Originally Posted by
jackal
I read an interview with a flight attendant somewhere recently (probably linked from somewhere on FT, or maybe someone posted it on Facebook or a blog or something), but one comment that stood out to me was that, on American carriers at least, the senior FAs prefer to work the coach cabin as it's much less demanding and so usually bid that and leave the person with the lowest seniority up front.
That's an interesting contrast to the foreign carriers, which usually have a pay differential for working the F cabin, so on those carriers, the most senior crewmembers typically serve up front. Hmm...wonder why the service is often better on those airlines.
This has been a long standing practice on U.S. carriers. I logged a lot of First Class miles back in the seventies when there was a greater emphasis on quality inflight service, both from the standpoint of providing it as well as expectations from passengers who actually PAID for the right to sit in First Class and expected good return on their investment. Just as a stewardess could be disciplined back then for not meeting weight standards, one could also be disciplined for not doing the job well. The crews who worked First Class back then – both young and veteran – were uniformly excellent.
My point with all this is that given the way First Class is marketed, there's really no excuse for
any flight attendant - new or old - to not be able to provide an efficient and proper service in either cabin by the time they're finished with their training.
After all, even though the majority of people sitting up front on U.S. carriers are there via upgrade, they are generally comprised of the airline's best and most loyal customers who've earned that perk.
Corporate management has to be aware of the practice of senior FAs preferring to work in the main cabin, but I doubt they're overly concerned. These days the real emphasis is on making money and operating a safe flight, not service.
That said, as I was sitting in coach on a half full plane yesterday fanning myself due to the 85 degree heat in Fairbanks, an FA who'd noted my apparent discomfort took it upon herself to bring me a glass of ice water as we sat on the tarmac. Nice!
There's still plenty of good service out there on Alaska Airlines, which only tends to put a real glare on those few individuals who either haven't yet learned how to provide an efficient and proper service or can't be bothered.