F/A's Annoyed? 7 Ways to Annoy a Passenger? Part 1

DEAR SKY STEWARD HAS MOVED....CLICK HERE TO CONNECT TO OUR NEW TERMINAL!

Dear Sky Steward,

I read an article in "7 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant" and to tell you the truth I was a bit put off. Do flight attendants know that there are things they do that irritate the passengers? Let me just name a few:

1. Zombie: Standing there at the door not looking at anyone with arms crossed and coffee cup in hand is an odd first impression for customers, no?

2. Ax Murderer: Hacking away at the ice in the galley with the back turned to the passengers. They are hitting that ice so hard. Don't worry, the ice will get broken!

3. Bin Hog: Crew baggage taking up all the best overhead bins in the front of the plane. Isn't there a closet for that?

4. Iron Jaw: Gum chewing by a representative of a major airline? Who raised you?

5. Prison Guard: Make the announcement for tray tables to be put up, electronics turned off, etc. and then snap passenger heads off as he/she is putting the microphone back in the cradle. Give me just a little more time (remember the song?)

6. Iron Curtain Chef: Overcooking the meals to the point of inedibility! (Is that a word?) I know the main duties of flight crew involve safety, but please!

7. Houdini: The moment the last desert plate is picked up, the flight attendants disappear!

Well, as much as I've complained please understand that I do appreciate flight crew very much. I just wish many of them could understand how much of an impact they have on the overall flying experience.

Thanks,
F. FC Flyer
Dallas, TX


Dear FC Flyer,

The Sky Steward expresses his most sincere regrets that your travel experience has been impacted by these types of occurrences. He has asked that we disclose that in his early years, he was guilty of many of these infractions himself.

Hopefully, many crew members will read this post and use the information wisely; getting a view through the customer's eyes, rather than becoming defensive.

He apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused you. (He ends every paragraph with that line)

Woman's thirst for first class has her seeking air-travel advice

DEAR SKY STEWARD HAS MOVED....CLICK HERE TO CONNECT TO OUR NEW TERMINAL!

Woman's thirst for first class has her seeking air-travel advice



Yet another question posed to the Sky Steward regarding first class upgrades. Will the desire for first class luxury ever subside? Click title to see post on examiner.com

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?"

Flying In By Helicopter...Feel Like a Celebrity and Even Become One

This is a very civilized way to get to the airport in New York! US Helicopter has been flying since 2006. The airline, which offers luxury helicopter service, flies from Manhattan to both JFK and Newark Airports. In addition, there is service to Bridgeport, CT and in the summer they offer the quickest way to the Hamptons.

I had a chance to fly with USH from Manhattan to JFK and could very easily get used to flying above the crowd. I was the only passenger on this particular flight so I used that opportunity to imagine what it must feel like to be The Donald. Well, it felt pretty good. I am quite sure Trump must shell out more than $159.00 to fly his helicopter from Manhattan to LaGuardia.

My flight aboard the Sikorsky S76 helicopter, left from the E. 34th Street Heliport to JFK. I checked in and was whisked through the TSA checkpoint located right there at the heliport! No lines because, don't forget, I was the only one there. When my helicopter arrived, I was escorted out by one of the friendly US Helicopter representatives. I had a chance to meet the Captain, hand over my luggage, and take my seat. We took off backwards out over the East River, gained altitude, and then we made a swift left turn and headed to JFK.

I was seated just behind the Captain for the 8 minute flight. She even pointed out a United Express jet that passed just below us as we neared JFK. Upon landing, I walked off of the helicopter feeling like I was a movie star. The best part of the entire trip was when I walked through the Delta terminal and a passenger asked me if I was the guy that just got off of the helicopter! Who says you can't buy celebrity?

Have You Tasted These? GoPicnic; First Class Snacks1

Have you ever noticed that some of the 'buy on board' snacks are just a bunch of sugar and starch? Well, there is an alternative that is being offered on more and more airlines by a very together company that has its finger on the pulse of todays hip traveler. GoPicnic has put together very snazzy snack boxes full of upscale, healthy, and delicious snacks; enough in each box that they can even be shared!

Recently, Virgin America and Allegiant Airlines began offering these high flying snacks to their customers.

GoPicnic is a well balanced idea to use for school lunches, events, concert snacks, movies (sneak them in), and more. You can order directly from GoPicnic and enjoy a 20% discount when you use our exclusive promo code: JETIQUETTE. http://www.gopicnic.com/

The First Class Walk of Shame

From The Sky Steward

I think we can all agree that once you get used to flying in first or business class, it can be rather addictive. Once you become used to this way of traveling it becomes a virtual "walk of shame" when you have to pass through first class on your way back to your economy seat. BTW, if you are seated in coach, check out http://www.seatguru.com/ in order to find the best coach seat.

Have you ever noticed how, when your seated in first class, you almost feel sorry for the people that are walking through on their way back to coach. Well, multiply that by 10 for how sorry we feel for ourselves when we've failed to get that seat up front and we pass through the forward cabin and all of the lucky souls with their mimosas in hand. What we need to do is insure we don't have to do this walk-of-shame too often.

There are lots of ways, in addition to paying for it, to end up in the premium cabin. Here are a couple:

1. Check in at the airport between 2 and 4 hours in advance at the self-service kiosk and you may be offered an upgrade.

2. Check on the airlines web site closer to departure. If there is a special for the premium cabin on the flights you are booked, you can call the airline. They should let you pay the difference for the seat in first or business class.

The best way to be sure that you are positioned for an upgrade is to concentrate on one airline for most of your travel so that you will become one of their frequent fliers. If you want advice on how to quickly become an elite tier traveler in an airlines frequent flier program, you should check out a great website: http://www.flyertalk.com/.

There are lots of tips there to help you get the the top levels of any airline's frequent flier program (ex. gold, platinum, etc.) Then you will be able to easily upgrade from almost any fare with inexpensive upgrade stickers.


Just so you know, I've seen Jaqueline Bissett, Harry Hamlin, Penny Marshall, Britney Spears, and more do the walk-of-shame as they continued through to their coach seats. So when it is unavoidable, we're in good company.