Different classes, different services
等级服务

It is common to hear people complain about the poor cabin service in America famous airlines. Most of the stewardesses are middle-aged women who are indifferent and usually give cold shoulders to passengers’ requirements. It is quite different from domestic airlines which grant whatever is requested. As a matter of fact, in 1930s and 1940s, the airline service in America also had high request to the cabin crew, which just like a beauty contest. The flight attendants were famous all over the world for their six-inch smiles. All of these are the results of the certain stage in the economy development of industrialized society. However, as travelling by plane became an inseparate part of Americans’ daily life since the beginning of 1980s, the standard of recruiting flight attendants were less strict, especially when the low-fare airlines came to the market, such as “People Airlines”. The cabin crews were trimmed to the absolute minimum. Under the situation of the checking-in procedure being simplified to the greatest degree, is there anyone who really care about stewardesses’smile？

In the last two decades, with the booming of the economy, travelling by air has become a great event in people’s life. Being a stewardess to serve bread and tea to passengers in the cabin is a quite decent job though there is no distinction in comparison with the job of waiters or waitresses in restaurants in the land. Therefore, people put more emphasis on high standards and strict demands to cabin services in both domestic and international airlines in China. Actually, the earthshaking changes have taken place in Europe and America airlines, in which high-quality services are important but not easily accessible to every passenger in economy class. Only people who travel first or business classes can enjoy the circumspect services, which is an expensive deal.

I have taken not only economy class in such low-fare airlines as Air Asia, but also the first class in large airlines such as Air China and America Airlines. Generally speaking, the services in America Airlines vary depending on different classes. The service in economy class is crummy indeed, all you could get is drinkable water and food from an indifferent middle-aged woman who refuses to say one more word. The first class is entirely different, for instance, not long ago, I took a flight of America Airlines, and the stewardesses served passengers with champagne and hot towel for washing hands with affable smiles, though they were also not young. As for food, people had at least three options for main course for dinner, including Chinese-style red wine braised duck, which satisfied our taste. Also, passengers could choose Chilean red wine or Bordeaux wine at dinner and even a variety of dessert was offered ranging from ice cream and banana tarts to all kinds of cheese. In a word, they had just about everything you could wish for. By contrast, passengers in economy class may only be served with an economic meal –a bento, even a glass of beer is out of service. Nothing could be more “cheap and practical”. Hence, all these differences are caused by the gap between different tickets. The good service is paid by several times higher ticket fare.

People not only complain about the content of service but also the lack of courtesy and enthusiasm in cabin service. In contrast, China airlines have focused a lot of time and energy on this respect, those young and beautiful stewardesses redeemed companies’ reputation on service issues with their diligence and persistence.

Nowadays, in order to enjoy the circumspect and thoughtful services, a great deal of domestic tourists would choose first or business class. A friend of mine engages in ticket affairs, found an interesting phenomenon that a lot of family tourists also bought business class tickets, which was really prodigal. Interestingly,  among these lavish spender, Europeans and Americans were in majority, a lot of them even brought their children together. However, it is difficult to judge whether they are white-collar workers, CEO or business tycoons.

Different industries are constantly ranking their services to different grades and providing them to consumers according to customers’ different consuming capacities. For example, a large number of communication service providers, such as China Telecom, dividing their customers’ service fee into different levels, on this basis, providing people with a variety of privileges , from airport VIP room to many other special services. Today, the railway passenger transport offer people hard seat and soft seat. Hotels are ranked from three-star to five-star in order of luxury, banks provide customers with private banking or special financial services on the basis of their bank deposits. Such different levels of service ranked our folks to different grades. Those top-quality services need a generous sum to exchange, if we expect to enjoy the business-class services in economy class, it is worry over for nothing.
 
 
常听到人们抱怨美国各大航空公司的客舱服务水准差，空中小姐多是空嫂空奶级别，全无国内的空姐甜美笑容，对客人的要求亦爱搭不理，不似国内航空公司的有求必应。其实航空服务在三四十年代的美国也是有类似选美标准的高要求，空乘人员以六英寸笑闻名于世。这些都是工业化社会经济发展到一定阶段的产物，到上世纪八十年代初，乘飞机出行在美国已是日常生活中的一部分，于是对空乘类似选美的要求也不那么强烈，更何况还出现了如“人民航空”这类低票价航空公司。连机上空服人员能免即免，检票都是直接买了票到机舱前做，哪里还有人注意空姐的笑容。

中国的经济起飞是近二十年的事，乘飞机旅行算得生活中的大事。一张机票上千元，物有所值也得挽回一趟随叫随到的服务，能当上在空中端茶递水的空中小姐绝对称得上是人上人的工作，虽然和在地面餐馆的服务员工作并没有本质区别。由此，则造成了人们对空中服务的高标准严要求。国内如此，国外航班亦然，殊不知欧美航空公司乃是此一时彼一时的产物也。服务重要，但并非针对每个普通舱的客人。只有头等和商务舱享有不少国内客人期望的服务，但那是价格不菲的交易。

笔者的旅行经验属能上能下一类，乘过Air Asia航空公司这类几乎看不见空姐的廉价航空经济舱，也乘过从中华到美国航空这样的头等舱。总结下来。美国航空公司的服务并非一文不值，而是要看什么舱位。经济舱的服务水准确实不高，多位大妈大婶一脸木然送水送饭，多一个字都不肯讲。头等舱则全然不同，比如前不久乘美国航空，虽然同是空嫂空奶，但笑容可掬，按程序先是香槟，后是擦手热毛巾，一样也不缺。正餐起码有三种主菜可供选择，其中中式红酒烩鸭颇合余口味，晚餐有波尔多红酒和一款智利红酒，空乘不时问寒问暖。看是否需要酒水或咖啡，连餐后甜食也是多种多样选择多多，从冰激凌到香蕉蛋挞，各类奶酪应有尽有。相比之下，经济舱一份盒饭，连啤酒都免了，实在“实惠”的可以。如此说来，很有些嫌贫爱富之嘴脸，但那是高于普通经济舱数倍的价钱换来的。

当然有时人们抱怨的不只是服务的内容，也包括可否不那么吝啬的笑容或是一个问题的简单回答。相比之下，今天每天都大面积晚点的中国航空公司倒做的不差，那些年轻的空姐们仍以自己的勤奋努力挽回了些公司服务问题上的声誉。

现今为买到值得享受的服务，国内不少旅行者也全价购买头等舱或公务舱票出行。友人负责票务，见不少全家数日出游者也都悉数买全价公务舱票，可谓出手不凡，有意思的是，笔者所见的头等舱和公务舱客人以欧美居多。带着孩子的全家行也不少。只是看不出这些家人的身份是公司白领、CEO或是商家大款，很难判断。

不同行业都在不断以每个消费者的能力将优劣划分成不同等级提供给他们。比如中国电信等通讯服务提供商，就将每月使用服务费用的多少划分成不同级别，在此基础上提供从机场贵宾室到其它优惠的多类特别服务。今天铁路客运有硬座和软座之分。酒店有三星到五星。银行则以存款数额的多少为不同客人提供私人银行或特别理财服务。如此这般不同等级的服务，当然就把吾等百姓分出了三六九等。那些不同等级的服务是需要真金白银去换的，我们如果期望经济舱能享受商务舱的服务，那是自寻烦恼。