I especially like announcements like this. :D

Direct it toward management. They are the ones who come up with the what and when.

What would elites do without upgrades?
 

I would like to know how elites would survive if all domestic aircraft had only one class - what would elites talk about? How would elites survive without upgrades? Without standbys? Without EUAs and without feeling gratification that you are sitting where others cannot? I flew in an SQ all business flight last year and I must say somehow it takes a buzz out of flying business because you all flying the same - no one is different, nothing to look forward to....

I always chuckle when landing at LAX. It seems almost comical at how hard the guys up front hit the brakes, seeming aiming to make the first right turn and reduce taxi time.

Overall. most of my landing experiences have been a good one beyond a couple hopscotches down 24L here in CLE during a strong crosswind.

Well, let me add that that I almost took an MD80 ride on I480 after coming way to close to the end of 6R here in CLE. Wicked snowstorm and we were the last flight in for the night. It freaked me out seeing the terminal going by so fast and knowing we may not stop!

a good F/A uses courtesy, common sense, and sound judgment when it comes to how closely what the big wigs behind desks (with little to zero customer interaction) say should be followed...

Really enjoying all of the comments on this thread. What a great idea!

I usually fall asleep not long after I settle in and wake up when the wheels hit the ground (engines are white noise for me!) so most announcements are lost on me. However on those occasions when I keep my eyes open I do like to have updates on where we are in the queue and anticipated wheels up time.

It's also nice to hear about interesting things to see. During a recent trip to PDX it would have been good for some comment on the Mt Hood/Mt St Helen's view. I knew what I was looking at having been there multiple times, but a number of the pax around me were asking each other what those mountains were...

Here's to hoping you're not a pilot... ;)

Yikes.

We'd probably talk about needing to find new jobs and recommendations for chiropractors.

"My seat assignment came up in 6B and, from my profile, the carrier knows that I will only sit on the right side of the aircraft. What compensation am I due? Oh, and the cold plate was too cold. (frozen)":rolleyes:

Well, maybe not, if Y was actually semi-comfortable. Honestly, that's part of why WN has a pretty loyal business traveler following, especially in certain regions. It may be all Y, but the seats are pretty comfortable, with good cushioning both on the bottom and the back, and the seat design, coupled with 32" pitch on most aircraft, equates to a relatively comfortable Y flying experience, even for taller passengers.

ROFLMAO!!!! That was great but I am sure the captain got in trouble for that video. :(

Live in CLE the Home of the CO ERJ, CRJ, Q200 Fleet. Oh yea and a few 737s. :)

Joking. For the past four years I have lived in markets where the ERJ and the CRJ were the aircraft of choice on flights. While I would prefer a Mainline to the regional, I understand that the markets I am flying to OKC, TUL, and LBB from IAH dont warrent such service.

As to the other perks you mention, I think these are resonable as there are lots of people like my self that will book only on CO because of the benefits. I think it is a tradeoff that CO says is important to keep others and I coming back.

On the redeyes, if it's a mandated announcement, I try to grab the PA first, and I talk in my best low, sultry, soothing voice. As an FA, I cringe when I hear another FA get on the mike with their normal, LOUD, everyday voice. "Thanks, you just woke everyone up!":(

Ooh. You are our friend... that is so considerate and appropriate...

Can anyone land an MD-80/DC-9 without bouncing off the runway?
 

whoops, wrong thread. sorry.

I must be weird, then. I appreciate elite status not because it's "elite", but because it makes travel suck less. Given that 12+ hours of my week is taken up traveling, I talk about it to know more about how it works and how to make it work better for me. :) But then, my goal here is not to troll... ;)

Agree 100%.

In fact, I hate that they call the programs "elite." I'd prefer something more self-depreciating like "sacrifices relationships with friends and family for work" or "spends more time in a metal tube than home, so we throw 'em a bone." It would help those that view "eliteness" with either confusion or disdain put things in a better context.

I thought FA's already had their own forum to insult and degrade those who give their airline enough money to give them a job?

As far as my coolest pilot created experience, it was on a DL flight last year SAN-ATL and shortly after take-off the pilot announced he would be dipping both sides of the plane to show everyone the pretty awesome sandstorm that was blowing across Imperial Valley. He gave each side a good solid 90 seconds too...

As far as irritating, I don't know if I just have good hearing but the pre-announcement "ding" always wakes me, or startles me if I'm already awake. Too bad I usually find the "things to see" announcements interesting leaving me in a quandary. Can't there just be talking with no ding?

For as short as the runway at SAN is, most of the landings here are pretty well done.

I thought that more people might respond to this one. Truth be told, I have very, very little interaction with pilots. Teeth rattling landing? Well, let's say that cockpit door seems to stay closed a little longer. I think that maybe once every six months a pilot comes out of the cockpit to thank us for flying, but it is fairly cursory. Nice, but cursory.

My only major "negatives" about crew, in general, largely seem to center on the relative indifference some FAs have about conducting a smooth boarding process. Probably half or more cabin crews seem to get caught off-guard when the overheads fill up and then have to start checking bags. This is not to say they are necessarily lazy, though some are, but merely misguided. The cabin crew I had on Friday (1433) let a couple of passengers wander the aisles for easily five minutes trying to find places to shove rollaboards. While they were trying to be helpful (and presumably non-confrontational) to the two passengers in question, the net effect was still checked bags. Firm, but friendly, here goes a long way to making an on-time airline. :) I also have a pet peeve about the FAs who are so adamant about not touching PAX bags that they stay out of the boarding process entirely, which also significant time. Conversely, the best cabin crew I've ever had managed to seat a full 738 that started boarding 10m late and were able to push 5m early. Unfortunately, I only managed to get one name for that particular set of folks to include in a letter.

Ok, I've had one bad landing as a passenger (we won't count me in a Cessna). It was a long time ago, AA ord-lga - 727 iirc. beautiful clear day, no wind, no clouds, daytime. It was visual 22. We came in from the south, made a nice graceful turn over the water, and seemed to be below the level of the runway. Pilot added thrust (a fair amount from where I sat), began climbing... then reduced thrust and continued the landing. We touched down about 1/2 way down the runway... I'd say that from the bruises on my hips from the seatbelt, we used a large amount of braking and full reverse thrust. someone had a suitcase out in the back of the plane - it hit the cockpit door. Someone else had their eyeglasses hit the bulkhead. We stopped on the numbers. The crew made no mention of anything unusual, we taxied to the gate.

I also experienced a tailstrike as a passenger on a UA flight departing OMA.

A couple of years ago, I was flying on NW metal, sitting next to a college kid who had not flown much. During the first part of the flight, the purser came back to me and thanked me for being an elite flyer (or some such language). The guy next to me said something like, "Wow, it must be nice to be elitist."

Have I had some bad flights? Sure, but if I focused on that instead of the positive I wouldn't be so excited to get back on the plane!

I did around 150,000 miles on Amtrak after my dad quit flying. That was enough to make me want to never take Amtrak again (I did once PHL-EWR a few years ago, but that was it). By far, flying is SO much better!

Vote #1 for a new name for the UA forum.

I flew on one of these Wednesday on Great Lakes and am about to board one now...the doors are still open (even though it's obviously post-9/11).


I was shocked at first but it's definitely cool to see.

Did you get Kareem's autograph while you were up there?

No kidding. Just wish they'd post their flight schedules so we can book on any flight EXCEPT the ones they are working.

Can I get a raise?:D

I'm pretty sure that the B1900s don't have doors to close. At least the ones I used to fly on didn't. Maybe they added them but I don't know for sure. I definitely enjoyed a night landing at PHL with the curtain open staring out the front windows. :D

Also interesting is that the B1900s are small enough that they do not have to operate under the crazy TSA rules. They generally do to facilitate the connections for passengers, but they do not have to based on their size.

No doors, yet. The recent B1900 I was on, the capt. kindly left the curtain open.

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry 8820: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.216 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I have a question for you CO elites...

I recently relocated to Houston thanks to work, and I fly 100+ flights a year... I'm 1K (platinum equivalent) on United and am stoked for CO joining *A

My question is, what would you guys consider the things that set CO elite status apart from the crowd... I ask because UA is getting pretty crappy about their upgrade awards and such and I'm thinking of finishing this year as 1K and asking for status match and switching to CO once they are in *A...

The other option is stay UA and accrue the miles on CO... But I think this would nix most of the benefits of being top level elite... How does CO treat other airline elites from like Delta now, so I can guess at how they'll treat me if I don't switch...

Thoughts?

A few things:
1. Do not wait until CO moves into the Star Alliance to switch as that will probably be when they stop matching elites on other Star Alliance airlines.
2. If you have relocated to IAH, I suggest you match to CO now and begin the year earning with them, assuming you can meet the qualifications for next year with CO within 10 months.
3. The main thing different about CO and UA in terms of their frequent flyer benefits would be with CO you have no upgrade instruments and instead have EUAs.
Overall I think you would be happy switching to CO now.

When I moved to IAH a few years ago, I was 1K with UA. Unless you're flying to ORD or DEN alot, there is no beating the schedule on CO. I stayed with UA; then status matched with CO and was flying both. Let me say that flying CO made me realize how much better the service was than UA. When I fly UA now, it just reinforces that. The thing I miss about UA are the SWUs. Even in irrops, I've had great service from CO (as I used to with UA); though many on this board have had very different experiences.

*stupid phone posted twice*