BearX220

Damn straight. I don't care if the new NW planes have solid gold lav taps and wheelbarrows of caviar. Amenities don't mean anything if the crew throws them at your head, hoping to fracture your skull.

alect

FAs may certainly put up with a lot of mis-behaving and rude pax, but we all have clients/etc who are similar in our jobs - and it is never acceptable for us to act the way I have seen some FAs act.

obscure2k

Rude-- never. Indifferent-- yes. Indifference is what is most aggravating.

slickalick

Are you trying to tell me and expect me to believe that CX/SQ Cabin Crew are not trained in safety or don't put too much emphasis into safety vs. service?? Come on...

SQ crews are some of the most fanatical about following the safety guidlines, yet they are able to deliver a service which exceeds most expectations by far.

Please don't flame me, im just calling it as it is - but in a lot of circumstances most of the senior FA's flying long-haul on American carriers would need rescuing by the passengers in an unfortunate incident. I am at a loss to determine how they would be able to help me with my safety or security should something happen. On one UA flight, the senior FA wasn't able to arm the doors and had to ask one of her colleagues to assist her - what good would she be in an emergency?

In the hotels i used to work in, bell boys were the first line in security/loss prevention - in fact the majority of their training was in this aspect. Yet they were capable of providing our guests excellent service.

If you go and eat in a restaurant, and a fire breaks out in the kitchen, you cant see anything - who are you going to count on getting you out of there? The service staff? Are they trained in Fire Prevention - yes, are they trained in first aid - yes.

BearX220

That's because in most businesses the employees' actions are directly linked to the fate of the enterprise, not statutorily/contratually isolated.

BlissWorld

I have had nothing but positive experiences with UA. I have to say though, UA has excellent FAs in F but not in Y. However, even in Y, I've never had an unpleasant experience.

My worst flying experience is with WN - the only airline I refuse to fly.

Best crew attitude has to go to Jetblue.

Cromely

Back to the OP...

This doesn't bother me at all. Let the crews rant and race about how terrible passengers are when they're among their colleagues on that site. As long as they don't start idnetifying names, who cares? It's their off time. They can complain and make fun of obnoxious passengers all they want. It's a way to blow off steam and get it out of thier system.

How they treat the actual passengers on the aircraft is important. Not what they post in some forum.

You'll see this same thing in most service and probably other industries. the converstations that happen n the break room (actual or virtual) are not customer friendly and they're not meant to be. It about relaxing, venting, and bonding with co-workers. You can google sites for retail employees, restaurant workers, casino dealers, pizza delivery people, and more.

And, yes, high paid consultants and professional sales people do the same things when they're among their own.

Cromely.
Happier to be self loading cargo than non-self loading cargo.

tgw

I also find UA to be the most unhelpful and sometimes rudest. (Why I keep flying them, I don't know?!?!)

Interestingly enough, I was staying at a hotel just a couple of night's ago where some airline crews were staying. I was at the bar which was very close to the front desk. The airline crew that was checking in was treating the front desk like absoulte !@#$. I was apalled. From what I could hear they were complaining that the hotel picked up other guests on the shuttle from the airport instead of just them. The guy at the desk (who I think was the manager) was very apologetic and professional in handling the matter. I turned, finished my drink, and minded my own business.

A couple hours later I was in the lobby again to get something I forgot from the car. Surprise! Another crew was checking in. Surprise! They were also complaning (now to a different person at the desk). I couldn't tell what they were complaining about. But now, my interest was sparked. On my way back in, I stopped at the desk to "set a wake-up call" and asked about the crews I had observed earlier. Guess what? UNITED! I chuckled and told them I wasn't surprised.

We chatted for a little while since it wasn't busy and I joked that they should give the good rooms to the nice crews, and the not-as-good rooms to the mean ones. The guy said "Oh, we already do that." I thought that was funny. Apparently flight attendants usually get better rooms since they are usually the nicer ones (possibly cause they deal with the public... Hmmm ).

I just thought it was interesting. I wrote a letter to United Airlines about it, making the point that their crews that stay in hotels arrive still in uniform and are representing their company. I don't expect any great response, but the whole thing kind of made me mad.

I got something out of it though. The guy at the desk gave me a free breakfast. ^ Spoken like a true FTer.

ironmanjt

I'm not as concerned about senior FAs (on any airline) as these 18/19yo kids that the regionals are hiring to be the sole FA on an RJ. If something goes wrong I'm not sure I trust a kid making $7-8/hr to save my life.

Mrotenfan

FYI, that's a breach of contract, and that's why the front desk, who appenrently knew it, was apologetic.

In most cases, hotels are supposed to send seperate vihecle for crew pick-ups and drop offs according the contract signed between the airlines and hotels.

On a side note, crew don't usually get the best rooms, rooms that are close to the ice machine, at the end of hall way, furtherest from the elevators are usually assigned to the crew.

Jayou360

Which might be the logical extension of these new regulations.

After all, bombs, box-cutters and toothpaste are only dangerous if the passenger's awake to use them ....

BearX220

It's funny you should say that.

Last month my family and I spent four days at the Sydney Harbour Marriott in SYD, a very nice hotel by any stretch. It turned out to be the layover hotel for UA crews working transpacific flights.

For two or three mornings in a row we took in the spectacle of disheveled, loud, rude UA men and women in uniform yell at desk clerks to check them in faster; bellow at one another across the lobby; trade insulting and sometimes vulgar commentary about their management and most recent customers while sharing elevators with strangers including my young son; snap out-of-my-way commands at other hotel guests, etc.; and generally behave like world-class boors -- all the while bristling with United Airlines insignia, bag tags, etc.

Clearly they were tired, having just worked long flights in from LAX or SFO that arrived at 600a or 630a. But they were the worst imaginable human advertisements for United. The notion of being cooped up with such people on a long-distance flight, let alone being "served" by them, curdles the blood.

They were without exception what you would call senior staff.

On checkout I mentioned to the Marriott front-desk manager that I had seen a number of United Airlines people in the house and they didn't look like they were terribly easy to cope with. He rolled his eyes and shook his head in despair and apologized to me for them.

DCA Blondie

Curious as to which US airline pays those rates....and hires 18/19 yo kids...

Rejuvenated

Ditto!

Palal

Not considering many Eastern European carriers, I thought El Al was pretty bad, but then again, after visiting Israel, I'd have to say it's a cultural thing more than anything else.

Domestically, the best FAs have been on B6 and WN. I've also had a good exp'ce with UA yesterday on KOA-SFO (maybe it's the hawaii-based FAs?) US FAs are generally indifferent and so are most DL and CO IMO. NW is the worst of the bunch, but I've never had what I would consider a rude FA. An indifferent one - yes, but a rude one - no.