Airline apologizes for male flight attendant harassing a 15-year-old

by Annie Scott on

Australian airline Jetstar has recently apologized to Sunshine Coast-to-Melbourne passenger Elizabeth, who got a little more than she asked for on her flight.

Elizabeth’s 15-year-old daughter was harassed on Facebook by a male Jetstar flight attendant who met her on the plane, and reportedly got her name from her boarding pass. The 15-year-old, whose 16-year-old sister was also on the flight, received a Facebook friend request from the man, and when she ignored it, she started receiving messages. How’s this for creepy? From Switched.com:

“I’ve never wanted to add a 16-year-old before… um, well you seem quite mature maybe we might come friends. Here is my number….do you even have a phone? What area do you live in?“

According to The Straits Times, Jetstar rep Simon Westaway has said: “We had a very senior manager contact the mother … We have expressed an apology to her.”

FoxNews.com reports that the mother Elizabeth “worried especially during the school holidays that he had made other such requests and impressionable young girls had accepted them.“

My thought on this is: even if it were well-over-15-me, I’d have reported this guy for … I guess an invasion of my privacy? I don’t know. There’s so little shielding our information from customer service representatives of all types.

Do you think the law should protect our information, or perhaps just our children’s information, from the eyes of representatives like flight attendants? And then what do we become … numbers? How on Earth do we fix a conundrum like this?

The $10 airline peak “surcharge” is here to stay

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, we reported on a new money making scheme concocted by the airlines. In a nutshell, they are raising fares by $10 on the busiest days of the year. The scheme started as a fee from one airline on three days around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then other airlines followed, turning it into an industry wide scam scheme.

Well, apparently the bean counters at the various airlines loved it – because they have expanded it to a whole bunch of other dates.

Farecompare.com has the dates listed as:

  • November 29 – November 30, 2009
  • December 19, 2009
  • December 26 – December 27, 2009
  • January 2 – January 3, 2010
  • March 14, 2010
  • March 20 – March 21, 2010
  • March 28, 2010
  • April 11, 2010
  • May 28, 2010

That’s right – when you need the airlines the most, they’ll make the most money off you. Some airlines were smart, and hid the $10 surcharge in their fares (American Airlines is a good example of this), others simply tack it on top of the other fees and surcharges added to your ticket.When the first wave of “peak surcharges” was added, you could opt for a different airline, but as is often the case in the airline world, most airlines have copied American Airlines, so it’s going to be one of those times when the airlines win. In other words – get used to these new fee generating methods.

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(Via Walletpop)

Galley Gossip: Attention All Nippon Airway passengers, please empty your bladders now!

by Heather Poole on

Ya know, I’ve seen a lot of strange things working as a flight attendant in the last fourteen years, I really have, and just when I think I’ve seen it all a passenger will surprise me. Recently an elderly woman asked if I’d be willing to help her get her bra back on right after she yelled at me for talking too much in the aisle. And then there was the time I sat down on my jumpseat in the back of the airplane and another passenger cracked the lavatory door open and asked if I had a magazine she – not he – could borrow. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Most of the time it’s a passenger making a strange request, but this time it’s an airline and that airline is implementing one wacky new policy. It wants you to pee before you fly. As of October 1, 2009, All Nippon Airways (ANA), a Japanese Airline, is asking its passengers to empty their bladders before boarding a flight, and they’re doing so in the guise of going green. Now I’m all for being green, I even carry my own eco friendly refillable water bottle along with me on trips, but setting up signs at the airport and hiring “loo-attendants” to remind people to use the bathroom is kind of crazy, don’t ya think? ANA believes a lighter aircraft will result in lower fuel use which in return will create a reduction in carbon emissions.

Perhaps All Nippon is on to something. It’s been rumored that American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 when they removed one olive – ONE OLIVE! – from each salad in first class. Can you imagine how much money will be saved if every single passenger on board a full flight uses the loo before take-off? According to the Dailymail.co.uk, the average human bladder capacity is 15oz, which means if 150 passengers relieved themselves that would total to 63.7kg of waste. That’s 140 pounds, people! That doesn’t even count the amount of money the airline stands to save on toilet paper. Now does anyone know how much an olive weighs?

Of course it’s the All Nippon staff who is in charge of asking passengers to use the restroom one last time before they board. How embarrassing is that going to be – for everyone involved! I can’t help but wonder who, exactly, is going to do this, and how, exactly, this will be done, and what, exactly, is going to be said. I’m dying to know. Will frequent fliers receive special treatment by being allowed to go first? Will flight attendants be able to flash their badge and cut the line like we do at security? Will the airline take a delay for passengers who have difficulty going on cue. Next thing you know ANA will start limiting the amount of beverages allowed to be consumed on board after take-off! And here I thought charging for checked bags was bad!

While the airline is only in an experimental phase with it’s carbon emission reduction plan which will take place over one month and forty two flights, it may actually extend the program if it is well received by passengers and gets positive results.

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Photo courtesy of Tango-Sierra

United to try checked luggage buffet

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Do you always travel with two bags to check? Some people don’t travel light, and they know that, in this new world of airline fees, they’re going to have to stomach an extra charge as a result. Under a new United Airlines plan, you’ll be able to “subscribe” to extra bag privileges. Instead of paying $20 for the first bag checked and $30 for the next one, you can shell out $249, buffet-style, and enjoy a full year of checking two bags.

This works for both domestic and international flights. The program pays for itself after a mere five trips. So, if you’re a road warrior or just like your vacation time, this could be a smart program for you.

But, don’t get too comfy: United is calling this an “introductory price.” If the program works well, expect your breakeven point to creep a bit higher next year.

Galley Gossip: How to create a flight attendant Halloween costume

by Heather Poole on

It’s that time of year, people! Hopefully you’ve already figured out what you’re going to be for Halloween. It is right around the corner, ya know.

I’m the type of person who usually waits until the last second to pull something together, which is why I almost always end up feeling insecure about my costume, a crap costume, which only leads to a miserable night out – that is if I even go out! It all depends on just how crappy the crap costume actually ends up.

But this year I’ve decided to do things a little differently and embrace the holiday season. I’m going to dress up in something I’ve planned out well in advance. What that costume may be I still don’t know, but my three year-old knows that he’s going as Captain Hook and wants me to dress up as Tinkerbell. Not a chance. Thankfully there’s still plenty of time to figure it out.

Now if you’re like me, you’re looking for a costume that’s easy to throw together and inexpensive. So why not live out your inner fantasy and dress up as me – a flight attendant! Think about it, you’ll be able to deliver drinks and do the pointy-point all night long. Oh you know you want to!

Last year at this exact same time I came across an interesting post from Jennine (that’s her in the photo) who has a fantastic fashion blog called The Coveted. Imagine my surprise when I spotted her dressed up as a stewardess for Halloween, a fantastic get up she created by using clothing from her very own closet.

“All you need,” Jennine writes,”is a hat, gloves, a neck scarf, a go-go dress or shift dress, a vest, and knee high boots.”

As for hair and make up, Jennine suggests to go heavy on the liquid eyeliner and use blue eyeshadow and red lips. Of course the beehive is a must.

What’s that you say, the retro look really isn’t your thing? You’d much rather unleash your inner slut? That’s okay. It’s a good thing I’m here help.

I plugged the words FLIGHT ATTENDANT COSTUME into the search engine and then went through dozens of web sites until I narrowed it down to my favorites. See a costume you like, just click on the picture and you’ll be directed to a page where you’ll be able to place an order. It’s that simple. You can thank me later. By the way, the pink and orange dress with the white go-go boots is by far my favorite retro flight attendant costume – just in case you were wondering. Now don’t start clicking away just yet, not before you have a chance to scroll down to the bottom of this post for a few very important tips on how to complete your flight attendant transformation.

You’ve picked out the perfect flight attendant costume, so why not take it a step further and go for it. See what it’s like, really like, to work the unfriendly skies by doing what flight attendants spend a good portion of their time doing at 30,000 feet…

Point a lot: “Flight attendants tend to point a lot, they point at the exits, they point at the aisle, they point at the bathrooms. They point at your trays while they are telling you to put them away,” writes Jennine.

Smile: Fake smiles are even better.

Apologize Do it as often as possible, even when it’s not your fault. Make sure to mean it when you say it.

Sell whatever you can get your hands on. Why not have fun and make a little money while doing so.

Pick up trash – I’m not talking about your future ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.

“Abuse” your power. Flash your badge and cut the line. Once you get where you need to be, push your way through the crowd while reminding people that the seat belt sign is on.

Happy Halloween. Hope you have a terrible fright!

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