I’ve noticed this more and more lately. Flew Turkish Airlines to Athens a few weeks ago and even on the short IST to ATH hop they served a proper meal. Service felt calm and attentive. Long haul from Dallas to Istanbul was the same story. Good food, friendly crew, people who actually seemed to enjoy their jobs.
Then I come back and fly a US carrier and it’s the usual bare minimum. Buy on board snacks, rushed interactions, crews that look exhausted and over it. Uniforms don’t even match half the time.
What’s weird is that in most other industries, US customer service is actually better than a lot of countries. Airlines feel like the total exception.
I know cost cutting, consolidation, and shareholder pressure are part of it, but it still feels like something broke along the way. Flying used to feel like a service. Now it feels like a transaction you survive.
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