747FC

Ms747FC and I just returned from last duo of flights in 1AK. I was curious about the plans that the FAs had for themselves, so I polled them. The common plan seemed to be that either they would grab GF on a remaining non-747, or they would work economy. The opinion was voiced was that the J cabin is too crowded with demanding passengers.

eng3

Yeah, it's alot of work keeping up those smiles, answering the needs of the passengers and treating them with respect. You don't have to bother with any of that in Y. I'm not sure about crowding. It's more crowded in J than Y?

warrenw

Yeah... I don't even get a smile in Y...

fly747first

Shows you the extreme underachieving behavior that has plagued UA for many years now.

eng3

Yeah, I've seen their faces literally go from a smile to a frown as they cross into the Y cabin. And for someone in J who paid 4X the price, I think they deserve to have a higher expectation of service and a few more demands.

Now since I started this line of negativity and before we go too far off topic, I'll point out that I still believe that the number of FA's who behave this way is in the minority. Unfortunately we tend to remember the bad ones more than the good ones. A few bad eggs can spoil the batch. I've spoken to FA's and pilots (some unaware of my status or booked cabin) thank me and tell me that I pay for their pay check. FA's in Y that actually care to help people (no matter how clueless they are) and do it with a smile. The numbers might be different than the early days of the 747 though.

747FC

I believe they were comparing to the GF cabin. Higher density and similar (or greater) demands.

warrenw

I'm sorry but it's their.... job... I mean look at other airlines that are known for their service and how they treat customers, they seem to get it right. Why can't UA? I mean these folks applied for a job to be a FA, why complain when you have to serve people who have expectations based on money they spent? I know a lot of people in C are flying for work, but only 25% of my travel is work related the other 75% is pleasure and I pay cash for a lot of my C tickets - I want something for my money.

It really comes down to the culture that's been going on inside of UA for years and years now - the customer is the enemy.

With that said I have had more FA's who genuinely enjoy their job and make each flight a great experience for everyone surrounding them, than FA's who couldn't care less about being there. I just feel I have to add that caveat, I mean I'm not trying to complain about FA's, I guess my overall point is they shouldn't complain about something they are paid to do for a job they themselves chose to do as a career.

scnzzz

"here primarily for your safety"

For some, the implication is that service is to be begrudged. I agree that's the minority, but that's not the point. It's a significant minority, and true in every class of service, F included; and is consistent across the carriers I am tied to (AA, UA, and to a surprising extent, BA)

747FC

On my last four flights, the most customer-service-oriented FAs were on the SFO-HNL leg, and they were a mostly a Hawaii-based crew who gave stellar service to the 28 J-cabin passengers.

The SFO-LHR-SFO crews seemed tired and lacking in any enthusiasm. They were not bad, but were not a good example of CS skill sets. One would think that GF cabins would be populated by the best of the best. (Yes, I know that seniority prevails). There was none of the formerly obligatory rounds about the GF cabin, thanking the 12 GF passengers for flying with UA. During the flights, there was little attention to the near-empty glass sitting besides me.

usbusinesstraveller

Glad it worked out and you got to "retire" on a high. Me too. My favorite is/was 13K.

I retired from the 747 on 5th June with LHR-SFO in 13K (round trip P fare from PDX to LHR for $2509 , seat 15K on the outbound). I had another opportunity on FRA-SFO booked in Y by my company, but I've had zero upgrades on that route so took the LH A380 instead.

It was good to go to go out on a high. Now look forward. I'm flying my first Polaris 77W this Sunday , SFO-NRT.

azimut95

According to Flightradar24, N127UA is going from SFO to VCV as UA2779 at 1015 today.

Richym99

Have a fare lock on a trip from NYC to PVG at the end of next month (30th returning 4th) via SFO and IAH on the rtn.

UA have kindly dropped the P fare by $300 in the last four days, (bookable before tomorrow). First trip on the 777-300 and my first PS flight followed by TPAC crossings in 16A and 16K. The handful of trips that I have done on the UD have been some of my most enjoyable. I will miss the 747's when they disappear.

Still R space and UD seats up for grabs both outward and rtn for anyone who fancies using a couple of GPU's.