North Korea: flight attendants redefine customer service

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s no shortage of gripes among both business and leisure travelers about the level of service we receive from the airlines. We’ve all had our shares of miserable customer service experiences, from bad experiences with orange juice to getting bumped by the beverage cart. Yet, nothing compares to what you experience on Air Koryo, it seems.

There’s only one airline that flies in and out of North Korea. From Beijing to Pyongyang and back, Air Koryo takes care of everything you need. Yet, unique characteristics of the hiring process lead to a vastly different experience from that found here in the United States. The planes are described as “rickety,” and one can assume there will be little more than the basics (well, this part is just like home).

%Gallery-105693%Randy Schmidt, cameraman and editor for CBS News, recounts his recent exchange with a flight attendant on Air Koryo:

“Where are you from?” the North Korean flight attendant asks me.

“I’m American, but I live in Japan.”

“I hate America! I hate Japan! What would you like to drink today, sir?” she said.

Perhaps it was because the flight was international, but at least the guy got a beverage!

Schmidt further observes:

The comment is not personal. North Koreans are schooled to believe that America and Japan are enemies, but that hatred is directed at the governments of those countries, not at individuals.

[photo via Wikipedia]

Steven Slater’s home burglarized by partner’s brother: insult added to injury

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If Steven Slater was going to use the cash under his mattress to repay JetBlue, he needs to put together another plan. The day after he plead guilty to a felony charges (which could be knocked down to misdemeanors in year), it was revealed that the former flight attendant‘s home was robbed.

John Rochelle, Slater’s partner’s brother, is accused of having absconded with a laptop, printer and microwave on October 14, 2010, reports MSNBC. Rochelle is waiting to be arraigned on second-degree burglary chares. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown is calling it a “crime of opportunity.”

Howard Bragman, Slater’s publicist, said the former flight attendant didn’t have anything to say about it.

As part of his plea agreement, Slater has to pay JetBlue $10,000 to compensate for the costs he generated when dropping the emergency slide.

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Galley Gossip: Celebrity passenger claimed to have special powers

by Heather Poole on

Tom Cruise.

It’s not often I get to start a Galley Gossip post with that name! But that’s the name several readers mentioned after I asked if they could guess which celebrity passenger offered to assist an unconscious woman with his “special powers” on the airplane. Honest to God, I wouldn’t joke about something as serious as this!

It’s interesting to note that Gary Busey, Depak Chopra, Uri Geller, and the Director General of the FBI were also mentioned as celebrities possibly possessing a very unique power. Tom Cruise, however, won the poll by a landslide with twenty-three votes. I wonder if Mr. Cruise is even aware that so many people believe him to be to powerful?!

“Tom Cruise has one power, jumping on Oprah’s couch!” said a reader named Jeff after I posed the question.

Another reader named Neil said, “It’s true. Tom Cruise had special powers over my wife at one time. She’s outgrown him though.”

Now that I’m thinking about it perhaps Tom Cruise does have – or had – special powers! Then again maybe I just have a lot in common with Neil’s wife! Whatever the case, I do know that the celebrity passenger in question was not Tom Cruise, or any one of the other people mentioned above. Unfortunately I am unable to name the passenger (I’d like to keep my job), but I will tell you exactly what happened. Just remember this is Galley Gossip, first class 767 galley gossip to be precise. That said I’m fairly certain the source is a reliable one.

THE STORY …Years ago a celebrity passenger boarded a flight in Dallas. He and his bodyguards took up the entire first class cabin. That’s twenty-two seats on a 757. At some point during boarding one of the bodyguards informed the lead flight attendant that while the celebrity usually didn’t mind signing autographs, he wasn’t feeling well that day and wanted to be left alone. He then told the flight attendant that no one in their party would be needing anything during the flight and that they didn’t want anyone passing through first class unless absolutely necessary. That included the flight attendants. I should mention here that this happened before 9/11. Later on in flight a passenger seated in coach went unconscious. As a flight attendant passed through first class to grab the medical equipment, the celebrity passenger stopped her to ask what was going on. After the flight attendant informed him of the situation, the celebrity offered his assistance, and that’s when he mentioned his special powers.

Did the unnamed celebrity really have special powers? Maybe. Maybe not. According to the flight attendant involved in the situation it was hard to tell if the unconscious passenger came to because the celebrity had touched her with his special power or because her husband had become so overly excited by such a hugely famous person trying helping his wife that he kept knocking her in the arm while exclaiming the celebrities name over and over again. Then again it could have been a combination of both. So don’t underestimate a star’s power!

Photo courtesy of Cristilive

Flight attendants find dead Filipino passenger in Gulf Air lavatory

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The cause of death – including suicide – still isn’t clear, but the facts are. Gulf Air flight attendants found a 36-year-old Filipino passenger dead in the plane lav today; he was flying home to Manila from Bahrain. Attempts to revive him using CPR were unsuccessful.

The event occurred on Gulf Air flight 154, and is the second strange lav event in as many months. In September, according to the Associated Press, an abandoned baby was found in the trash bin after a Filipino maid gave birth in the lav. This time, however, the outcome was life, as airport doctors were able to save the child.

The passenger‘s wife and relatives had traveled to the airport to meet him.

[photo by advencap via Flickr]

Former JetBlue Flight Attendant Steven Slater pleads guilty

by Tom Johansmeyer on

For putting lives at risk – rather hypocritical for a person who’s supposed to be in the “safety business” – he faced felony charges for criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing. He faced up to seven years in prison.

By pleading guilty, Slater will only serve a year in a mental health and alcohol/substance abuse treatment center, instead of the one-to-three-year sentence he was staring down. Upon successful completion of the program, the charges are knocked down to misdemeanors. He’ll also have a year of probation.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Louis Lanzano]


As expected, the notorious nutjob who popped the emergency slide after an altercation with a passenger has entered a guilty plea. Former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater grabbed some beer for the road before sliding to glory.

According to MSNBC, the district attorney indicated that alcohol was involved in the incident on the JetBlue plane, even before he grabbed the Blue Moons for the drive back to his Queens home.

Slater said after leaving the courthouse that he found the public interest “surprising, unexpected and encouraging.”

Really? Surprising? Unexpected? I can see how he’d call it encouraging … if he was only paying attention to the airline business supporters who believed him to be a hero. Meanwhile, it looks like dealing with passengers really did drive him to insanity.