The Upgrade Bag...A First Class Touch or Mile High Bribery?

Dear Sky Steward,

I have a question. I am flying Delta to Italy in July and we are not flying business class. Do you have any suggestions for me so my flight won't be as horrifying as I think it will be for that long of a flight? I just want to be able to walk when I get off of the plane.

Sincerely,

Longing for Legroom

Dear L.L.

The Sky Steward definitely understands your concerns. He would like to pass along two different methods to deal with “coach-itis” as he calls it.

1. Make Coach More Comfortable. Here are some things The Sky Steward does to make his flights as a customer more comfortable on the rare occasion he ends up in economy :)

• Use pillows and blankets to pad elbows and protect them from the rock hard armrest surfaces.
• Use your carry-on as a leg rest after takeoff. Put it behind your legs rather than under the seat in front of you.
• Take a pill! Calms Forte is a great choice or you can dig an Ambien out of your medicine cabinet.
• Make sure to have your mp3 player with a playlist of relaxing tracks

2. The Upgrade Bag. The Sky Steward claims a 57% success rate with this method. Of course, there must be seats open in the premium cabins in order to provide the most benefit. Create a special gourmet gift bag for your flight crew. This gift bag is to be presented to the Purser or Flight Service Director of your flight to be shared with the entire crew. With some Godiva Chocolates, a Mrs. Prindables Apple, and a bag of gourmet popcorn, The Sky Steward snagged himself an upgrade to first class on Air Canada from Tel Aviv to Toronto (12-hour flight)!

Create your upgrade bag by visiting your nearest gourmet grocery store and assembling items that may be shared by the entire crew. Cookies, candies (gourmet of course) nut mixes, and any other items you can place into an attractive gift bag will delight your crew and make you the favorite passenger of the flight. Visit Dean and Deluca for some ideas.

In cases where the premium cabins are full, The Sky Steward has achieved an 87% success rate of being treated like royalty from take-off to touchdown after presenting one of these bags to the crew. Is this just blatant “mile high bribery”? Maybe, but The Sky Steward says, “why not let the crew know they're appreciated and possibly get better service at the same time?"

Delta Airlines Flight Nightmare: No Light, No Sound! Plenty of Misery

Dear Sky Steward:

My flight on Delta Airlines from Cincinnati to Paris was undoubtedly the worst flight I have ever been on. I understand that the airline industry is suffering, but I think it is unnecessary to subject customers to tattered and torn interiors such as the one that I experienced on this 767-200 aircraft that had seen better days long ago but has been left to become nothing but a flying hot mess. I was somehow willing to accept that, but once we took off it got much worse. As I opened my book to read, all of the reading lights went off. My seatmate, who was watching the movie, had to join me for an impromptu game of charades when out of nowhere, the entertainment system shut down as well.

The flight attendants, who did their best, told us that this problem had been written up before and unfortunately happened again on our flight. Since we had no reading lights, and a passenger revolt was brewing, the crew turned the lights to bright and we had to fly on an overnight flight with bright lights in our faces and no complimentary eye shades (I normally do not need them when the lights are dim). I felt like I was in an interrogation room!

I wrote to Delta about this experience and have heard nothing. Am I being a whiner? What should I do?

Signed,

Sore in Seattle

Dear Sore in Seattle,

The Sky Steward says you are not a whiner. He is hearing more and more of these types of complaints and feels your pain. Recently, he himself had to fly on an aircraft with the first class lavatory and one additional coach lavatory out of service. All passengers were required to use only 2 lavatories on a full 757. There is no excuse for it, but he does know why this is happening.

The airlines are trying to do more with less. They want less planes to fly more routes and therefore unless an engine is falling off of the plane, it flies and everything else such as reading lights and lavatories can wait. He sees this as a general management flaw that occurs when accountants run airlines and not people who have a passion for making customers happy.

Hopefully Delta will respond and offer some sort of compensation (you should at least be offered a generous supply of frequent flier miles). If you do not hear from them soon, write them again. Write to The Sky Steward again if you do not hear from them and he will turn up the heat!

America's Next Airline CEO: Legacy airlines must change leadership to improve results!

Dear Readers,

The Sky Steward, Gailen David, was recently quoted in an MSNBC.COM article regarding the current state of commercial airline service in the US. You may find this article quite interesting.

The Sky Steward continues his campaign to improve travel by promoting Jetiquette. Here is a transcript of a recent address given at Washington Reagan National Airport:

"Hello, I’m Gailen David. In my campaign to promote Jetiquette; I’ve met so many people doing their best to provide exceptional service in spite of many years of challenges in the airline industry. You can’t open up a newspaper without coming across an article chronicling the deterioration of customer service provided by US airlines.

I often ask myself how we’ve gotten to this place and why some airlines in the US do not have the same difficulties satisfying their customers. The most obvious common denominator is the labor management relationship. It seems that the airlines that have more harmonious relationships with their employees, show higher rates of customer satisfaction. Companies with more adversarial environments are seeing higher rates of dissatisfaction among their customers; something that any company cannot afford, at least for very long.

We all know that Southwest Airlines has maintained its position as one of the most well regarded and successful airlines in the world. From the day that Southwest Airlines took flight in 1971, they’ve looked at their people as their most valuable asset. Southwest’s leaders have promoted a spirit of teamwork that serves as its foundation and that in the end results in a customer experience that has made their fun and friendly approach to air travel legendary. You could say it’s because Southwest’s employees are some of the most highly paid in the industry. Although that’s true..I don’t think that’s the whole story. I think it’s all about treating your employees the rights way that prepares them to take care of the customer.

Unfortunately, a much different picture has been painted at many of the nation’s legacy airlines. Despite their extensive route networks, fortress hubs, and vast resources these large airlines possess, they’ve been unable to improve their overall performance and change how their perceived by the general public, as unfriendly, undependable, and even uncaring. In my opinion, the root of the problems at the legacy airlines is the leadership or lack of leadership. These airlines remain plagued by the same problems that existed when many in management first took their positions, some decades ago, but the improvements are negligible. In some cases, as these airlines have laid off workers, grounded planes, and cut routes, these ineffective management teams have continued to take lavish bonuses. I believe that when a corporation furloughs employees or reporting losses, executives should not be permitted to take bonuses for a period of at least 12 months.

For many years, these teams have claimed that bonuses are required to retain talent…well, the truth of the matter is that today’s environment gives access to many talented managers that also have the leadership qualities necessary to keep these companies from suffering the same fate or need of bailout we’ve all witness recently in the banking and auto industries.

Now what does this have to do with you, the airline passenger? Unfortunately, when poor management results in a perpetually antagonistic relationship between labor and management, the customer undoubtedly ends up caught in the crossfire. I spend a lot of time speaking to employees about providing exceptional customer service and the biggest challenge I regularly encounter is a dysfunctional labor/management relationship. It does not have to be this way. The truth is, no one wins in these situations, including the stockholders. It’s a complex problem and the solution starts with having the right people at the top!

I remain optimistic that if everyone stands together and demands swift changes in the management at our nation’s largest carriers, we will all benefit. It’s time to make traveling by air enjoyable again. I’m Gailen David, the Sky Steward. "

Link: Compare executive bonuses at airlines and corporations such as Google

Has Virgin Atlantic Lost "It" in Miami?

Dear Sky Steward,

I have been a loyal Virgin Atlantic customer since they began flying out of Miami International Airport in the late 1980's. Since then, I have traveled with Virgin to London with my family once and sometimes twice per year. Needless to say, I've become very familiar with the Virgin Atlantic staff at the check-in counter through the years and have even noticed the changes that have taken place as the airline has adjusted to changes at Miami Airport and in the airline industry in general. For instance, I've come to recognize that some of the staff at the check-in counter are actual Virgin Atlantic employees and some are outsourced ticketing personnel. The outsourced personnel have always been extremely courteous and represent Virgin Atlantic very well.

The last few of times I've flown VA from Miami to London, I've witnessed very unprofessional behavior from one of the female VA supervisors when dealing with the outsourced ticket agents that check in customers. In one case, a ticket agent had a question for the VA supervisor and was scolded in front of the customers standing in the ticketing queue for having to ask "yet again" and was told that she "wasn't getting it". I felt so badly for the ticket agent who was being humiliated in front of her coworkers and the customers waiting to be checked in.

The last time I flew with VA, this same female supervisor not only yelled at a ticket agent in front of everyone, but then snapped at a customer who asked for more details on the boarding time. This time, another manager who I believe was her superior, watched the entire episode with his arms crossed only to turn and disappear. I have no idea if anything was done to address the exchange he witnessed along with all of us. My feeling is that if nothing has been done in my several years of flying Virgin America from Miami to London, there will be no action taken at this point.

Sky Steward, what should I do? I would like to fly VA again, but I actually dread the check in process so much, because of this person, I would consider flying another airline!

Yours truly,

J.D.

Kendall, FL

Dear J.D.,

Since you have not felt comfortable addressing this behavior with Virgin Atlantic's Miami team, The Sky Steward would highly suggest letting the airline's customer relations department (click) know about the situation. It seems that a bad apple has been able to thrive in this "out-station" and may have been enabled by those that manage her. Please keep The Sky Steward updated regarding the response you receive from Virgin Atlantic or if you require additional assistance, he is always here for you.

Regards,

The Sky Steward

Sunwing Airlines Flight Attendant "Sparks" Controversy

Dear Sky Steward:

I just sent a letter to Sunwing regarding my experience and wanted to know what you think about the flight attendants behavior on my flight.

[Letter content has been abbreviated]

When the new crew arrived there was one female that stood out immediately. She was loud, boisterous, laughing and joking around with other crew members with no attention being paid to the comfort or concerns of passengers. Because of how loud she was there was no way to not pay attention to her. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to observe a name tag but she was a young female with long brown hair that was in a ponytail. During take off she was seated in the front of the aircraft with a male flight attendant of Asian decent. I began to observe more and more instances of unprofessional behavior by this woman to the point that I decided to start writing them down. I shall provide my notes below for your review. Please be advised they may not be in order.

She commented on a vertical row of buttons/knobs that were just outside the restroom door at the front of the aircraft saying “What are these for?” She then proceeded to pull the bottom button/knob off the wall and laugh like it was a joke. When she replaced the button to where it came from there was a huge spark that I saw from my seat in 3D. She then loudly commented “Oh my God, hahahah, did you see that? It totally sparked” to a fellow crew member. During the flight, while at cruising altitude she removed the button again and replaced it at least five times trying to recreate a spark I can only presume.

After the aircraft was pushed back from the terminal in preparation for departure the seatbelt sign was illuminated. I heard the clicking of an overhead bin being opened/closed somewhere behind me. She picked up the intercom and in a very sarcastic tone stated “The seatbelt sign has been turned on, return to your seat. THANKYOU”. After which she commented loudly to the male crew member “HELLOOOOOOO, I was talking about you” in regards to the passenger. And another comment that I didn’t hear completely but was something about the passenger flying all over the airplane when we took off.

During flight this same female was up front with another female crew member. They were pointing at a button above the intercom phone. She started picking at the button until it came flying off the wall on to the floor. They both began laughing hysterically and saying “Oh my God”. The second female crew member in question was a young female with shorter blonde hair that was in a ponytail. I believe she did some of the announcements in French during the flight.

This young woman (and in small part the second young woman mentioned in the last observation) made a terrible impression on myself and my travel companions. This flight attendant acted more like a high school student on a trip with her friends then the professional she should be. She came across as ignorant, rude and complacent. I question her ability to manage herself appropriately in case of emergency and truthfully would not board another Sunwing flight of significant distance if she were in attendance.

Am I overreacting?

Thanks,

C.S.

SK, Canada

Dear C.S.,

This is an example of personnel not being aware of how much their behavior effects the overall impression customers form about them and the company they represent. In this case, you even had questions about the abilities of this crew based on your experiences with them. It is important for companies to educated their employees about the importance of the small details and to remind them that the customers are always watching. I am very pleased you are making Sunwing aware of this. Hopefully, this crewmember will learn a lesson that will enrich her career from this point forward. Chances are she did not mean any harm, but she needs to understand the potential impact of her actions when in a customer service position.

These Sunwings executives pictured above will be very interested in your experience. Let's hope that your experience on Sunwing is as important to them as executive bonuses are to most airline executives.

Regards,

The Sky Steward

BMI. Jetiquette in the European Skies! Flying Chefs!

Lately it seems that the only airlines taking drastic steps to transform the in-flight experience into something extraordinary are in those based in the Middle East. Well, loosen up your seatbelt, because there is an airline based in the UK that is giving those of us who fly mostly in the west something to look forward to on our next flight. BMI Airlines has "Flying Chefs" onboard their long-haul flights to delight those passengers seated in business class with restaurant quality cuisine. BMI is based in the UK with major operations at London Heathrow and Manchester.

This innovative airline does not stop there. Customer benefit when it comes to the high standards they place on their aircraft interiors as well. The cabins of their business class and premium economy sections offer superior comfort. If you want to enjoy the scrumptious creations prepared by one of 18 of their professional onboard chefs, you'll have to spring for a business class seat.

Have a look at a sample BMI menu:
starter

-zatar cured salmon with cucumber salad and labneh
-caraway soup
-Welsh rarebit tartlet in tomato pastry

main course

-red lentil cake with coconut red curry broth, ginger yogurt and cashew nuts
-pan seared sea bass with lemon and coriander roasted new potatoes, butternut squash and veal jus
-Baharat spiced chicken stuffed with orange scented couscous served with honey and vanilla cream
-braised rib eye steak with horseradish mash and roasted root vegetables

dessert
-brioche cheesecake
-banana and toffee pudding

I'll give you more details about this delicious airline later. I've got to get on a plane!

Jetiquette at Miami International Airport? Customers want free access to the Internet

Miami International Airport is undergoing an extensive capital improvements program that is several years behind schedule. The South Terminal is completed, but the North Terminal Project that will serve the majority of MIA’s passengers who fly American Airlines will not be completed until 2011. In the end, customers will enjoy a very modern, spacious, and functional terminal with many shops and restaurants to choose from. Of course, we all love La Carreta, but we need some additional choices, if only to control our waistlines. I ate their Imperial Rice six times one month and gained about ten pounds.


I should get to my point. Miami Airport is still charging customers for WiFi access! With all of the inconveniences the airport imposes on those who pass through the terminal, the least they could do is offer free WiFi access. The main terminal is extremely crowded with cramped drop off areas, broken escalators, spotty a/c, and dated everything! The least they could do is offer free internet access to passengers. Here is a link to the many airports throughout the US that are displaying exceptional Jetiquette, by offering free WiFi.

Miami Airport is not the only airport that also owes it to their customer to add electrical outlets or additional recharging stations to all concourses. I went on a search for electrical outlets and found many to either be inactive or completely worn and loose so that electronics would not stay plugged in.