I feel that every airline mentioned is worthy of praise. I have had the chance to fly all of them except for Emirates in their respective premium cabins. There is no question that Singapore is the most refined, they may be a bit robotic at times, but the package as a whole is something other carriers have been trying to grasp for a long time.

I have to say, I flew on Lufthansa from LAX-Florence in August, and the service is just as on point as any other carrier. The privacy of bering on the upper deck is something no other carrier offers in F-Class if I'm not mistaken. (I know for instace that Virgin has half of the upper deck reserved for Upper Class, but Upper Class is just a frilly business class). The seats are a bit dated on LH, but they are still lie flat and very comfy. Their major strong point now is the F-Class TERMINAL in Franfurt. That's right folks a lounge just would not do for their hub so it's a seperate building filled with an ultra modern lux decor and all the extras every other airline has in their loung sans hot tub, but it's a much more peaceful and productive place to be than say the F-Class lounge in Singapore. Then, when it's time for your connection you are driven in either a Porsche SUV or MBZ S-class to your connecting flight, no unnecessary walking for the LH F-Class pax. I'ts really a nice experience.

Although SWISS is now owned by LH their seats are far better. The service is on par with LH but done so with a more intimate flair as the cabin on the A340 I was on only seats 8. They too have an amazing product.

I could go on and on about the great airlines of the world, but I'm sure you'll all agree that not once does a US airline come close to making any list. The lack of service, extras, cabins, etc. is quite sad. I have flown UA, AA, and CO in First and Businessfirst overseas in 06' and they all are fair at best. AA is by far the worst. The Skysuite's on the 777 aircraft are so worn and dated that you feel the metal coming through the cushion of the seat, they provide no form of padding in "bed" mode so sleep is really not going to happen unless you've taken a pill and drink a lot of the 4 dollar bottles of wine that they offer. Don't want to get into their ground services.

UA is far superior to AA, but great lengths behind overseas airlines. The Skysuite is nice (and soon to be redone) and provides a comfortable place to work, sleep, eat, etc. The food on UA over the past few years was nothing short of awful, yet over the past 2, it has had a change for the better. The airline is supposed to announce new cabin services as well as introduce new business seats (which they really need)
in the upcoming months so I have to say that UA is on the rise.

CO was just a nice business class. They started the Businessfirst craze over 10 years ago but they need to take it to the next level. The service they provide is the best of any major US carrier (Hawaiian and Aloha are great airlines to travel premium with).

To sum up, the US carriers need to start taking note from the overseas airlines. If the products that they provided even came close to those of the others they might start selling more premium seats as opposed to reward tickets. If I ever have to pay for a flight that allows me to choose a foreign carrier vs. a US, 99% of the time I have to go with the overseas airline as there is far more value, comfort, and convenience every single time.

-Fred B.

Los Angeles, CA

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