My WORST Flight Experiences - What Happened on These Flights?

What was your worst flight experience? I recently experienced some of the most uncomfortable, expensive, and basic services on my recent flights.

I had an uncomfortable flight on Southwest Airlines to Dallas. Nothing really went wrong. Just one of those days you have no shoulder room with 3 big guys in the same row. It was beyond a tight squeeze. Southwest has a free seating policy which is more speedy but has no guarantee of seat and space. The narrower width on the 737 didn’t help of course, I think A320 may be better in my situation with a wider fuselage.

Next, I flew on Delta B717 to Atlanta. The flight time was 2 hours and there was only a snack available in First Class. This does not compare well with many international airlines which serve a full meal for the same length of the flight. It reflects the current state of airline service. The fares are much higher now but passengers are not getting more out of it.

On my recent United flight from New York to LA, I was served very basic food and the spoon was not even cleaned and checked properly. United has probably one of the worst in-flight catering over the years.

I’ve also had some good experiences recently on Bangkok Airways and Korean Air. All passengers on Bangkok Air can enjoy the airport lounge before the flight and receive a full meal on a 1-hour domestic flight.

Bangkok Air footage: Jakkrit Prasertwit

[SamChui]

Share with us - what are some
of your best or worst flight experiences?

[GCarnell]

Here in the U.S., it appears that the airlines care more for their shareholders than their stakeholders. Service has declined, incredibly.

[stephengravning]

As a dedicated Delta Medallion flyer I can attest to their domestic first class service not being what it once was. I flew through the pandemic, half full planes, a bag with a Biscoff cookie, bottle of water, and hand sanitizer even in First. When they slowly brought back beverages along with their boxed meals, I was optimistic that things would return to normal soon. Pre-pandemic the flight from Albuquerque to Atlanta (and vice-versa) included a hot meal served on linen with metal utensils. Just a few weeks ago, there was no food service on the flight out, just the same old snack tray being passed around with nothing you would want for breakfast on the early morning flight. The return flight, pushing 3 hours, still serving the boxed meals which have grown old and tired by now (not to mention sometimes soggy or stale). I used to pay for first but have since stopped due to the lack of service and price gouging. Even when I get a complimentary upgrade or use my upgrade certificates, I feel cheated. Thanks for bringing this topic to the surface Sam, perhaps it will influence some change back to once we once had.

[kimtruong]

It's nice to see a video of Sam's bad airline experience. I have only seen his business class and premium trips, but knowing he has to suffer like the rest of us is comforting.

[Joshua-zhmk]

Finally after years Sam Chui knows what it's like to be an average human flying in coach.

[kokok]

One of my worst turned into one of the best, I was on a domestic Qantas flight within Australia, although I had a "window" seat, there was no window next to me and it was a bit tight, plus the person in front of me put their seat back from the beginning, I couldn't even open a book to read, once we were in the air, the passenger in front of me even refused to put their seat up when dinner was about to be served, I asked the staff if there happened to be any spare seats, they returned with good news and escorted me up to Business 😊

[tianshuhe]

Not worst but a quite hilarious experience of KLM. Back in 2017, I flew from Amsterdam to Chengdu in a B787 of KLM. Since I booked a seat beside emergency exit, the screen is foldable. However, the lock of the screen was broken, so the screen could not stay in front of me unless I held it with my hand. You can imagine how boring it is for a 10 hour flight. 1 year later, I flew from Amsterdam to Beijing. Still KLM, still B787 and still a seat beside emergency exit. Guess what, it was the same seat on the same plane, and the screen lock was still broken 🤣

[Steven]

Thank you for putting these American big 3 airlines on the spot! Unlike us have no voice, we appreciate your efforts 😊

[fingerhorn]

This is the first ever post from Sam Chui that is actually critical of airlines. I appreciate this as the vast majority of his uploads are uncritical and therefore not very useful to passengers. It's fine to be an enthusiast but that enthusiasm needs to be balanced with fair but truthful comments that give useful information sorely needed. So well done and please keep these coming.

[phillipmaguire]

Great video Sam. Yeah, I noticed the smaller food tray on a recent international flight. The airlines are up to all the tricks, but having you Sam speak up for passengers is well appreciated.

[llanezapura]

Hey Sam, former (Sabena) flight attendant here and big fan of your VLOGS! Thank you for sharing real life stories of your travels, the good the bad and the ugly :)
Have you noticed the high number of comments here?
I think many can also relate to your experiences and if those US Legacy carriers would watch this VLOG, you as a well known and highly respected AvGeek have more power to advocate in all our names for improvements where needed. Thanks for speaking out!

[mikeinfortcollinslynn]

Worst: 1995 on the old Aeroflot, Tu154 from Yekaterinburg to Novosibirsk. Woman boarded with a hyperactive spaniel (allowed into the cabin at that time). Dog pooped just as the plane rotated. Flight attendant addressed the issue once the plane was up at cruise but the damage was done. The smell lingered for the whole flight.
Best: 1985 on Pan Am's Flight 1. My wife (to be) and I were both working on a hospital project in Riyadh. When we got our R&R, we flew on a 35 day round the world trip to get married in Hawaii and see the sights from Singapore, Tokyo, a diversion down to Darwin Australia, back to Tokyo and on to Kauai where we were married then to the mainland U.S., London and finally back to Riyadh. I think because we were flying on Flight 1, the flight attendants loved our story of falling in love in Saudi Arabia and going to Hawaii to be married. Long story short on every flight we were showered with champagne from first class and got lots of special attention. We were in economy but the food was always good. I miss the old Pan Am - great onboard staff and service was tops! They made the flying part of the trip totally memorable.

[BryanDorr]

Sam, aside passenger-related issues, I've seen a degrade in quality of the goods and services in service industries in general in the United States. This includes airlines. It's like they're only interested in taking your money and not wanting to deal with people. It does sour the experience, but it's like it has become a societal norm in the U.S.

[joshortiz]

I totally agree with you Sam!. local domestic flights in America are the worst, even in first class

[chie]

Thank you for doing this content. The airlines here in the US is the reason why there’s a lot of hostility.

All they care about is money. Squeeze-in more people, less legroom, barely any refreshments, fees on almost everything, and very expensive.

Then they’re wondering why flight attendants are stressed, and passengers become unruly. They seem to blame things in American culture and politics but no. We are humans! There’s nothing more stressful for passengers than flying. And accommodations are barely humane.

[jamesfitzsimmons]

To be fair to Delta, I can relate and experience flying from New York to Seattle, I was in the aisle, where the trays turn. I was bumped by the trolley a few times that night my legs were really sore. I had to fly back to Ireland Ireland in a weeks time, so I found Delta while I was in Seattle and politely complained if they could put me on a seat with plenty of room because I don’t want to experience any more discomfort. They thanked me for being so polite and they hung up. I flew back from Seattle to New York to join my flight to Ireland. When I walked on board, I was directed to the business class section. I mentioned to the hostess that I am only traveling coach. She said “ you were upgraded to business class by the company as a special offer, ” so I sat in business class all the way to Ireland; I thought that was nice of Delta.

[wayne]

A flight attendant once thought she was doing me a favor by moving me to an exit row because I was so nice to give up my seat so a mom can sit with her daughter. The only issue was that it was a middle seat between two very large gentleman.

[nathanrichards]

Sam was the ultimate secret shopper for all of us here in the US. Thank you for calling attention to what our carriers need to improve on. Every time I fly I want a quality experience along with the good flight. I’m pretty loyal to Delta because I’m near one the hubs and I’m in their rewards program. But I too wish to see more for the customer. I imagine pandemic was tough for carriers but adding quality food back on top tier tickets is just good for business. I basically stopped paying for first class because some of the perks are no longer there and I never know what I’m going to get anymore. It makes me wonder about my dedication to the loyalty credit card that I use to stack up points. The service in flight impacts all the way back to what method I use for business expenses elsewhere. Why use a card that gives me delta points if I’m wondering if I’m going actually benefit by purchasing upgraded tickets? Thanks Sam.

[rixxy]

1. WardAir DC 10: Rear engine exploded 1.5h West of Heathrow. Miraculously no damage to other systems, landed back safely
2. WestJet 737-200: Dropped about 5 to10, 000 feet in a wind sheer pocket going to Las Vegas. Everyone screamed, Oxy masks popped.
3. Pegasus A321: Landing in Istanbul strong wind turbulence, expected to crash but instead landed HARD. Other airlines didn't even bother to risk landing.

[Gearup]

600 Bucks on Delta and not even a Sandwich?
A cookie 🤣🤣🤣