PradaFA,

Thank you for your kind words! If and when you are in PHX, you can drop me a line via e-mail, maybe I can give you useful tips on nice places to hang out in the evening! And once again, thanks for wonderful service you guys provide on board at CO!

It is nice to hear an FA ask!

I flew CO two weekends ago and had three complaints. My wife and I were seated in FC, waited about 10 minutes before our coats were hung ( I had to get up and give it to the FA who wasn't too thrilled I had done that) and 15+ minutes before we were offered a beverage. Meanwhile during boarding and flight three FAs chatted it up in the front galley paying less attention to passengers than they should.

Now the perfect flight...

I board and as I am struggling with my bag the FA takes my coat, holding back coach passengers nipping at my heals. At the first break in people boarding I receive a beverage. The FA checks on me several times during flight and does not congregate with fellow FAs moaning about one thing or another. FC is mostly quiet, so when you get a group of FAs in the front it makes a bad impression.

My return flights on NW last weekend were more like the latter, but these problems do occur on NW also.

Thanks again for asking!

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Randy
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HH Gold; WN CP; NW Gold Elite

Another wish-list item:
police the first class lavatory! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Even after the announcement not to do so is made several times, coach passengers frequently sneak into the first class cabin and camp out in the bathroom. But I've yet to see a flight attendant come out and swoosh the coach passengers back into their cabin. (This is true for all carriers I've been on, not just CO.)

Try Alaska Air...AS actually invites coach pax to use FC lavatories. There is thread on that interesting issue in AS forum.
Regardless of that, AS got my highest Freddie votes along with NW for this year!

Perhaps because the FAs have the aft corridor blocked?

I generally agree with you, but sometimes it's necessary.

AA is very strict about warning coach passengers to keep out of FC...they will be removed immediately if they "cross the curtain". On my last AA flight, they repeated this announcement three times and made the warnings very clear.

On BF flights where the BF lav is larger with more amentities than coach, it is a standard of service to require coach passengers to remain in coach. This should always be enforced.

On domestic flights, this is more of a "keep out of our turf" issue. The CO announcement that ends with "...we trust you will respect this arrangement" is very weak. I am not suggesting it should be a felony warning like AA, but it should be stronger...and enforced. A few years ago on a DL flight, after they "ran out of dessert" for FC, we later caught a FA invite a "cute" coach passenger forward and found them both eating the "missing" cheesecake together in the galley. Needless to say, that did NOT go over well...so enforcement seems to also be based on the attitude of the FA.

If the company policy is to keep coach passengers out of the FC cabin (and the obvious reason would be to ensure that FC passengers have easy access to their lav without having to wait for extra coach passengers to finish using it), then that should be enforced, and if a FA finds a coach passenger forward, they should ask them (nicely) to return to the main cabin. Having said that, and owing to CO's world famous inconsistency, I have observed this happen:
80% - FA ignores coach pax in FC
15% - FA requests coach pax return to coach
5% - FA requests coach pax return to coach, and coach pax throws a fit and argues...which is sometimes better than the IFE when you hear comments like "this isn't the **** Titanic!" (heard from an unhappy coach pax who was being dispatched back to the main cabin) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

In the unfortunate situation that I do not get upgraded to FC, I am usually in the bulkhead seat...

first of all, please help me place my luggage in the overhead. my carry-on looks small, but this is one time in which this tough, streewise new yorker would really appreciate someone taller than me load my bag so i don't crush my hand squeezing my roller bag into the cramped space.

secondly, i'm in the bulkhead for a reason. not only seating comfort, but my rule of "last on, first off". so please do not just tell me to look for overhead space back in row 26 when some other pax has placed his bag in my overhead. and it's not my responsibility to confront and move their bags.

third, the preflight drinks are great, but i've also had some FAs not remove drinks for takeoff until the very last minute. this may be disputed, but I think they should be removed when we push back because I've had some close calls when my seat partner's drinks nearly tipped over when we taxied.

finally, minor meal issues: i'm sick of being served the same special meal when i fly out of EWR. we biz flyers who leave from the same hub consistently are eating the same meals all the time (especially hard when the meal sucks, i.e. nutty tamale for the strict veg meal...yuk!); my continued request for herbal tea, which one brilliant FA solved by pocketing Celestial Seasonings tea bags from some uneaten veg meals; also, special meal requests in FC, esp when the FC has been processed way in advance by EUA.

thanks for listening! being out of EWR myself, perhaps you can post your schedules we can say thanks in person.

On the FC lav thing...think about it. Some poor guy / gal has paid $2000 coach fare. He's in a 31" coach seat (heaven forbid in the middle). He gets nothing to eat (peanuts don't count). He has to use the bathroom and there's a huge line. Give him a break. Let him use the lav in FC.

I don't work for an airline, but these reminded me of something I see twice a month. On our paychecks/paystubs, right beside the amount is the phrase "Brought to you by our customers."

Like most here, I have had little to no problems with CO FAs (there's a bad seed everywhere.) But I think we all need to remember this phrase... no matter what we do.



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Bob

Sorry but can't help you with the carry-on issue. I'm 5'8",125lbs & cannot afford to hurt myself, lifting someone elses heavy bag. Plus it is a big "no -no" with the company. I guess they were getting too many OJIs filed. My suggestion is you ask a nice, strong, gentleman close by to help you lift it into the overhead.

Unfortunately overhead space isn't always available above your seat. So I technically cannot make anyone move their carry-ons. Its all about common courtesy & some pax lack that.

Its hard enough trying to get the pre-departs away from people after pushback. I don't think they'd appreciate giving them up any sooner. My suggestion, ask your seatmate to hold the drink

Prada FA: Thanks for asking.

I've flown tons of flights with CO and other airlines, and I find your crews to be overall the finest I've flown with. I switched away from another primary carrier in part because their FA's were consistently rude. Congratulations on continuing to do a great job in what must be very difficult working conditions.

About the one gripe I have, and it is minor, is that I've flown a lot of 4 hour + flights in first where beverage service was offered pre-flight, with the meal, and that's all, folks. So my suggestion would be to come around every so often after meal service and offer beverages.

That reminds me, it's probably been about 2 years since I've been on a CO flight where (in FC) the FA's came around to check on drinks after the meal service and for the duration of the flight.

I'm not one to ring the FA call button, and sometimes if the guy next to me is fast asleep, I don't exactly feel comfortable getting up and going to the galley and asking for something. It would be a really great thing if the FAs would just occasionally come by for the rest of the flight and offer even just water. I'm not asking to be waited on hand and foot for the entire 5 hour flight.

It's a pretty small gesture that goes a long way (and keeps us dehydrated pax happy and healthy http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif)

Is there any way to shorten the safety video on the 737-800/900's? Cut out Gordo's fluff in the begining along with all the stuff on adjustable, winged headrests. Focus on the safety and get it over in 45 sec instead of 4 minutes. I've noticed that when the FA's give the manual safety demo that it lasts all of 1 minute!

All of the comments on this topic have been quite informative and very reasonable. However I felt compelled to reply to "PJ". If you cannot handle your own baggage I suggest that you check it, and only pack what you can manage under your seat. And finally why can't you bring your own herbal tea.It is sold at all major supermarkets and it travels quite well. I know I bring my own. The way the industry is today it is hard enough to get you a can of diet coke.

With all respect, what happens if the plane has an emergency and you have to remove the emergency exit door or help an injured or frail passenger?

Wow! I see FAs on WN helping pax all the time...wonder if all airlines have this "policy".

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Randy
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HH Gold; WN CP; NW Gold Elite