Most indolent BA flight crew ever?
Feb 9, 2019, 10:02 am
#61
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,914
Feb 9, 2019, 10:06 am
#62
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,750
I'm sure there's some truth in that.
The writing was on the wall years before even Willie Walsh arrived at BA.....that's why he was hired after all. I would suggest those who compare new BA to old BA are always going to be disappointed in certain areas of todays product. Time has moved on.
The writing was on the wall years before even Willie Walsh arrived at BA.....that's why he was hired after all. I would suggest those who compare new BA to old BA are always going to be disappointed in certain areas of todays product. Time has moved on.
Feb 9, 2019, 10:31 am
#63
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Would you expect any other profession to perform badly because they work unsociable hours? Or your loved ones to be grumpy or abusive? Air crew aren't special snowflakes. If they can't hack it, it's simply not the right job for them. Lots of people find they can't work shifts; there's no shame in it, some people just can't hack it.
If a CSD sees they have crew members who can't hack it, surely they need to have a quiet word in someone's ear?
If a CSD sees they have crew members who can't hack it, surely they need to have a quiet word in someone's ear?
Do explain - what is this word "snowflake"? I have seen it used by the Tabloid press but as I am not into Street Speak I can hazard a guess but I really do not know. If you mean that they are delicate - why not say so?
As for my loved ones being grumpy - well that is a fact of life when HI is sleep deprived. No, that's unfair - he gets peevish. He'll not admit it but after 33 years of marriage. I do not expect people to perform badly when working unsociable hours, but I am not surprised when they do not perform as well either. I am not defending poor service but looking for possible reasons. Do remember that I understand the problem - both of us worked all sorts of unsociable hours. He was in the police for many years. I just hope that no one thought that my performance suffered because of the hours that we flew.
As for my loved ones being grumpy - well that is a fact of life when HI is sleep deprived. No, that's unfair - he gets peevish. He'll not admit it but after 33 years of marriage. I do not expect people to perform badly when working unsociable hours, but I am not surprised when they do not perform as well either. I am not defending poor service but looking for possible reasons. Do remember that I understand the problem - both of us worked all sorts of unsociable hours. He was in the police for many years. I just hope that no one thought that my performance suffered because of the hours that we flew.
Little that could be argued with here.
We do sometimes see too many leaves-on-the-line type of excuses (whether or not in the guise of an ‘explanation’) for poor service : ranging from MF v WW crews ...... the wrong route ....the wrong aircraft ...... the wrong timing, day v night.
I’ve always been of the simplistic view that if a First class seat has been booked, then First class standards should be maintained. Every time.
We do sometimes see too many leaves-on-the-line type of excuses (whether or not in the guise of an ‘explanation’) for poor service : ranging from MF v WW crews ...... the wrong route ....the wrong aircraft ...... the wrong timing, day v night.
I’ve always been of the simplistic view that if a First class seat has been booked, then First class standards should be maintained. Every time.
BTW not familiar with this " too many leaves-on-the-line type of excuses".
Feb 9, 2019, 10:37 am
#64
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,199
I suspect being cabin crew is no longer as desirable a career as it used to be since air travel has become so affordable. The service industry has changed enormously during my lifetime.
Feb 9, 2019, 11:02 am
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,140
Indeed! Society has changed, air travel has changed, the economy has changed. And, dare I say, the whole work ethos has changed for many people out there.
Feb 9, 2019, 11:13 am
#66
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,600
I was on a MAN-FCO flight last year on Jet2. I was talking to the purser (or whatever they are called on Jet2) and she loved her job. It was quite amusing, as she said she'd never been on a long haul flight (as crew or a passenger), and was hoping she'd be able to get onto one of the Jet2 MAN-JFK flights they do at Christmas. Even if it meant only a couple of nights downroute! She was mid-30s (my estimate)... and still loving the job.
It was also interesting that she said she'd never had any issues with passengers (other than the IBZ flights being a bit boisterous).
Feb 9, 2019, 11:23 am
#67
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Feb 9, 2019, 11:47 am
#68
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,164
Honey - I went and looked in the Oxford Concise English Dictionary which I use for my Telegraph cryptic crosswords. It only had the natural history definition - so maybe my dictionary needs to get out a bit more. I absolutely refuse to use vocabulary when I do not understand the meaning of the word. I have only ever seen it on the front of the Tabloid press and usually to do with Brexit. I gather that the term gathered pace in 2016. It is, I gather politicized slang intended as an insult. Anyhow, fascinating as this etymological discussion may be, I have drinks to prepare - and were you closer to Alicante - I would invite you.
Feb 9, 2019, 12:56 pm
#69
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC | qantas | IHG | Hilton Honors | Priority Pass | Nandos
Posts: 865
Honey - I went and looked in the Oxford Concise English Dictionary which I use for my Telegraph cryptic crosswords. It only had the natural history definition - so maybe my dictionary needs to get out a bit more. I absolutely refuse to use vocabulary when I do not understand the meaning of the word. I have only ever seen it on the front of the Tabloid press and usually to do with Brexit. I gather that the term gathered pace in 2016. It is, I gather politicized slang intended as an insult. Anyhow, fascinating as this etymological discussion may be, I have drinks to prepare - and were you closer to Alicante - I would invite you.
But, more importantly, enjoy your drinks!
Feb 9, 2019, 1:07 pm
#70
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 574
In my case the crew were the opposite on a LHR CAI. Drinks and meal completed in under 90 minutes. Raid the larder stripped bare in under 3 hours and crew vanished into F cabin that at least 6 of us had been decanted from st the gate.
add to this a filthy disgusting 787 and you have an airline that is simply incapable of living up to the hyperbole it peddles in TV ads.
i have an F redemption soon and then it star alliance for a change, for seriously lower fares and direct aisle access in business.
add to this a filthy disgusting 787 and you have an airline that is simply incapable of living up to the hyperbole it peddles in TV ads.
i have an F redemption soon and then it star alliance for a change, for seriously lower fares and direct aisle access in business.
I agree that poor attitude to customers is a result of poor supervision. training or disciplinary measures. Having a proportion of excellent staff is not good enough if that is the smallest percentage.
Feb 9, 2019, 1:14 pm
#71
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 574
The wrong customers.
Feb 9, 2019, 1:24 pm
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,140
Feb 9, 2019, 1:51 pm
#73
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 574
It is always the customer's fault. Don't ask for more than a thimbleful of gruel (flat, warm, indifferent champagne). Stay the hell away from the call button, if you know what is good for you. 😑
Feb 9, 2019, 3:32 pm
#74
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver Seigneur des Horaires des Mucci.
Posts: 2,047
Honey - I went and looked in the Oxford Concise English Dictionary which I use for my Telegraph cryptic crosswords. It only had the natural history definition - so maybe my dictionary needs to get out a bit more. I absolutely refuse to use vocabulary when I do not understand the meaning of the word. I have only ever seen it on the front of the Tabloid press and usually to do with Brexit. I gather that the term gathered pace in 2016. It is, I gather politicized slang intended as an insult. Anyhow, fascinating as this etymological discussion may be, I have drinks to prepare - and were you closer to Alicante - I would invite you.
Snowflake generation definition: the generation of people who became adults in the 2010s, viewed as being less resilient.
In the context of this thread I think the implication is the MF are young crew who wouldnt have the same work ethic as the ‘oldies’
Feb 9, 2019, 3:58 pm
#75
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: Varies
Posts: 1,290
I used the term "snowflake", in this case, to describe those who have an inflated sense of their own uniqueness. Working for an airline doesn't give you an excuse to provide poor customer service. Many of us here have flown long distance, arrived tired and jetlagged, and had to go straight to client meetings. We can't afford to piss the clients off, however bad we feel. Airline crew aren't special, they're doing a job they've chosen to do. If they don't feel capable of doing it well, they should find something that suits them better. It really annoys me (and I'm sure many others) to hear people blaming the job itself for their poor performance.