Flying Foreign Airlines

By Kent St. John

The woman ahead of me in line seemed upset and confused. Her ticket said Delta, and she could not understand why she was going to Hungary on an airline that she had never heard of (Malev, the Hungarian airline).

Like it or not, in these days of code-sharing the chances of ending up on a foreign carrier are increasing. From the emails I get from Transitions Abroad readers, I know that many fly some of the least-known airlines with relish. However, when I book trips for my clients on foreign airlines many of my clients express concern.

Let’s look at the facts:

The first thing to consider is that any plane that takes off and lands in the U.S. has to adhere to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards for equipment, pilots, and systems.

Moreover, in many surveys international airlines repeatedly score at the top. The two that usually rate the best are Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Anyone who has traveled on Virgin Airlines will tell you about the personal video systems and friendly service on one of the newest fleets in the industry. (A good place to see just how many foreign airlines there are—and their 800 numbers—is a the following web site: www.geocities.com/Thavery2000).

Many overseas carriers are government-owned or subsidized and are a way to showcase the country, so they take special pains at customer service. Even small cities in the airline’s country have offices and agents to assist with ticket problems.

Safety Indicators

The best way to ensure that an airline is in compliance with international standards is to access information from the International Civil Aviation Organization at www.icao.int. This organization is responsible for the assessment and rating of all aviation worldwide. As of this writing the countries that do not meet ICAO aviation standards are: Belize, the Dominican Republic, Gambia, Guyana, Haiti, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Suriname, Swaziland, Uruguay, Zaire, and Zimbabwe. You should only travel to the above countries be on carriers that are certified.

Commercial Alliance

Airlines are currently joining forces to operate more efficiently. Code-sharing, the placement of passengers on aircraft other than the one for which tickets are originally purchased, means an airline can market another carrier’s flights as its own. Federal rules require the airlines to tell passengers at the earliest opportunity that a ticket on a Delta, for example, actually will be fulfilled with flights on a code share partner, such as Malev. Two U.S. airlines, Delta and Northwest, have been fined for failure to disclose this information.

With the alliance trend rapidly growing, the chances are that you will find yourself on foreign airlines more frequently. So push the seat back and enjoy that glass of Hungarian wine.

KENT ST. JOHN is senior travel editor for www.GoNomad.com.