My DH & I thought we'd stepped back in time on a flight from Frankfort to JFK last month (Lufthansa). We were served free wine, two decent meals, and had warm, damp wash rags brought to us several time. All this in economy.

A few memories spring to mind:

Flying Aeromexico coach Miami to Mexico City when prior to serving the meal a linen placemat was put on your tray.

Flying VIASA (now, sadly, gone) coach JFK to Caracas the cabin crew coming around after dinner wearing white gloves offering VIASA cigarettes/matches from a silver tray.

Even flying United coach transpacific recently (Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong) being given hot towels prior to each meal as well as an open bar and numerous food offerings.

I do agree 100% with Wally that at least flying overseas the airlines, whether US-based or not, should offer alcoholic drinks gratis to all passengers; it just adds to the whole allure of going on a foreign trip. I fly to London at least 1-2 times each year and will only fly British Airways, as their service is far above any other carrier flying that route, no matter if there is a lower fare somewhere else. The old adage rings true - you get what you pay for.

Hi,
My first flight was in 1961, a Bristol Britannia Turpo Prop on BOAC (Now BA) we went from London to Singapore It took 291/2 hours and we stopped at Frankfurt, Rome, Beruit,Bombay, calcutta and finally to Singapore. I thinl the Crew changed 3 times.
No entertainment at all

People need to do the math before they fly. I had four drinks going to London and four coming back. That would have cost $40 on a U.S. airline. Are the U.S. airlines $40 cheaper than the foreign ones?

Also, in many places in Europe, Coke is twice as expensive as wine. I walked into a wine store in the South of France with an empty 1 Liter water bottle. They filled with from the vat for 1 Euro.

The man sitting next to me flying from Barcelona to Stockholm said the last time he flew across the Atlantic on a U.S. airline, he asked for a beer and when the flight attendant said, that will be $5, he said, "you got to be fuckin kidding." He immediately apologized but it just came out.

And in the South of France, I was talking to a couple from Switzerland who told me they will not fly to the Caribbean during the winter on a U.S. airline because they are treated so poorly by the airlines and customs officials. As you know, everyone needs to get their bags and then recheck them again when connecting in the U.S.

And last year when I flew Delta to Europe, the entertainment consisted of a large projection television at the front of the cabin that I could hardly see and mostly commercials.

If you can get interested in a movie on a flight, you won't be so bothered by the tiny seat in economy.

wally - For your information, one of the largest airlines on Europe, Lufthansa, does not have individual screens in coach for any of its aircrafts. Not even their brand new A340-600s. At least DL has it on their few 777.

wally -- I never drink alcohol on an airplane (it makes me sick), so your math analysis doesn't apply to me.

And anyway, the last few times I've flown to Europe the U.S. airlines were way more than $40 cheaper than the foreign ones. More like about $200 cheaper. That difference was just too much for me to pass up, even though I agree that in general, foreign airlines do offer better service.

Ed