USA Bus Lines

Why are Airlines and airports run like buses and bus depots in America?

I just cam back from Asia. I flew Singapore airlines, Cathay Pacific and Thai airways. For starter, the flight attendants are way nicer and prettier than those on US carriers. Food services and on board entertainments are fantastic. Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul airports are phenomenal . The look more like hi-end shopping malls than airports. We are first world country and why can we have things better or at least equal to those.

Public Comments

1. The airport in Seoul is only a few years old. Any brand new facility is going to utilize the best technology and have all the latest gizmos.
2. Its not just USA, I was justin Dublin and that was the worst airport I have ever been in....
3. Because its an airport, not a shopping mall. When I fly all I want to do is get through security and get to my plane. I don't care about the places to shop. The the flight attendants being nicer has nothing to do with that, they are a nicer group of people in general, Americans are usually all around rude people.
4. The answer is really quite simple. We could have all of those things. However, they don't come cheaply and Americans won't pay for them. Airfares in Asia are often relatively expensive compared to the US. Airlines offer better service and airports are nicer because customers are willing to pay for them. They can offer good service and nice facilities and still make a profit. There are some Asian discount carriers with no-frills service. However, some airports relegate them to a spartan, no-frills terminal. They don't use the same terminal as Singapore Airlines because they can't afford it. It will be interesting to see if large numbers of customers defect to the discounters, as happened in the US, and force Singapore, Cathay, etc. to reduce their service levels. In contrast, the American aviation market was deregulated decades ago. Customers demand rock bottom fares and will happily change airlines to save small amounts of money. In order to survive, airlines have reduced services and facilities in order to reduce prices and keep their customers from defecting to cheaper competitors. That's why there are no meals, no customer service, and 10,000 extra nuisance fees. Singapore Airlines is a great airline, but they wouldn't last five minutes flying from Los Angeles to St. Louis. They would go bankrupt because they'd have to charge more to maintain their service levels. Americans would switch to United because it's cheap and then moan about the crappy service. Several US airlines have tried to offer deluxe service and charged more to support it. All of them but one has failed. Does anyone even remember Legend Airlines or Air Atlanta? I didn't think so. Even Midwest Airlines, the one survivor, has installed normal coach seats on some of their aircraft because customers demanded lower fares.
5. Cathay Pacific is based out of Hong Kong (an island). All of their flights are international and cater to international travelers. Singapore is a very small country. Again the same. Most of their flights are international and they cater to international travelers. Most of their customers have money. Most of their flights are $1000 round trip flights. Most of their fliers are people with cash to spend. This reflects in their airport hubs, service, and airplanes. Airlines in America do most of their business domestic with fliers paying for $100-$250 round trip flights. American fliers have lots of choices and don't care about any frills and would rather have the cheaper ticket then one that costs $10 more, but with better service. This shows also in the airports. Comes down to economics. Asian Airlines have more higher priced customers as percentage of their business.