Friendly Skies

Excellent discussion. On a Frontier flight from Denver to Cancun my sister in law and I were seated in the bulkhead seats. These F/A's were so much fun. We had brought sandwiches on board, not knowing that on this flight we would be fed. The F/A's had more fun teasing us. They brought out the wraps and were trying to trade - "Let's Make a Deal" style! Before long the front 5 or 6 rows were all involved in trading silly things for 'better' silly things. We didn't even notice when we crossed into Mexico and the direct tv went off!!!

Thank you to ALL Flight Attendants. If you are cranky I know it is because one of us made you that way.

Flying Lufthansa from LAX to our layover in Frankfort was amazing.. the F/A's walked up and down the aisels the entire time keeping us hydrated and pampered..They didn't' rest til it was "light's out time" after the movies and midnight snack. Never caught them yawning or frowning or looking like they were having anything but a great time. How DO they do it??

I agree I just came back from Germany on Lufthansa. F/A were wonderful and so was the comfy plane in economy no less.

Well, this tale is more of heroism of one flight attendant. I was on SW air flying from BWI to SJC with a stop in Phoenix. Not too far into the trip, we started to decend, then we landed. Where where we? Amarillo. Why? An obnoxiously drunk person in the last row. The back door opened, 2 FBI agents halled him off. He was attempted to smoke on the plane, the flight attendent threatened to spray him with the fire extinguisher, and when he started getting physical with her, the pilot decided to take action. About 45 minutes later, we were off to Phoenix and then on the SJC. No one missed their connection and all of us got a free ticket on SW anywhere they fly. I wonder what that guy thought when he woke up in jail in Texas when he thought he ws in SJ.

I have often heard the comment that we (F/A's) "make it look so easy". I think this was actually a compliment...

Sometimes the "Friendly Skies" aren't so friendly, let's be honest. We all can get fusterated spending long hours stuck in a cramped, long, skinny metal tube which propels us from one end of the globe to another. Add to that delays, Medical emergencies, mechanicals, uncooperative seatmates, personal stress factors and Air Rage, which is very real...

Although passenger service is perhaps our most visible role, it is actually less than 10% of our overall responsibility.

Long before pax set foot on board, we have made it safe for you to do so. Pre-flight safety inspections have been conducted, special briefings, and a whole host of other safety related duties have been cross-checked and confirmed.

The primary role of the Flight Crew, is to ensure the SAFETY and SECURITY of all passengers on board the aircraft. We are the First Responders at 30,000ft.

I REALLY had to do dig through the nether-regions of my memory banks to find at least one instance when a flight attendant made a flight experience at least an adequate experience. Most have been just slightly below fair.

However, I thought of one KLM experience not too long ago. My wife and I were flying from Milan to Amsterdam. Flying over the Alps her sinuses swelled up so badly that she started crying from the pain. I thought she was going to pass out. I called a flight attendant and asked him for some chewing gum. It took him a few minutes to realize what I was asking for (cultural differences from what I could tell) and then he came back with a piece for her. It helped a little.

I had another experience where I had food poisoning. I was flying by myself on a Delta flight. The attendants gave me all of the free ginger ale they could muster, and (bless their hearts) sanitized one of the bathrooms after I had to rush into one. I cleaned up for them, but they had to sanitize it.

Hey Jarrod.. thanks for "digging." Happy threads are much better than the complaining ones..Maybe that F/A will read this and knows how much you appreciate their extra help.

Keep those stories coming! You are sure to entertain, not to mention give all the crew members out there a little boost!

Many a passenger has brightened the crews' day. You can be fascinating! We have a lot in common! Your tips and recommendations are always appreciated!

There is NEVER a dull moment!

I'm not trying to gripe here, because I know we're not here to do that in this thread. I'm only bringing up a discussion point.

There seems to be a disconnect of expectations from passenger to flight attendant. It seems as though passengers expect flight attendants to cater to their needs. And flight attendants aren't trained to be maids or nurses except when absolutely necessary. I am not blaming anyone for anything.

The best way to deal with expectation gaps is to educate people. So perhaps airlines could do a better job of educating the public on the true role of the flight attendant, and the passengers need to be open to be educated.

Jarrod, I agree with you, but we are reminded each flight we take that the crew is there primarily for our "safety". The pilot tells us that and also the lead flight attendant (sorry, I don't remember what the correct term is for that person).

I feel bad when I see flight attendants having to sell the headsets, push duty free purchases, and deal with unhappy people. Having to tend to a hundred or more passengers for hours has got to be tiring. I respect and admire each and every one of them.

Just got a private message. A poster asked me if I could post an example, as an off duty passenger.

How about Flight Attendant as Rescuer? Quick and skillful response to choking perhaps saved the life of my seatmate. He couldn't speak and was grasping his throat! No one seemed to know what to do. (Or at least they weren't stepping up to do it!) I was further down the aisle sandwiched behind the trolly. I saw it first hand but couldn't respond for that reason.

The F/A took action without hesitation. To him, it was no big deal, routine, but to this passenger, it was a BIG deal!

once upon a time, and in a land far away, I was young and just real cute.. I was flying from Dallas to Las Vegas and on board were some of my heros from the 1972 Superbowl..I went into the "vacant" and pretended to be locked in, Coming to my rescue was the one and only Larry Csonka !!He filled the doorway and my heart!! Have been a Dolphin fan ever since!

I couldn't agree more! Perhaps if passengers are more aware of our role and responsibility we will all enjoy a safer and more pleasant experience at 30,000!
I would be more than pleased to educate the traveling public on who's who in the zoo and what we do and do not do. Perhaps at some point in time I will start a thread.

So often people see Flight Attendants portrayed on television sitcoms and although this might be entertaining, it is not reality.

In my Grandmother's day, "Stewardesses" were in fact Nurses. Perhaps this is why we are still primarily seen as caregivers to some extent.

The "Lead Flight Attendant" can be called "Incharge", "Inflight Service Director", "Flight Director", "ISM(In-Flight Service Manager)". Or just call me "Queen Bee" (a bit of humour...)

Okay, so I'm supposed to be WORKING, but I have to agree with the poster regarding FRONTIER airlines. I think they encourage their F/A's to be a little bit silly, and it makes the flight much more enjoyable.

The last time I flew to Phoenix from Denver, the takeoff "safety lecture" included such items such as "and in case you've been living in a cave for the past 40 years, this is how you buckle a seat belt", and my favorite, "in the unlikely event we find a large body of water to land in during our flight to Phoenix, be advised that your seat cushion can be used as a floation device. In which case you may keep it, as our gift".
Probably the only time I've listed to the "safety lecture" in the past 15 years!!

Hey Jayne.. You sound like a person I would love to get to know.. a sense of the silly and that's always a good thing. Flying can be a grim thing for some folks ( like me) I'm not quite white knuckled.. but it's really and truly not my favorite means of transportation... I bury my head in a book..take an Ambien CR and try not to be too obnoxious about wings being attached correctly and "how can such a big thing like this stay up?" I think FRONTIER has a grand idea, Keep you entertained and your mind off the fact that you are 30,000 feet in the air and you're puffing up like a blow fish from all that cabin pressure.. You can't drink alcohol coz you KNOW what happens when you mix alcohol and Ambien. ( well you really don't because you're unconscious .. but other people do and InterPol will be contacted immediatley) So yeah.. hey F/A's let's add "floor show" to your already over extended list of things to do during an International flight.

How 'bout some of those great lines you hear once in a while - love the humor stuff!

I know I've heard a bunch, but can only remember a couple.

When landing, after touching down and while braking, one FA got on the speaker and said "whoooaaaa, whoooaaaa Nellie".

Another time, after we'd stopped, the FA was giving us the "get off the plane" speech and after he reminded us to be careful when opening the overhead compartments "because, as you know, shift happens".

I love it when they joke and crack me up! :)

You've reminded me of the old PSA airlines that flew up and down the west coast. Those flight attendants were great. I remember one guy was wearing alien "attenas" on his head the whole flight. I couldn't get my peanut bag open and he made such a production out of helping me that he had the surrounding rows in on it. I think I gave him a hug when I deboarded. I miss those days.

I really enjoy when a pilot tells you some of the sights we fly over. One time, he tipped the wing a bit to give one side of the plane a better look.

I was on a flight last year (forgot which airline) where the pilot and co-pilot where father and son. It's was the Dad's last day on the job - he was retiring. We were invited to say good luck as we left the plane. It was really quite touching.

Can't wait to get up in the sky again. Guess that will be next week when I head to Providenciales.

:-)

Rave for the cabin crew on a 6 a.m. Horizon Air flight from Medford to Seattle; instead of the usual robotic safety lecture-pantomime, they showed some wit, imagination and even choreography, and on the run in to the gate after landing, advised us to "Please refrain from smoking ... for the rest of your life!"

I can recall some "Front End" humour on a flight from LIS-YYZ Lisbon to Toronto.
A brand new Movie theatre had just been built at the intersections of two major HWYS not far from the airport we were flying into. It is shaped like a large silver spaceship with bright red flashing lights on the oustide.

We were stuck in a holding pattern and were circling for what felt like a long time. There were a lot of first time flyers on board, first-timers to Canada and some from the rural Colonies who were brand new to Air Travel.

Our Captain made reference to the "Large silver UFO" blocking the HWY, out the right side of the aircraft. He warned everyone not to all risk looking out of the right windows all at once, so not to "tip" the aircraft.
He said we were stuck in a holding pattern until we were cleared to land!
You wouldn't believe the open mouths peeking out the window in disbelief! He played it up REALLY well! The crew played along, too!

Sitting on a seat in an airplane all night, flying across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, with black windows, is not my favorite part of a trip to Europe: I would prefer to be sleeping on my bed at home. I always appreciate a flight attendant who has a sense of humor. Recently on a DELTA Airlines flight across the Atlantic ocean to Europe at night, I was not able to sleep. I really needed to sleep, because I slept only two hours the night before. At 2:20 a.m. I walked to the rear of the airplane (a Boeing 767). The flight attendants were standing there, they did not have any work to do at that time. One of the flight attendants was a man from Thailand, he is friendly and jovial. I said "I am not able to sleep". He pretended that he was hypnotizing me. He looked at me, and said in a calm voice "You are getting sleepy", as he moved his hand to the right and to the left in from of my eyes. It was effective : my stress vanished, and I felt calm and sleepy.