FAN Comment of the week!!!

(FROM Did I mention that I hate weather?)

 

OMG I can so relate to that feeling of shut up, sit down and wait, I can't change the GD weather and ORD can't function if there is a raindrop or snowdrop on the field.

2 years ago I had to get back to MSN for a funeral right after the 1st of the year. LAX was jammed with Rose Bowl fans going back to DTW and I was flying UA. There was a snowstorm in ORD and everything was on a ground hold here. We had some great help from the CSA at the check in desk and since I grew up Non Revving on the great Travel with Anxiety airline I just figured we'd wait it out.

We were delayed 3 hours boarding at LAX making us miss our connection on UX to MSN. Finally departed ORD at 2300 and met the family members who had sat at MSN waiting for us for 4 hours. But we made it, and we did what we had to do and flew home safely. I am not shy about going to a gate with an earlier flight and seeing if you can get out on that, The seat is paid for one way or another if it's on that flight or the scheduled one.

I hope the storms abate and you have blue skies and good flights for a while.

magickann
Comment from magickann - 6/14/05 1:16 PM

Shameless Promotion...

 

I just got this movie today in my mailbox.  I have heard  mixed reviews from my coworkers.  I think for those of you out there who want to know what it is REALLY like to be a flight attendant whether out of curiosity or because you want to become a flight attendant, this is the movie for you.  Finally a movie made about flight attendants by a flight attendants.  This is the only movie that gives a realistic view of what our JOB is really like!

CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!

Did I ever mention that I hate weather???

"We appologize for any inconvience the weather may have caused, and we appreciate your patientence ladies and gentlemen..."

 

"We appricate your patience."  What it really means is, thanks for not vocallizing how you REALLY feel, causing a riot on the aircraft and trying to kill the flight attendants, because YOU have a connection to make!

I am sure most of you have heard that more than once on an airplane.  Being stuck on the ground in an airplane because of weather is never fun.  (Especailly NOT for the cabin crew, let me tell you!)  Being held on the ground because of weather brings up all sorts of problems:

1. Frustrated passengers who demand to be taken back to the gate, even though that's impossible.

2. Frustrated passengers who demand that you rebook them on the next flight, even though YOU know that their connection will be delayed.  (I do not have the training to rebook or change anyone's reservation, I pass out coke and pretzels and preform CPR)

3. Frustrated business travelers who travel as much as the crew does, who just wants to act out and make a fool out of themselves.

4. Frustrated once a year travelers who have been planning their dream vacation for ever, and now YOU'VE ruined it because there is a major thunder storm over O'hare.

Traveling is stressful enough without having to throw weather into the mix.  I think my next entry will be how to survive a weather delay on the ground.

News from around the Industry....

2 Men Arrested Allegedly Trying To Board Plane With Guns

Men Allegedly Posing As Police Officers

POSTED: 4:38 pm EDT May 20, 2005

UPDATED: 6:56 pm EDT May 20, 2005

PHILADELPHIA -- Two people were arrested Thursday night for allegedly trying to board a plane with guns at airport.

NBC 10 News has learned, and the FBI has confirmed that the men were just one step away from boarding an American Airlines flight sometime after 8 p.m. Thursday.  Sources told NBC 10 News that Timothy Robinson, of Philadelphia, and Steven Lundy, of Roselle, N.J, cleared the first checkpoint and were headed toward the airplane when an American Airlines representative looked at their paperwork and saw that the men were posing as police officers. The representative felt uncomfortable because she didn't think that they were really police officers, so she called the police department.

FBI agents said that the two men showed airport officials fake badges and fake police identification cards to clear security with the loaded handguns. They also filled out paperwork claiming that they were private police. Authorities said one gun was a 357 Magnum and the second gun was a 9 mm.

The Transportation and Safety Administration launched an investigation and the FBI arrested both men.

Robinson and Lundy were taken to the federal building in downtown Philadelphia. Friday and were arraigned on charges connected to posing as police officers and attempting to board an airplane with firearms.

The investigation is continuing.

Copyright 2005 by NBC10.com

 

Picking Up Open Time...

Picking up 32 hours of extra time this month seemed like a good idea, untill I had to get up at 5:30am on my day off to start the trip on the 12th of May...

Not only did I have to get up early on a day off, but I had to work a three day trip on my least favourite airplane the EMBRAER. 

There are some of our flight attendants who prefer working alone.  They like having complete control and running their own show.  I am not one of those flight attendants.  I work better with someone else as part of a team.

The trip went ok, once I got used to flying on the EMB again.  It went thru Dallas the second day, so I was lucky enough to avoid the weather that Chicago was still having on Thursday.  Now I am back at home, and happy to be here, if only for a Sunday. 

My boyfriend wasn't thrilled that I was working six days in a row but he understands that the more that I work, that the more that I get paid.  He also knows that I love what I do.

Though I should have paid more attention to the callender when I was picking up trips. Not only did I pick up a trip an entire weekend trip, but it's also during Memorial Day Weekend.  I know that it's going to be a nightmare...

Update from 2 weeks ago..

So no unruly children or their parents for that matter on the 11th of May, just some unpredictable weather...

Wednesday morning we arrived into O'Hare from Grand Rapids racing a major thunder storm.  No sooner did we arrive and unload the passengers, did the sky darken and start to rumble.  We were supposed to do another round trip to Grand Rapids at 7am, but we didn't leave the gate untill almost 9am.  Once we got back to Grand rapids, we were stuck on the ground on the runway for almost an hour and a half with a full boat of passengers. 

Now one would think that this would make for a difficult situation, but here comes the kicker...  Because we were stuck on the ground for so long on the runway, the tower in GRR had 10 pepperoni pizzas delivered out to our airplane for all of the passengers.  Yes that's right pepperoni pizzas!  This was the first time in my career that I have had to do a meal service.  In spite of the delay, the passengers were extremely patient and kind while we were on the ground.

I think that we didn't even get back to ORD untill 12:45pm, over three hours late.  So instead of getting done at 2pm, we didn't even get back to O'Hare from Omaha untill 4:30 pm, well past the time I should have been at home watching TV in my PJ's.

Random Acts Of Passive Agressive Behavior...

Being a flight attendant and being passive agressive seems to go hand in hand...  Don't let the smile fool you!  Here are some of my random confessions of girls behaving badly.

 

The following is an old joke, but a good one:

Q: How does a flight attendant say F*** you?

A: "I'll be right back!"

I seem to say, "I'll be right back," quite frequently lately...  Being passive agressive seems to creep into your soul when you are a flight attendant.  I don't personally condoan this type of bahaviour, but sometimes I let things slip without thinking...

***Monday evening Enid and I were working our last flight of the day into White Plains, NY.  I don't know what it is about these passengers that makes them think that they are God's gift to humanity, but their pretention and blatent arrogence annoys me to no end. 

We were in the middle of the beverage service, and Enid was making her way towards the back of the plane.  I was finished in my section, so I started to move the cart to where she was.  Mind you the cart weighs about 90 plus pounds, and is difficult to manuver down the isle dodging knees by ones self.  I accidently ramed it into the armrest of an exit row passenger, and by the look that she gave me, if looks could kill I would have been dead. 

I appologized profusely, and she accepted my appology.  She then went to inform me to move the cart moved away from her seat because she didn't want anything spilled on her.  (whatever I have a job to do, that was more important than her game of solitare!!!)  Blowing her comment off, I continued to help Enid serve the last few passengers, and only scooted the cart forward about 5 inches which meant that I was pouring drinks right next to the top of her head. 

When we were finished, I started pulling out the open cans and placing them on top of the cart to refill drinks on the way back up the cabin.  "OOPPPS...."  I exclaimed as I spilled some tomato juice on top of my cart by mistake.  I never seen someone move so fast in my life as she did to avoid the tomato juice that she thought I was about to spill on her!  When she glared at me, I just rolled my eyes as we pulled the cart back up to the front of the airplane...

***The next morning the flight out of White Plains, I had this family of three sitting in the bulk head row.  The mother was clutching her purse to her lap, when I opened up the over head bin and offered to put it in for her.  After much resistance she handed it to me saying, "Please be careful, where you touch it, I don't YOU want to get it dirty.....  It's REALLY expensive!"  After I had gently placed her precious purse in the over head bin and closed it, I let out a fake sneeze and wiped my nose with my hands and continued to close the rest of the overhead bins.  She didn't want anything from me during the beverage service.

***Wednesday we were working one of our last flights into Omaha.  Enid asks this passenger, who could be a double for Britney Spears husband what he wanted to drink.  After going back and forth several times, "What do you have?" "Well, what do you want?"  He decided on Sprite AND water. 

As soon as she moved past his row, the little punk was shaking his empty glass in the isle at me, demanding a refill.  Mind you I was at row 5 behind the cart, and he was seated at row 10.  I said, "NO!" "Are you serious?" he retorted.  "WE still have other passengers to take care of SIR!  And we will be refilling on the way back up."  I replied as we moved the cart past him.  We seemed to have both forgot to refill his glass as we made our way back up the isle, even though he kept trying to get our attention and make eye contact.  Come to find out, he was just another airline employee traveling on us, and should have known how to behave better.

 

Hope you enjoyed my week more than I did!