What makes a good flight attendant?
 

Since we always complain about Flight attendant being rude and so on....

What does a Flight attendant have to do to satisfy you..?

What can a flight attendant do to make you have a memorable trip..?

And best of all what does a flight attendant have to do to tick you off...?

Good topic ... as a plane sleeper I don't much care about what they do, just so they don't bother me - "sir, please put your seat belt on ... oh, it is on ...". In general, staying out of my way is good; a smile on boarding is always welcome. Of course, scowls are frowned upon (there are two UA attendants who always scowl at me as though I'd just stolen their lunch; one of them in particular, a little narrow-faced fellow with a big nose (BOS-based), looks daggers at me whenever he sees me).
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Before takeoff/nodoff, when I do most of my interactions with the cabin crew, I'd like the aforementioned smile and perhaps a touch of personality (humor; concern for passengers - usually not myself, as I don't require attention). The robotic style apparently encouraged by the corporate powers that be at UA is a very mild turnoff: I think that airline could learn a little in this regard from the upstarts like HP and WN: okay, be efficient, but don't act like the Commendatore.

Just a smile and friendly attitude goes a long way. This works on both sides, passengers and FA's.

I think you hit it on the head with the first one. A http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif also little things like asking if you would like another drink when they take away the empty. I know they are not cocktail waitresess, but if I'm stuck by the window or in the middle, I probally won't get up to walk to the galley or press the call button if I'd like another.

Freefaller12k

Friendly and helpful goes a long way.

A good sense of humor. Flying can be a very stressful thing, and a FA who can laugh at the bizarness of the skies instead of getting mad at stuff makes the atmosphere of the plane much better. And if he/she can get a passenger to laugh a little instead of banging their heads against the bulkhead in frustration, then it's even better.

Things that satisfy:
- when it's obvious the f/a enjoys providing good service (hard to explain but you know it when you see it - hard to fake it)
- when the f/a does little things that show he/she tries to anticipate passenger needs (like turns on the reading light for you when you're reading - or brings a glass of water - whatever).
Things that do not satisfy:
- ignoring passengers (usually by hanging out with the other f/as)
- talking down to passengers (yes, most of us know the #1 f/a priority is safety, but don't throw this up as a smokescreen to ignore service issues)

Looking you in the eyes when they talk with you, so that you at least get the impression they are interested in being on duty... the service all follows from that.

sorry...

[This message has been edited by kyklin (edited 08-03-2000).]

Oh boy.

Empress thanks for starting this thread. I intend to copy it off and forward the thread to our training department. Other than kyklin "butting" in, the posts have been great so far. Please keep them coming! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

In priority order:

Competence: This seems like a no-brainer, but I've seen plenty of FAs who dont know how to turn Empoer on, don't know how to run the movie, etc.

Friendliness: It truly is the little things that make a difference. That smile. Offering a refill. Calling you by name in first class. Looking and acting like you are in a good mood and happy to be helping.

Hustle: This is the one that typically earns a thank you cert from me. It seems to come from a love of the job, or just a love of customer service in general. These are the folks who offer refills on the preflight drinks. Who thank you for your status. Who basically dote over you and seem to be having a great time doing it.

Since the original post was deleted, my comments are no longer relevant.



[This message has been edited by Comicwoman (edited 08-04-2000).]

I had a great flight attendant/purser yesterday.

I was sitting in coach with my son and, based on the manifest, he and I were the only ones in coach with elite status. The purser came over to my son and I, shook our hands and introduced himself. He chatted for a minute and, well, basically treated us like people.

He was kind, friendly and seemed to love his job.

Toward the end of the flight, he walked the plane and asked every passenger individually if they had a connection to make. If so, he gave them their gate number and some advice on what to do if it looked like it would be close.

Based on her past posts, I suspect A Flygirl is an example of a good flight attendant too.

An extremely nice, but not overly ingratiating manner.