From the category archives:

Attendant & Pilot Stories

I’m in the back of coach, on Singapore Airlines from Colombo to Singapore, sleeping. Suddenly, I was being pushed. I opened my eyes to see an SQ blue girl (most junior) above me. Her statement “just tidying up the wrapper for your blanket, sorry to wake you.” I didn’t sleep the rest of the flight.

I’m in seat 31H, on Singapore Airlines, from Newark to Singapore, sleeping, 31JK empty. All of a sudden, my seat was banged heavily. I thought a trolley had crashed into me. But no – it was an SQ red girl (2nd most senior) in front of me. I asked what she’s doing. She said putting away my TV. I asked why. She said I had fallen asleep watching TV. What the heck? I do that every night! Didn’t sleep the rest of flight.

This has happened a couple of other times on SQ. Perhaps it’s the Singapore custom or SQ rules to tidy-up, but please girls, tidying up is a nonsensical reason to wake us. Be a little more like UA, AA, DL on the Asia routes where the flight attendants are very senior and spend their time resting in the galley ignoring passengers. In other words, do not disturb.

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I want to start off by saying that after flying over 2 million miles in the past 20 years, that 99.9% of the flight attendants that I have flown with were fantastic professionals who deserve our respect and admiration for doing a tough job. However, once in a while you get one with a really bad attitude and you have to take action.

On a transatlantic flight from Rome to JFK last year during the initial beverage service, my flight attendant dropped a Coke in my lap. She kinda laughed when it happened. She handed me a single napkin, which was not enough to soak up an entire Coke from my clothing and when I asked for more napkins she got indignant. And she was not apologetic about it.

So a little while later when walking around the cabin with a water and coffee tray, she managed to splash my head with water. By this time, I had pretty much determined that it was not an accident. After the food service, while she was going through the cabin picking up trays, I decided it was time to take action. I “accidentally” dumped my tray and drink all over her when I handed if off. I had no more problems from her for the rest of the flight.

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In 1988 fresh out of college, I decided I wanted to work for the airlines so I could see the world.  So, I went to the International Air Academy in St. Louis to learn the trade.  After three months at the trade school, I went to work for Braniff Airlines in Kansas City, MO. (MCI).

This was the second incarnation of Braniff, after the first bankruptcy.  Many of my co-workers had worked for the original Braniff for 20+ years.  And, these people were some of the most dedicated, hard working people I had ever met.  Most were company people all the way.

I was paid $6.25 per hour.  $12,000.00 per year!  The flight benefits were fantastic.  But, I couldn’t afford cabs, hotels or amusements at any destination, so seeing the world thing didn’t work out quite the way I had hoped.

We were members of the Teamsters Union for some reason.  And, yes I noticed many people taking advantage of the union membership… sleeping in our break room, moving slowly, etc… And, many got away with laziness.

However, we were still held to a different standard than many airline employees today, in dress, appearance and manner in which we could treat the customers.  I saw many people that were written up for shirts being untucked, or for being rude to customers.  Three write-ups and you were terminated.  And, many were fired.

Anyway, several anecdotes:

1) Still amazed at the memory of working the gate, and the number of people who would run up to the gate yelling, “hold the plane”!  Really?  They expected me to call back the plane.  Inconvenience the 180 people on the 727 that made it on time, for the convenience of one who overslept?  Of course, being customer service minded, I would tell the customer, let me see what I can do.  So, I would fake call the station manager… only for the fake station manager to say, sorry the fake FAA will not allow us to pull the plane back to the gate.

2) Amazed at the number of people who would threaten to sue because of a late flight, cancelled flight, mechanical or inclement weather.  Being a young, inexperienced kid, this scared me the first time.  These people were going to sue Braniff, the airport, the city and me personally… they were going to take my $6.25 per hour!  However, after the hundredth threat of being sued… I learned these were just blowhards.  And, while I would be polite to them.  I would inwardly laugh at their ignorance.

3)  I remember the lady whose sister had died in Los Angeles.  She made a reservation via phone.  But, got to the airport and no flights were leaving because of inclement weather.  She insisted that we make an exception in her case and let the plane leave.  I apologized profusely, called other airlines to see if they had flights to no avail.  I called our lead, and he had me sit with her for two hours until her flight finally scheduled to leave… bringing her coffee and food from the Host International Cafe.  I wonder if airlines would still do this today?

4) Remember this was 1988, I was a kid.  A flight was delayed due to a mechanical.  This gentlemen says he will lose his company if he doesn’t make this meeting.  He asks me to fax a proposal for him.  I think what the heck is a fax?  I called my lead, who calls our station manager, Braniff does not have a fax.  I call a buddy at Southwest.  Southwest does not have a fax, but he says TWA does.  So, I call TWA, walk the passenger to the TWA ops office, and look at the fax machine dumbfoundedly.  And, a secretary has to show us how to use it!

Not flights from hell but pleasant musings anyway.

Jim

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I am a retired United FA and boy, do I have stories… from a baby croc stashed in a carry-on from Florida (that escaped onboard and bit some ankles), to a stow-away in the crew bunk room from London to San Fran (he was Hungarian and could only translate through drawing stick figures that he was coming to the US to find his son), to the 1st-time-flier-at-the-age-of-80 that thought the wing tip lights were alien spacecraft, to witnessing a Royal Princess get plowed drunk and ’service.’

Some fellow 1st class pax, to being spat on by a pax that did not like his seat on a 35-minute flight (he was thusly ’serviced’ himself, by one ME), to the EXTREMELY cool stuff like meeting Colin Powell and his wife (I have never witnessed such poise, charm, and genuine class in my life).

Flying is a crap shoot and can be a treat or a nightmare so words of advice… pee before boarding, pack a sandwich, grant yourself tons of extra cushion time and KNOW… every airline has delays, so if you are dying to get wherever, then you should have left the day before!!!

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The Bag Of Barf

January 8, 2010 Attendant & Pilot Stories

I’ve had a lot of bad flying experiences in my life but only one of them ever had to do with the flight crew which honestly was the worst experience I’ve had. It was on a 5am flight from Alberta, Canada back home to Minnesota. I was with my best friend with her mom and sister sitting [...]

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FA Fails To Communicate

January 7, 2010 Attendant & Pilot Stories

There is a certain nationally known advocate for the deaf who frequently travels the country giving lectures on behalf of deaf awareness and bridging the gap between hearing people and the deaf community. On a recent trip she was sitting in her seat writing emails on her Blackberry waiting for departure. The flight attendants gave [...]

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Request For Assistance Leads To Insult

December 28, 2009 Attendant & Pilot Stories

I am certain that most of you have stories worse than mine, but I felt that those of you who have never flown with American Airlines in the southwestern United States should be warned.
It was December 2003, airlines were hemorrhaging money, and you would expect that customer service would be a priority. Apparently, not. I [...]

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The Popsicle Eating Pilot

December 24, 2009 Attendant & Pilot Stories

This flight wasn’t really hellish, just funny.
When I was in college in Ohio in the ’80’s, I would fly home to Connecticut for Christmas via La Guardia to our local small airport. The now-defunct airline that I took from LGA to Connecticut was called Pilgrim Airlines, and they flew a fleet of small turboprops; Twin [...]

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Champagne Flight

December 18, 2009 Attendant & Pilot Stories

We were on a “champagne flight” from Newark to Jamaica, where they offer everyone a glass of champagne, along with a nice meal. My husband was seated near the window, I was in the middle, and our son was on the aisle seat. The first thing we observed was, as one of the attendants opened [...]

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Orders To Disembark Fall On Deaf Ears

December 16, 2009 Attendant & Pilot Stories

My wife and I decided to take our kids, ages 1 and 4, to Las Vegas for a vacation. When trying to book the flights we could not get a direct flight back from Vegas to NY. Speaking with the Northwest reservation agent, she suggested we take a red eye flight that had a stop over [...]

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