flight cancelation US vs EU #usa #american #europe #flight #travel #traveltips #airlines

[DroughtGD]

US: Passive Aggressive
EU: Aggressive Passive

[hildaelson]

My mum and aunt were flying to Thailand with BA once. The flight was somehow overbooked (summer holidays) and they asked if anyone would be willing to give up their place and go with the next flight tomorrow instead. My mum and aunt weren’t fussed so they agreed to it, and got £500 each as a compensation, as well as accommodation at a 5-star hotel near Heathrow, fancy meals and drinks fully paid for. And since they had separate bookings, they got two rooms, so I stayed with my mum just for the experience (I was just going to drop them off at the airport). The BA staff told us there were these thai ladies who had been staying around for 5 days now because they were willing to give up their place for every single request made in the past week, and so far made £2, 500 for sitting around in a fancy hotel, drinking Prosecco, or they could even hop on the tube to explore London for those extra 5 days. Now that’s savvy 😂
Ps I forgot to mention the cherry on top. My mum and aunt booked a month or two early and the tickets cost them just shy of £600 return. The £500 compensation covered that up nicely.

[GrandpaTrout]

I missed my flight in England because it was my first time flying internationally and I didn't realize my gate closed an hour early. My stomach dropped when I realized and I HAD to be home, so I started having an anxiety attack. The lady there scheduled me for another flight, waited with me for my ride to the hotel, and helped me out of my anxiety attack, all for free even though it was my fault I missed it. Bless that woman, I'll likely never see her again but Hannah at London Heathrow Airport was my savior! I hope she always has sunshine on her birthdays.

[daivboveri]

Refusing to continue the conversation until she said “Bonjour” was a nice touch

[BloodMoonASMR]

It's not that us Europeans are unfriendly, you have to know that we only smile when it's genuine.

[JJ]

That is exactly my experience with customer service in Paris. It's not that you're not taken care of, but everyone hates you while helping you 😂

[JamesLawner]

The “bonjour madame” really hit home for me 😂😭

[MurderMostFowl]

So very true. Last year, we were in the UK and our train from Northern Scotland to London was canceled due to severe weather and we were rebooked for just 2.5 hours or so later and given a full refund and we still made it to Heathrow with plenty of time to spare( since it was a long train as it is, we made sure we had time for things to go wrong )
It was nice to come away from the experience feeling like you didn’t have to argue for doing what was right

[MGN_]

USA: good attendants, bad policies.
France: bad attendants, good policies.

Edit: attendance to attendants

[Aurriel]

EU: you are entitled to everything you could need, but not to a smile
USA: you are entitled to nothing but a smile

[ibolzev]

Well this is one thing I'll always like about Europe's services, specifically the French one. As an introvert that goes often abroad for my job, I just want things to get done quickly. No need for the smiles, it's unnecessary because I'll just forget about it afterwards. So as a client, I'll just be like the worker, no smile, just things getting done. Perfect, efficient and quick.

But well, again, I've been trained since I live in Paris where every people needs to always look like they know where they're going (bonus if they look pissed off) if they don't want to be target to pickpocket or inconveniency.

[lizhart]

The passive-aggressive "Bonjour, Madame" is so accurate 😂.

[SomeoneOnlyWeKnow.]

US being acting overly kind while doing nothing actually helpful, and EU doing something actually useful but cutting out the acting is so accurate.

[KenjuKizawa]

USA: Sorry for the inconvenience.
France: YOU are the inconvenience.

[AMSTRADONLINE]

With US Airways 10 years ago, my flights were cancelled. They really helped with new flights on the same day (from the US to Europe) and upgraded my seats. I can't say anything negative about them, they were helpful and kind.

[GSHAPIROY]

By the way, US airlines have always been required to issue a full refund for a cancelled flight. That's not something new this year.

[UberMenschNowFilms]

I often find myself being stuck in American customer service mode at work when I really wish I could do French customer service mode

[jessicaely]

My husband and I were flying from Zürich to Miami to see my family on AA. Aftee sitting on the tarmac for an hour with no food, water, or A/C we turned around and went back to the gate. Our plane had engine failure and they couldn't fix it. The pilot refused to take off even though he was told the airplane would be fine. We stood in line for 8 hours with no food or water to get hotel accommodation. My husband is your typical German-French Swiss. He get angry quickly and isnt afraid of letting people know. The next day at the gate they stopped boarding and canceled the flight. I immediately got in line for changing my ticket. When it was our turn my husband was there. The ticket agent said "I remember you from yesterday. Dont say a word. Heres first class plane tickets to Canada and 2 first class tickets from Canada to Miami. You have 20 minutes to catch your airplane and not your check bag wont make it to the airplane. Here's what you need to do in Miami." That was the best flight ever.

[KiperV]

I worked for a major airline. Any cancellations due to weather were not our fault. Depending on your fare, yes you could get a refund or rebooked on the next flight. It also depended on whether or not you were a frequent flyer, yes they get special treatment and can be rebooked on another airline without question. Any cancels due to mechanical failure, waiting on crew, delays due to emergencies-- anything of that sort YES we do book folks up in hotels, provide meal vouchers and rebooked on the next available.

[sarahkat]

So the most kind and amazing interactions I have ever had with an airline was Air France. We missed our connection because our first flight took off late, and everyone was so kind and helpful.