Englishmum

I've just had a phone call from my mum who's just arrived back home in England after visiting me here in New Jersey. Last night she flew on a direct flight from Newark to Birmingham, UK.

My mum says she couldn't believe it when she saw a very old, scruffy looking Continental Airlines flight attendant bringing the food cart down the aisle and said that she looked much older than her - she is 71. Now my mum will chat to anybody and she said to the stewardess "This job looks too much for you, shouldn't you be retired by now? How old are you?" (My mum has got a bloody cheek!)

The stewardess told my mum that she's 73 years old! My mum was thinking - blimey, if there's an emergency she wouldn't be of much help, it would be the passengers having to assist her!

My mum also says that all the cabin crews on Continental are miserable and not friendly and chatty like the BA and Virgin crews....

One thing I did notice; it is pretty much all self-check in at Continental Airlines at Newark (even though I'd already checked her in online). They just basically have a bag-drop for all their flights, including international. There wasn't even a prompt on the touch-screen to ask whether or not one had packed check-in baggage by oneself and neither did the agent who came along to attach the label to the suitcase.

AmerLisa

Maybe she was giving your mother a cheeky answer back.

While I've seen a couple of haggard and older looking stewardesses on airplanes, I really have a hard time thinking they would keep someone that old employed. And as far as check-in.....you haven"t seen anything until you see the mess with Delta.....

cindyabs

It is one of my pet peeves that it is ASSUMED that EVERYONE is computer savvy or even touch screen savvy. There are people who simply are not AND there ae not enough people to help out when help is needed.

Englishmum

True. I had to check my mum in. She wouldn't have had a clue what to do - and yes, there weren't any CO employees around to assist in the check-in area where we were directed to (there must have been about 30 or more touch screens and bag drops. There was one CO agent going up and down the aisle just pulling off the printed baggage labels and attaching them to the suitcases, and another one at the head of the queue just telling people which desk # to check in at.

Come to think of it, as I was leaving the terminal I saw another CO flight attendant walking past; what a mess - she was approx in her late 50s, had badly dyed long straggly hair - a mini-skirt(!) and stilleto heels. Not great for safety, but a lot of the CO crews do like their high heels.

I do feel a bit sorry for the US cabin crews though. I was informed that they have to buy their own uniforms! No wonder they don't look as smart as cabin crews on other international airlines.

Poppy girl

I have noticed over the years the standards and age limits getting so much worse then years ago, some of the attendents are scary, but normally the crabby ones are only on domestic they usually up the anti for long haul flights lol......probably because you have to look at them longer

cindyabs

When we went to see my newest grandchild over Labor Day, my mother flew up, since the drive is now beyond her. It was the first time that she had flown on her own in 20 odd years. I did eveything I could for her (she bought her ticket through me of course, ) ahead of time, put a message in the booking she needed a WHCR in ATL to get from terminal to teminal and needed MAAS. The sight of the screens for checkin initially threw her, but one of the agents helped her out and she was watched over. I shudder to think though what it might have been like if she had been left on her own. She's still pretty sharp, but she IS 84..........

sir_eccles

Generally speaking I seem to get better service from older workers.

Be they flight attendants who take the time to be polite and nice to you, old guys at Home Depot who know exactly what part you need and where to find it, or professional waiters who know how to wait tables as opposed to out of work 20something models and actresses who are more interested in chatting with their friends.

I'm sure that 73 year old attendant has completed and passed the same training as any other attendant and frankly is probably less likely to panic in a crisis and end up twittering her friends rather than help passengers.

Octang Frye

I had a ski instructor who was in her 70s.

55 is old, according to BE.

cindyabs

I don't mind being thought of as old(er), although I don't think I have that mindset, I HAVE seen posts referring to be dried up etc, etc, my first thought is, laugh now kiddo because someday you'll be there yourself.............

geeandtee

Not necessarily true.

We had the Three Witches from the Scottish Play on our American Airlines flight from O'Hare to Heathrow. They were past the first bloom of youth, miserable, nasty, vile. One of them spoke with an Eastern European accent, I suspect she used to be with Aeroflot. Our son threw up trying to make it to the bathroom, they treated the poor kid as if he had Ebola. Yes, it's not nice when people throw up on your watch, but deal with it you bad tempered old bats.

another bloody yank

Wasn't there a big ruckus a while back dealing with weight discrimination and cabin crew? Maybe the same happened with age and this is the result.

Octang Frye

I didn't say that, Cindy. Someone in another thread said people 55 or older were "old", to which Sugarmooma ripped them a new one.

Poppy girl

Agreed I don't care about the age so much as their manner, if she looks like a witch from Macbeth thats fine but she/he can still look presentable and be pleasant.

ChocolateBabz

Actually what I said was that I needed to find a little old lady to babysit but that anyone over 55 in Texas gets shipped off to an Over 55 community. I did not say that someone over 55 is old .

Gingerert

I f.cking HATE American Airlines! Their O'Hare - Manchester flight has only one aisle, which is impossible to navigate with a small child and flight attendants coming up and down with trolleys. I have NEVER been on an AA flight with polite, helpful staff either at check-in or on the plane itself, and I swore last time I flew to the UK that it would be my last with AA. They're just so f.cking miserable and the quality of your flight experience is terrible.

I am seriously considering just spending the dough and going with Premium Economy seats on Virgin this time (next June)... unless Cindy has another suggestion...?