No US airlines are voted in the worlds' top ten.. why is that?

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hailesaladdie

US airlines are facing quite some problems at present.

They have some incredibly powerful unions, which basically enforce seniority (rather than quality) of staff as being selection criteria for long-haul flights. As a result, you often get some truly awful in-flight service.

Secondly, they have enormous pension deficits preventing them from investing in new aircraft. Look at some of the ancient aircraft flying to/from the states - DC10s, MD11s, 767s... The seats fall behind too - premium seats are a big moneyspinner for airlines, and the US ones are a generation behind the rest of the world in this respect.

Thirdly, the US market is spread over quite an area. It's not like the UK, where it is obvious that you are going to be based out of London, or Paris for France, etc, etc, airlines have their hubs all over: New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago... And yet people want direct flights more than they want to change. The result? A more fragmented market requiring smaller aircraft. There is currently a huge gap in the 'small widebody' market. The 767 is too old now. The A330 has proved too popular recently - it's extremely difficult to get hold of one. When the 787 arrives, it will transform this market segment, and US airlines may be able to regain an edge: the A350 had better follow rather rapidly if Airbus want to keep going!

Finally, they have a large amount of guaranteed traffic. Firstly, frequent flyer programmes are rather big business in the US, moreso than elsewhere. People will fly the US airlines for the miles (even in discount economy) and the upgrades (almost guaranteed for the most frequent flyers - this would be anathema to European or Asian airlines). Secondly, US government and some large corporation have some frankly protectionist policies regarding use of US carriers in preference to foreign carriers. So, with all this traffic coming to you in preference... You're not under such pressure to have the best quality service.

Citizen DeCat

I partly put this down to the type of aircraft used.

Most US carriers use 757s, 767s, or DC9s. These are twin engined sardine tins.

What customers want is 747s. Four engines, two decks, enough room to go for a walk and top in-flight entertainment systems.

The likes of Cathay Pacific and Emirates also seem to recruit stewardesses based on sex appeal.

beanie

Coz they are c*rap

dcgirl

It's mostly because the American consumer insists on getting the cheapest ticket possible. The American air carriers have had serious budget problems for decades; between high overhead due to union labor, increasing facilities fees, and fuel costs, airlines are having a hard time just covering their operating expenses. They have had to cut way back everywhere they can. This usually means service and amenities. If the average consumer would accept paying even 5% more per ticket, the airlines could furnish more services and amenities to travellers but low-cost carriers like Southwest have taught Americans that they don't have to pay more. The fare wars started over a decade ago and haven't let up.

This is just like asking why American computer companies insist on shipping their support desk jobs out to India and Guatemala; we don't want to pay enough for a computer that the company can afford to pay US labor to provide the tech support.

If we would stop being so cheap, we might see an improvement in the services we get!

antiekmama

Because our airlines think we are cattle to get from one place to another fast and without too many luxuries.

u_wish1984

well, the last flight I took got in more than 7 hours late due to taking off late, the engine not working, and a thunderstorm. While waiting we were given warm pop and stale cookies, cookies that I overheard a flight attendant say were really outdated.
They also got snappy when you asked questions about what was happening when they told us there were problems with the engine.

We all missed our connection flights, and I had to sleep overnight in the airport and wait until 5:30 pm the next day for another flight. You know what the compensation was? One certificate for a free meal in the airport!

chav69

not hard to work it out,pitty

frasier

It may be that american carriers get scored low beause their immigration officials are so obnoxious. This makes the whole travelling experience a pretty negative one. They are also a bit on the stupid side. I travel to the US quite often and security is extremely tight on departure from London. I flew to chicago and boarded an internal flight there. On entering the plane...the one flight attendant was down the end and didn't even see me board..the flight cabin door was wide open and I was carrying two cigarette lighters which i didn't know were banned until I reached my destination.

They seem to have forgotten that 911 involved INTERNAL flights...hello??....DUHH???

EWE ANCHOR

is it because they is pooh

gbdelta1954

Many reasons. Mostly it is money and cost. Like many before me stated they try to fit you in like a sardine in a can. They cannot put too many flight attendants on the plane because of the costs of keeping higher paid older flight attendants. Too many of the US flight attendants make it a career. You don't see that in Asia. If you are still working in your 30's there. There is something wrong or you are a supervisor. Then having an older flight attendant, they are not really into serving or service.

Which forces the airlines to squeeze every bit of space in the plane to maximize the income. If they took one row out. It might be more comfortable for all.

And then get rid of the idiot passengers who insist on carry-on luggage. If you ever noticed who slows the loading time. It's people who carry on their luggage and cannot lift it into the bin. Oye vey!!! Americans are so much in a hurry they don't think much of others except themselves. I have traveled both US domestically and internationally. And the worse travelers are Americans. Always in a hurry. And people wonder why the flights are late. Hahahahaha it's their own fault.

MarkEverest

The worst flight I have ever endured was an American Airlines flight from LAX to JFK last year. No food or tea and not very comfortable, although the flight attendants very very attentive and pleasant.

Can't knock Qantas, Air New Zealand or BA though, I have flown all over the world with them and they are excellent.

moby

Because their customer services skills are Crap, for example (don't) try Continental

breedgemh_101

9-11

nutwpinut

The top 10 airlines have mostly international routes. Which would you rate better:

A) Sitting in a larger seat 777 or 747 served food, drinks, and possibly watching a movie?

B) Cramped in a US Domestic Flight like cattle?

Rebecca

Because after 9/11 they have no money and are going bankrupt. They are awful to travel with compared to other countries airlines, and most people who fly on domestic flights don't even get served a meal. There aircraft are also out of date

heaven-sin-t

nine eleven.

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