Why the Pope kisses the ground, and why passengers want to fix you up with their sisters on El Al. A new airline survey reveals all to Ian Jarrett

Regular readers of this column will know that Ian steers clear of travel polls and surveys because it figures that there are too many of them, and most are not worth the time of day.

But the latest Zagat.com survey covering 55 airlines that fly internationally makes some interesting observations about the quality of the airlines we fly.

New York based Zagat bases its 2005 Airline Survey on the opinions of 5,277 people who reported taking an average of 4.8 international flights per year, and reflects the experiences of passengers aboard a total of some 25,000 international flights per year or – as Zagat says – about 70 flights per day.

"Call it the plane truth…a vivid portrait of passengers' discontent in the skies," says Zagat.

Airlines based outside the United States were the stars of the survey. The overall ratings of US airlines fell at least 30 percent from the previous survey in 2001. Delays and cancellations were the biggest complaint; 42 percent of respondents cited those concerns.

The age breakdown of survey participants indicates that it is not just Grumpy Old People who believe many airlines could do a lot better. Only 17 per cent of those polled were over 60 years. Almost two thirds were 20-40 year-olds.

Said one participant in the survey, "Today's fliers are the uncomfortable served the inedible by the indifferent."

Wrote another traveller, "This is why the Pope kisses the ground every time he deplanes."

It wasn't all bad news, however. International carriers that fared best in the survey were Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Cathay Pacific for economy class, and SIA, Cathay and Virgin Atlantic Airways for premium service. No surprises there.

Other observations: On service on American Airlines: "Flip-flops" from "efficient and courteous" to Rhett Butler-like – they simply "don't give a damn".

On El Al: "More safety precautions than Fort Knox make for peace of mind if not peace and quiet: toddlers screaming, everyone wants to talk to you "or fix you up with their sisters" aboard this carrier."

ON KLM: "Service and food get mixed marks and some find quarters cramped – maybe no surprise from the land that thinks ‘wooden shoes are comfortable'."

On Aer Lingus: "Seating can feel like being holed up in a Guinness can."

And finally Aeroflot Russian Airlines: "Keeps getting better but some flights are reminiscent of a WWII bombing mission."

How the leading airlines scored:

Top Overall – Premium
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Cathay Pacific
3. Virgin Atlantic
4. Emirates
5. equal, ANA, British Airways, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines

Top Overall Economy
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates
3. Cathay Pacific
4. equal ANA, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines



IAN JARRETT is based in Fremantle, Western Australia from where he travels frequently in Asia on assignments for travel magazines.

He is a member of the BamBoo Alliance, a group of leading travel writers in the region. He can be contacted at ianjarrett@mac.com