Why obsess getting into AA first class?
Jun 15, 2006, 2:17 pm
#76
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 52
Originally Posted by JDiver
Maybe you jumped before putting on your huaraches, or just had a bad flight? (Or, is the availability of beer the measure you use for airlines?
Until I can get a decent form of brew on an airline, I certainly won't even bother.)
I just recently completed a round trip (SMF-DFW-MIA return) on the common measure of airline service, four very over-booked and full mid-cons, and they certainly were different than yours, for the large part.
June 10, 2006:
AA 1102 SMF-DFW (MD-80): Pre-departure drinks, coat pickup, friendly service, cereal or omelet breakfast properly served, coffee, juice and water refills offered, after-meal activity in cabin.
AA 436 DFW-MIA (777): Even friendlier welcome aboard, pre-departure drinks and refills offered, coats picked up, wine and nuts with refills, meals served with offers for refills on beverages, good FA presence throughout.
June 14:
AA 805 (757): Pre-departure beverages, coat service, friendliness, beverages and nuts with refills offered, meals well served, good cabin presence.
AA 1951 (MD-80): This dodgy exception included no pre-departure beverages, coats picked up from some, others not asked nor retrieved from, both FAs in uniform with wings but no pins or name badges (that certainly assures no names will be named...) This flight was no busier, or different in any noticeable way, at loading than the three others. Beverages offered, only once - nuts came a bit later, and refills were offered from a wine glass. Dinner was served immediately after the seat belt sign went off, rushed, and not FEBO, so those at the back of the cabin were joked with ("You didn't get what you wanted at home when you were a kid, either.") Seated in 5F my seatmate and I were served last - yes, after 6E and F, people to whom the FA seemed to be on a friendly status with, as they conversed trivially several times. The FA in question (or is it questionable FA?) also dumped a tray in front of me without asking what I wanted - I did not want a main, only the salad and a roll - asking "do you want water?" I replied "no thank you, I'd prefer white wine" and got a glass of red wine served to me. Only a fraction of passengers were offered refills of any kind.
During the service, a man with a somewhat pained look indicated he needed to go to the lav - the FA gave him a look pretty much saying it all, with no offer to move the cart back (she was about to serve the first row, and if he had known about FEBO, he would have had no problem - and he was unable to go previously due to expected turbulence.) When FA went by him (row 5, port side,) he got up and hurried to the lav - at which point the FA made some semi-jocular and sarcastic remarks to the passengers in the immediate vicinity ("There's one in every bunch. Blah blah...") IMO, this is totally unprofessional and uncalled for behavior - the man may have made a short connection from another flight, been detained in security, had bladder issues, etc.
The FA began picking up trays within ten minutes, and actually pressured some passengers - asking if she could take a tray when the passenger was obviously not finished (still deploying those delightful plastic utensils on the tendered food.) She whipped some trays away with partially consumed beverages, and chided a man in row 4 who wished to retain his cloth napkin. She then served the prepared ersatz sundaes in a glass with spoons stuck into them, without napkins, and began retrieving the glasses within minutes.
On a flight of 3:40 duration, most services were finished 1:20 out of DFW, and our zaftig ersatz blonde FA queen of the clouds was working hard keeping the jump seat warm the rest of the flight. (Her partner, who was in the galley preparing the trays, etc. retreated to the economy cabin after meal service was completed; I can only imagine the economy FAs were more active, as one or another made occasional runs for water, etc. to the front galley during the flight. The sole appearance of our FA was when she was rung and asked for a glass of water by a passenger who developed a cough in 4F.) The other defect here was a passenger who, for whatever reason, was flagrantly flatulent during some of the flight, obviously not attributable to AA employees - but deserving of a
for the ocker behavior.
So, 75% of these mid-cons were pretty decent as domestic "First" goes, with certainly more room and better seating (I did not say "great seating," though on the 777 I had a "coffin" seat and was obviously beyond most mod-con norms,) than, say, BA Club Europe. The last flight was clearly a case advocating for some retraining of a bored, possibly burned out FA. Maybe the OP was on that flight also?
As an ex-CO elite (I used to split my flights,) I certainly do not remember much better service on DL or CO mid-cons... though the Presidents Club was better in some locations (but definitely not all.) OTOH, if someone is flying F, I am sure there is some spare change around for a beer...
Until I can get a decent form of brew on an airline, I certainly won't even bother.)I just recently completed a round trip (SMF-DFW-MIA return) on the common measure of airline service, four very over-booked and full mid-cons, and they certainly were different than yours, for the large part.
June 10, 2006:
AA 1102 SMF-DFW (MD-80): Pre-departure drinks, coat pickup, friendly service, cereal or omelet breakfast properly served, coffee, juice and water refills offered, after-meal activity in cabin.
AA 436 DFW-MIA (777): Even friendlier welcome aboard, pre-departure drinks and refills offered, coats picked up, wine and nuts with refills, meals served with offers for refills on beverages, good FA presence throughout.
June 14:
AA 805 (757): Pre-departure beverages, coat service, friendliness, beverages and nuts with refills offered, meals well served, good cabin presence.
AA 1951 (MD-80): This dodgy exception included no pre-departure beverages, coats picked up from some, others not asked nor retrieved from, both FAs in uniform with wings but no pins or name badges (that certainly assures no names will be named...) This flight was no busier, or different in any noticeable way, at loading than the three others. Beverages offered, only once - nuts came a bit later, and refills were offered from a wine glass. Dinner was served immediately after the seat belt sign went off, rushed, and not FEBO, so those at the back of the cabin were joked with ("You didn't get what you wanted at home when you were a kid, either.") Seated in 5F my seatmate and I were served last - yes, after 6E and F, people to whom the FA seemed to be on a friendly status with, as they conversed trivially several times. The FA in question (or is it questionable FA?) also dumped a tray in front of me without asking what I wanted - I did not want a main, only the salad and a roll - asking "do you want water?" I replied "no thank you, I'd prefer white wine" and got a glass of red wine served to me. Only a fraction of passengers were offered refills of any kind.
During the service, a man with a somewhat pained look indicated he needed to go to the lav - the FA gave him a look pretty much saying it all, with no offer to move the cart back (she was about to serve the first row, and if he had known about FEBO, he would have had no problem - and he was unable to go previously due to expected turbulence.) When FA went by him (row 5, port side,) he got up and hurried to the lav - at which point the FA made some semi-jocular and sarcastic remarks to the passengers in the immediate vicinity ("There's one in every bunch. Blah blah...") IMO, this is totally unprofessional and uncalled for behavior - the man may have made a short connection from another flight, been detained in security, had bladder issues, etc.
The FA began picking up trays within ten minutes, and actually pressured some passengers - asking if she could take a tray when the passenger was obviously not finished (still deploying those delightful plastic utensils on the tendered food.) She whipped some trays away with partially consumed beverages, and chided a man in row 4 who wished to retain his cloth napkin. She then served the prepared ersatz sundaes in a glass with spoons stuck into them, without napkins, and began retrieving the glasses within minutes.
On a flight of 3:40 duration, most services were finished 1:20 out of DFW, and our zaftig ersatz blonde FA queen of the clouds was working hard keeping the jump seat warm the rest of the flight. (Her partner, who was in the galley preparing the trays, etc. retreated to the economy cabin after meal service was completed; I can only imagine the economy FAs were more active, as one or another made occasional runs for water, etc. to the front galley during the flight. The sole appearance of our FA was when she was rung and asked for a glass of water by a passenger who developed a cough in 4F.) The other defect here was a passenger who, for whatever reason, was flagrantly flatulent during some of the flight, obviously not attributable to AA employees - but deserving of a
for the ocker behavior.So, 75% of these mid-cons were pretty decent as domestic "First" goes, with certainly more room and better seating (I did not say "great seating," though on the 777 I had a "coffin" seat and was obviously beyond most mod-con norms,) than, say, BA Club Europe. The last flight was clearly a case advocating for some retraining of a bored, possibly burned out FA. Maybe the OP was on that flight also?
As an ex-CO elite (I used to split my flights,) I certainly do not remember much better service on DL or CO mid-cons... though the Presidents Club was better in some locations (but definitely not all.) OTOH, if someone is flying F, I am sure there is some spare change around for a beer...
Jun 16, 2006, 4:18 pm
#77
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
I have every intention of contacting AA to give kudos to the crews of the first three flights; they were largely decent, though I hate the low-back 757-221 seats, and service was quite good - as well as the fourth flight, where service standards were abysmally unmet and some passengers were slighted (or made fun of, totally unacceptable, IMO.) My AA CS contacts have generaly been acknowledged with a form-mail followed later by a more detailed and personalized response.
Mind you, I have had some pretty abysmal service (and much worse seating) in BA Club Europe. But contacting BA is out of the question, since they don't begin to get a clue about customer follow=up contact.
Mind you, I have had some pretty abysmal service (and much worse seating) in BA Club Europe. But contacting BA is out of the question, since they don't begin to get a clue about customer follow=up contact.
Originally Posted by CristalRoederer
Please contact Customer Relations and tell them about this horrible flight. No one deserves to be treated like this.
Last edited by JDiver; Jun 16, 2006 at 4:25 pm