I will move this one to the flights forum.

Mark

I have flown with Thomson and first choice -and previously Airtours and to be honest I can say I have no complaints about any of the staff. When my son was young and we went on holidays, all the crew were great no matter who I flew with, albeit it was mainly Thomson and were always polite and helpful.

I remember many years ago when I went to Jersey and there were Dan-Dare In fact Dan-Dare was the airline I first flew with

I have found the crew of all the main airlines very polite and helpful. However, the one time we boarded a Euro Cypria flight the flight attendants were more interested in chatting away to each other, completely ignoring us passengers as we entered the aircraft. I'm used to being welcomed on board with at least a smile, if not a 'hello'. It would have cost them nothing to be polite.

I think we have to accept the fact that cabin crew are bound to have an 'off' day from time to time - the way that some passengers behave towards the crew leaves a lot to be desired and I am sure I would not be able to keep my cool all of the time. Some passengers seem to get their finger stuck on the 'call' button!!

I haven't really encountered any problems with either charter of scheduled cabin crew. BA usually seem to be very professional. Possibly the best we have come across for absolute professionalism was Air Berlin - something to do with being a German airline perhaps?

Pippa

for me- BA is the best. Qantas- have had a couple of laid back crews who gave a few laughs.
Best crew member must go to the one who had to stop her knitting to get OH a drink Can't remember off hand which flight that was- but it was an American one.

Easy Jet and BMI Baby staff very professional , last year we flew with XL and i can honestly say the cabin crew were fantastic on both journeys , flying with Thomson for the first time in a few weeks , for me the worse cabin crew were Futura , not sure if they are still going but the crew were miserable , everything seemed as though it was too much trouble for them .

I think theres good and bad in all airlines, and all crew however excellent will always have their off days its unfortunate that "off days" to these guys can make or break someones holiday.

I think generally the Charter airlines crew are more relaxed, they take the majority of people on holiday rather than businessmen to meetings they don't really want to go to.

Must say BA are my favourite at the moment- lots of free upgrades recently, I am getting a (expensive) taste for Club world...

I've always found cabin crew to pleasant and helpful, i suppose the job is not always easy and can involve long working hours especially with short haul shuttles , plus if there are any delays on the way back they have to put up with disgruntled passengers, i doubt they would be too happy either being late home but still have to maintain service with a smile , and all that flying can't be too good for your body either, i think its really hard work although it might not appear like it.

I don't have any particular favourite as i've found them all so far to be professional, competent and friendly although on long haul flights you feel a more relaxed level of service.

Me too Andy, personally I wouldn't want to do the job, it must be a tongue biting experience dealing with awkward customers, especially those who love pressing the attendant call button for nothing but an attention seeking thing. Last week when flying home to the UK, I got overcharged in my change for drinks, I had to mention this to the attendant who immediately apologised, then when the meal came (which i had paid for) it was near enough burned, I um'd & eyed about complaining,but decided not too. When coffee service came round I asked for extra sugars & milk, the attendant said I will be back, she never came, i felt really mifted, didn't want to complain really, but I think I had reasons too. End of day it was late in the day & I was tired, landing approx midnight and couldn't be bothered. I have never experienced this before, always been happy with in flight service, but if this ever happens again I think I will be pressing the red button above.This was a Monarch schedule flight from Faro to UK which I have always been happy with,travelling many times with them over the years.

Well i wouldn't mind the job if it involved a longhaul flight with a 6 night stopover!! i used to deal with a rep whos daughter was longhaul cabin crew and she would fly to the far east / stopover / onto australia / stopover and work back to the uk , she was out of the country for around a month and had good breaks and earned good money , but this is not ideal if you have a marriage or children , and she had to work her way up to this level , thats the upside , the downside is being dressed in bright orange and sent forwards and backwards to malaga every day.
my only delay was with monarch years ago , they had a technical problem which meant we had to leave the airport and be put up overnight as the delay was severe, most of us didn't mind as we were stranded in the maldives! we were all saying , don't worry , take your time,!!! jayjan from your recent experience it shows that on the way back everyone gets a bit tired and fed-up , i wouldn't want to feel like that every day though, so no i don't really want the job!

Isn't it the case that flight crew only get paid for the period that the doors close and then open again? If there is a delay and boarding is therefore postponed they don't get paid for it?

Any truth in this at all?

Mark

Have always found the cabin crews to be very professional & helpful, although to date I've never asked them to do anything form me. I would agree with this statement though

a Euro Cypria flight the flight attendants were more interested in chatting away to each other, completely ignoring us passengers as we entered the aircraft.

A more disgruntled lot, I've never seen - not a hello or good morning. They completely ignored the boarding passengers. I know everyone gets tired & bored with the same routine daily, but in a job like this I would have though Customer service is paramount.

Without a doubt we've found EasyJet cabin crew to be the most polite, helpful, efficient and friendly, and we remark on it every time we fly with them (which is often)! The worst experiences were on one particular BA flight when a stewardess was downright rude to a passenger, with no provocation at all, and stormed off.

After almost 50years of flying on a pretty regular basis I have rarely encountered rude cabin crew, some are friendlier than others though. I've had the luck to travel business class a few times and although it's all an act because you have parted with thousands of pounds it's nice when the cabin crew address you by your name,take your coat etc.
On short haul flights with BA I often sit near the back of the plane and have had lots of chats with the staff if they have time. Try this with Lufthansa staff and you will usually be greeted with a cold stare (I do speak German).
Virgin staff seem to want to spend their time gossiping and giggling which is particularly annoying on a overnight flight if your seat is near the galley and you are wanting to get some sleep.
Singapore Airlines is renowned for it's service but I have been particularly unimpressed on a couple of their flights and found the cabin crew a bit robotic.
Air New Zealand and Quantas usually have very friendly staff but their jokiness can get a bit wearing after a few hours.
Probably the worst was on a flight with Ryanair when I couldn't understand the majority of what the staff were saying due to their extremely poor spoken English.

MarkJ HT Mod wrote:

Isn't it the case that flight crew only get paid for the period that the doors close and then open again? If there is a delay and boarding is therefore postponed they don't get paid for it?

Any truth in this at all?

Mark :)

Each airline varies its pay structure they use one of two ways, either hourly- around £2.00-£3.50ph from time of report which is around 1-2 hours prior to the doors closing to approx 30mins-1hour after landing, if the duty includes a hotel stop then they are paid it from check in to the time they get back to their designated airport.

Alternatively they are paid by sector which can range from £8.00-£20.00 per sector(Easyjet/Virgin/Ryanair) If it includes a night in a hotel somewhere on this second scheme there is usually an additional payment- which varies to destination(sometimes)

These payment schemes are in addition to a basic salary which varies from £11-£35k.

on top of this is commission for the airlines that crew charge for items, crew can make anything from 80p commission to £100 for one flight.

Thats why your holidays cost so much...

BA cabin crew get extra, as they have an hourly flight allowance, for the time they are at work. However if there is a long delay there is a time limit, as they will run out of hours and a new crew will be brought in.

As cabin crew myself. , I find it very interesting to read peoples perceptions of what the job entails. Yes, it does make or break a day when you encounter down-right rude and ignorant passengers, but it also lifts you when people say simple things such as thank you or please.

I do the job for the love of helping people and offering good customer service, and because I like the civil aviation side of things. Plus, I have visited many parts of the world that only others would dream of visiting.

The days can be long and tiring, often starting 2 hours before the actual flight departs, and finishing 2 hours after the last passenger has disembarked. You try staying on the go for sometimes 18 hours a day and you will soon become worn out.

I have been sworn at numerous times, kicked, spat at, punched, called every name under the sun and for some reason I still enjoy charter. The good times far outway the bad days. I will always do my best to ensure my customers enjoy their flight, but please remember, so many factors out of our control can occour. I have been blamed for fog, wind, snow, turbulence, and engine failure, traffic to the airport, the taste of the catering and and actor in the inflgiht movie. Try taking that every other day and the smile can soon fade.

On the other hand, a simple thanks you when offering a drink or clearing in a meal goes a hell of a long way, or even a 'hello' when boarding the aircraft. The number of people who just ignore you is unbelievable.

Yes, we do earn good money for trips, but longhaul can soon take it out of you with jet lag etc. I prefer a nice mixture of short and longhaul, cos I like to have a nice balance of life at home and away. We are constantly told by the management to sell, sell, sell and, if we don't, we are soon hauled up infront of the boss. Plus, any extra commission we earn is a bonus. I am sure half the people reading this go to work to earn as much money as they can? Please remember that next time when we are trying to sell that extra drink and duty free.

Anyway, I hope you can see both sides. I love my job and wouldn't change it for anything. Cabin crew, as we say in the profession, is a lifestyle not just a job.

Any questions, then please feel free to ask.

I can only envy their patience. How anybody can keep smiling at their work when they only have an aisle to walk up and down and most of the time have to squeeze past the queue of folk who cannot manage their bladders for 5 minutes. Keep up the good work, cabin crew, you do a great job while looking cool and well turned out.

HI Vic,
I think the majority of you do a great job. I always board and disembark the aircraft with a smile and a hello or 'goodbye and thank you'. I never press the button for service as I get everything I need when the food/drink/gifts trolley come around.

On my long haul flight this summer, my ife screen wasn't working so I simply waited until a member of cabin crew passed and alerted her of the fact. She said she'd try to rectify it but when that wasn't possible she said I could have a free drink. True to her word when the drinks came around, she hadn't forgotten and I chose a nice glass of Brandy and lemonade Excellent customer service