UNITED's Singapore Girls win Hospitality Award
Aug 11, 1999, 9:43 am
#1
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Join Date: Mar 1999
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UNITED's Singapore Girls win Hospitality Award
Since my links never seem to work, I thought I'd copy this piece of news from The Straits Times (Singapore) printed on August 8th:
WHEN it comes to service with a smile, the Singapore Girl holds no monopoly.
A group of 285 United Airlines flight attendants have won top honours for Singapore and the American airline for going out of their way to be hospitable.
Of the 285 crew members, 230 are Singaporeans. Malaysians and Japanese make up the rest.
Collectively, they have introduced services that have given the airline's daily flights out of Changi Airport (to Tokyo-Narita)a local touch, said UA's supervisor for onboard service, Ms Elaine Yip.
For instance, economy-class passengers have a choice of Hainanese chicken rice or chai tow kway (fried carrot cake-Singapore style) for breakfast, while first-class and business-class travellers can enjoy a meal of braised chicken noodles, she said.
Knowing that Asian parents prefer to feed their children rather than have them feed themselves, the crew would keep warm the parents' meals and serve them later -- this service is also extended to economy-class passengers.
On the night of the 7th August, the group received the Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, which is based in New York City. It picks out travel players it sees deserving of the award.
The title is significant as Asian carriers, notably SIA (Singapore Airlines, as it is locally known in Singapore and asia), are well-known for better in-flight service. UA is the first American airline to bag this prize.
Its general manager for Singapore, Mr Bill Byrne, said the award confirms the findings of the surveys that UA carries out 20 times a month. "The Singapore group has consistently scored the highest marks in our global customer ratings surveys," he said.
UA's chief purser Diane Goh was one of the proudest to receive the award. She said: "We're competing with other Asian carriers well-known for their service, especially Singapore Airlines. Our aim was to come close, if not do better than them.
"I feel the award is an affirmation that we are as good as SIA."
[This message has been edited by Celestar340 (edited 08-11-1999).]
WHEN it comes to service with a smile, the Singapore Girl holds no monopoly.
A group of 285 United Airlines flight attendants have won top honours for Singapore and the American airline for going out of their way to be hospitable.
Of the 285 crew members, 230 are Singaporeans. Malaysians and Japanese make up the rest.
Collectively, they have introduced services that have given the airline's daily flights out of Changi Airport (to Tokyo-Narita)a local touch, said UA's supervisor for onboard service, Ms Elaine Yip.
For instance, economy-class passengers have a choice of Hainanese chicken rice or chai tow kway (fried carrot cake-Singapore style) for breakfast, while first-class and business-class travellers can enjoy a meal of braised chicken noodles, she said.
Knowing that Asian parents prefer to feed their children rather than have them feed themselves, the crew would keep warm the parents' meals and serve them later -- this service is also extended to economy-class passengers.
On the night of the 7th August, the group received the Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, which is based in New York City. It picks out travel players it sees deserving of the award.
The title is significant as Asian carriers, notably SIA (Singapore Airlines, as it is locally known in Singapore and asia), are well-known for better in-flight service. UA is the first American airline to bag this prize.
Its general manager for Singapore, Mr Bill Byrne, said the award confirms the findings of the surveys that UA carries out 20 times a month. "The Singapore group has consistently scored the highest marks in our global customer ratings surveys," he said.
UA's chief purser Diane Goh was one of the proudest to receive the award. She said: "We're competing with other Asian carriers well-known for their service, especially Singapore Airlines. Our aim was to come close, if not do better than them.
"I feel the award is an affirmation that we are as good as SIA."
[This message has been edited by Celestar340 (edited 08-11-1999).]
Aug 11, 1999, 9:14 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Singapore
Posts: 88
I agree that UAL Singapore girls are pretty efficient. For niceness, give me the American girls or the Thai girls anytime.
When I travel business, these girls are angels. The girls are probably nicer to business class passengers.
However, on crowded flights, the hospitality decreases sharply. On many many ocassions, on flights UA 890 and 897, I have seen overt rudeness / balant talking down to passengers who could not speak English; eg the ethnic Chinese, Indians or Vietnamese. I have seen the same scrowl turned around and offered a most dazzling smile to Americans.
They would go out of the way to make a bloody mary for me yet show obvious impatience to another ethnic lady who asked for milk.
That for me is unkindess in the most ugly. These incidents are actual and real.
I can forgive ignorance eg. not knowing what cranberry juice is but I cannot forgive meaness and impatience. They may be hospitatable but I suspect that these hospitality are limited and opportunistic to the people who tend to write compilimentary letters / complaint letters.
Just my $0.02 worth of thoughts.
When I travel business, these girls are angels. The girls are probably nicer to business class passengers.
However, on crowded flights, the hospitality decreases sharply. On many many ocassions, on flights UA 890 and 897, I have seen overt rudeness / balant talking down to passengers who could not speak English; eg the ethnic Chinese, Indians or Vietnamese. I have seen the same scrowl turned around and offered a most dazzling smile to Americans.
They would go out of the way to make a bloody mary for me yet show obvious impatience to another ethnic lady who asked for milk.
That for me is unkindess in the most ugly. These incidents are actual and real.
I can forgive ignorance eg. not knowing what cranberry juice is but I cannot forgive meaness and impatience. They may be hospitatable but I suspect that these hospitality are limited and opportunistic to the people who tend to write compilimentary letters / complaint letters.
Just my $0.02 worth of thoughts.
Aug 11, 1999, 9:15 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Singapore
Posts: 88
I agree that UAL Singapore girls are pretty efficient. For niceness, give me the American girls or the Thai girls anytime.
When I travel business, these girls are angels. The girls are probably nicer to business class passengers.
However, on crowded flights, the hospitality decreases sharply. On many many ocassions, on flights UA 890 and 897, I have seen overt rudeness / balant talking down to passengers who could not speak English; eg the ethnic Chinese, Indians or Vietnamese. I have seen the same scrowl turned around and offered a most dazzling smile to Americans.
They would go out of the way to make a bloody mary for me yet show obvious impatience to another ethnic lady who asked for milk.
That for me is unkindess in the most ugly. These incidents are actual and real.
I can forgive ignorance eg. not knowing what cranberry juice is but I cannot forgive meaness and impatience. They may be hospitatable but I suspect that these hospitality are limited and opportunistic to the people who tend to write compilimentary letters / complaint letters.
Just my $0.02 worth of thoughts.
When I travel business, these girls are angels. The girls are probably nicer to business class passengers.
However, on crowded flights, the hospitality decreases sharply. On many many ocassions, on flights UA 890 and 897, I have seen overt rudeness / balant talking down to passengers who could not speak English; eg the ethnic Chinese, Indians or Vietnamese. I have seen the same scrowl turned around and offered a most dazzling smile to Americans.
They would go out of the way to make a bloody mary for me yet show obvious impatience to another ethnic lady who asked for milk.
That for me is unkindess in the most ugly. These incidents are actual and real.
I can forgive ignorance eg. not knowing what cranberry juice is but I cannot forgive meaness and impatience. They may be hospitatable but I suspect that these hospitality are limited and opportunistic to the people who tend to write compilimentary letters / complaint letters.
Just my $0.02 worth of thoughts.
Aug 12, 1999, 7:53 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 3
Have I missed something? Are the flight attendants 12 years old? If one must refer to their gender, please do so by calling them women, not girls.
Aug 12, 1999, 8:12 am
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 46,817
No defense here, but a benign comment that as you may know, these women have long been referred to as "Singapore Girls" by SIA and the other airlines and everyone else. They have been criticized before for this very practice. Apparently they don't feel that Singapore Women works! Why? Who knows?!
Aug 12, 1999, 3:00 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Far forward aisle seat please!
Programs: UA MP, AA Advantage, IHG, HH
Posts: 322
YES!
The Singapore based United crew is by far the best UA has period! Their service in all classes is something the American FA's should learn from! Even more so, the Singapore ground staff is probably the best United has except maybe for the Sydney or Auckland ground folks! Its sad to hear the term "girls" used on crew that works this hard
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Getting Closer to The Million Mile Dream!
The Singapore based United crew is by far the best UA has period! Their service in all classes is something the American FA's should learn from! Even more so, the Singapore ground staff is probably the best United has except maybe for the Sydney or Auckland ground folks! Its sad to hear the term "girls" used on crew that works this hard
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Getting Closer to The Million Mile Dream!