flysurfer

Informants.
Contacts.
Spys.

flysurfer

Smiling and being nice or helpful is no extra service item. Handing out a magazine, refreshment towels or champagne to pax in Y is. And there's a lot of stuff just in between...

flysurfer

That's exactly what I said. And we all know that FRA with their strong "Mitarbeitervertretung" is very active in making sure that the product remains consistent. On a low level, that is, as determined by the demanding task of servicing a sold out 744 with large C section. MUC doesn't have 744s, and Airbus planes better suited for extraordinary service. Less seats per row and smaller C and F sections make it easier for a FA to remember the SENs and HONs they are responsible for, and since the service cart can move quicker through a section, so the FA has more time for each pax w/o clogging the aisle forever. Still, LH doesn't want FAs to be too creative when it comes to deliver outstanding service. Their goal is a consistent product experience.

supermasterphil

The disappointment is kind of high on the next flight with a crappy service if you had a great service beforehand. Unfortunately, most cases it's not the other way round that you even value the good service higher after you made a bad experience.

SMK77

There is a huge difference whether certain (unmotivated) staff (including the "Mitarbeitervertretung") or Lufthansa is discouraging good service.

You keep pointing at Lufthansa where Lufthansa has only limited control over those issues.

flysurfer

They'd love to have full control over service consistency, and they are happy to follow up on customer feedback reporting irregular service - be it bad or good. Not to mention that the employees are pretty strong within LH. For example, they succesfully stopped LH's attempt to put a tiny red dot on the name tag of FAs who went through the new First Class training. The FRA FAs also didn't like LH putting voluntary(!) MUC crews in Bavarian costumes during Oktoberfest. They intervened, and case eventually went before the courts.

weero

The classcal consultant aberration: they confuse talking with listening ...
For once I see good in the unions ...

SMK77

Employees and employer - we are talking about TWO different things here

Thank god I am flying with a MUC based crew next week...

SleepOverGreenland

It is so funny, people believe on that XXX based crew thing.

Whenever I fly via MUC to FRA I see about half of my (MUC based ?) crew on the flight to FRA (in order to bring them home). Their next longhaul flight may start out of FRA or out of MUC and they always mix up.

But, what do I know since I only fly a few times a year and know only a handful LH crew members personally.

Two for example are based in TXL and they would never call them either MUC based or FRA based. They mix it, as it comes.

supermasterphil

Well, your experience might be different from mine. I always make a big point about talking to FAs and they always tell me that they are either FRA based or MUC based. It doesn't mean they live there but that's were their usual work starts or ends.

f0zzyNUE

afaik FA like pilots are qualified/trained for plane families. a FA trained for 737 will not be staffed for a A320 if (s)he doesnot have the appropriate AB "typerating".

with this background it makes pretty much sense that B747 flight crews are based in FRA and these FA will not fly from MUC as well as the other way round. perhaps it is not so much a MUC/FRA-based kind of thing but a A3X0/B747 thing ... ???

supermasterphil

No. I specially asked a FRA FA about it. She said it's quite usual that FA are trained on the Airbuses (A343/333 are the same - minor differences with the A346 due to the downstairs kitchen and the elevator) and on the B747.

Of course, MUC crews don't get to fly on the Jumbo!

hch

They must have a rating for the aircraft, but they can easily have multiple ratings. If I remember correctly what I was told by FAs the typical rating in FRA is B747+A330/A340+A320 or B737. There are also some FAs only doing longhaul and quite a lot doing only shorthaul.

oliver2002

LH has so called 'areas'. FRA based crew have 4 areas, MUC 1 area (NM). Each FA is assigned an area they can operate in. This is assigned at the time of hire or on request. Each area also has to fly a specific shorthaul aircraft type in between interconts.

Assignments in Summer 2006, for an example:


Quoted from Crewlounge forum

Most FRA based crews are trained on the 744 and the A330/340 to keep the destinations they fly to varying. Pursers need to be trained on all types.

flysurfer

And pursers determine the level of service in the pre-flight briefing. They tell the cabin crew how they want things to be done, what to do and what not to do.

So it's totally irrelevant if a few of the FAs are actually living in TXL or elsewhere. What counts is wether they are handling longhaul flights ex FRA or MUC and wether the purser (P2) is from FRA or MUC.

Also, we are talking trends here, not individuals. We all know that there are great P2s and crews in FRA and not so great ones in MUC. Still, MUC has established a service culture that's a bit different from FRA, including tiny bits like making sure that status customers sitting in row 10 (which is the last row being serviced on the 343) get their meal choice. These bits are actually mentioned during the crew briefing, so this isn't an individual FA being creative.