Al on the Continent
The European Flying Experience Isn't Always What You Think
If you read typical travel articles, scan airline rankings or talk to your vacationing friends, it wouldn't surprise me if you thought that European air travel is a flawless paragon of civility in deep contrast with the mass-transit affair that is US domestic travel.
And, you might not be 100% wrong. But, you are also certainly not 100% right.
I've been fortunate enough to do my fair share of transatlantic and intra-European travel over the years, including my latest trip this past week.1 While there are some definite improvements over what we experience in the US, there's also moments that leave something to be desired. Now that we’re back on American soil from our most recent trip, let's do one of our favorite things: tearing down AND reinforcing stereotypes.
European Airlines are Just Better than US Carriers: False
If US airline staff are inconsistent at best and disinterested at worst, then European airline crews must be buttoned-up and the epitome of service, right? Well, I’ll give you the buttoned-up thing, but I’ve seen European airline crews disappear in a galley just as easily as a flight attendant on an American or Delta flight.2 A lot of regular travelers conflate “International” and European and assume their KLM crew will be as engaged and attentive as their Asiana crew. However, European work rules, years of labor strife, and competitive challenges mean that your top-tier flag carriers don’t have the mojo they used to. Let’s also not forget the fairly regular labor stoppages, including a fun one just this past week!3
In addition, the relentless pressure from Low-Cost Carriers across the Continent means that your typical Intra-European flight is a pretty bare-bones experience, especially in economy. Most folks expect to pay for everything onboard when they fly Easyjet or Ryanair, but you’re not getting much for free on BA or Air France in the back. Hope you grabbed something at Pret when you were in the airport.
European Airports are Better: True AND False
It’s often very easy to take a train straight to the airport from most major European cities. That fact alone is a major plus. However, as transit airports, some of my worst nightmares have happened in places like Frankfurt, de Gaulle, and Amsterdam. To be fair, some of the logistical challenges are due to the flights coming and going from many different countries, all with their different travel zones. However, I also believe that some European airport design engineers have never actually changed planes in their lives. It may be close to a mile from A4 to D32 in Atlanta, but you’re much less likely to make a wrong turn and suddenly end up outside at the taxi stand.4
The other place it’s easy to get lost is the duty-free zone that one must navigate immediately post-security at almost every European airport. Once you’ve finally re-gathered your belongings, it’s time to meander through the alcohol and the cosmetics and the watches and the candy as you better believe there’s no way they’re going to let you go straight to the gate or lounge. You gotta respect the intensity of it all.
Finally, speaking of lounges, the Europeans do love them. There’s usually a regular airline lounge, an elite lounge, and three or four other independent lounges in every terminal. They can be as crowded as anything stateside, but they almost always feature a self-service bar.5 Point, Europe.
European Travelers Dress Better: True
More suits. Less sweatpants. No further comment necessary.
European Premium Travel is Better: Sometimes
I love that on intra-European flights in business class, I always have an empty seat next to me. I hate that my knees are usually somewhere in the mid-section of the person in front. It really is just economy with no one next to you and a free meal. But, you’re in the air for a couple of hours on most intra-European flights, so I get it.
When it comes to longhaul premium, it’s more of a mixed bag. That experience is greatly driven by the seat and “hard-product” on board. I’d rather be on a brand-new United 787 with an all-aisle access business cabin instead of a Lufthansa A330 with its old 2x2x2 business class and infamous “let’s-play-footsie” seat configuration. As a general rule, I do think that European carriers put more emphasis on food in business class, but that’s not the given it used to be a couple decades ago.
The one thing mainline European carriers haven’t given up the ghost on is first class cabins for long-haul. Some Old World habits remain, and if you can somehow find your way up to the “front” front, then sit back and enjoy.
European Pilots Have a Better Relationship with the Seatbelt Sign: True
Wait a second? Aren’t you going to talk about the important stuff? Well, as we’ve said before, the little things are important. I’ve always appreciated that European (and other international) airline cockpit crews turn off the seatbelt sign much more quickly after takeoff than a typical US carrier. They also turn it back on much later, which can be a godsend when your flight’s holding in the “stack” before landing at Heathrow and you need to use the facilities.6
So, I know we have a lot of readers over in Europe who will agree with me on some of these and disagree on others. And, that’s basically my point. There are so many similar structural issues facing both North American and European carriers. While the cultural differences may be stark, the actual travel experiences often aren’t.
Notes
A fair estimate would be over 100 transatlantic flights over the past two decades or so
When I worked in SFO, the march of the well-dressed Lufthansa crews down the concourse was always something to behold
The scheduled work stoppage is a remarkable European air travel phenomenon
This may or may not have happened — European airports feature a lot of security doors that are points of no return
My latest trip featured a lounge with nowhere to sit but freshly made sausages — fair tradeoff
I’m not even denying this one
Thanks, RG. I was going to include frequent buses to remote gates, but knew I could count on you to do it! Definite con.
Fantastic article Al. Another critical difference is the very high likelihood of getting COBUS3000'd in Europe (especially LIS, FRA and, well, everywhere but LHR. Even on intra-Europe flights). Also worth noting is that you're less likely to experience hours-long ground delays here in the Old World, making European J with its tight pitch or even Y much less of a bother on short flights. But as I say, there's no such thing as a "short flight" in or out of LGA so always, ALWAYS take the UG if you can - because there's nothing as miserable as being crammed into a middle seat on a 45minute flight that often becomes a 4 hour ordeal.