My current trip to Europe started off vasty different than my previous trip. You see this time, I am flying to Lisbon first, then I will travel through the rest of my itinerary in Europe. As you may or may not know, getting a direct flight from Los Angeles to Lisbon is not possible. In fact, most European destinations are not accessible via a direct flight from Los Angeles. In any case, last year, I flew direct to London and started my trip there. But even more importantly, I flew Air New Zealand versus this time when I flew US Airways.

Let me just say, the difference between the two carriers is night and day. Now. Don’t know how Air NZ’s local flights within Kiwiland are, but I am comparing my international Los Angeles to Europe experience.

Basic differences:

1) Air NZ was a Boeing 777 compared to US Airways smaller Boeing 757.

2) NZ had a personal TV for each passenger. US had no TV on the first leg from LA to Philly and a cental TV or the second leg to Lisbon. The entertainment? Try the worst movie I have seen this year; Duplicity!

3) Meals – sigh. NZ had gourmet meals served free of charge. US charged for meals during the first leg, and the complimentary meal on the second was worse than stale fast food. I mean surely they try this food before signing on the contract chef? It would be cheaper for them to serve McDonalds. And I promise you, that would have tasted better even if you are not a fan of McDobalds. So why the faccad with a lame excuse for gourmet food. Spare me the tray and the butter.

4) Every international airline I have traveled in the past has provided at least free wine with and after dinner. Not this US carrier. $7 for a small cheap bottle of local wine. And I am not even a wine snob.

5) NZ had much more leg room. These guys did not.

Now why did I take this flight? Well it not like they were cheaper than the BA flight I almost booked a couple of days before, but it had the dates of travel I preferred. Knowing what I know now, I can promise you one thing. My future international trips will not involve an American carrier. And I dont think this is just a US Airways problem. I think it’s more of a culture thing that all US carriers have gone through and while the stingy attitude is acceptable on kcal flights, they need to do a much better job on international flights if they want to compete with any of their international peers.

Avoid all US carriers for international routes. Lesson learnt!

Airlines are an unpopular foe of the flying public and are constantly the object of frequent flyer criticism. The list of complaints against airlines often include flight delays, cramped seating and charging the customer for food and now even luggage. But while most of these frustrations apply to domestic travel, international travel is still somewhat better, at least for now. This is where the international airlines, specially those from Europe and Asia pull away from the American pack. Indeed names like US Airways, United and Delta cannot hold a candle to the likes of Singapore Airlines, Emirates, British Airways or even the once shunned Korean Airlines.

But one name that I flew last year, made me a fan for life. Air New Zealand flies directly from Los Angeles to London in around 10 hours, with three key features in their economy class (called Pacific Economy) which puts its American counterparts to shame:

1. Extra leg room – the flight I was on, had much more leg room than any other economy class I have been on in recent memory.
2. Comfortable head rests – adjustable head rests ensure you don’t end up drooling over your neighbor’s shoulder during that post dinner food coma.
3. Personal TV – each seat has a personal TV that allows you to select your own entertainment, whenever you want. This includes games, movies, TV shows or even music.

Now if you are wondering what this flight cost me, it was back in summer of 2008 and it cost me $650 round-trip including taxes and fees. So a pretty sweet deal. I should mention that I don’t remember whether this was a 767 or a 777 (I think the latter) and it is possible that not all flights will have the above mentioned economy class features. How was the food you ask? Well the food on the flight I took was average, and the wine selection mediocre. But if you want to travel in that kind of luxury, a better option is a middle-eastern carrier like Gulf Air or the Emirates.

Meanwhile, I cannot think of a more comfortable, yet economical way of flying from Los Angeles to London (or back) than Air New Zealand.