Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Happiest Place on Earth~ Mickey's Home: ORLANDO, SUNNY FLORIDA!
Programs: #1 Delta, National, Marriott #2 American, Hertz, Hilton
Posts: 125
Thank you!
My philosophy with most things is this:
"Expect the best, prepare for the worst and be happy with the outcome no matter what it is~ unless that is, you have the ability to change it."
With that said, I would like to express my most heartfelt and sincere gratitude to the airline professionals, especially the flight crew. Of course the ground crew have their share of disgruntled passengers (ever watch "Airline" on A&E?), delays and inexperienced travelers, that they have to deal with. But, the other night when my flight was supposed to depart at 8:30 P.M. from JFK, but left the gate at 9:30 P.M. and was airborne at 11:30 P.M. arriving in Orlando at 2:15 A.M., I was exhausted, but more than anything else I felt incredible sympathy for the flight crew. The Captain of the plane came out at least twice in person and several times over the P.A. before take- off apologizing profusely for the delay. It was not his fault, there was a terrible thunder storm and half the flights had been canceled, besides this was JFK. I was glad just to be sitting on a plane. He had absolutely no control over the situation. He was making the most of a negative circumstance dealt by Mother Nature. The rest of the flight attendants had just flown in from San Francisco and were exhausted. They did not have comfortable seats to sit on, nor could they sit back and relax. They had to serve the passengers drinks and snacks. Next thing you know, the passengers were complaining that the front of the plane was hot but the back was freezing (B757 E). I cheered the crew up by saying "Is the plane experiencing Menopause?" At least, they got to move around. The Captain and the First Officer had to endure the entire arduous flight stuck in the cockpit.
I know it's their chosen profession, but for someone who flies as much as they do, I felt nothing but total sympathy and ultimate gratitude for what they do for me every time I fly. Most of the time, they don't even have time off and have to fly back or fly to a different destination. And, if my flight attendant friend informed me correctly, flight crew only get paid from the time the doors close to the time the doors open on a plane. They don't get paid for between-flight-times.
So, since we are discussing "positive thinking", I would like to thank the Airline Staff for making my job a little bit more bearable. And a reminder to fellow frequent and non-frequent travelers; Treat your flight crew with respect and kindness since (God forbid) in case of emergency, THEY are the ones that will be saving your derriers!
On a personal note, couple of months ago I was flying back from Los Angeles to Orlando on a B767. I had a window seat and next to me was a young man. Across from the aisle was a little Chinese boy who was probably no older than 7 and his grandfather. A few minutes later a young lady boarded and spoke to the young man next to me in Spanish. It turns out that the airline had put her husband next to me and the wife in the middle seat of the center row. Of course, they wanted to sit next to each other. There is another twist. The little Chinese boy kept on pointing to my window seat and was talking to his grandfather in Chinese. I do not speak Chinese but it was obvious he wanted to sit in the window seat. Mind you, Los Angeles to Orlando is at least 5+ hours not counting ground time. I dread sitting in a middle seat, especially on a cross country flight but I was the only solution. I asked the young man if he wanted to sit with his wife and he replied "yes". I asked the grandfather if the grandson wanted the window seat, and he replied "yes".
So, the Chinese boy sat in my seat, the grandfather next to him, the husband and wife in the center aisle sitting together and I sat in the middle seat of the center aisle between 2 complete strangers (turns out they both worked for a competitor company of mine and both wanted aisle seats). Here is the final twist, this was a red eye. Some of you reading this would say, no way in hell would I give up a window or an aisle seat on a cross continent red eye, but I made the little boy happy, his grandfather happy and the newly married couple happy. My little sacrifice was totally worth the happiness of the other four passengers. They were more than grateful and that was the only reward I needed.
My point is this. Traveling to and from Orlando, I see a lot of families that get split up. A lot of times, I see people who are more than willing to swap seats, but I also see people who simply refuse to move to a different seat. These families are starting or ending a wonderful vacation and if a person can swap seats and make their vacation a little bit more memorable it would be totally worth the little inconvenience. So, that being said, I thank those who gladly swap seats and I ask those who don't to kindly reconsider when this happens to you next time.
Safe Travels!
Last edited by Fly-Me-to-the-Moon!; Jul 26, 2008 at 7:39 pm