Frustration with holiday air travel (sorry long)

[Tacori E-ring]

Last weekend I went home to WI to see my family and go to a wake of a family friend who died. My flight was suppose to leave at 3:50. When I checked in the monitor said it was on time but by the time I got to the gate they said it was delayed until 6:50 (!) Okay, I understand delays. The weather was fine in Charlotte and fine in Milwaukee but I was understanding. Even though they could not give us a clear cut reason why (something about air traffic control, too many planes, not getting a plane, who knows). I took this time to do one of my favorite activities, people watch, catch up on phone calls, and reading a trashy celeb magazine. Around 6:00 my mom called and said that she looked up my flight info and it said it was cancelled! I went to talk to the gate agent. She was VERY rude and said she had NO information and there was nothing she could do for me. Sooo...I called their 1-800-number and she said she was showing it was cancelled but the only REAL information I could get was from the gate agent. I told her she was very unhelpful and quite rude she said she was sorry but basically the gate agent is the one with the most current information. Luckily another agent came and was very nice and told me that it was probably cancelled (those the monitor still said it was coming at 6:50) and to go to the service center. I asked her if it was normal not to notify the passangers as soon as a flight was cancelled and she said yes! So I rushed to the service center (starting to be VERY frusterated) and they put me on standby for an 8:00 flight and a seat on the 9:40 (in case I couldn''t get on). I told him I was trying to get to WI for a wake (which was that night) and he was very nice and put me on priority stand-by and gave me a $10 food voucher. Fast forward to the boarding of the 8:00 flight, they had several people say they were willing to take the 9:40 (in exchange for the free round trip ticket of course!) There was a particularly rude man who was harassing the agent so finally she told him and the other nearest man that they could take the couple''s seat. (ummmm....there is a list!!!! She didn''t even BOTHER looking to see who was on it, how many people, ex...) To make it worse I heard her tell another gate agent that she let the rude man on just to get him off her case and she KNEW he was on the bottom of the list. This of course really bothered me because now I knew there was NO way I would make it to the wake. Then the 9:40 was delayed slightly for maintence issues. Turns out the bathroom lights were not working. I was so scared they were going to cancel the flight and I wasted a whole day at the airport for nothing but they didn''t. So I finally got home after 8 hours of waiting in the airport. Almost every flight was delayed or cancelled on this airline. I heard annoucements of delays due to lack of a crew, plane and even a cancelled flight because "the plane is broke". EXACT QUOTE. Am I wrong to expect a plane, crew, and the flight to be on time (or close)? We need a better train system in the US. This is just crazy. The only positive thing (and probably the first time I smiled all day) was how great my e-ring looks on the airplane. VERY SPARKLY. Thanks for listening to my vent.

 

[fire&ice]

Which carrier? One way to find out if you are screwed is to find out where the plane you are boarding out is coming from. The gate people (who are usually friendly) can tell you that & give you a head''s up if it''s late or not able to take off the ground from the airport it''s coming from. Did you leave from Charlotte, NC? I hate that airport. If they have a direct flight, you may want to consider flying out of Greensboro in the future. Unfortunately, their fares have increased - but I usually have no incident.

Gosh, lately I''ve been thinking they were getting better, especially with the little jets that can land on most runways.

Just reading your story brought much frustration! And, with standby - your best bet is to stand right next to the gate person - talk up "how''s it looking" in a pitiful way. Sometimes, they don''t go by the list. And, I thought you could request flying another airline. They''ve done that to me when USair canceled a flight to LA. I flew Delta. Admittedly, it was a few years back.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

It was US air (out of Charlotte, where I live) it seemed like none of the flights were leaving on time. The gate lady was so mean and I was nice to her. All I asked was if the flight was cancelled. I did not hastle her. I know she was stressed and I know many people are rude to her but still. She IS in the service industry. I should have stood by the gate person I guess. I have never been on stand by and by that point I was so frusterated I didn't even care

I just thought everything was handled so poorly. I was very disappointed. The guy at the service desk was very understanding and kind. I found out from the guy sitting next to me that they didn't get a $10 food voucher

I guess it helps I look young and he felt worry for me. I thought about writing them a letter but my anger had worn off since then. I am glad we are driving to Ohio for christmas. Less stress.

ETA: F&I it was a direct flight from CLT to MKE which I was really excited about. I should have been there around 4:30 pm. I have never flown out of Greensboro before. Is it nicer?

 

[perry]

I understand; and now try to avoid flying.

I and about 20 others were once pulled from a plane (flight from Portland Oregon to Milwaukee with a stop in St louis); and then told that the reason that we could not get our flight to Milwaukee was that the plane we were susposed to take never arrived. I looked the gal straight in the eye and told here that I had been on the plane. Then I was told it had mechanical problems when it landed.

It took 3 months and the threat to sue to get the airline to admit that they pulled the aircraft to use on another flight that had more people. The fact that I lost a day of wages was of no concern of them and not there problem. That airline is no longer with us. Wonder why.

Overall, I am not sure that deregulagting the airlines in the US has really helped us. I may be dating myself; but I remember real meals on real plates with real silverwear.f The level of service and how freindly and helpful the airline personnell were was great (even if all they were doing was helping someone flying on another airline).

I remember that as a member of the US Military (or allied military) getting special pricing and service - and talking to the aircrew and realizing that they felt it was there privalge to help servicepeople get home and back at reduced rates. I remember sitting next to a business man who overheard the conversation and him saying that he also thought that the special fairs for the military was worthy - and did not mind that perhaps his ticket price was a bit higher because of it, and the nodding of several other people in the area to that comment.

Now it is how many people can we move for the least price, and often treating people just one step above baggage. Customer service - like it used to be - is very rare.

Perry

 

[MissAva]

Oh Tacori! I am so sorry! I know how ya feel. I was supposed to fly out of BHM to EWR on Wendesday afternoon, my flight time was 3:30. But their was bad weather in Houston so our plane was not there. The flight was pushed back 45-60 min at a time until finally about one or two in the morning we took off. It was miserable, all the shops were closed and they would not get us any water from the other planes...from now on I will carry more then one bottle of water with me and some sort of snack.
Crews time in and out woudl you really want a pilot to fall asleep?
But plane maintence is a difficult thing they have 100 hour check ups but no one wants to have something go wrong in between.
What really annoys me is the lack of updates to the internet and the passengers, why not tell us what is going on?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/17/2005 6:34:20 PM
Author: Matatora

What really annoys me is the lack of updates to the internet and the passengers, why not tell us what is going on?

EXACTLY! Just tell us what is going on. There was a mad rush to the service center after several people overheard my conversation with the gate agent. I know things go wrong with planes and it is better to be safe than sorry but what really annoyed me was the lack of planes and crew. As a customer I need to do two things: 1. pay for my ticket 2: show up on time. They need to provide everything else. The security check points bother me two. I had to show my boarding pass to three different people within 5 feet in a confined area. No sense. Whatever.... I wish like Perry I could just avoid flying but a 20 hour drive home to see the family just ISN''T going to happen

Maybe I will try a different airline next time. I have always had good luck with Delta. Midwest Express is REALLY nice but they don''t fly to Charlotte

I heard they still bake cookies.

Matatora I always carry a snack when I travel. I just hate that panicked hungry feeling when you know there is NO food.

 

[teebee]

Oh, how totally rotten... especially given that you were travelling to a wake & not necessarily for pleasure. I usually do not have many problems flying except my last 2 trips.

One was my return trip from Playa del Carmen - I never did figure out what the problem was or if we were just operating on "Mexican time" but we were about an hour late boarding the plane in Cancun - they took all of us out to the plane on 2 buses but not before we just sat/stood in the buses for about 20 minutes (fully loaded buses, not waiting for anything apparently)... so we didn''t make our connecting flight in Houston & Continental''s agents and employees were rude & generally useless - one guy yelled at us when we asked him a simple question. There was one nice guy we dealt with when rebooking flights for next day but he still couldn''t do anything for us (no hotel/meal vouchers or discount on our next trip, nada) because our missing the flight was some sort of "act of God" yet we also never discovered what that act was. I will say that the next day the curbside check-in guy and inside check-in agents were superbly courteous, helpful, and genuinely nice individuals that went to great lengths in helping us. We did finally get some meager reimbursement/compensation (I use that term lightly) because we had gone on this trip with a friend of mine & her husband, who is an attorney, and he was ticked off enough to spend a lot of time writing letters and trying to find out exactly what had happened (turns out, we actually did make it to Houston in time to make our connection, but through a series of events caused by laziness, miscues, lack of communication, and general indifference, we were just herded directly into a line for "missed flights" before we''d actually missed the flight).

And then my last flight was returning from Vegas... my flight was supposed to leave at 1:00pm. There ended up being a mechanical problem with the plane in CA and it never made it to Vegas... So the only option I was given was the next flight at 11:00pm. I tried to get them to fly me to Dallas (on their airline or any other) and from there I could have rented a car & been in OKC by 6:00 to 7:00pm or so... But they said they couldn''t do that, wouldn''t budge - gave me a $10 voucher for a 10 hour stay in the airport... and I rolled into my driveway at nearly 4:00am...

My stepmother has been a flight attendant for 25 years and she has some stories that make me gasp... I feel for her & her job (she hates it but is very close to retirment) but it just seems like this industry is getting worse and worse.

Do any of you ever watch Airline? I think it''s on A&E?? Fascinating... but also frustrating because everytime I watch it I seem to see an airline employee really trying to help someone get where they need to be despite delays & cancellations, but I have yet to experience anyone do that for me - it''s given me some unrealistic expectations I guess.

 

[perry]

I can''t totally avoid flying. I do try to minimize it. My feeling is if I can drive there in 10 hours or less - I''ll drive. Over 12 hours driving time is where I usually fly (but not always).

I no longer believe in the airline schedules at all.

When I fly my plans are now just to get somewhere thatg day - and I always plan on leaving in early AM flights. For example, I may plan to fly from Milwaukee Wisconsin to Seatle Washington on a 7 AM Flight (expected arrival time 11:30 AM Seatle); and am just happy if they get me their before 4 or 5 in the afternoon or 6, 7, 8 in the evening (and I have fond memories of my 6 AM flight from Green Bay that got me to Portland Oregan at 1:30 AM the next day a year or so ago - yes it took 19.5 hours - of course it took something like 12 hours to get me from Green Bay to Chicago and they had moved me 25 miles to another airport so I could not get to my car and drive to Chicago).

I have never completed a round trip in accordance with the scheduled flights in the last 5 years. One leg of the trip always gets delayed (sometimes both legs of the trip).

Perry

 

[fire&ice]

Airline travel is for the masses. It used to not be. To me, that''s a good thing. I can remember as a youngster having to "dress up" when we flew. Relatively speaking, airfare has gone down in price unless it''s a last minute full boat - even then there is the internet.

No, I doubt there is a direct flight from Greensboro to Milwakee - but I don''t know. Several to NY, Chicago, and other major cities. I believe Charlotte is a hub for USair.

I''m still confused as to why they didn''t put you on another carrier. Do they not do that anymore? Over my years, they have done that at least 3 -4x. Admittedly, the last time it was over 5 years ago. Maybe the flight was cancelled b/c the airline didn''t have a full plane. It would be cheaper for them to put me on another carrier then run the plane. Each time, I did request this though.

The best time to fly is prior to 12:00 noon. The first flights out are usually with aircraft that sleeps at the airport. The equipment is there & already serviced. Unless you have weather issues in or out, these are usually on time w/ vetern travelers. And, though I wouldn''t want to travel on them for extended flights, I have had smooth & easy travel w/ those little jets.

I think this time of year - with the increased traffic & weather issues abounding - one can usually assume that the flights will have some sort of issues.

Yes, always bring water & a snack with you - just in case you have to be on tarmac for a long time. And, if you have a request, be direct, forceful & tell of the ramifications in a pleasant way.

 

[perry]

Fire & Ice Says:

The best time to fly is prior to 12:00 noon. The first flights out are usually with aircraft that sleeps at the airport. The equipment is there & already serviced. Unless you have weather issues in or out, these are usually on time w/ vetern travelers.
Sorry, that is not so; and where did you get the idea that a plane has sat arround until 12:00.

More appropriately, the most likely time for your plane to be there is the 5:00 - 7:00 AM flights. However, as I have learned a number of times - they may not have a crew available. The overnight ground crews can have the plane prepared in a few hours. However, many times the planes get in late - and the flight crews must have so long off (for sleep, and eating) before they can fly again. I cannot count the number of times I have had to wait in multiple airports because of this. So now that the 6:00 flight is delayed untill 9:00, you miss your connecting flight. Getting you on another flight is often problamatic as there ususally is a whole plane load of people to reschedule.

I have also seen flights cancled because their were not enough passangers - and the airline refuse to book you on another airline (my 12 hour trip from Green Bay to Chicago - a 3 hour drive). [This was United / United Express - they moved me from the Green Bay airport (where my car was) to Appleton, then proceded to cancle the next 3 or 4 flights from Appleton for there convenience].

The real culprit here is that to reduce operating cost the airlines have almost eliminated any standby equipment or aircrews. You are totally dependent on the plane and crew coming in on schedule from somewhere else for your flight to be possible - unless you are at one of the few major hub airports where there are a few extra planes and crews. Any delays caused by weather, airport problems, equipment just cascades through the whole system.

What I find informative is that in the Electric Utility system it normally takes 20% reserve generation in order to handle normal maintenance and the normal level of breakdowns (and the places having electical geneation problems are below that reserve %). I belive the airline industry is now operating on less than 2% reserve planes and aircrews; which is way way down from the past (20 years ago).

Perry

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 12/18/2005 12:51:50 PM
Author: perry

Fire & Ice Says:

The best time to fly is prior to 12:00 noon. The first flights out are usually with aircraft that sleeps at the airport. The equipment is there & already serviced. Unless you have weather issues in or out, these are usually on time w/ vetern travelers.

Sorry, that is not so; and where did you get the idea that a plane has sat arround until 12:00.

More appropriately, the most likely time for your plane to be there is the 5:00 - 7:00 AM flights. However, as I have learned a number of times - they may not have a crew available. The overnight ground crews can have the plane prepared in a few hours. However, many times the planes get in late - and the flight crews must have so long off (for sleep, and eating) before they can fly again. I cannot count the number of times I have had to wait in multiple airports because of this. So now that the 6:00 flight is delayed untill 9:00, you miss your connecting flight. Getting you on another flight is often problamatic as there ususally is a whole plane load of people to reschedule.

I have also seen flights cancled because their were not enough passangers - and the airline refuse to book you on another airline (my 12 hour trip from Green Bay to Chicago - a 3 hour drive). [This was United / United Express - they moved me from the Green Bay airport (where my car was) to Appleton, then proceded to cancle the next 3 or 4 flights from Appleton for there convenience].

The real culprit here is that to reduce operating cost the airlines have almost eliminated any standby equipment or aircrews. You are totally dependent on the plane and crew coming in on schedule from somewhere else for your flight to be possible - unless you are at one of the few major hub airports where there are a few extra planes and crews. Any delays caused by weather, airport problems, equipment just cascades through the whole system.

What I find informative is that in the Electric Utility system it normally takes 20% reserve generation in order to handle normal maintenance and the normal level of breakdowns (and the places having electical geneation problems are below that reserve %). I belive the airline industry is now operating on less than 2% reserve planes and aircrews; which is way way down from the past (20 years ago).

Perry

Do you just like to argue with me? Do you believe anyone else who has had experience doesn''t have a shred of knowing what they are talking about?

Perhaps you should re-read my post. I said the best time to fly is prior to noon. The planes get more and more backed up as the day progresses. And, you are arguing with your own post about the first flights out being the most reliable. They are the plans that sleep at the airport. I maintain that is still sage advice.

 

[perry]

Sorry Fire & Ice:

The airlines are a sore spot with me. I will conceed that getting a flight in the AM is at least likely to get you there that day (day being used loosly). But, I no longer trust the schedules at all - and almost always have to get a connecting flight.

I would fly Midwest Express - which has adopted the concept of charging more per ticket so that they can adequately support timely travel - except that I never seem to need to get to anywhere that they fly too (they present themselves as a business person''s airline).

The sad thing is that I and many others would be willig to spend a bit more to have reliable service. Time is afterall money (how much does it actually cost me if I loose a half day''s pay or production each time I fly). The problem is that enough people are fighting for the cheapest airline ticket and don''t really care if the flight is on time.

Have a great day.

Perry

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I think people do care about flights leaving on time but feel like there is nothing they can do about it. Personally it didn''t bother me when airlines stopped serving meals. I have been on longer flights (Vegas, CA) that give you a snack box but most give you the smallest, little bag of prezels. BUT I personally would be willing to pay $20-$50 more for the piece of mind that my flight would be leaving on time. The frusterating part of air travel seems to be that they don''t let us know what is going on.

 

[hilbake]

Thankfully I haven''t had many problems with delayed or cancelled flights, but tell me what you think about this situation.
I was travelling with my boyfriend on Northwest Airlines going from Boston to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to Brussels. We went to the desk to check in together, but when we were actually at the gate, we realized that they had seated us separately, for both legs of the flight. So we went to the flight desk and asked the lady if she could seat us together. She said no, that there were no more available seats that she could use to move us around. Then we asked her if it was normal that we weren''t seated next to each other, even though we checked in together, and she said, "Yes, you''re supposed to request to sit together. You know how people that are flying together don''t like to sit with each other?" Umm, what?!

I didn''t say anything after that, I was just confused by what she said.
Luckily a guy on the plane moved so we could sit together.
Has this happened to anyone else? I always assumed that if we checked in together, we''d be seated together.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 12/19/2005 4:03:18 AM
Author: perry
Sorry Fire & Ice:

The airlines are a sore spot with me. I will conceed that getting a flight in the AM is at least likely to get you there that day (day being used loosly). But, I no longer trust the schedules at all - and almost always have to get a connecting flight.

I would fly Midwest Express - which has adopted the concept of charging more per ticket so that they can adequately support timely travel - except that I never seem to need to get to anywhere that they fly too (they present themselves as a business person''s airline).

The sad thing is that I and many others would be willig to spend a bit more to have reliable service. Time is afterall money (how much does it actually cost me if I loose a half day''s pay or production each time I fly). The problem is that enough people are fighting for the cheapest airline ticket and don''t really care if the flight is on time.

Have a great day.

Perry

The thing about is this really is nothing new for the past . Personally, my air travel has been better these past few years. You must have an airport that sux. And, there really are "tricks" to insure better air travel. First, you have to know your rights. You have to be extremely pleasant but forceful. If it looks as though your flight will be delayed, check the schedules for another flight out. Often, if there is room, they will book you on another flight. Check the weather to see if there may be any issues in both airports & the air space you are traveling in. It could give you some heads up to possible delays. As already noted, the first flights out are the most reliable (unless there is weather issues). If at all possible, fly on the off days. Friday afternoon/evening - you can COUNT on a delay. Call the airline before you leave to check on status - especially if you know where the plane is coming from - if you check on that status - it can give you a clue.

Another trick - and I''m unsure they still do this (did it about 3 years ago) - if you have to cancel a flight, keep your ticket. Instead of exchanging it for another flight (they will charge you $75.00 & the dif in the ticket price), turn it in for credit as a "gift certificate". When you rebook, you won''t have to pay the $75.00.

Passangers have some responsibility as well. This past air travel I witnessed a flight being delayed (albeit for about 5 minutes) b/c a passanger who was checked in failed to show up at the gate even though they paged her. She was shopping & lost track of time. The plane left w/o her. And, don''t do anything funky - even in jest while waiting, boarding or once on the plane. Also, know the drill - if your airport requires you to remove your shoes - do so in advance or get out of line. Know what goes in the bin. Know what may set off the metal detector. Abide by the guidelines for carry ons. I''ve seen planes delayed b/c they had to redirect the luggage to the luggage hold. Recently the airlines have reduced the poundage & size of your checked luggage. If you put anything in a bag - make sure it''s see through.

In the end, it''s a crap shoot. I stated to take the train to NYC b/c -with the lead time, the delays plus the drive/parking to/at the airport - the time became the same.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 12/19/2005 12:23:56 PM
Author: hilbake
Thankfully I haven''t had many problems with delayed or cancelled flights, but tell me what you think about this situation.
I was travelling with my boyfriend on Northwest Airlines going from Boston to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to Brussels. We went to the desk to check in together, but when we were actually at the gate, we realized that they had seated us separately, for both legs of the flight. So we went to the flight desk and asked the lady if she could seat us together. She said no, that there were no more available seats that she could use to move us around. Then we asked her if it was normal that we weren''t seated next to each other, even though we checked in together, and she said, ''Yes, you''re supposed to request to sit together. You know how people that are flying together don''t like to sit with each other?'' Umm, what?!

I didn''t say anything after that, I was just confused by what she said.
Luckily a guy on the plane moved so we could sit together.
Has this happened to anyone else? I always assumed that if we checked in together, we''d be seated together.

Yes, you should select your seating way prior to going to the airport. And pay attention to it. Don''t let the online program select if for you. Do you like isle or window? Once selected, it''s hard to change. Also, another trick is to show up earlier and request the exit isle or bulk head. It gives you a little more room. Sometimes you have to switch to the bulk head after everyone boards. They give those isles to people w/ service dogs or people with the need for it. Personally, I like the forward middle of the plane. You board later but not too late for your carry on storage - and it''s smoother than sitting in the back where you tend to bounce around more.

 

[fire&ice]

Oh - strangest reason for delay - a snake sighting. We were coming home from a cruise in Tampa (I think) with several other cruisers. On this cruise all the luggage was laid outside for dog inspection. A snake must have wondered into a suitcase. Decided to make an appearance. Fortunately, for us we were deplaning. The people who were continuing on had to deplane as they searched the aircraft. Don''t know what happened after that.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/19/2005 12:23:56 PM
Author: hilbake
Thankfully I haven''t had many problems with delayed or cancelled flights, but tell me what you think about this situation.

I was travelling with my boyfriend on Northwest Airlines going from Boston to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to Brussels. We went to the desk to check in together, but when we were actually at the gate, we realized that they had seated us separately, for both legs of the flight. So we went to the flight desk and asked the lady if she could seat us together. She said no, that there were no more available seats that she could use to move us around. Then we asked her if it was normal that we weren''t seated next to each other, even though we checked in together, and she said, ''Yes, you''re supposed to request to sit together. You know how people that are flying together don''t like to sit with each other?'' Umm, what?!


I didn''t say anything after that, I was just confused by what she said.

Luckily a guy on the plane moved so we could sit together.

Has this happened to anyone else? I always assumed that if we checked in together, we''d be seated together.

Did you book your tickets together? If so that is VERY strange you were not seated together. People are usually nice and will change seats as long as they are not trading a window for a middle seat (that kind of thing). I personally love the planes with one seat, aisle, two seats (which is commonly used from Charlotte to Milwaukee). I try to get the one seat when I travel alone. Is that bad that I don''t like to sit next to strangers? It is so risky. Like sitting next to smokers. In a confined space it is NOT pleasent.

 

[muddleheaded]

Wow. What a disaster! I guess I would say that my advice pertaining to holiday air travel is DON''T! LOL. I sometimes wish my family would move Christmas to early February or something, just to avoid the mad shopping/travel rush.

 

[njc]

F&I - a co-worker just in the last couple of weeks got a flight on a different carrier than his ticket after issues.

Tacori - I am so sorry you had troubles, but extremely jealous you got a food voucher! And i dont understand what is with the gate agents. I hate flying anymore.

We flew American for our honeymoon and our trip home was a disaster because of them canceling a flight. We left Hawaii at 9pm, arrived in LAX at 5am and at 830am, i just happened to look up at the board to see our 9am flight had been canceled. We didnt even HAVE a gate agent, so DH went to another gate where we were told to call the 800#, which i refused... I AM IN THE AIRPORT! Long story short... we got no food vouchers (even after i asked... thought it was the LEAST they could do... i didnt need a free ticket somewhere) and after being Stand-by on several flights, finally made it home 15-hours later for a grand total of a 30 hour trip home.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

njc- don''t be too jealous. It was the worst pizza I ever had in my life! I hardly even ate it but I wanted to use to to make USair pay something

I think I just got a really nice guy at the service counter, I look young so he felt bad for me, and he knew I was traveling for a wake (plus I am embarrassed to say a few tears fell. I was just so frusterated and knew I would not be there in time to say good bye to our close friend). I know for a fact they did not give the voucher to any, or many of the other passangers.

 

[flutterby]

I am not looking forward to my flight friiday from midway to LAX. I just hope it all goes smoothly!

And while discussing airlines, my MOH is a flight attendant and something I learned from her years ago, is that flight attendants only get paid while in the air. SO the entire time a plane is boarded and delayed, and people are frustrated (understandably so) and yelling at flight attendants, they arent even getting paid to listen...... I''m always amazed by that.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/19/2005 5:59:56 PM
Author: msflutter
I am not looking forward to my flight friiday from midway to LAX. I just hope it all goes smoothly!


And while discussing airlines, my MOH is a flight attendant and something I learned from her years ago, is that flight attendants only get paid while in the air. SO the entire time a plane is boarded and delayed, and people are frustrated (understandably so) and yelling at flight attendants, they arent even getting paid to listen...... I''m always amazed by that.

I thought the gate agents weren''t flight attendents. I am pretty sure they are different jobs. I know that people are rude to them. Traveling is scary and frusterating and make people mean but not only was I polite to her, I was asking a VALID question. She could have taken 15 seconds to tell me to go to the service counter instead of blowing me off. Customer service was lacking. It IS her job to help after all.