically stopped paying for first class because some of the perks are no longer there and I never know what I’m going to get anymore. It makes me wonder about my dedication to the loyalty credit card that I use to stack up points. The service in flight impacts all the way back to what method I use for business expenses elsewhere. Why use a card that gives me delta points if I’m wondering if I’m going actually benefit by purchasing upgraded tickets? Thanks Sam.
He ain’t no secret shopper- all airlines appear to know him well as treat him as opinion leader
Pandemic was tough for carriers? they got billions of dollars in our taxes only to say screw you. They should have gone out of business just like the banks should have back in 2008. Don't be a puppet making excuses for the wealthy assholes.
@@ManlyHK1 I was worried that my wording might get misunderstood. I wasn’t meaning that he was a secret shopper in the literal sense. I mean he has a vlog for crying out loud with an international following where hundreds of thousands of us watch every week. I meant that his feedback was on the level of a secret shopper and should be helpful for our airlines to consider.
He is no longer the secret shopper since now he is a well known blogger who made money from his contents. Why would you purposely choose 1A or 1F on Southwest knowing these are the least desirable seats even in First Class? Or he is doing that just to prove a point?
😂your story on Southwest was too funny. Sorry to laugh bcuz I know how uncomfortable it must have been but to hear how you had to take turns leaning forward jus made me giggle.
Thank you for doing this content. The airlines here in the US is the reason why there’s a lot of hostility.
All they care about is money. Squeeze-in more people, less legroom, barely any refreshments, fees on almost everything, and very expensive.
Then they’re wondering why flight attendants are stressed, and passengers become unruly. They seem to blame things in American culture and politics but no. We are humans! There’s nothing more stressful for passengers than flying. And accommodations are barely humane.
Hi Sam. Love your videos.
I'm a big guy, 6'1" 265 lbs, size 54 jacket so my upper body is relatively quite broad.
I'm not a fan of Southwest because of the seating situation, but do have to fly them on occassion - perhaps once or twice a year.
You should already know this, but if you're looking for comfort and to not be jammed into a tight space, your first choice should always be the aisle.....ALWAYS. Only competition for space is on the middle seat side. Furthermore, my 2nd choice of seating on Southwest, if I have to board late and no decent aisle seats are available, is a middle seat between two of the smallest people that I can find who are already seated.
Even on other carriers where I've had to choose a window seat because the aisles were taken, I have often switched with person seated in the middle seat for one simple reason. The shape of the and curvature of the inside panels of the fuselage on most aircraft (except the E170/175/190) cuts heavily into already limited upper shoulder space.
Now to share a story similar to your LGB-DAL flight, I was flying American from DFW-SAN about 6 years ago and the best Main Cabin Extra seat I could get on this 737-800 was the F window in the forward of two exit rows (i.e. no recline). I took it reluctantly knowing that it would be a full flight and that even notwithstanding the major Exit Row legroom, I could easily get jammed in like you did...which is exactly what happened. At the last - and I mean last - minute of boarding, a 6'5" 375 lb beast (nice guy tho) got on board and took that middle seat. Unlike in your case, where you were able to switch shoulder space back and forth with your huge seatmate, I had to spend the ENTIRE 3+ hours turned and twisted sideways to be able to survive in that seat.
As I mentioned, I detest window seat because of the interior wall curvature, the ability of which to cause discomfort should not be underestimated. Window seats are good for people who are 5'6" and 130 lbs.
Guten Morgen Sam☀️,
as a german, I am so excited to see a picture like shown in 9:30. Lufthansa is a very traditional and also historical airline - an icon. BUT due to savings and a lack of vision, they lost their ways in the last 20 years. People once were proud to have a Lufthansaticket. By introducing those new upgraded products I hope they can bring back the exitement and fascination Lufthansa once had. It somewhat reminds me of „LaPremiere“ of AirFrance - Not a bad example to follow… keep us updated. Thanks for the good news.
So brave for sharing this ❤
Thank you Sam , spot on !!
American Airlines as you mentioned are not taking customer experience seriously and only focusing on moving a person from A to B. It was my first time in delta business class . I was having a hard time opening up the tray table. Instead of helping me flight attendant doesn’t care and a fellow passenger helped me. I was furious
A year ago I heard an air stewardess say that she is a safety officer on board the airplane and her job is to ensure the safety of the passengers. It isn't wrong but that is not the full scope of the job. By saying that, she is effectively throwing away the "service" part of her job.
Domestic US carriers are pretty trash now and getting worse especially the big 3 of United , Delta , American.
Thank you again for another enjoyable yet informative video. Being a worldwide traveler myself, I can not agree with more that over the years, sadly, the US carriers are become the worst among all of the airliners.
The US airlines are about greed and stock buybacks to inflate CEO pay. This is after the US taxpayers bailed them out. Who suffers? Customers, employees, and taxpayers. I would love to see all of those CEOs behind bars.
unfortunately yes...
Hate to admit it, but yeah 😢 they’re really falling behind
yeah if you do some research airline service in the 30s and 40s was spectacular, no cramped seats, 5 star meals, etc. Wish it was still like that.
I appreciate that seeing those Pratt & Whitney engines was cool, but it doesn't make up for the poor service & cleaning standatds! Great review Sam.
Hi Sam! I always loved your videos. The Hawaiian 717s that operate between islands are 40-90 minutes ad they give you juice in economy. Best U.S. airline.
Thanks for this video Sam,, we need more of this videos,, the airlines in USA today they’re abusing with this services
Thank you Sam for your tangible evaluation of so many airlines. 👍
Totally agree with you Sam, I flew SQ, LH and CX after Covid, all several times and the ground as well as the in-flight experience is worse than pre Covid all for an upcharge of about 30 to 80% in Business class.
Thank you for sharing
Hi Sam. Thx for sharing your experiences.
My best flight experiences were the flights with Thai Airways, Bangkok Air,Air Asia, Philip. Air, Garuda, Qantas, SIA and last year Busines Class upper deck on 747/8 with LH from Frankfurt to JFK.
Bad experiences with KLM, BA in the 90ies and LH from Orlando to Frankfurt last year.
Thank you, Sam, for calling out poor service and praising those airlines who take better care of their customers.
Thanks Sammy for your videos over the years and this video is a great video thanks for sharing your experience with this U.S Airline which I believe some U.S Airline are worse than other . They don't care about comfortable of the passengers as we all know they just want every one who want their flight service , just pay , get on board the flight , they delivered their flight service to the destination and thats it , flight service done who cares about the passengers comfortable and food etc unless if something happened in flight related to safety will be different story anyway I feel sorry for your experience cramped in
Totally agree airlines has decrees quality service, my works flight on Avianca Airlines this beginning of year January 1
flow from Medellin Colombia to Miami on a emergency situation they did not serve no even water, i was so disappoint that i wanted to cry, you totally right Turkish Airline serve a good meal on a 40 minutes fly from Istanbul to Cappadocia
love that airline. keep it up. Sam.. thanks for sharing.
🙂
At 1:30, Sam's expression of discourage is priceless 😆
I was on a CRJ flight on United February 2020. The flight had been delayed 6 hours and then the luggage compartment door popped open slightly during takeoff. If we had gotten to cruising altitude we wouldn’t have been able to pressurize. Also was boarding a flight at Dulles one time. It was one of those planes where you go outside to board. The gate agents sent us out and the plane wasn’t ready. The people started yelling at us and then made us stand next to the plane. It was 20 degrees and we had come from Florida so we didn’t have our coats.
Hi Sam, first time watching your video, and I were surprised to see so many bad airline experiences... And I was whining to my husband that my recent flight from Singapore to Penang, Malaysia was re-timed both ways for 40mins each flight... but it was a budget airline, nothing to complain about if to compare to the price you paid for those airlines...
Love flying Southwest.....Early check in is great....
Flown Bangkok Airways a few times, what a fantastic little airline, flew from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, just over an hour flight and got a meal and no plastic cutlery either, great airline.
My memorable flight was JKT - HND with Transit in Kuala Lumpur with Airasia back in 2015
So on the flight to Malaysia, i met with Tony Hernandez (CEO of Air Asia). He walk down the cabin aisle, greet and took photo with everyone on that flight
Apparently they were celebrating the "passenger number 2 millionth" in Jakarta, and all the staff (or most of if) involved on that event was on my flight
Welcome to the Club my friend!!!😁😁😁
1. WardAir DC 10: Rear engine exploded 1.5h West of Heathrow. Miraculously no damage to other systems, landed back safely
2. WestJet 737-200: Dropped about 5 to10,000 feet in a wind sheer pocket going to Las Vegas. Everyone screamed, Oxy masks popped.
3. Pegasus A321: Landing in Istanbul strong wind turbulence, expected to crash but instead landed HARD. Other airlines didn't even bother to risk landing.
I was pleasantly surprised when I flew to New York last September by TAP air, pleasant crew, comfortable seating (business) decent prices and all in all a great flight. Food was not fantastic but I’ve had worse. 😊
I liked them, just found the crew a little slow compared to Swiss or Lufthansa
I don't fly much, but many years ago, I took a flight from Montreal to NYC. It was winter. Snowing. I remember we were airborne and there was a great deal of turbulence. Even some of the passengers who looked like businessmen who flew a lot, started looking nervously around. I was a young kid, around 19, travelling alone. I'll never forget at one point one of the men who must've had a daughter around my age, asked if I wanted to sit next to him, which I did.
The really scary part though was when the pilot made an announcement that due to the storm over New York as well, our flight was being diverted to Philadelphia - I think it was. Not sure any more. Then sometime (20 minutes?) later, the pilot gets on again to say change of plans - we are going to New York. THEN a short while later he gets on again to say no, he was being told to land in Washington D.C., he added as an afterthought "I've been flying for (20??) years, and I've yet to see a gas station up here." I don't remember the specific destination orders, or exactly how many changes in destination there were. I remember at least 3 - from NY to some other nearby city, then NY again, then Washington - there could've been one more change in midair - but I distinctly remember at least 3.
After we landed at the Washington DC airport, I learned from someone (a passenger? crew person? - don't remember) that the flight was not cancelled in Montreal, in spite of the weather - because there was no de-icing on the wings and there was concern that ice would form on the wings if the plane stayed in Montreal - something having to do with a fear of ice on the wings.
Also someone (?) said that the plane was diverted from the planned Philadelphia (?) landing because there was no customs at that airport and we were coming from Canada, so the plane had to go through customs. Very scary. I'll never forget that kind man though, who saw me alone and scared and asked if I wanted to sit next to him. Really touched my heart.
Awesome videos Sam! My worst experience has to be with an airline that is no longer in business which flew out of Niagara Falls New York to West Palm Beach. I knew it was a bad sign when the 737 that pulled up to the gate had no name on it. Was just a plain white with nothing else. The airplane had blown a tire on takeoff and the captain had made us aware of it on our descent into west palm. We had to do a low altitude fly by the airport so that they could visually inspect the blow tire and determine if we were safe to land. I was likely the only one on board that understood the gravity of the situation. Anyway it was all good and we made a turn after the fly by back to the airport and landed safely. All emergency vehicles were out on the tarmac waiting for us with lights flashing. Was a pretty tense situation that went well. After that I never would fly on a budget airline again.
Oh Sam- if I may share with your Southwest Airline seat selection process.
1. If you have A1- you go straight to the exit row. Never the 1st row for the obvious reason you stated. Also row 1 you don’t have storage space in the seat in front of you. So don’t.
2. Row 1-7 because it’s pitched in, even the storage above is not as deep. So carry on won’t fit right unless you put them in the sideways.
3. Always choose aisle. Unless you want to lean against the window to sleep. When choosing window, choose the window where your shoulder is not where you want to look out. You need the concaveness of the window to rest your shoulder, not for viewing. Otherwise your shoulder will be butted against the wall, no room.
4. Depending which direction you’re flying, you want to choose the side to avoid eastern, western and southern sun exposure.
5. When they tell you it’s a full flight, and you hear the flight attendant announce only middle seats are left. Don’t be shy to offer the middle seat to anyone who is slim or slender to avoid another broad shoulder guy choosing the middle seat next to you. If you seated on the aisle.
5. Aisle seat handle has a small lever or button that allows you to pull the handle up. When seating there always raise it before and after take off so you can step out sideways.
Sam, Regarding the problem of space between the seats, last year there was the case of a Brazilian woman suffering from morbid obesity who was prevented from boarding a Qatar economy class flight from Doha to São Paulo. This story had a stir in Brazil and ignited the discussion about tight seats on planes.
If I remember right, she filed a lawsuit against Qatar and won,
My worst was last year from DTW to AMM on Royal Jordanian. It was an 11 hour full flight with 3 cabin crew for first and business class. Economy which is where we were sitting had no cabin crew assigned and it was full of kids that kept screaming. We had a headache, the meal was decent but really small portions and for an 11 hour flight that was so little. The screens were freezing a lot, there was barely any legroom. When we arrived we were told we have to go to gate 29 for our connection, when we went there, the gate was under maintenance and there was no plane. We asked the crew there and they told us we have to go to gate 11. We had 24 minutes to walk across the airport. We had 7 minutes left till boarding stops because all escalators, tracks, elevators were inoperative. When we arrived at the gate, it was an Embraer E175 from AMM to BEY, the flight was smooth and we were given better food than the 11 hour flight on an hour flight. We touched down in Beirut, not smooth, not hard. We taxied to the gate and we were greeted by the pilot.
Mr Sam Chui this is a well documented video and enjoyed watching it.And I agree with you 100% regarding the food services on various airlines....international flights seems to offer better treatment.im a NYC resident and we flew from JFK to Doha with Qatar Airways non stop and they offered meals throughout my trip to Doha.it wasn't even a first class trip.My 8 year old son and I felt like Royal guests rather than passengers.And even better our flight to Nairobi was delayed so Quatar offered my son and I a one night stay at a 5 star hotel free all inclusive.Anything extra we would be subject to pay of course.
I’ve done a fair amount of travelling in the past. I don’t have a taste for travelling anymore for all the reasons you described in this video. Travelling has become a tedious experience for me. I now prefer road trips and I have as much fun.
Exactly THIS
I am not really a frequent flyer but what I have noticed during all the flights I have taken so far is that middles eastern airlines are now taking the lead in terms of service and hospitality and of course in other areas as well.
No, the best are always Eastern and southeastern Asian. Middle eastern is just slightly behind those Asian airlines. However, in order to get the best experience you need to speak the language, for example, speak Korean when flying Korean air, speaking Japanese when flying japan airlines.
Turkish Airlines❤️
Sam, you had me laughing for the whole video, i feel the pain , i flew on some 737s recently and i was squished like a sardine in a can. I feel your hurt when for LESS THAN 2 HR FLIGHT YOU GET NOTHING TO EAT. I flew Air Canada from Halifax Canada to Toronto canada and i got full meal service in business class for $360 one way, used points and upgrade bid auction. Its getting crazy now, cant even get toilet water these days for less than 2 hr flights
Sam, I recently came from Singapore to Bogota (Colombia). First leg of the flight was SIN-CDG with AirFrance. The last leg of the flight was in KLM (AMS-BOG). Food in KLM was amazing, much much superior compared to AF. Even the flight attendants were much nicer and gave a better service (not saying that AF service was bad but that KLM was way better).
10 yrs before SW is my favourite airline and I travel almost every week from BWI to DTW. Sad to hear they are going south.
I see what you did there.
My worst flight experience was when I was flying from Minneapolis back to London with Northwest on an aging DC-10. The IFE caught fire and we had to do an emergency landing at Duluth. Believe it or not, this was not the worst part of the experience, what was was the complete and utter incompetence from NWA and getting the situation sorted and being given $100 in compensation flight vouchers.
Bangkok Airways (pre-covid) was excellent. I haven't flown with them since the lockdowns, but the service and free use of their lounges with free food, etc, was always a bonus. And as you rightly pointed out, you get a complimentary in-flight meal even if your journey is only for 1-hour.
I love your TH-cam! ONE DAY I hope to fly Air France "FIRST class or Business to Tahiti " in a fully recline seat". My dream trip.
We had last minute booked a Frontier flight recently on an A321. My wife and daughter sat somewhere in the middle of the plane but since I had not selected a seat they put me in row 41, the last row of the plane. The fuselage curves in quite substantially there and there's no window. Right by the galley and bathrooms. I was in what would have been the window seat and had 2 larger guys next to me. I'm not a small person. I was smashed in between the middle guy and the inward curving side of the wall. That was pretty uncomfy for the 2 hour flight but oh well. The long 321 does a lot of flexing and wagging that far back and with no visual reference of the outside its the only time I felt nauseous on a flight.
I don’t know if it was my worst experience, but it certainly was one of the oddest. Many years ago I was flying from LAX to San Diego and the best flight was a TWA obviously repositioning flight because it was a L1011. That’s a huge plane and it was virtually empty. So I took my seat in the window And another passenger proceeded to take the seat right next to mine when there were literally hundreds of seats open throughout the plane. Eventually he did move, but that was so odd.
Here you go Sam feeling our pains 😂
You hit the nail on the head with regards to United...it seems like they've given up. I've been 1K with them for years and the first class food quality has been on a steady decline (domestic and international) including the quality inside of the Polaris lounges. Conversely, my wife and I just flew business class on a few Turkish Airlines flights and wow what a complete and opposite experience! I know that United has had some OPEX challenges the past 2 years and it's obvious they've made it a conscious decision to scale back on the passenger experience...
my best flight experience was Abu Dhabi to Washington, DC on Etihad 1st class pre-covid on the B787-900. Curb to check-in experience as well as (pre-clear) immigration and airport security is exclusive only to Diamond class. During the flight, the crew are amazing and continuous services occurred with a chef understanding what culinary experience you want to have during this flight.
Thanks Sam, for a very professional and objective review of these airlines despite their serving up sub-standard products against hefty prices they charge for the flights. Flying mostly within Asia, this video makes me ever so grateful for what we have here in this part of the world in terms of ticket pricing vis-a-vis onboard products. To be honest, I am very fortunate in all these years of flying not to have encountered (as yet!) the flight from hell. However, I think our worst flight experiences always happen when what we get falls so far from our expectations, especially when the airline is one of commercial repute. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys, they say. But I have always enjoyed those flights for which I paid peanuts because I literally had no expectations of these budget airlines. Which means that it takes very little for me to be impressed when they deliver (which is 80% of the time). On the other hand, when flying full service, premium airlines, I always feel that I am setting myself up for disappointment because of high expectations and as you said, post-pandemic, there has been a lot of compromises to the quality of onboard services while ticket prices have rocketed. At least safety is still the number priority for all (I hope!)
Well, I am off to Narita on my national airline this weekend and I don't want to raise my hopes; just get me there on time and maybe a smile or two from the crew will be nice. If they don't mess up the meal service and remember my request for tomato juice, that will be a bonus LOL .
Looking forward to your review of LH's new product. Happy and safe flying everyone.
What are your favourite airlines in Asia?
@@paolomilsson7375 SQ. MH, TG
My best flight was by Emirates Dusseldorf to Christchurch in 2006 first class (love your video's )
I can't wait to see your Air Serbia review. Any plans about it?
Hi Sam,
You did a review of Ethiopian Airlines flight experience & enjoyed it to a surprising level, you wondered how an African Airline could have such an amazing service!
You know what, after such amazing track record performance at Ethiopian Airline, Delta has hired the former CEO of ET to be the Senior Advisor. You will see how Delta be excellently impacted.
I hope so. International carriers seem to offer more on their flights when compare the U.S. domestic service.
Thanks for sharing. It is ridiculous that Delta, my once favorite domestic airline, left their most premium customers hungry. Many airlines, especially in Asia, serve hot meals even in economy.
US domestic isn't worth paying extra for unless it's a free upgrade.
Loved the video...just so you know....4:46 animation could be seen on your t-shirt print......Might be because of the bright white print.
Hey Sam, in most intermit encounters that xtra inch sure seals the deal 😂😂🤣🤣😅
You reminded me : I was taking Malaysia Airlines back in the late 90’s from Kuala Lumpur to London . I was seated in Business Class upper deck, Boeing 747-400 series with compartment at the side on the floor. All the way to London for 14 hours, I had this guy sited at the back of me with cast on his legs.
He decided to placed it along on the compartment near the window which his feet ended at my window. His feet was extremely smelly, when I told him, he said there is nothing he can do as he can’t bend and clean his feet with the cast. He have not cleaned it for months since having the cast on after the accident…. 14 hours of agony as the flight was full 😮. Even my meals tasted awful due to the smell… 😢.
I agree - the US flights are not as luxurious as other countries'. I used to fly all the time either Delta or United to China. During the 20-hour ish flight, there will be around 3 meals but they are all OK. The hardest part is at night (like 8 hours) no one will offer you water or food. I used to bring all the stuff on the plane to help myself...Until I fly Cathay Pacific... They offer great meals and, even Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream! At night there is a snack/fruit bar with unlimited snacks and water/juices and you can get yourself. They also have cup noodles if you want, you can have the flight attendance put in hot water and make the noodles for you. I have never flew other than Cathay Pacific to China since then. The service is non-comparable.
sorry for laughing sam, but that face expression in the photo when u r squeezed is hilarious
I believe u sam, when i flew back to maui visit my family, flying thru delta and united the food arent that good but prior to that me and my wife flew to phillippines flying singapore airlines, the food and the services is awsome.
Personally I find Singapore Airlines always pretty good even post pandemic but certainly pre pandemic it was not surprising that they are top rated. I have flown Korean Air a long time ago and have been very impressed by their service
I have flown China Southern, and they were 3 times better than my recent experience with Singapore Airlines.
Every traveler has horror stories. Most are weather-related, but an increasing percentage of them are the result of airlines cheaping out and/or treating their customers like cattle. Like most, I'd just sucked it up and went along with surcharges for carry-ons and pretzels for meals. Then I flew EVA (Seattle -> Inchon -> Manila) and was reminded what great service feels like. The food was amazing. Seating wasn't overly cramped. Staff were cordial and attentive. As a bonus, it was a brand-new plane - still clean with that new-plane smell. I will never fly an American airline overseas again.
EVA is a Taiwan airline, it must went to Taipei instead of inchon.
Royal Jordanian provides an Aloha Snackbox! That's actually very appealing
Agree with you Sam. I don’t mind paying more but give me the standards like before or what we expect.
Agree with you. Airlines are now gouging to recover their losses during COVID.
I've been traveling to Thailand for the past 10 years, and in years past the largest aircraft was the one that took me from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, a one hour trip. It used to be a 747. Because flying business class is so cheap in Thailand, that was my standard booking and the business class product on Thai Airways 747 was an individual apartment, with four windows, a large TV screen, and walls that virtually surrounded you. Unfortunately the trip is only one hour, but I would gladly have entertained an hour or two of circling before landing. And you were invariably served a nice meal in that one hour.
But my all-time best flight experience was on Singapore airlines. I had to travel on my birthday for business from SFO to Singapore. I don't sleep well on airplanes so I was the only passenger wake up for a very large meal served shortly after midnight. The flight attendant noticed I was awake and asked if everything was OK. I responded, half tongue-in-cheek, that no, everything was not OK because here it was my birthday and I had to leave hearth and home on a business trip, and moreover it would be the shortest birthday of
my life because in seven hours we would be crossing the international date line.
About 15 minutes later, the flight attendant returned with a piece of cake and two glasses of champagne and sat next to me and chatted for about an hour in celebration of my birthday. What US based airline can match that level of service?
Hi Sam. My worst flight was 20 years ago on Onur Air flying from Antalya, Turkey to Brussels, Belgium. 5 minutes after take off we've experienced some horouble turbulence with huge drops. The earth was getting bigger. There was a lot of panic onboard. I was seated in the last row of the plane. It was a 3-4-3 set-up. In the middle row there was a situation when the overhead compartment came loose from the ceiling... Soon after a crew member came running down, asking the passengers seated below to get up. He went standing on their seat, pulled out a screwdriver an started screwing the overhead compartment back in it's right position... I still can't believe this happened without returning back to the airport.
Shortly after this situation, Onur Air was banned from most of European countries airspace. As for me, I didn't get on a plane for many years after.
Glad that worked out. 🙂
My worst experience was last October 2022 on flight from Cebu to Caticlan, there was typhoon approaching Philippines that week and I didn’t think much of it because flight was so posed to be only 1 hour and let me tell you the plane was shaking like a leaf and was dropping like we were going down and many people including my self was saying good bye that time, many people were screaming, praying 🙏 it was nightmare
My best experience was on return flight to cebu 2 weeks later I got the whole isle to my self 😊
Would be interesting to land at Caticlan during a typhoon. I been up in small airplanes during storm and found it fascinating.
Honestly I don’t have one because I don’t really fly any airlines(I flew FlyNas) but I’m sure someday these airlines will improve themselves and the company itself
Are u Arab? I flew too. I flew Jeddah to Dubai and Jeddah to İstanbul. I am Turkish by the Way
I am
@@Ulas_Ovic nice to hear I flew from Dammam to Jeddah