Ukraine International Airlines vs. Big US Airlines

If you had to pit Ukraine International Airlines against Big US Airlines, which do you think would be the winner, hands down? By the way, the name of Big US Airlines has been changed because, hey - maybe I can work for them someday and help them with their Goofs.

Before my trip to Ukraine, (and so you know - it's not "The Ukraine"; that's like saying "The England") my tummy was doing flip flops wondering what kind of flight it was going to be on my trip from Odessato Vienna. Would it be safe? Was the plane, like, 50 years old? How silly I was to even begin to worry. Of the 40 hours of travel on my trip, the 5 1/2 hour leg from Portland, OR to Washington DC was the worst. Apart from the turbulence which kept us buckled up in our seats, don't-you-dare-get-up-and-use-the-toilet kind of turbulence which lasted for 85% of the flight, we cattle class passengers suffered even further humility. 5 1/2 hours and the best Big US Airlines could offer was a free non-alcoholic drink, the tiniest bag of mystery crunchies, and the opportunity to purchase a boxful of food samples (aka: snack box).

Oh, but what about the movie on board? That should help you pass the time - in theory. That is, if their equipment was working. Halfway through "Hairspray" they decided to pack in their effort to get sound. And the staff - not the most pleasant bunch. They were, however, very talented at eye rolls and "pee at your own risk" type comments.

So why bring up Ukraine International? Because on that flight, passengers were treated like people. It was a 2 1/2 hour flight to Vienna and on this flight, we were fed very fresh complimentary sandwich rolls which were served very graciously by the flight crew.

Why the difference in service? I wonder if the price of a few sandwiches and attention to technical details (movies, for instance) would more than cover the cost of turnover rate of flight staff, the strikes that occur from time to time and the endless stream of complaints from passengers. What does the price of a sandwich really cost?

The future of air travel doesn't look great. We may already be living our future. It's worse than riding in a bus, except for the privilege few who can afford the upper classes (although I hear that service has been downgraded as well). International travel is especially excruciating and I found myself wondering if passengers wouldn't be looking for alternative methods of travel - like a ship, or a train. Oh wait - isn't that what we used to use? Before planes? Maybe that's just what we need - travel which makes us slow down, look out the window and see what we're missing...