Deadheading Crew gets F Meal before F Cabin
Mar 14, 2012, 11:13 am
#61
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All the 'without customers' remarks... sad. They reek of DYKWIA.
They're flight crew, not peasants and you as worthy knights. If meal service starts in the back and they're seated in back, they can be served first. It hasn't been established that the crew ate passenger meals - there can be crew-specific catering. Jumping around on meal service by fare paid or elite status is unseemly in class-neutral America.
As for giving up meals to passengers, passengers don't get to renegotiate agreed/contracted compensation and work rules between Delta and its employees. If you think differently, know that I stand ready to observe your work behaviors and comment to your bosses on the value you bring to the firm.
They're flight crew, not peasants and you as worthy knights. If meal service starts in the back and they're seated in back, they can be served first. It hasn't been established that the crew ate passenger meals - there can be crew-specific catering. Jumping around on meal service by fare paid or elite status is unseemly in class-neutral America.
As for giving up meals to passengers, passengers don't get to renegotiate agreed/contracted compensation and work rules between Delta and its employees. If you think differently, know that I stand ready to observe your work behaviors and comment to your bosses on the value you bring to the firm.
Most restaurants provide free meals for their employees. I can't imagine if they had one serving of an item left that the employee wanted for their meal that a customer wanted, that it would go to the employee first, even though the meal is one of their benefits.
The OP stated the crew was in Y. The passengers in F should have been served first regardless of if they were F meals or crew meals. If they were not preordered meals and meals from the First cart, F passengers should have been given first choice.
Mar 14, 2012, 11:15 am
#62
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What is the difference if full paying F class or upgrade? Why should that dictate whether or not you get a meal?
FC is FC, regardless of how you got there. The meal is part of the service and should be provided like any other seat.
I don't have this issue because I MUST have a special order meal due to medical issues. As long as they understand low fat versus veggie no lacto/ovo I usually get the meal of my choice.
It seems like those in Detroit do not understand the coding correctly and put a veggie not lacto/ovo on instead of low fat.
FC is FC, regardless of how you got there. The meal is part of the service and should be provided like any other seat.
I don't have this issue because I MUST have a special order meal due to medical issues. As long as they understand low fat versus veggie no lacto/ovo I usually get the meal of my choice.
It seems like those in Detroit do not understand the coding correctly and put a veggie not lacto/ovo on instead of low fat.
Mar 14, 2012, 11:32 am
#63
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Perfect example of the attitude of many FAs these days. The passenger is always wrong, regardless of what is known to be true. I normally try to support DL employees when someone is acting in the wrong, but your attitude is beyond belief!
Mar 14, 2012, 12:02 pm
#64
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Mar 14, 2012, 1:54 pm
#65
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I'm happy to report my return flight from HNL - SLC was probably one of the best crews I've ever had. Great with the predrinks, coats, blankets, etc...and solid service all 6 hours and 54 mins of it. Doesn't help the two hungry guys on my way out there but at least the crews as a whole aren't slipping.
Mar 14, 2012, 2:34 pm
#66
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SEA to HNL last Thursday I noticed something appalling. The FA served the row 6 first for the meal service and worked her way forward. The FA got to seat A & B in row 1 and snidely told the guys that there were no meals left. They were both enraged as they paid for the F seats at a couple grand a pop. When I was finished with my meal I headed toward the lavatory to wash my hands and noticed a crew that was deadheading in the bulkhead, two of which eating F meals. I told the guys in front of me to email customer care. Not sure why the crew was even entitled to a meal but it was pretty shady.
Here's my piece by piece breakdown and questions:
- Do you know for a fact that the two passengers were paying F passengers? You say they paid a couple of grand a pop per ticket, are you just assuming that, or do you know that?
- You say the FA "snidely told the guys that there were no meals left". Did the FA seriously tell them that there were no more meals left meanly, with contempt, and no apologies?
- You say the passengers were "enraged", that's a pretty strong word. Were they really enraged or just disappointed/upset that they wouldn't get a meal.
- The crew that was sitting in the front row of Y: are you sure that the meals they were eating were F meals and not crew meals?
- Are you certain that the mistake was that two F meals were taken from passengers to give to the deadhead crew, and not that there weren't enough F meals loaded from catering?
Again, I'm not trying to say you are wrong. But there's a lot of assumptions or statements in they without much description or additional/supporting information to verify.
Mar 14, 2012, 4:29 pm
#67
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Something doesn't completely add up here. I don't know if we have all of the info. I'm not accusing the OP of making things up, but perhaps he didn't have all of the info either and filled in the blanks with assumptions. I have issues with that, because once you start adding in your own embellishments and/or assumptions, how are we supposed to know what is fact and what is assumed?
Here's my piece by piece breakdown and questions:
Again, I'm not trying to say you are wrong. But there's a lot of assumptions or statements in they without much description or additional/supporting information to verify.
Here's my piece by piece breakdown and questions:
- Do you know for a fact that the two passengers were paying F passengers? You say they paid a couple of grand a pop per ticket, are you just assuming that, or do you know that?
- You say the FA "snidely told the guys that there were no meals left". Did the FA seriously tell them that there were no more meals left meanly, with contempt, and no apologies?
- You say the passengers were "enraged", that's a pretty strong word. Were they really enraged or just disappointed/upset that they wouldn't get a meal.
- The crew that was sitting in the front row of Y: are you sure that the meals they were eating were F meals and not crew meals?
- Are you certain that the mistake was that two F meals were taken from passengers to give to the deadhead crew, and not that there weren't enough F meals loaded from catering?
Again, I'm not trying to say you are wrong. But there's a lot of assumptions or statements in they without much description or additional/supporting information to verify.
Mar 14, 2012, 5:00 pm
#69
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No... what I am saying is it doesn't matter if they actually paid the 2 grand or however much for their flight. If they paid F, or paid Y but were UGed into F, or were on an F award, or were on a Y awarded but were UGed into F, or placed in F due to IROPs, or however they got there (other than being a non-rev), they are entitled to the F meal. They are not entitled to a crew meal. If the crew meal is just the same as an F meal and the flight us under-catered, then yes the pax are entitled to it before the crew.
Mar 14, 2012, 5:25 pm
#70
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My point is that if the OP is making assumptions for parts of his story, then how do I know what information they verified to be true or they are just assuming to be true.
According to policy, it doesn't really matter, but in trying to figure out what really happened via second hand information it does matter.
According to policy, it doesn't really matter, but in trying to figure out what really happened via second hand information it does matter.
Mar 14, 2012, 7:56 pm
#71
Join Date: Mar 2012
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I fear that this is about me. I flew Seattle to Honolulu last Thursday, I was seated in 1B and was flying with a business partner. We did pay for full F and we did not get a meal. Assuming that this is about my partner and I, the person who started this report has a few facts wrong.
1.) The flight attendant did start serving from the rear of the first class cabin and when she got to us the only remaining option was a vegetarian meal. I don't know if this was a result of poor catering or what. I thought vegetarian meals were only available as special meal requests so I assumed this was an error. I asked if she could double check which she did, informing us that she did only have a vegetarian option remaining.
2.) I did complain that I assumed that DL would have enough meals on board for a full meal service and having paid for F, we would have been entitled to something better than a vegetarian option. However, I take issue with the suggestion that we were pretty ticked off or had any type of altercation with the FA about a meal.
3.) I never noticed that any non revenue passengers were eating meals intended for first class but the curtain separating the first class cabin from economy was shut for the entire meal service.
4.) The flight attendant, in my opinion, was totally professional and did offer additional snacks to my partner and I and apologized repeated during the flight and once we landed in Honolulu.
5.) A fellow first class passenger did suggest that we write to Delta customer service and request compensation for not getting a meal but it wasn't that big a deal and truthfully, we had a much better meal in Honolulu that evening that I would not have enjoyed nearly as much if I had eaten cheap airline food in first class.
My partner posts to this website on occasion but I had never heard of FlyerTalk before. When he told me that he thought this post was about us, I had to take a look. I can't believe that there are so many responses with so many people judging a situation that they weren't privy to with little more than a single person's commentary. I guess if I started a new post claiming that during our discussion, the flight attendant had slapped me, you guys would have had a field day!
Good luck and God bless!
1.) The flight attendant did start serving from the rear of the first class cabin and when she got to us the only remaining option was a vegetarian meal. I don't know if this was a result of poor catering or what. I thought vegetarian meals were only available as special meal requests so I assumed this was an error. I asked if she could double check which she did, informing us that she did only have a vegetarian option remaining.
2.) I did complain that I assumed that DL would have enough meals on board for a full meal service and having paid for F, we would have been entitled to something better than a vegetarian option. However, I take issue with the suggestion that we were pretty ticked off or had any type of altercation with the FA about a meal.
3.) I never noticed that any non revenue passengers were eating meals intended for first class but the curtain separating the first class cabin from economy was shut for the entire meal service.
4.) The flight attendant, in my opinion, was totally professional and did offer additional snacks to my partner and I and apologized repeated during the flight and once we landed in Honolulu.
5.) A fellow first class passenger did suggest that we write to Delta customer service and request compensation for not getting a meal but it wasn't that big a deal and truthfully, we had a much better meal in Honolulu that evening that I would not have enjoyed nearly as much if I had eaten cheap airline food in first class.
My partner posts to this website on occasion but I had never heard of FlyerTalk before. When he told me that he thought this post was about us, I had to take a look. I can't believe that there are so many responses with so many people judging a situation that they weren't privy to with little more than a single person's commentary. I guess if I started a new post claiming that during our discussion, the flight attendant had slapped me, you guys would have had a field day!
Good luck and God bless!
Mar 14, 2012, 8:09 pm
#72
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My partner posts to this website on occasion but I had never heard of FlyerTalk before. When he told me that he thought this post was about us, I had to take a look. I can't believe that there are so many responses with so many people judging a situation that they weren't privy to with little more than a single person's commentary. I guess if I started a new post claiming that during our discussion, the flight attendant had slapped me, you guys would have had a field day!
Good luck and God bless!
Welcome to FlyerTalk!
Mar 14, 2012, 8:20 pm
#73
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 172
I don't have a problem with the non-revs/deadheading crew getting meals if there are enough on board, but regardless of where they are sitting, they should be given LAST choice. FA should follow SOP for taking meal orders and skip over hte non revs/deadheading employees for choices and then if there are still 2 choices left take their orders.
Many restaurants provide free meals as an employee benefits, but I am sure management at most of them aren't going to allow an employee to take the last portion of an item they are running low on over a paying customer.
Many restaurants provide free meals as an employee benefits, but I am sure management at most of them aren't going to allow an employee to take the last portion of an item they are running low on over a paying customer.
I also find nothing wrong with an FA bending the rules and giving pilots or deadheading flight attendants their meals before passengers.
Mar 14, 2012, 8:28 pm
#74
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Seriously? Pilots are usually the most anal retentive people I have ever met when it comes to following rules to the letter of the law. Most are former military and that attention to detail the military requires affects how they run their civilian life in commercial aviation. Or, perhaps it is the lack of attention to rules which is why you are a former pilot and not a current pilot?!?!
Last edited by jsmith50; Mar 14, 2012 at 8:29 pm Reason: grammar