Galley Gossip: What to do when the flight crew yells brace!

by Heather Poole on

You’ve just boarded the airplane, stowed your large bag in the overhead bin, smaller bag completely under the seat in front of you, and taken your seat. As passengers continue to file past you down the aisle, you place those headphones in your ears, crank up the Ipod, and recline your seat way back. This flight is just like all the other flights you’ve been on before. After the safety demo is over, an evil flight attendant comes sauntering down the aisle, stops at your row, and asks you to put your seat back up and turn your Ipod off. When you ignore her, she tells you again, reminding you that anything with an on and off switch needs to be stowed and put away for takeoff. You give her a look. What’s the big deal?

Three minutes after take-off you hear a loud bang. The crew, still strapped into their jumpseats, begins yelling Brace! Brace! Brace! Do you know what to do?

Hopefully you’ll never find yourself in the brace position, but if you are told to brace most likely the flight attendants will stand in the aisle and actually show you the different brace positions, as well as brief you on how to open the emergency exit doors and windows – in case the crew is injured and unable to get to the exit. That’s why it’s always important to look over the briefing card, particularly if you are sitting in an exit row. Because sometimes things happen without warning, like it did for those who crashed into the Hudson River onboard US Airways flight 1549 yesterday. Amazingly everyone onboard survived, including an infant, thanks to the heroic efforts of Captain Chesley B “Sully” Sullenberger and the entire cabin crew who popped opened those doors, inflated the slide / rafts, and commanded the quick evacuation!

THE BRACE POSITION:

  1. Standard brace position (facing the cockpit): Sit as far back in the seat as possible with lap belt low and tight across the hips. Keep feet flat on the floor, out from underneath seat. Rest chin to chest and bend over as far as possible, chest to knees, wrapping your arms around your legs and clasping hands under knees
  2. Standard brace position (facing the tail of the aircraft): Sit as far back in seat as possible and press head against seat back. Keep feet flat on the floor, out from underneath seat. Rest hands on knees or hold onto the seat arm rest.
  3. Pregnant women: Pad stomach area with blankets and pillows. Seat belt should be worn under the stomach, not over. Cross wrists and rest forehead on the back of hands against the seat in front of you
  4. Lap children: Place child in an approved safety seat. If a car seat is unavailable, make sure the seat belt is secured only around the adult. Place child on the seat, between the legs of the adult. Lock arms around the child and bend over child. Infants: provide support to head, neck, and body.

While it’s important to know how to brace, it’s also important to have room to brace. This is why flight attendants ask you to keep your seat backs in the locked and upright position on take-off and landing. When seat backs are upright passengers are able to get out of their row and into the aisle much easier, which makes for a quicker exit. Every second counts when it comes to evacuating an aircraft, particularly one that is sinking in the Hudson river on a snowy day in freezing temperature.

Not only is it important to keep your seat upright, it’s just as important to place all your carry on bags in an overhead bin or completely under the seat in front of you. Again, it makes for a faster evacuation when there aren’t bags blocking the aisles and tripping passengers on their way out the exit doors and windows. This is also why the exit rows must remain clear and why the seats don’t always recline in these rows. So next time I come to your row, the emergency exit row, to brief you on the window exit, it is very important to pay attention. It could just save your life.

Photo courtesy of Derek7272

Obama’s first flight on Air Force One

by Jamie Rhein on

Barack Obama’s family digs and office space aren’t all that will change on Tuesday with his inauguration. The two customized Air Force One Boeing 747s designed to safely transport the U.S. president are part of the presidencial goodie-bag package. Marine Force One, the helicopter, will also be at Obama’s service.

Back in November 2007, Justin wrote the post Take a Tour inside Air Force One to give a closer look on what goes on inside this flying powerhouse that most of us will never see.

For an even closer look than that, check out National Geographic Channel’s “On Board Air Force One” to air on January 25. Along with presenting behind the scenes details, like how yummy airplane food is if you’re the president, and where the president takes a snooze, the show will give also show footage of Obama’s first flight on Air Force One and Bush’s last.

After the show on Air Force One, stick around as National Geographic highlights Marine Force One. In the meantime, the National Geographic Channel’s Website has a page devoted to all things Air Force One. You can download an Air Force One paper airplane replica, take a virtual tour and find out more about what it takes to operate such an aircraft.

If one is president of the United States, I imagine that the view out the plane window has a bit more weight to it than what the rest of us see. Or maybe not. Whoever is president may also says things like, “Look at that cloud. It looks kind of like a dinosaur–” or wonder where all those people in cars are going as they zip along highways looking like ants. Perhaps, he (and in the future, she) marvels at odd details like the number of back yard swimming pools there are in desert cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, and look at the Grand Canyon in stunned awe.

For a quick peek inside Air Force One, check out these.

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Help! I’ve been bumped!

by Scott Carmichael on

No, bumping is not the latest craze to hit European dance floors, it’s what airlines do when they have more passengers than seats.

Chances are that you’ve been waiting in the departure gate area and have heard the gate agents ask for volunteers for a later flight. Overbooking has become a very profitable thing for airlines, and they have developed pretty smart mathematical systems to determine which flights have the greatest chances of passengers not showing up. Of course, even the best system is wrong every now and then, and your 88 passenger plane may have 110 people waiting at the gate for a seat.

Smart people prepare for bumps, and make a decent buck by taking the generous voucher in exchange for a later arrival. I’ve played the bumping game several times, and once made over $700 in travel vouchers just by accepting a 4 hour delay in my trip home. Grant Martin wrote about the art of fishing for bumps last year, and it’s a great way to learn how to make some extra money off the airline.

Of course, not every “bump” is voluntarily, and especially during busy times of the year, the airline will have a hard time finding volunteers for their offer. In some cases, they’ll keep raising the offer in the hope that someone snags it, but in the worst case, they’ll start calling out names of passengers who will be denied boarding.
This involuntarily denied boarding or IDB is costly for the airline, but only if you know your rights. The compensation rules for IDB changed this year, and passengers now get a better deal than we originally did with the 30 year old rules these changes replaced.

If the airline denies you boarding, you are entitled to $400, but only if the delay gets you to the first stopover of your trip more than 4 hours past your original arrival time. There is of course some fine print; the $400 is the maximum amount, and the true compensation is 200% of your airfare, with a maximum of $400. The whole thing is quite complicated, but is all described by the Department of Transportation in this document (PDF file).

Some other compensation could come from additional vouchers for food and beverages at the airport, hotel accommodation (on overnight IDB’s) and even free domestic US round trip ticket vouchers. If the airline is really desperate, you could even consider asking for an upgrade on your replacement flight.

When you are offered a voucher, be sure to ask the gate agent about the rules attached to it – some vouchers have so many restrictions that you’ll only ever be able to redeem it on a Monday morning between 8 and 8:30 and only on odd numbered days when the temperature is above 85. A free round trip ticket voucher may sound nice, but if it is impossible to redeem, it’ll be a useless piece of paper,

Remember – the law is on your side when you are denied boarding (assuming you got to the airport on time) so make sure you demand what you are entitled to!

So long, Northwest 747’s

by Grant Martin on


The end of an airline is upon us. While there are still a few wrinkles in th merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines to iron out, things are pretty much set in stone when they start repainting aircraft. To start, Delta, a carrier that has never had the 747 jumbo jet in its livery, will be usurping Northwest’s aircraft and putting them on long haul routes.

You can see the whole process of repainting in the above video.

To many, this is a sad passage of redtail aircraft from the once proud Northwest Airlines into the sad mass of Delta airlines. It’s nostalgic, I suppose, but I’m going miss the NW frequent flyer program more than it’s 747s.

How to complain about your airline or hotel service – and get results

by Scott Carmichael on

Lets face it – poor service has become a fact of life. It doesn’t matter whether you are at the airport, in the air, or at your hotel. Sooner or later you are going to run into something that is handled poorly, and you’ll end up suffering.

In my years of traveling I’ve ran into all kinds of horrible service – from 2 off-duty pilots fighting in the first class cabin, to a hotel room with water dripping down from the ceiling onto the bed.

Some complaints are minor, some are major, and some are just not warranted, but no matter how serious your complaint is, there are 2 ways to deal with the issue – the right way, and the wrong way.

In this article, I’m going to gather some of the best tips on how to get results when you complain, and what to do when you don’t get the results you desire.
Know when to complain (and when not)

Some complaints are best kept till you get home, others are best dealt with immediately. If you are in your hotel room, and something is wrong, don’t wait to complain. Call the front desk right away, and make sure someone with hotel management knows about the problem. If your coffee maker does not work, and you send a letter 2 weeks later, there is little the hotel can do about the problem, and they’ll let you know that they would have been perfectly willing to help you out when you actually wanted that cup of coffee.

Another situation when you need to immediately escalate things, is when you are not getting what you paid for at the airport. If you reserve a first class ticket, but you end up in coach due to overbooking, make sure someone is made aware of the situation, and demand that your record locator is updated with the downgrade. Knowing your rights at the airport is the best way to prevent the airline screwing with you, and unfortunately they will if they get the chance.

If your complaint involves something during a flight, quietly ask a flight attendant for their help – many problems can be resolved with some help from them, and if the issue can’t be resolved, they’ll usually be able to provide a way of reporting the incident to the airline. Don’t just ignore the problem and complain about it weeks later – the airline usually prefers to have a written report from their own staff.

The “when not to complain” part refers to the fine line that exists between sending in a complaint, and becoming a chronic whiner. Remember, you would not be the first person told to never come back when you complain too often!

The complaint letter

One does not have to be an Oxford Scholar to produce an effective complaint letter, all it takes is adhering to some simple steps. First of all; never ever write your complaint letter when you are still fuming mad. Trust me, the best complaint letters are produced when you have calmed down and can think clearly.

When you start writing your letter, imagine you are the recipient. Would you really want to read 100 letters a day with people describing how long they have been flying your airline, and any number of other personal details?

Leave the personal details out of the letter, the airline does not care how loyal you have been to them in recent years.

An effective complaint letter is all about the details – the quicker the recipient understands the issue and what resolution you are expecting, the better.

Include only the details required for things actually related to the complaint. Details like payment method, dates, people you dealt with and room or flight numbers are important. The color of the bus that drove you to the hotel is not relevant, so leave that out.

Put yourself back in the shoes of the recipient – don’t take a rude tone, don’t call them names, don’t call their airline or hotel “useless” and don’t make nasty comments about their colleagues. In fact, in every complaint letter, it’s nice to point out one or two things or people that exceeded your expectations. The most effective complaint letters get straight to the point, stay calm and polite, and make the reader understand your issues.

Your demands

When you send a complaint letter, you are not writing it just to vent, you are letting the company know that they messed up, and that you’d like them to make it right.

Do not be scared to make a demand, but keep it fair. If you spent $100 on a hotel room, and the maid woke you at 5am, don’t ask for $200. Airlines and hotels always prefer to compensate you with miles or discount coupons, simply because those have the least value to them, and they’ll ensure you come back.

I’ve learned that asking an airline for 25,000 miles for a spoiled flight is often quite acceptable, and on international flights I’ve regularly asked for 50,000 miles for things like an inoperable entertainment system or if the airline runs out of food. The worst that can happen is that the airline says no.

Remember, miles = free trips. If the airline compensates you with 25,000, you’ve got yourself a free round trip ticket within the US, which is often worth about $400.

One big “do not do” when it comes to demands, is threatening legal action – if the customer support agent reads a letter that contains legal threats, they’ll usually pass it on to the legal department of the airline. Those people don’t determine whether or not to help you based on customer service, they base it upon the law. If they are in the clear, they’ll tell you to get lost.

If your complaint yields an offer from the airline, don’t be scared to decline it – a $50 coupon for a 3 day delay is not reasonable. Make sure your reply thanks them for the time they took to reply to you, but ensure they understand that you expect a reasonable compensation, not a token gift to make you go away.

They ignored me – what now?

If you have a legitimate complaint, and you find yourself unable to find anyone that cares, then it’s time to take it to the next level. At this point you have several options, which all depend on the severity of how poorly your were treated and what steps you already took.

At the hotel

If the front desk is unwilling to help, ask for someone in management. If your issue is serious enough, do not accept excuses. Of course, it is quite possible that a manager is not immediately available, in that case provide your personal details, and request that you be contacted within a reasonable time frame. Always make notes of who you are talking to, and what promises are made.

If the hotel manager is unwilling to help, make sure you keep your notes, and contact someone with the hotel chain itself. This could be a district manager, or even someone in upper management.

At the airport

If your issue is at the airport, your best bet is to stay calm and ask to speak to a station manager. Given the size of the airport, it is perfectly possible that they won’t be anywhere near you, so ask to talk to them on the phone. One important tip at the airport is to always stay calm. Never yell, never make threats and never ever lose your temper with a gate or ticketing agent. If the issue can’t be resolved at the airport, leave it until you get home and contact the airline directly but make it clear that you did everything you could to resolve it at the air
port.

At the security checkpoint

If your airport problem involves the TSA, then things get a little more complicated – each TSA checkpoint will have TSO’s (transportation security officers), Master TSO’s and a transportation security manager. If something went wrong, step aside, and politely request to speak to the manager. Remember, most TSA agents are there to help you, but if you become rude and obnoxious, you probably won’t make your flight.

If the TSA manager is unable or unwilling to resolve your problem, ask for a complaint form, and have him write down his name. Also make sure you write down the exact time and date of the incident, in the event someone needs to pull some video material.

When all else fails…

When all else fails with airline related complaints, you have either run into incompetence, or your problem is simply not deemed important enough. Either way, if you feel you are not receiving the attention you deserve, then it may be time to contact the Department of Transportation Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The ACPD can be contacted by mail, or through an online complaint form. Airlines dislike these complaints, because each complaint shows up in the yearly statistics of the DOT.

Serious hotel problems are not protected by the Department of Transportation, so the best bet for getting results here will require some real creativity. The Consumerist.com created the term “Executive Email Carpet Bomb” or “EECB”. This involves digging up as many corporate contacts you can, and emailing every single one of them.

With a little help from Google, and some elbow grease, you’ll eventually you’ll run into someone who wants your problem to go away. Of course, the whole thing is rather time consuming, but the results are often worth it.

Don’t forget to harness the power of the Internet – some of the best complaint resolutions have come after someone sent their complaint to a consumer site. One of the most famous Internet complaints is from 2001 and is called “You have a very bad hotel“, millions of people read that presentation and it caused some major changes within the hotel that mistreated them.

If all else fails, and your other attempts fail too, then your only option is to share your experiences with the world. Post your problems with the property or airline on one of the many review sites, and warn others of what happened to you.

Just remember, sometimes all the effort just isn’t worth it, and the best complaint is the one you make with your wallet.

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