In praise of good cabin crew

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Viewing 8 posts - 16 through 23 (of 23 total)

  • FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Jeffreydavison

    Thanks for amending your post, the courtesy is appreciated and I have edited mine accordingly, so that the thread makes sense to others.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    @sparksflyer – to me what this thread screams out loud, is if passengers showed respect to the crew and didn’t treat them like an ‘inconvenience’, the travel experience would be a lot nicer for passengers and crew alike…

    I see also that you did amend the name of the crew member who excellent service you were highlighting. In the past when posters wished to highlight great onboard service, they have used the crew’s first name and initial.

    Perhaps BT could confirm whether that is acceptable or even just a first name…. I think it would be nice to still keep these threads a little personal, without of course publishing any personal details….


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    SimonS1 – 03/05/2016 22:31 BST

    The bank manager is a good metaphor for the changed status of cabin crew.

    When I started travelling in 1978, cabin crew were perceived as glam – remember Roz Hanby, the face of BA? (We’ll take more care of you, fly the flag campaign.)

    When I started my business in 1990, the bank manager was a 50 something sage, who was genuinely helpful in critiquing my business plan and advising me to check if it still worked with 50% of the assumed income and 50% extra expenses; it did and it needed to, as his comments were prosaic.

    Cabin crew are now often employed on the ‘least cost’ basis and it sometimes shows – my comment about mixed fleet crew included ‘immaculate uniforms’, which was true, but should also have said ‘near perfect coiffure and make-up’, as these ladies certainly did look the part.

    The downside is that crew (and I’m not just talking BA here) are tending to be less experienced and it shows if the service protocols are in any way sophisticated.

    On the other hand, three years ago, I saw a medical emergency on a Ryanair flight and the #1 crew (who looked too young to shave), assisted by a very young cabin crew member reacted immediately and showed strong leadership skills in resolving it with a positive outcome.

    So, at the end of the day, I would like to think that a good training regime still provides the security that we all need (but often do not think about.)

    The 80/20 good/not good ratio overall also sounds about right to me, although it is not distributed evenly on each flight, with the consequence that some crews feel much better than others – and the on board leadership is probably also a contributing factor.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    MartynSinclair – 04/05/2016 07:32 BST

    “@sparksflyer – to me what this thread screams out loud, is if passengers showed respect to the crew and didn’t treat them like an ‘inconvenience’, the travel experience would be a lot nicer for passengers and crew alike…”

    Mutual respect = a happier world


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Yes Simon, but in this case I’m delighted both JD and FDOS have been very humble and we’re not seeing these endless sparring posts we have so often had in the past. This forum is truly becoming a much nicer place.

    Sparkflyer, thank you for your kind comment. I much appreciate what you said and embarrassed at the same time. My sons always tells me everyone at their school is frightened of me – though I don’t know why!


    seasonedtraveller
    Participant

    LuganoPirate – 04/05/2016 15:59 BST
    ……….. This forum is truly becoming a much nicer place……………….

    Well said LP


    WillieWelsh
    Participant

    LuganoPirate – 04/05/2016 15:59 BST +1

    I’m more knowledgable for being a member and I hope I’ve helped a few others too.


    esselle
    Participant

    I think the experience of the crew has so much impact on the quality of the journey.

    I don’t fly SAS that often but on a recent trip there was a lady who had a video of a British comedian Peter Kay playing. She kept bursting out into extreme and hysterical laughter, actually quite awkward really, The obviously very experienced cabin manager, without prompting, went over and said words to the effect that it was wonderful to see her enjoying her video, but it may be that her fun was stopping other nearby pax from sleeping. Problem solved straight away with no harm to anybody.

    Contrast with a recent flight in F on BA where I called a crew member to alert them to the fact that the pax behind me was talking on their phone as we taxied to the runway, only to be told it was OK as they would probably stop talking soon.

    Experience brings a certain composure, which in turn I suggest gets things done.

Viewing 8 posts - 16 through 23 (of 23 total)
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