Deedee13

i eat airline food every day.

the thing u have to remember at 37 thousand feet, there is no macdonalds, or other fast food place.. and secondly.... ... it is what it is.. eat or starve.

rude crew... rude passengers... dogs, kids, hand luggage.. just another day in paradise..

get on one place and get off another... and be on ur merry way.

E3only

You get what you pay for ... now I dont know where United stand
against others that fly the leg - but one is so worried about
perfect service,food etc then one must pay more for all that.
Fly business/First class.

Mind you - to be honest with Smurt, there has to be a benchmark/
minimum service standard that needs to be maintained. If United
can't do that then they are in trouble......

Enjoy your stay Smurt !!

Tracym

Hi Dee

I agree - it's an airplane, not a restaurant.

If nothing awful happens, and I arrive safely without being too annoyed, they did a good job. The food - just keeps you from starving.

Kali-forniarrr

United are a truly crap airline. I personally have found the cabin crew to be rubbish. There is a good reason for this: the airline is heavily unionized so basically you have a load of menopausal women who need to retire.

Its probably equivalent to British Rail is the early 70s.

Deedee13

the airlines are unionized to ensure that u have flight attendants (evacuation specialists is what they call them on airforce one)! anyways.. its unionized because if it wasnt, our 13 hour days will turn into 24 hour days. aND I know i would feel better having someone working with me if an emergency were to happen that was with it rather than one that was fatigued.

as a flight attendant this is what really pisses me off;;;;;;

1. pax walks ON THE PLANE with an EMPTY starbucks coffee cup... and gives it to me to dispose off - TAKE THE LAST SLURP BEFORE U BOARD AND PUT IT IN THE TRASH URSELF !!!

2. Hand luggage.. If YOU CANT LIFT THE BAG WHAT MAKES U THINK I CAN!!!!

3. the KIDS!! IF IT LOOKS FOUR YEARS OLD AND STARTING SCHOOL AFTER THE SUMMER DONT TRY AND TELL ME ITS 16 months old.

4. If you aint paying for a seat for the 4 year old, 16 month baby dont be supprised if your sitting with the child on ur lap the whole way. I dont care that snucky bunny is heavy, restless, squashed... pay for a seat and u wont have the problem.

5. the 3 foot rubber plant looks lovely in the living room, looks like crap sticking out of a over head bin... dont bring it. And dont be supprised if it breaks in two

6. The over head bins are for everyone. If it says one piece of hand luggage - bring one piece of hand luggage. Dont look at me in disgust if the suitcase, laptop, coat, starbucks coffee, macdonalds three meal varieties, gift for the mother in law, and the rucksack dont all fit under the seat in front of u.

7. No i dont know what the pasta tastes like! Its chicken or pasta, PICK ONE!! I didnt cook it, i didnt watch it being cooked, i cant see thru the packaging i dont do a tasting hour before i serve.

8. If we announce were going to do a beverage service, please take the time to look at the selection card located in ur seat pocket - when i ask u what u would like to drink, dont look at me and ask me what i have and be supprised when i look at u as if u are brain dead. Water tastes great ! Remember there is one of me and 180 of u, it gets really frustrating when u ask for a coffee with cream, a water with no ice, and a pepsi on the side. The flight is 1 hour - dont take the piss.

9. The bathrooms, and no there are not many of them and they are for EVERYONE!! iF U HAVE TO POO, FLUSH After yourself. I am not there to wipe ur ass. There is plenty of paper please dont use the walls !!

10. When we arrive, please LEAVE!! dont sit there and think some magical person is going to come and carry u off. Take ur luggage and go! I probably have another flight to catch.

11. If you need a wheelchair no problems they are in abundance at all airports, but be patient, it takes time to get everyone off and the wheelchairs positioned. IF U think its going to get u to baggage or to ur next flight quicker, its not.

12. if u order a special meal and it looks like crap - tough!! u ordered it.. eat it!

13. if the seatbelt sign is on its on for a reason! This isnt six flags. Sit in ur bloody seat and fasten up.

14. if the seatbelt sign is on and the captain says were going thru heavy turbulence NO I CANT GET U A GLASS OF WATER!! i got to sit down too.

15. Dont blow ur nose and give me the tissue. I dont want ur snot. TAKE IT WITH U.

16. if ur booking ur ticket online and u have a connecting flight. USE UR BRAIN!!! There is no way in hell ur going to get another flight 15 minutes before u land! Be sensible, give urself time to get off a plane and walk to the other.

17. I am at 30 thousand feet - no i dont know what gate ur connecting flight is going out of. NO i dont know if the next flight is full.

18. COLLECT AIRMILES!! its something for nothing use it.

19. If ur a family of four and ur sitting in rows 3, 16, 38, 44 - chances are ur not sitting together. GO ONLINE 24 HOURS BEFORE U DEPART AND CHANGE UR SEATS.!! DONT look supprised when ur boarding and find 3 and 44 are a little apart.

20. Turn off those fones ! Believe it or not its not BS! It does interfere with the communications systems. And will cause a delay - guess ur going to be late.

21. and one i had today. If ur going to go out on the piss the night before, and we have a bumpy ride ur going to feel like shite.. it happens get over it. Drink lots of water.

ok moaned enough.

maybe i am one of those menopausal women that need to get a life...

Kali-forniarrr

you work in the service industry?

Deedee13

wonder wot gave it away....

AdobePinon

No, she works for an airline.

Kali-forniarrr

the romance of travel.

Deedee13

romance....!! ???? no its the cheap tickets home!

Actually i love my job loads of interesting people and people i really just stand and stare gobsmacked that they made it that far alive!

Mummy in the foothills

Hobnob

Great reply Deedee...oh if you happen to be doing IAD-COS Sunday morning, I`ll be in seat 18A keeping my mouth shut..

BigDavyG

And the evidence to prove point 20 is where ??
Remember years ago you couldn't use mobiles in petrol stations either, in case they caused a spark or interfered with the pumps.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

What goes around comes around. I'm always pleasant to cabin crew and they reciprocated. I've never found them to be rude.

I do find that the airline has began to skimp on domestic service, but that is not the aircrew's fault. I've also noted that UA has reduced the number of cabin crew. I asked a friend who works for US about the effect of elimination of food service -- the elimination allowed UA to reduce cabin crew to the minimum so they now have MORE work than before -- AND they canNOT leave the plane while on the ground because there would be a violation of FAA regulations on minimum number of cabin crew required on plane when passengers are on board.

Bad management and they are losing money hand over fist -- so service deteriorates. I see the air crew dealing with a bad situation which is not of their making.

Bottom line -- be nice to air crew and you will a more pleasant flight.

[Final note: I've been flying for 40 years now -- and airline food has always been crap. I suggest you special order vegetarian or kosher in the future.]

clarissageo

Great post DeeDee.

You should all read 'Air Babylon' by Imogen Edwards Jones - its a book version of DeeDee's post!

We normally fly Delta, BA or Virgin, and I have to say that I've never had too much of a problem with service, although as an extremely nervous (read sweating, hyperventilating, white knuckles, being dragged by force onto the plane by hubby) passenger, I don't tend to notice the things that a 'normal' passenger would, as I am concentrating on trying to breathe. So far every flight has had at least one attendant that comforts me and reassures me and has been on call for me when I start to lose it. forget the food, forget that your blanket is too thin or your pillow too lumpy, and just be happy that you land at the other end in one piece.