And Australia can definitely learn a lot from the US in some (...but not all) of these aspects
Note and Disclaimer: This is based mostly on my personal experiences with United Airlines. These opinions as well as observations are mine and may not reflect the true nature of air travel in Australia and US (Travel Occurred: February 2023). Please do your own research for safety regulations as they may have changed since this post. Happy Travels!
1. Window shades are allowed to be closed during taxi, take-off and landing on US Airlines (at least on United)
Cabin Crew strongly encourage passengers seated at emergency exit rows and near emergency exists to keep their window shades open during these critical times of flight*
*Emergency exit rows on narrowbodies (e.g. Boeing 737s) are required to have their window shades open during taxi, take-off and landing. On most widebodies (e.g. Boeing 787s), this is only a "strong recommendation"
2. Most narrowbodies are only boarded and de-boarded through the front door
The aft door is rarely used for passenger movements in the US while this is common practice for many flights on B737s/A320s in Australia.
3. The seatbelt sign is regularly ignored (at least on United).
The sign is also on for a greater proportion of the flight. Sometimes the seatbelt sign is kept on for more than 20 minutes at a time during the middle of the flight. Virgin Australia flights usually keep their seatbelt sign on until about 5-10 minutes in the air and then turns the seatbelt sign back on approximately 10 minutes prior to landing. United (at least on this specific flight from SFO to LAX) had it's seatbelt sign turned on 20+ minutes prior to landing and the seatbelt sign was kept on for around 15 minutes after take-off leaving around 25 mins of actual seatbelt sign off time.
Another interesting observation regarding the seatbelt sign is that the light is turned off usually at the same time the Captain (or First Officer) first addresses the cabin when in the air which sometimes does take some time after take-off a bit after the aircraft climbs to above 10000 feet. There was another time when the seatbelt sign was not even switched off till about 5 minutes after cruising altitude was reached.
4. Standby Lists
US airlines rarely fly empty. This is generally a good thing for airlines as it allows for most of their seats to be sold. United's standby policy, which allows any passenger (except those travelling on basic economy tickets) to have the option to be placed on standby for an earlier flight during the day for free. This is beneficial for both passengers as well as airlines. For passengers, this allows people who arrive early to the airport to have a chance of catching an earlier flight, getting them to their destination faster. For the airlines, this allows them to sell the standby passenger's original seat to another person willing to buy a ticket.
This system seems to be very efficient and does not seem contribute a whole lot to delays and cancellations as seen with the US airline's similar on time performance as Aussie airlines. I would be curious to see how Australia could implement this system (it could potentially make the airlines more money)
5. Better app, flexibility and rebooking procedures (United Airlines)
United's app is actually amazing! It doesn't have the bells and whistles of many modern tech apps (so don't compare it to modern banking apps for example). But it definitely gets all of the basics correct. It allows you to book, make seat selections, view your boarding pass, change itineraries, cancel you flight (if your ticket allows), chat with an agent and more. The united entertainment streaming is also allowed through the standard United App (there is no separate app to download in order to enjoy onboard streaming of entertainment for free**)
Furthermore, you are able to view standby lists, upgrade lists and seat maps. For people who love schedules, the app also keeps you updated with what services your specific aircraft is operating and the present moment so you can also sometimes predict delays before they are official***
**Applicable on most flights (excluding regional and some United Express services)
***It is highly recommended not to use this information to determine how late you should arrive at the airport as aircraft are sometimes subject to equipment swaps.
Rebooking is usually very straightforward. If you need any assistance, you can always chat with a live agent on the United App. Also, the Wifi onboard most of United's aircraft allow for free access and use of the United App, United website as well as a few of their selected partners' websites.
6. Public information available for standby lists and upgrade priority. This one caught me by surprise. I already knew that the US has an efficient and quite 'heavy' standby system. However, the level and extent of the standby system that I witnessed was quite remarkable. On every boarding gate screen, there were rotations of displays which indicated the first 3 letters of the surname and first initial of passengers who had a standby position (as well as passengers who were upgrading to business and premium economy). Once an upgrade or a standby was confirmed, there would be a tick next to their name and sometimes, their seat number would also be displayed.
On most of my flights, there were over 2 dozen people on the standby lists and just slightly less on the upgrade lists that were displayed on the boarding screens.
Also, with United at least, you can now standby on any earlier flight for free! (So if someone does not show up on a full flight, someone on the standby list will be able to take that seat!) This system seems to be very efficient and does not seem contribute a whole lot to delays and cancellations as seen with the US airline's similar on time performance as Aussie airlines. I would be curious to see how Australia could implement this system (it could potentially make the airlines more money**)
**It could make the airlines more money as earlier flights with empty seats could be given to passengers who
7. Meals are not included on domestic flights on most full service carriers in the US. However, beverages are provided at no additional cost on most flights with full service carriers. In Australia, only Qantas provides complementary meals on longer domestic flights. Most flights within the continental US only include snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. United also has an interesting way of charging passengers for items purchased onboard. Instead of tapping, swiping or inserting a payment card, card payments are linked to a card upon online check in and so on board purchases are deducted straight from the card without needing to present the card in flight.
8. 2 Chimes indicate that aircraft has climbed to 10000 feet.
When US commercial aircraft reach 10000 feet, there are 2 chimes which ring about the cabin. This signals that the aircraft is on it's way to your destination and your in-flight journey has begun!
9. There are a lot of boarding groups.
Boarding groups are quite a big thing in the US. With United, there are also 6 pre-boarding groups followed by groups 1, 2 and 3-5. These boarding groups are pretty rigid with signs at gates indicating the boarding groups. Boarding is done usually very quickly and efficiently from my experience.
10. A premium cabin ticket does not automatically grant access to lounges (did not apply to me as I was flying economy. Just something interesting to consider)
On US domestic flights, premium cabin tickets (e.g. First/Premium Economy) do not automatically grant you access to lounges (however there are some exceptions, such as flying on select trans-continental routes). You either need the right credit card or a lounge membership. However, if one of your flight segments is an international leg, then access is usually granted provided you are in the correct cabin class.
11. Free use of messaging services (e.g. Facebook messenger and WhatsApp), even on long-haul international flights.
United Airlines allows for free use of web based messaging services on their Wifi enabled aircraft which is the majority of their fleet. Web browsing and other social media activities still are chargeable however it is still very useful that messaging (excluding SMS) is allowed on most of their flights, even flights that are 12+ hours long.
Delta even started offering free Wifi to frequent flyer members recently on most of their domestic flights within the US.
12. Parallel landings and take-offs
Within the US there are many instances where 2 aircraft will land on runways adjacent to each other due to many airports having similar parallel runways. One of my favourites is San Francisco International (SFO) where you can observe an aircraft landing on the runway right beside yours!
13. No Immigration process when leaving the US.
Unlike entering the US, there is no immigration process where you have to speak to an immigration official when you leave the country. You may have a flight bound for New York at the gate right next to a Sydney bound flight. This makes transiting from a domestic to international flight in the US relatively straightforward when flying on the same airline (mostly).
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