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Galley Gossip - Miss Oklahoma, Pop Rocks, a ripped skirt & other strange things on planes {Gadling}
Nov 25th 2009 11:49AM Nick, we do carry spare uniforms,, but it's much easier (not to mention quicker) to just do an on-the-run repair as the spare uniform is generally crammed inside our bag and would be far too wrinkly to wear right out of the case :)
In a pinch, one can use bandaids from the first aid kit or even catering stickers if the situation is desperate!
Galley Gossip: 5 tips for getting through airport security quickly {Gadling}
Nov 19th 2009 11:34PM Ron that might be the case in America but there's no such thing as 'Elite lines' for security in Australia. Immigration, yes, security no.
We are always polite and say 'excuse me' before we cut in the line, most people are fine with it because there's no separate crew line line there is in many other countries. But I've been sworn at by several passengers just for doing what the airport tells us to do. (There IS signage to say that due to no separate crew lines, OPERATING crew ONLY may join in front of the queue. And it does say 'Thank You' for allowing us to go in front. I always say thanks to people.
If you're going through security when your crew arrives, may I suggest that maybe you're not at the airport early enough... crew generally arrive to the aircraft at or after the time that check-in cuts off for that flight...
Galley Gossip: 5 tips for getting through airport security quickly {Gadling}
Nov 17th 2009 8:31PM Sure, if the TSA want you to do it that way... but the TSA are not at every airport, Europe and Asia for example. I'm speaking from experience with Australia and Asia... your stuff has to go through the scanner as you are walking through, so it's best to time it as I've described above... simply placing the last tray in as you are about to step through yourself.
Also as mentioned by others, picking up your trays and/or sliding them to the END of the 'pick up' queue.... I HATE getting through the arch only to find a group of people standing at the front of the conveyor. As crew, we can cut the line, but it's still the same line and it's no help to us to have to stand there for 5 minutes waiting for everyone to move so we can pick up our bags.
PS- can people please stop abusing us for using the allowed line cut just so we can be on time? We're trying to make YOUR flight on time!
Galley Gossip: 5 tips for getting through airport security quickly {Gadling}
Nov 17th 2009 10:30AM ANother tip- don't EVER put the bin with your valuables in it onto the belt until you are about to walk through the archway. Or, don't walk through until you see your computer moving through the scanner... as FlyingWithFish mentioned once, it's a prime opportunity for airport thieves to grab this bin while you're putting on your shoes if you put it through too soon or too late...
I'd also add, if you Do beep... don't stand in the arch searching through your pockets, step aside so the line can keep moving while you look for whatever it was that set it off in the first place. Happy travels!
Galley Gossip: Laviators - the best of the best contest! {Gadling}
Oct 23rd 2009 11:54PM Hi Heather, I'd been meaning to send you a picture for awhile now, but I think I sent it to the wrong address (the Skydoll one)
I don't know if you have any laviators on the A380, but mine is from there. Let me know if I need to send it again. I love your blog by the way!
Galley Gossip: Fly Girls, a flight attendant docu-series airing soon {Gadling}
Sep 25th 2009 12:19PM I so can't wait to see an FA up to her elbows in vomit.
Oh wait, they want glamorous, so they're not gonna show that!
Can't wait. Do you know if it will be available to view online?
Galley Gossip: In-flight emergencies - what are the odds? {Gadling}
Aug 27th 2009 12:06AM A planned emergency is where there is time to make some kind of preparation for the events to come- whether that is a ditching, emergency landing or a full evacuation. For example, the plane experiences engine trouble, the pilots advise there is 15 minutes to landing, and the FAs have time to 'prep the cabin' (do a safety briefing, stow equipment, reassure pax etc)
Unplanned is where there is no warning for the crew- e.g. plane runs off the runway on landing, landing gear gives way, sudden engine fire on the stand- it pretty much means the crew are entirely unprepared & have no warning of what is about to happen, therefore they just go right into the emergency procedures. Planned is preferable because at least one can try prepare the passengers for what to expect and what to do.
I believe the Hudson was unplanned as the FAs literally had like 2 minutes notice, not nearly enough to prep the cabin for ditching, they had to do it as they went...
Planned would be, for example, the Qantas plane last year which lost the cabin pressure. They would have prepared the cabin for an emergency landing and potential evacuation if required.
Galley Gossip: In-flight emergencies - what are the odds? {Gadling}
Aug 21st 2009 1:26AM Wow Frank, that is full on! Thankfully, the passengers I've helped have always been ok. But i know several FAs who have lost passengers despite best efforts.
In first aid training they basically told us, get the AED on as soon as you can, even if it means the oxygen might be a bit delayed. B/c once you lose the heart completely, there's no hope.
It just saddens me when you're trying to help someone & getting equipment and other passengers are totally oblivious and either won't move or come up to you when you're doing CPR on someone. Either they don't care or they can't cope so choose to ignore it...?
As for emergencies, I've had a few. It's also interesting dealing with the aftermath on the ground after the FAs hand the pax over to the airport staff. I've had to help conduct a few 'debriefing' sessions with pax by the pilots in the airport.
Galley Gossip: Frequent flier pet peeve - rude flight attendants {Gadling}
Aug 13th 2009 10:28PM It does also depend on tone of voice. "What do you need?" in an enquiiring manner is different to WHADDYA NEED????? snipped at you. Smae as "May I help you?" in a soft tone can still be interpreted by some as' Do I have to help you?'
You can't please everyone. Perhaps she was being rude but then again maybe she was just speaking in a way that comes naturally to her. Not all airlines insist or train on certain phrasology in premium cabins. Mine guides, but does not enforce a certain way of speaking to pax. It can also depend on the pax- we want to be approachable without being 'stuck up', so if a pax seems more comfortable being spoken to - for lack of a better word- more commonly, then that's what I do. No point flogging someone with 'Sir' or 'Mr X' if he says 'Please call me Sam'...
Galley Gossip: More flight attendant pet peeves - the summer edition {Gadling}
Jul 22nd 2009 8:08PM Little Johnny presses the call bell over and over and over and OVER again. Coincidentally to the tune of 'I need help' crew signal. Mom/Dad gets annoyed when we keep rushing down (because we have to assume each time it's for real)
When I come down and ask nicely, 'Do you need anything' they snap and say stop bothering me, or my kid didn't press it. Um, lady, this plane has CALLER ID, it tells me what seat pressed the bell fifty thousand times, and guess what... it's YOUR KID!
How hard is it to put your hand over the call bell, or better still, tell little Johnny he is NOT ALLOWED to touch it? I remember a time when parents actually parented their kids. Usually if you tell them what to do, they listen! And before all the parents start on me because I'm not a mom, YES, I HAVE travelled with 2 kids under 6! On my own!
Just need to tell them from the get go what is and is not allowed on the plane. You haveno idea how frustrating it is wasting our time trying to parent someone's kids all flight because they can't be bothered, and then everyone else is peeved because they think we are just chatting in the galley all flight.
PS- Love you parents who actually try to control your kids, am not talking about you!
