Do you spot these flying first time
 

Hi, I wonder if any other people are interesting in guessing whether person you see on board is flying for the first time?
One of top ideas how to spot first-time flyer is kind of unvoluntary one - happens only if I seat close to lav... judgement si then by the fact that someone is unable/don't know how to open lav door... first I thought that things I noticed are isolated incidents but just alst week flying KUL-SGN I've spotted 2 persons who were unable to do that (open lav door). One (female) was ultimately helped by f/a, another (male) finally broke the door!
AX

As a F/A I can spot them pretty easy. Just the other day, had a lady passenger who was trying to open the very small little cubby hole where we keep the demo equipment, I had some fun with it for a couple of minutes, and asked if I could help her find something, she replied " Oh, I'm sorry, the bathroom must be occupied", I then of course led her to the correct door. By the way, this was in FC. Also, you have those that have never sat in FC, and have no clue what to do with the hot towel, where the tray is, and head to the main cabin lav's. Also, in the main cabin, usually the people that are actually watching and listening to the demo, looking for the exits as we go along with the demonstration. If I am in the lead F/A position at the door, most every flight you will have someone board and they will tell you right off this is thier first time to fly. I have had people try to pay me for the sandwhich and coke or ask how much it is.....just a few things I can recall at this time.

They dont lock the lavatory door when using the washroom !

Slightly OT : I forgot to close the window shade in the lavatory just a couple of months ago. First time I was using an aircraft toilet with a window, but I was sure no one was looking in high up in the sky :cool:

1) People in the bulkhead row with all their bags piled in front of them.
2) People who try to put their carry-ons under their own seat instead of the seat in front of them.

Few years ago I was on a small prop job to NYC and the weather got a bit bouncy. The guy I was seated next to got a bit pale, and as the vibrations increased, grabbed the chair in front of him, and looked like he was close to losing it. I figured this was his first flight, or at least the first on a prop, so I told him that this was normal, no need to worry, etc. I asked him if this was his first flight, and he looks at me half p/o'd, half embarrassed and blurts out that he's a g-d PILOT!

The guy had always flown full sized jets, so he wasn't used to the props, and combined with what he defined as the lack of control as a passenger in this weather, had him a bit nervous.

I'll be honest, I'm one of those people who usually fumbles with the lav door on a flight.

After something like 100,000 bis miles over the past couple years, I think I've used the lav twice ever. I simply don't ever have to go that bad in the middle of a flight, so when I do, I look like a complete neophyte.

Sorry, but I always watch the demo, read the card and look around for the nearest exit. It's one of those things that I wouln't want to forget when I need to know.

Also.....
Only once in my life have I not looked at the back of the hotel door for the fire escape 'map', and on that one occassion I had to evacuate in the middle of the night - so now I look every time.

I am a safety advisor, and would always advocate practicing what I preach.

They say as they board "these things look a lot bigger on TV".

Sat in 10A on the A330 yesterday and I was amazed how many people had to double check their boarding pass and ask the FA where where A, G, J, etc were. Is there any configuration where A is not the left side window?

I did try charging a $10 cover charge as people boarded, but nobody fell for it. :D

Of course I had issues with the armrest tray table and the lav door was a little confusing.

I have a ritual of giving my seatbelt a tug to make sure it's tight, quickly checking the exit locations, seeing whether the window is a "throw out" or "in the seat behind" type (I'm in an exit row 90% of the time, usually RJ's), etc., as the FA goes through the spiel. Some of us actually do pay attention. Of course, I have my earplugs in by then - I don't need to hear the words anymore<g>.

If you were on my flight, I would definitley pick you for assistance in an emergency. I appreciate you being so concerned about the safety issues that could happen during any flight.

The exit row is such an important row to be in, so I am happy that you take it serious, but you are one in a million. I have had to stop the demo before to ask passengers to please talk quietly, just because they feel they don't need to listen, there is usually someone that has never flown before who wants to listen and watch the demo.

So you are the one who keeps pulling the ashtray off the doors to get inside the lav? lol. couldn't resist. Seriously, If people would take the time to read the instructions on the door, or they have pictures demonstrating how to open the door on some a/c. I wish I had a penny for everytime I had to say "push" or "pull" the door....I could maybe afford to buy my own small airline......

I often get upgraded to first Class, and I dont like using the
tray in front of me, many a times F/As think I dont know where
it is and try to help. May be it was you the other day :D

I dont pay attention to the safety demonstration either,
It not because I dont care, but I spend on an average 1.5-2 hours
in the air daily, and I an well aware. If its a new aircraft to me..
i'll go over things briefly.

On some airlines, they charge for the drinks and food on the
flight. I wouldnt discount a passenget being a first timer if
he/she ask you how much or offers you money for it.
Jetstar and Virgin Blue are some of those airlines.

But when someone is flying for the first time, I've generally seen
FAs do a pretty good job helping them and make them feel comfortable.

Mostly on the international flights, I've seen people struggling to
find out how to put on the headphones. Usually the ones that
go over the ears confuse a lot of people. :)

When I said they offered money to me for food, this was back in the day when they didn't do that so much. BTW, it probably wasn't me on your flight assisting you the other day, been off for awhile with an injury, but I would assist you if you needed some instructions on how to pull out the tray table, you are not alone in not liking to use the tray table, I am finding that more frequently these days.