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5 airlines with great in-flight services in economy class
Last week, I spent 13 hours desperately trying to fall asleep on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to London; my economy class seat didn't have a personal entertainment system and the cabin monitor was pitch black from my angle. The week before, my sister took a red-eye United Airlines flight from Honolulu to San Francisco without the benefit of a pillow, blanket, or snack.
For many airlines, it looks like in-flight services in economy class are going the way of liquids on board. But thankfully, there are still some airlines that understand that service, entertainment, and even a few extras are a part of the customer experience, even for the peons in coach. These five are leading the pack.
Virgin Atlantic
Not only does Virgin offer one of the best personal entertainment systems I've ever experienced, they also offer a uniquely British flight experience on their Heathrow-JFK service. From complimentary English publications like Hello and Tatler in the waiting room, to free toiletry kits with socks and eyeshades, to a high tea service with scones and clotted cream, the attention to detail is there.
Singapore Airlines
Rated by Zagat as the best international airline for both premium and economy seating, Singapore Airlines spares no expense with their amenities, offering all passengers luxurious Givenchy socks and toothbrush/toothpaste kits. If you happen to snag a seat on their Airbus A380 (say, through this sweet deal) or Boeing 777-300ER planes, you'll also be able to read digitized versions of publications like the Wall Street Journal and Elle Magazine on Krisworld, the airline's award-winning inflight entertainment system.
JetBlue
Though it's a budget airline, JetBlue's little extras make the flying experience one of the best in the U.S. Their entertainment systems offer 36 channels of DIRECTV programming, while their complimentary snack selection runs the gamut from Terra Blues chips to animal crackers (who doesn't love animal crackers?). Plus, their Shut-Eye Service on overnight flights from the West includes free eyeshades and earplugs, plus hot towels and Dunkin' Donuts coffee upon arrival.
Virgin America
Yup, Virgin again. Their American cousins offer sexy dim cabin lighting, standard and USB plugs at every seat, and the ability to easily offset the carbon emissions from your flight through a credit card swipe donation to Carbonfund.org. Plus, from now until January 15, passengers on flights departing from San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, Chicago, and New York JFK can enjoy free in-flight WiFi on new Google Chromebooks through the Chrome Zone pilot program.
Emirates Airlines
I first flew Emirates Airlines from Tokyo to Dubai when I was 12 years old, and it still sticks out as one of my favorite travel experiences. At the time, I was blown away by one of the first economy class personal entertainment systems in existence, as well as the extra Swiss chocolates snuck to me by the charming flight attendants. These days, Emirates offers 1,200 channels of programming plus telephone, SMS, and e-mail services on their ice entertainment system; regionally inspired multi-course meals with locally sourced ingredients; and cabin lighting specially designed to ease jet lag. I'm betting those chocolates are still there too.
[Flickr image via Richard Moross]
Rated by Zagat as the best international airline for both premium and economy seating, Singapore Airlines spares no expense with their amenities, offering all passengers luxurious Givenchy socks and toothbrush/toothpaste kits. If you happen to snag a seat on their Airbus A380 (say, through this sweet deal) or Boeing 777-300ER planes, you'll also be able to read digitized versions of publications like the Wall Street Journal and Elle Magazine on Krisworld, the airline's award-winning inflight entertainment system.
JetBlue
Though it's a budget airline, JetBlue's little extras make the flying experience one of the best in the U.S. Their entertainment systems offer 36 channels of DIRECTV programming, while their complimentary snack selection runs the gamut from Terra Blues chips to animal crackers (who doesn't love animal crackers?). Plus, their Shut-Eye Service on overnight flights from the West includes free eyeshades and earplugs, plus hot towels and Dunkin' Donuts coffee upon arrival.
Virgin America
Yup, Virgin again. Their American cousins offer sexy dim cabin lighting, standard and USB plugs at every seat, and the ability to easily offset the carbon emissions from your flight through a credit card swipe donation to Carbonfund.org. Plus, from now until January 15, passengers on flights departing from San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, Chicago, and New York JFK can enjoy free in-flight WiFi on new Google Chromebooks through the Chrome Zone pilot program.
Emirates Airlines
I first flew Emirates Airlines from Tokyo to Dubai when I was 12 years old, and it still sticks out as one of my favorite travel experiences. At the time, I was blown away by one of the first economy class personal entertainment systems in existence, as well as the extra Swiss chocolates snuck to me by the charming flight attendants. These days, Emirates offers 1,200 channels of programming plus telephone, SMS, and e-mail services on their ice entertainment system; regionally inspired multi-course meals with locally sourced ingredients; and cabin lighting specially designed to ease jet lag. I'm betting those chocolates are still there too.
[Flickr image via Richard Moross]
Filed under: Airlines, Budget Travel, Travel Health, Airline Reviews, Luxury Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AirBoss Jan 9th 2012 10:54AM
Note to editors: the photo has nothing to to with scheduled airline economy service.
Megan Jan 9th 2012 1:38PM
Agreed!
tuncay damgacý Jan 9th 2012 2:15PM
Where is Turkish Air Lines, I dont believe to days top ten ways,
ViaHerLette Jan 9th 2012 1:37PM
If this is a photo of an economy class cabin, I want to know which one! ;)
Anyway, I agree with your list of airlines that have good economy class services. However, I flew Thai from New York to Bangkok a few years ago in Economy Plus (same service than economy but slightly better seats -- more space) and I had a great experience. The videos were working and the service was very attentive. In addition to the regular meals, the flight attendants came many times during the flight to serve finger food, drinks, et...
http://www.ViaHerWorld.com
jmarati08 Jan 9th 2012 6:23PM
I was surprised too! Thai has always offered impeccable service, but 13 hours without some form of in-flight entertainment has to qualify as some sort of torture in this day and age.
Dianne Jan 9th 2012 4:18PM
Your article fails to mention the single most important factor in a comfortable longhaul flight: seat and legroom. I realize the title of the piece is "in-flight services," but the most miserable flight for comfort I ever endured was Singapore Air from SFO-SIN and back. The food was good, service was attentive, but I was about to die from the horrible seat pitch and confinement. The in-flight entertainment system is something I never even pay attention to. Everyone has iPads, laptops, and iPods now. In-flight entertainment is way down on my list for selecting an air carrier.
jmarati08 Jan 9th 2012 6:25PM
Completely agree -- legroom is important, and it would be great to highlight airlines with room to breathe in a whole other article. What are some of your favorites?
Melody Jan 9th 2012 6:19PM
Agree that Singapore airline is one of the best! Also, You certainly haven't tried Swiss airline!
Karen Jan 9th 2012 10:04PM
Air Canada : Decent seat pitch, IFE with USB and standard power plug at every seat. They sell real meals, actual real food as snacks.
Ralph Jan 9th 2012 11:42PM
You should have mentioned Asiana Airlines. They have won airline of the year, three years in a row.
E.SUN Jan 10th 2012 10:08AM
Glad to read this article because a week ago, we were coming back from our vacation in Europe and the airline we took, treated Economy class passengers like garbage. We were traveling with a toddler as a lap child and they refused to provide an extra entree for him. The stewardess answered rudely, "Because he's not a ticketed passenger, he's not allowed to get any meals." Wow! He didn't get on board for free. We paid for his airport taxes and got him an infant ticket. The flight crew were unapproachable and rude to the passengers. Made us feel like it's a bother when we ask them for a glass of water.
So, if you guys are wanting to fly somewhere, I'd say, avoid DELTA AIRLINES. They really go out of their way to treat Economy class passengers like, if you can't afford to fly first class, don't bother. They've got so much to learn from the world class airlines, ie. Emirates Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, list goes on.
Unexpected Traveller Jan 14th 2012 10:02AM
This is great list and I have to try out some of these airlines as soon as I get the change to do so.
However, I find that sometimes, the entertainment can be found in the most unlikely of places: http://wp.me/ppqxP-lS