Galley Gossip: More flight attendant pet peeves – the summer edition

by Heather Poole on

It’s summer and school’s out! Time to take that family vacation you’ve been waiting for all year. What does this mean for flight attendants? Full flights, lots of kids, and a terrible time trying to commute to work. It also means a whole new set of flight attendant pet peeves…..

1. Deodorant – Need I say more?
2. Boarding – Just because you have kids does not entitle you to board first, especially when the ages of those kids fall into the double digits. Oh I know it takes a little longer to get settled in due to the Winnebago sized stroller piled high with who-knows-what, but airlines strive for on-time departures and the fastest way to get the airplane out is to board from back to front. Sit tight and wait for your row to be called.
3. Car seats – There are dozens of different models to choose from each year, so unless your flight attendant has a child that owns the exact same car seat, he/she will be just as clueless as to how to secure the seat properly. Review the installation instructions before you board and make sure you’re not blocking other passengers from the aisle before spending a good fifteen minutes strapping it to the seat.
4. Blankets – It’s hot as a mother out there, but don’t come on board an aircraft half dressed and then get angry at me when I’m unable to find you a blanket. Most domestic flights don’t even offer blankets anymore, and if they do, there are only a handful to pass out. Bring a sweatshirt next time.
5. Snacks – Traveling today is much like being on an episode of Survivor in that you must come prepared for the worst. Sure, you may not be hungry when the snack cart rolls by, but if there’s even the slightest chance you might get the munchies an hour before arrival, buy the snack! Don’t wait until it’s too late. We do run out of food. Or just bring your own snacks next time. I do.

6. Kids – I know it’s a long flight, and yes, your little stinker is adorable, and I really don’t mind that he’s standing in the aisle when the seat belt sign is off, but please, please, please, when you see us trying to get the service done, keep little Johnny in his seat. Do you really want me to fall on top of him? Or accidentally kick him down the aisle?
7. Parents – You’re sitting in first class while the kids are in coach. I get it, you’re worried, makes perfect sense, but don’t keep asking me to move a one-hundred-and-fifty pound beverage cart so you can continuously check up on them. And don’t you dare take first class service items back to coach. If you’re worried that much and you’d like to share your experience, try sitting beside them next time.
8. Call lights – They’re there for a reason, which means it’s okay to use them. But ringing the flight attendant call button fifteen times on a two hour flight is just not acceptable, even if the person ringing that bell is under two feet tall. Lights and sounds are used as a means of communication between crew members, so if the call light is being abused don’t be surprised if a flight attendant arrives at your row holding a fire extinguisher. If you’re a parent, quick – learn how to turn the call light off!
9. Deplaning– The captain makes an announcement to prepare for landing about twenty minutes prior to touch down. How about using this time to get the princess dressed and the toys packed – instead of waiting until everyone has deplaned except for the crew. There’s nothing worse than arriving to a city late at night with only an eight hour layover and while the cleaners wait to board, mommy is just tying the shoes while daddy is checking every seat back in sight.
10. UM’s: There’s been a lot in the news about airlines losing unaccompanied minors, but what about parents who show up 45 minutes late? Or not at all! It’s happened. I, myself, got stuck at baggage claim with a kid who looked to be about 10 years-old. I would have asked him his age, but he didn’t speak English, so we just stood there smiling at each other – for 45 minutes.

Photos courtesy of: (suitcase) Ksfc84, (Monkey) Rob, (Airplane) Woodleywonderworks

Memorial Day travel surge to be followed by silence

by Tom Johansmeyer on

So, there are two visions of the near future: one immediate, the other a bit further out. For Memorial Day, expect to see plenty of traffic, thanks to a drop in gas prices, according to AAA. More than 10 percent of the country’s population – north of 32 million people – is expected to ht the road (though some will take planes). This stands in stark contrast to last year, when it cost $4 to put a gallon of gas in your car.

But, the fun will end when the summer starts.

An estimated 20 million fewer trips will be taken this summer compared to last year – which translates to $43 billion less in travel spending. According to a recent poll by AP-GfK, a third of Americans have already canceled at least one trip this year as a result of the ongoing financial calamity. Only 42 percent of us are going to take a leisure trip this year, down from 49 percent in a similar poll conducted in May 2005.

Apparently … brace yourself … income is a factor. Two-thirds of people making more than $100,000 a year are expected to take some kind of recreational trip this summer. If you make $50,000 to $100,000, the chances are around 50-50. Only a third of people making less than $50,000 a year are likely to hit the road (all incomes based on family, rather than individual).

Grim? It gets worse.

Twelve percent of those traveling are staying in their home states, with 67 percent venturing across state lines and only 19 percent leaving the country. Twenty percent are staying close to home for financial reasons, and 23 percent will save a few bucks by staying with friends or family.

Low on travel money? How to virtually road trip for free

by Anna Brones on

This year the popular summer travel season doesn’t seem quite so enticing. Gas is over $4 a gallon, the dollar is so low that in Europe they’re getting used for scrap paper and airlines now have you paying to check baggage. What is a travel hungry person to do?

Fortunately there’s Streetviewr, a site that compiles just what the website’s name indicates: street views (thanks to the technology over at Google). With streets from over 40 American cities, a little time spent browsing the site is almost like a good road trip… but for free.

Ok ok, obviously sitting in front of the computer is not as good as actually traveling, but we’ll take what we can get. Here’s to cheap summer internet travels!

Inca Trail? Not this summer.

by Jeremy Kressmann on

World travelers just can’t get enough of Peru’s famous Inca Trail. But has the Inca Trail had enough of them? It may come as surprise to anyone still planning summer travel to Peru, but the world-famous path to Machu Picchu is completely sold out for the 2008 summer travel season, with the next available opening in September 2008.

As veteran Peru trekkers might know, the Peruvian government began imposing restrictions in 2005 on the number of hikers who could take the path each day to no more than 500. Couple this with the insane popularity of Machu Picchu on globetrotter “must-see” lists and increasingly affordable airfare deals and you have a serious supply and demand problem on your hands. While this quota is helping to preserve the impact of human visitors on this priceless cultural artifact, it’s certainly frustrating news for anyone planning their trip to Peru around a stopover at the site.

If it turns out the big, bad Peruvian government has thwarted your travel plans this summer, don’t despair just yet. As this article article points out, there are a few alternative routes to the famed Inca Trail including the Salkantay Trail, which also climaxes at Machu Picchu, along with the scenic Lares Valley and the spectacular Colca Canyon.

And if you’re still dead set on that Inca Trail trek? Give it another try in the off-season. You might even have that million-dollar view at the top all to yourself.

Plan for Labor Day: Things to Do

by Jamie Rhein on

“Are you going anywhere for Labor Day?” our friends asked us last night as we sat in our living room after an evening at the movies seeing The Bourne Ultimatum. They were heading out on an extended family camping trip.

“Nope, we’ve been gone so much we thought we’d stay here,” we said. This summer we’ve been from the East Coast (Massachusetts, New York, Washington, D.C.) to the West Coast (Washington State and on over to Montana) to the Midwest (Owensboro, Kentucky) and to Cleveland two times, that Labor Day weekend needs to be spent catching up on the things we haven’t taken care around the house that we promised to do before the end of summer. I call this “shoveling out.”

But, since Labor Day does offer that present of a Monday off, here are some suggestions of Labor Day jaunts and possibilities that I came across. Beaches, parks, museums, restaurants etc. are on the lists.

  • For romantic getaway suggestions check out “Top 10 Things to Do Before Labor Day.”
  • For where to go for Labor Day on a budget, here’s “Top 6 Places to Spend Labor Day on the East Coast on a Budget.”
  • If you live near Seattle, here’s a huge list of things to do in an article from The Seattle Times.
  • And here’s Labor Day Weekend 2007 on About: Travel with Kids. This is a terrific roundup of things to do across the United States. There are links upon links upon links.

Doesn’t summer end though on September 21? Maybe we can slip in at least a day trip for Labor Day. There’s that rodeo going on at Smoke Rise Ranch in Hocking Hills, Ohio. (The photo is of the Working Man sculpture outside the Seattle Art Museum. The fence is gone now since the construction is completed.)