Flew AA292 ORD-DEL in coach leaving July 2. Some observations:
While the airplane was on the taxiway at ORD, a number of people got up and went to the bathroom, opened the overhead bins, etc. No FA made any move to stop them. Instead there was an announcement in rapid English about how one should not do this. It was quite generic, and it sounded like any old announcement. I would guess most violators didn't understand American English delivered at that speed, or didn't realize it was relevant. Later in the flight I asked an FA why announcements were in English only. He said English was one of India's official languages (true, although not American-accented English, and in any case it is not the national language) and so AA had chosen English. European airlines flying to India always have one FA who speaks a relevant language; AA does not. No doubt this saves ****loads of money.
There was no separate drinks service. Food and drinks were served immediately after takeoff. No doubt this saves ****loads of money. (I have posted separately about the "shelf-stable" meal. The mention of "freshly-prepared salad" in the generic menu they handed out was probably an indication that nothing else would be fresh.)
Immediately after the meal we received a "bistro bag". Not a bad idea in principle, since this is a 15-hr flight and some people will be sleeping and won't want to be woken up for a mid-flight meal. But what it contained was not very edible (package of Ruffles, a synthetic-cheese-and-stale-veg wrap that had taken quite a pounding over the years and had adopted a compacted irregular shape, and so forth).
Then the FAs vanished for most of the flight, leaving one to guard the fort. When my Significant Other (who is white) got up to go to the toilet and passed the FA on duty, he looked at her and rolled his eyes slightly and said "Welcome to India".
In general, I know one cannot expect beautiful or handsome or even pleasant FAs any more, but this was the most unhappy collection of AA FAs I have seen in a long time. Even those in business class were far from the cream of the crop. Presumably this flight is a hardship posting.
Before landing we got breakfast (naturally, since it was now evening local time). The Indian choice was again a shelf-stable meal, so I chose the omlette, which was edible. There was no separate drinks service.
So overall, it was not a great flight. I assume that because there is no competition on this route, AA runs it as cheaply as possible. On the return we flew BA from CCU to LHR, and they served the same three meals on an "only"-10-hour flight. All meals tasted like actual food. The FAs were quite aggressive in enforcing safety rules, in particular they were very alert and watchful during takeoff and landing. We continued on AA to ORD, and while the food was not great, there were personable and pleasant FAs and separate drinks services and not quite the same feeling of being in steerage. But AA has competition on the transatlantic sector.
Last edited by kalia960; Jul 23, 07 at 3:13 pm.
Reason: changed a scatological analogy at mod's request
The quality of the FAs on a flight has nothing to do with AA's competition on that flight. FAs ask ("bid" in airline lingo) for the flights they want. Requests are honored in order of seniority. DEL flights are desirable to many FAs because they give them in much of a month's flying hours in relatively few days. As a result, they tend to be staffed by the most senior FAs. Many of these folks are true professionals whom it's a real pleasure to fly with, but some are just putting in time to retirement. Those who have enough seniority to work DEL flights include a disproportionately large fraction of this group. The same applies to most other airlines, indeed to most other professions, but that doesn't make it easier to take when it happens to you!
While the airplane was on the taxiway at ORD, a number of people got up and went to the bathroom, opened the overhead bins, etc. No FA made any move to stop them. Instead there was a general announcement in rapid English about how one should not do this. It was quite generic, and it sounded like any old announcement. I would guess most violators didn't understand English delivered at that speed, or didn't realize it was relevant.
Kalia - LOL. Wait till you take the return leg of your itinerary. On landing at ORD, people will start getting up, taking their bags from the overheads and walk over to the door and wait for the aircraft to reach the gate. Oh, and for the ten minutes prior to landing, people will be in and out of the restrooms too.
Kalia: Welcome to AA
I do not think this kind of service is limited to just AA... you'll find
same/similar service on most US based airlines with long haul international
routes. I'd say your flight was not so bad to be honest. I've seen worse...
I should make clear that I do fly AA intl coach a certain amount, mostly to Europe. My trips to India have previously all been AA+BA via LHR. This was my first nonstop to DEL. However, I have flown to NRT on AA, most recently last year. Those flights, while nothing special, were comparable to Europe flights in food, service and general tone, and not at all like the DEL flight.
I'm quite used to the service on U.S. based airlines, but whenever I fly on an international carrier I'm often reminded that the USA doesn't set the standard for gracious in-flight service.
There are many terrific senior FAs out there, so don't get me wrong. Some of them are efficient and jaded. Others are more friendly. A few downright dislike their jobs. In any case, it is quite clear that on long-haul international routes, we get the most experienced crews.
On many international airlines, they select crews that are young, attractive, and eager. Actually, it was interesting to read an article on a Asian airline about how they were recruiting attractive female stewardesses (I believe there was an age limit too). Applicants were to send a full body photograph. They also had FA beauty pageants. If selected, FAs were off on an amazing new adventure that you simply couldn't get back at home. I guess this is definitely NOT the U.S..
Actually, it was interesting to read an article on a Asian airline about how they were recruiting attractive female stewardesses (I believe there was an age limit too). Applicants were to send a full body photograph.
Unfortunately, what you describe (choosing female applicants based on their looks and body shape is very prevalent outside the U.S..
FA's a probably a lot sweeter, kinder, gentler, prettier at the beginning of a 15-hour flight than at the end of one.
I think it's the opposite. After serving the meal, the FA's seem to disappear into the mid cabin sleep chamber with bunk beds. By the time the plane lands, they are probably the most rested people on the plane.
< When my Significant Other (who is white) got up to go to the toilet and passed the FA on duty, he looked at her and rolled his eyes slightly and said "Welcome to India".>
This bothers me...why did the FA have to do that? Was it racial? Since she was white, he was trying to make a point? Does this bother anyone else?
< When my Significant Other (who is white) got up to go to the toilet and passed the FA on duty, he looked at her and rolled his eyes slightly and said "Welcome to India".>
This bothers me...why did the FA have to do that? Was it racial? Since she was white, he was trying to make a point? Does this bother anyone else?
I would interpret it as a bigoted comment on the part of the FA. I hope the OP or his SO took the time to report this intolerable behavior to AA management.
I would interpret it as a bigoted comment on the part of the FA. I hope the OP or his SO took the time to report this intolerable behavior to AA management.
Well, perhaps not bigoted in the "against a group of people" sense, but certainly disparaging against a country and culture. Whatever the FA's opinion about India, it definitely should not have been voiced in an uninvited manner.
After reading your posts, I'm just not clear what your expectations were for this flight. The ORD-DEL route has an 87% load factor. Airfares to India have always been artificially high so we know it has to be a significant moneymaker for AA. As such, I doubt AA takes this route for granted.
If you were this unhappy, you really should write to AA. I'm sure they would appreciate hearing from you -- especially if the FAs weren't performing up to standards or making disparaging comments. Your idea of having at least one FA that speaks an Indian language is a good one. Perhaps you can even suggest the one language they should speak out of the over two dozen languages spoken in India.
If you want beautiful FAs, fly airlines that originate from countries that have no equal employment laws to protect their citizens. You also shouldn't make assumptions abut what happened in the J cabin unless you were there or have corroborating evidence. I've flown this route in J several times and while the crews have consisted of "senior" FAs, the service has always been impeccable. One FA even gave me a bottle of wine from F as I was getting off the plane.
My general approach to interacting with FAs is that if you treat them with respect they will treat you in kind and will most likely kick it up a notch or two.
I don't mean for my post to be combative but did AA do anything right on this flight except for providing an "edible" omelet -- the same omelet you probably would have gotten if you were flying to any other overnight international destination out of ORD?
If you want beautiful FAs, fly airlines that originate from countries that have no equal employment laws to protect their citizens.
I never suggested that FAs needed to look good, in fact I made clear that this cannot be expected today. I do expect them to have a generally positive attitude, and to not be burned out. In general these expectations are met on AA flights, just not on this one.
Quote:
You also shouldn't make assumptions abut what happened in the J cabin unless you were there or have corroborating evidence.
I was in row 23 and had a clear view of the J cabin. Not quite as good as being there, but I could see that the FAs looked tired and weren't smiling much.
Quote:
I don't mean for my post to be combative but did AA do anything right on this flight except for providing an "edible" omelet -- the same omelet you probably would have gotten if you were flying to any other overnight international destination out of ORD?
They got us there, they did not crash. Clearly I should have explicitly acknowledged that. Oh, and our luggage came out very quickly, a miracle for Delhi.
