[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

I don't know whether Gromit's concern arises from a case of not enough specifics, or are we into a situation where we're arguing with Barney Frank's dining room table?

That's what happens when you fly US carriers... they have lost any incentive to compete on service or quality

Taken in its entirety, this statement could, easily, be taken to mean that flying with a US carrier means poor cabin and ground service. I really don't think a reasonable person would see this as an afront to all Americans. To some degree, yes, this statement COULD be taken to reflect poorly upon crews. That a few flight attendents get their kicks by acting like jerks is not the problem. The problem is how airline managements deal with this group of misfits, and respond (or DON'T respond) to the public about them. One US airline executive (forgot which one) spoke about some of his competition having a philosophy of "disposable customers." If an airline is thinking this way, then is given Jim's label, who's fault is that??

The sad truth, Gromit, is that you'd probably have to go to sub-Saharan Africa to find airlines with a poorer service product than some US-based airlines.