apeortdz

So I was flying Friday night in FC and there was no PDB ... no biggie. After the flight reached altitude, the FA (not a very happy one) asked me if I would like a drink. I said "I would like a screwdriver." She said "What?" I repeated "I would like a screwdriver, please." She looked at me like I was speaking Farsi and just gave me this weird ~what-are-you-talking-about~ look. So I said "You know, vodka and orange juice." So that is what she got for me. I thought this was very odd. I would think all FAs would know this common term.

Mykle

I'm not nearly as disturbed about a F/A not knowing what a screwdriver is than I am about not getting offered a PDB. PDB is part of the service standards.

These things won't change unless people write in to US Airways. Flight Attendants are largely unsupervised so unless we write in when service irregularities occur, it won't get fixed.

flight62

Believe it or not, f/a's are not taught all the nicknames of cocktails. While I do believe a screwdriver is the most common, if you don't drink and are new, you just may not know. He/she does now.

dcpatti

In my former career in restaurants/bars I had to teach many a rookie bartender what a screwdriver was, and that a bloody mary needed vodka in addition to the bloody mary mix. Worst was having to teach someone how to make a Jack and Coke. Chalk it up to the FA in this case not being a big drinker or not drinking screwdrivers, and just be glad they're not doing free-pours, because teaching someone the right pour is a lot harder than teaching someone the couple of ingredients. Let's not even talk about cape cods, greyhounds, madras....

aztimm

That's certainly fair, but rather than just look puzzled, the FA could have said something like, "I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with a screwdriver. Can you tell me what's in it?"

Back when I was in college, I was a poolside bartender for a summer. I wasn't (and am even less of one now) much of a drinker, and people would sometimes order the most difficult drinks. I wasn't afraid to ask them what was in it, and given that I worked from just a cabana next to a pool, I didn't have a ton of stuff to work with (I had to cart everything out and back myself every day). So even if I couldn't give them exactly what they wanted, after I found out what was in it, I could usually make something close.
And I never just looked blankly at someone when they ordered something I didn't know.
I did however get some great tips ^

Unterwegs

I would guess the FA knew what a screwdriver is. But usually they don't provide chainsaw, hammers and screwdrivers to passengers.

cwe84

I will just offer a caution on the new ExpressFirst flights. especially Republic we have a lot of F/A's that are not familiar with the street names of cocktails. Many of us have been mentoring on various types of drinks but its hard to teach someone who doest drink about the various attributes of alcohol.

Also some cocktails or mixers are refered to different things in different parts of the country. In South Florida and parts of the New York Metro area a High ball is a scotch and soda. Scotch and soda to some people could be a jack and coke and some a Glen and seltzer. Some call it a fizz or a spritzer.

i cant comment on how the F/A responded and as other have said there are better ways to ask about how/what you would like.

dcpatti

Wow, tough and unforgiving crowd here. Sometimes for all of us, even something basic just doesn't "click." I couldn't for the life of me remember what to call an "over easy egg" yesterday when ordering breakfast and I looked at the waitress the same way my dog looks at the TV when there's a weird noise on it. Having had more than one Blank Stare moment of my own, I'm not too judgemental of someone who has one too. Remember, these are flight attendants, not cocktail waitresses. If the FA gave a blank stare when asked where the seatbelt was or the flotation device, I'd probably have been pretty upset. But when asked for a cocktail which shares the name of a tool which is probably banned by the TSA, if she needed a few moments to figure out the request, I don't see any harm committed.

HereAndThereSC

I think the word "screwdriver" for a vodka + OJ is a pretty old word, I'm not sure a whole lot of younger people know what it is.

Next time, try ordering an old fashioned in a bar

HTSC

steve64

An F/A not knowing the name of even a common, simple drink wouldn't phase me (though I wonder that surely I was the 1st person to order such a thing from this person). But the odd reaction is what would get me.

On the other hand, lets put things into a different (hypothetical) context...
Right before departure, a mechanic was in the galley making a simple repair. He reaches into his tool-belt and notices his screwdriver is missing. He asks the F/A & Cockpit, no they don't have a screwdriver. He gets on his walkie-talkie and all this urgent talk about getting a screwdiver out to the plane so that they don't take a delay for such an insignificant repair.
Then, only 30 minutes later, one of the passengers also wants a screwdriver
The human mind doesn't "multi-task" as easily as we'd like to think. Many times, its perception is biased on recent events.

beltway

Good thing you didn't ask for a Long Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall....
That's easy: ,,gewendetes Spiegelei''.

FlyIgglesFly

6 count...done. Unless they're a good tipper, then 7-8 count, if the boss isn't watching.

brobab

Was in a bar/restaurant the other day and a patron ordered a Rob Roy. There were at least 13 people at the bar including the bartender all under age 30. 13 people all looked it up on their smart phones. It was even more interesting to hear them all talking about "What in the heck are bitters?"!

PHLGovFlyer

Somehow I think this thread (and the op's experience) would have been very different if he asked the bartending challenged FA for sex on the beach.

beachbrew

post of the year