International Travel: Abu Dhabi. Doctor Aviation is on the move. I am enroute to Thailand where I will be teaching a class. Three aviation thoughts popped into my head as I landed in Abu Dhabi for a layover, which is in the United Arab Emirates, or UAE. I decided to blog about each as I think they would be of interest to Doctor Aviation followers.
My first flight on an airplane was as an 8 year old boy. I flew TWA from Cincinnati to St. Louis enroute to Phoenix. At the time TWA was one of the biggest air carriers in the United States. What I saw today on my flight very much reminded me of those days – how is that you might ask?
Today I flew on what is known as Etihad Airways. This is the official airlines of the UAE. Etihad was voted “The World’s Leading Airline” for the past seven years at the World Travel Awards (https://www.etihad.com/en-us/about-us/etihad-news/archive/2015/etihad-airways-wins-worlds-leading-airline-award-for-seventh-consecutive-year/.) I can see why. Wow, was the service unbelievable. It all began with the flight attendants, or stewardesses and stewards as we used to call them. They were impeccably groomed. The males all wore suits and the females all wore business skirts, blouses, scarves and hats. Each of the attractive female flight attendants was in good shape and their hair was tightly pulled back in a very professional look.
The flight attendants were also attentive to every need of the passengers. They were extremely polite, friendly and helpful. One helped me remove my seat in search of my wristwatch which had fallen during a nap.
Then there were the meals. Meals as in plural – two hot ones were served with real silverware. The first was a choice of chicken or lamb (the little sheep was very tasty) and the second was a delicious curry. This doesn’t even count the three snacks that they brought (of course it was a 13 hour flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi).
This is what air service used to be like on domestic flights in the US. You were pampered by attentive, well-groomed flight attendants and served good hot meals (at no extra charge, oh baggage was free as well).
Younger readers may be amazed that this once occurred and wonder what happened. In is nutshell, cost is what happened. US travelers proved over and over again that their primary (and perhaps only concern) in flying is cost. So the airlines got rid of everything that added cost – hot food, attentive service, blankets, and pillows – and gave the US traveler the cheapest ticket price they could give them. That is why flying in the US now is like being herded onto a cattle truck and enduring a crowded two hour ride.
Yet, flying Etihad Airways is like stepping back in time – in a welcomed way. I miss air travel as it used to be. Below I include a picture of a flight attendant in the 1970s in the US and the flight attendants for Etihad Airways now — see any similarities?
Doctor Aviation International Travel is to be continued