HaleiwaFlyer

You have to try BA F; why not use SWU to upgrade to BA F from J, if available? I am assuming most CKs probably don’t use all of their SWUs.

BA uses DO&CO and is a top notch caterer.

We can all agree typical AA Transcon/international meal….Add soup for F class.






VS









YMMV

fly747first

Hmmmm surely you realize that BA F is not available on every route, right?

As much as I like DO&CO, if BA gives them a unrealistic budget, there is only so much they can do. IB also uses DO&CO and the quality of IB J catering is consistently superior to BA J's.

astebel

I am very curious to see how many female CKs are on this thread. And I will go on to say that I have noticed a HUGE difference in the way I am treated as a female as compared to males. I have had men literally walk in front of me when CK is called to board and push me out of the way. When I go to board, I am asked if I am CK but not the men behind me. I was with my son once and asked if he noticed and he definitely did. I have seen FAs in F thank male pax for their business and for being CK but not me, even when I am sitting just across the aisle. Yes. I do get great irrops and like the other perks such as flagship check in, flagship lounge occasional meet and greets. I bring candy on board for every flight but don't hear much more other than the initial thank you. I have never gotten a handwritten thank you note, nor a visit from a pilot thanking me for being CK and my business. This is going on my 6th year as CK and this has been consistent throughout, So I wonder, or really don't, that male counterparts have a better experience and that is disappointing. Would love to hear other female input. That being said, yes, I do see great differences between CK and EP.

fly747first

Sorry but I have a hard time believing your story. Out of MIA/MCO/TPA, I'm often the sole CK on the flight unless it's the 772/77W MIA LAX flight in which case sometimes I have seen as many as 7 of us and I'm yet to see a case of CKs (of either gender) trying to skip each other, let alone pushing each other.

Since CKs are invited to board ahead of general boarding, I'm not sure how you get skipped by other CKs. The best gate agents even call CKs by our last names inviting us to board early. If you feel so discriminated as a woman, I would recommend you arrive at the gate a bit early and ask the gate agents if they can please call you by your last name when they are ready to board CKs.

Also, on a flight from GRU to MIA, another CK member was arrested when we landed in Miami because of how violent he was towards the cabin crew.

astebel

It does certainly vary by airport. I am based out of LAX and will identify myself to a CK agent if I see one at the gate. But, believe me, it happens. I do like it when they call us by name but I had one occasion at PHL when the group 1 line was already blocked, I stayed behind the wheelchairs which I knew would board first at the other lane. The strap was still open when the GA called for CK and I handed her my boarding pass. She closed the tape right on me and when I asked if I could board she said, no, you have to go around and called group 1, all in the same sentence. I don't feel discriminated, I just feel that there is some gender bias, and I have definitely been pushed. When I boarded right behind the gentleman, he said... sorry, I didn't realize you were going to board. I just said... I know.. hard to believe a woman could be a CK!! Just my experiences. Am interested in others.

fly747first

Unfortunately, this is AA we are talking about. I have several female C-level colleagues who are also CKs and they don't feel it's a gender bias other than AA having terrible agents left and right. I hope you sent AA a formal complaint about the gate agent who closed the tape on you as no one should assume you can't be CK simply due to gender. Over the years, I have personally gotten several MIA-based agents fired because of their extreme unprofessionalism, with some even trying to upgrade their family members over me.

GoBirds

Wait, you've personally seen a CK member actually arrested because of violence towards a crew member in flight, but you don't believe that a CK member might possibly try to push someone out of the way to board first?

I also, as a man, have experienced that myself, so it does happen. Not to state the obvious, but CK's are just people, and whilst I'm sure many, if not most, are respectful and friendly, no doubt some can be arrogant twats.

Rubecula

The CW seats are not horrendous. The proximity of your neighbour is somewhat offputting until the screens go up but if you have a seat with clear aisle access then the lack of a foot well is good for sleep.

HaleiwaFlyer

Yes, understood that BA has non F flights.

I'll have to try IB one of these days. Just heard mixed reviews on their in flight service (absent/moody FAs?).

stant

LOL! I was getting escorted into the flagship lounge by an agent at dfw, along with another pax that the cart had to wait for, a woman. Eventually I let my curiosity get the better of me and I asked if she was on flyertalk, thinking it might be you! Both not you and the agent had a laugh and acknowledge that women are definitely underrepresented in the CK population as far as they could tell.

fly747first

The CK member was being abusive to the cabin crew, not to other passengers. And to be fair, many passengers (not just top-tier flyers) have gotten arrested for their bad behavior at airports. My point is that I'm yet to witness a CK being abusive to another CK member since on average there are very few of us per flight. But yes, I'm sure it can happen... I mean humans are violent beings after all. lol

If you normally get BA F, then IB J will probably not impress you and I wouldn't blame you. IB's A330 fleet is in terrible shape, but the new J suites on select A350 frames are quite nice.

stant

I'm based in TPA and I too am normally the only CK on any particular flight, even down to MIA. In DFW there are often times other CKs ona flight. I have consistently seen CK go to push past, because my idea of business casual is exercise shorts and a thin tee shirt and I travel with a comfortable backpack, not fancy luggage so I dont really dress the part. heck ive even had F pax push past, even though I'm the one that gets to jump in front of them. So I believe it.

BTW, in my experience this is worst around gate 83 and 78 where people pile up to board as well as have other people get past to go further down F.

As far as getting called ove the PA by name, I havent really seen that since CK became publicly acknowledged by AA. It happens every once in a while, but thats it.

nogoodideas

Fellow female CK here. I've actually had both positive and negative experiences. It is definitely the case the I'm often prompted with a "CK?" (as in, "Just making sure you heard what was said and are actually eligible?") when I approach for boarding, while I don't notice that so much when men approach. That said, more than once I've had a female GA comment positively on seeing a female CK - that's always sort of cool. On board, there have always been subtle differences that are sometimes annoying (regardless of status), but nothing worth getting upset about. The most obvious one is that men are often asked if they'd like their blazer/suit jacket hung up. I wear a blazer on 99% of my trips, and I am almost never asked (sometimes even when my male seat mate is). But overall, I don't feel like the AA foks treat me much different than other CKs.

Now, the other passengers? That's a different story. I am very, very frequently "mansplained" about boarding groups when I move up closer to the door before boarding. I'm sure this happens to men too sometimes, but I bet it's not 75% of the time. If I don't position myself there early and try to move through the masses to get there when CK is called, I've been blocked or called out by "Group 1 bros" who look at me and say, "It's CK only!" more times than I can count. That said, I do take great pleasure in giving them a big smile and saying, "Yes, I know!"

FWIW (and just for fun, since it's not exactly relevant to the questions asked but shows that women can be jerks too...), I can say with certainlty that the rudest person I've ever flown next to was a fellow female CK - I was in 1A, and she was in 1C. She was a larger lady and flatly refused to stand and let me get out of the row to go to the restroom. I had to literally climb over her - given that the route was SEA -CLT, I had to do it more than once. Ironically, she's on the flight I'm currently on as well. For this flight, there were three CKs at boarding, and the CK rep was deligtful and chatty as we walked down the jetway; two of us were kind and chatty back, but this woman was downright rude (and she had actually pushed in front of me to assert that she should be allowed on when they called for folks who needed more time boarding). This is another cross-country flight, and she's in 1D...I hope 1F has a big bladder!

stant

hey now! Ive been 'womansplained' about group 1 boarding before, it goes both ways!

GoBirds

That's funny because I'm the same. I dress very casually when I travel, and I would not be surprised if I don't look like the typical CK business traveler either. I feel like I've occasionally gotten a look of skepticism from the gate agent when I've come forward to board when CK is called.

It's been probably at least 5 years since I've been called by name to board early. Now I only ever heard the generic CK announcement, which to be honest I prefer, as I prefer the relative anonymity that offers.