My blog has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 6 seconds. If not, visit
http://www.dearskysteward.com/
and update your bookmarks.

Showing posts with label frequent flier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frequent flier. Show all posts

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

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)

Stumble Upon Toolbar

Another New York Celebrity Lands in Miami!

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

I was waiting on some friends to fly into Miami on Swiss International recently. Swiss and many other international airlines use the new J concourse at Miami International Airport. A Carybe mural that was located in the American Airlines terminal at JFK airport has landed at Miami Airport near the international arrivals area of concourse J.



The AA terminal at JFK that was home to the mural was demolished and thanks to a group of American Airlines employees that took action to save the mural, there are many people that will enjoy it for decades to come.

Here is a picture of the AA terminal the mural was located in at JFK. This terminal has since been demolished.


Stumble Upon Toolbar

Airline Loyalty Programs...Do they deserve your loyalty?

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

The Sky Steward sounds off about airline loyalty programs. Some friends gently broke the news to him that they were considering leaving the AAdvantage program and moving on to airlines that have provided them with better service.

Did you know that the Sky Steward is still an active Purser for American? Yes, it's true and although he loves the airline, he can't help but understand where his friends are coming from.

Note of warning from the Sky Steward: "Some AA upper management that have not left to Jet Blue or Virgin America may be offended by the content of this video...Please accept my apology for any inconvenience this may cause you" (Have become very used to saying this...it just flows off the tongue)

Watch the video:

Stumble Upon Toolbar

You're Getting Very Sleepy, Sleepy...Does Inflight Hypnosis Work?

Dear Sky Steward,

I have a business associate that often listens to hypnosis podcasts when traveling. He says that it allows him to relax and reprogram himself. Have you heard of this? Does it work? If yes, Where can I get some?

Sincerely,
Wanting to Stop Smoking
Charleston, WV

Dear Smokey,

Good news. It may be possible for you to lose your desire for cigarettes while taking just one "red-eye"!

Yes, the Sky Steward has not only heard of "in-flight hypnosis" as a way to reprogram and recharge while traveling, he has several of the downloads on his MP3 player.

Below, you will find an interesting article about this topic from Mark Tyrrell who founded a company that produces hypnosis podcasts. Let us know how it works for you.

Reassuring Reasons why Hypnosis is your Friend by Mark Tyrrell

Believe the hype or think for yourself

For too long hypnosis has had a bad or 'difficult' press. If a person doesn't understand something they have 3 options open to them.

1) They might be sceptical and therefore save the trouble of looking further and possibly benefiting.
2) They may conclude it is dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.
3) They may spend time discovering the truth behind the hype.

If you don't know much about a topic it's easy to be suspicious. Some people assume hypnosis is akin to a carnival side show, others consider it mystic mumbo jumbo or 'mind control.' For those who look beyond the hype the truth is far more illuminating.

The most powerful tool you possess

There are potentially huge benefits for those who use hypnosis as part of everyday life. When you understand hypnosis you start to see its potential to improve human performance in the physical, emotional and intellectual realms. For me, rumour, gossip and suspicion weren't good enough.

I determined to learn all I could about hypnosis - I learned every fact and practised every technique under the sun. I took several training courses - some good, some terrible. I invested thousands of hours of devoted study to hypnosis and discovered just what is possible. I hypnotised friends, neighbours and work colleagues. Hypnosis greatly changed things for me on a personal level

How hypnosis helped me

I used to be shy. Thanks to hypnosis I can now talk to thousands at a time and can approach anybody calmly and confidently.

I used to have poor concentration and procrastinate; thanks to hypnosis I can instantly motivate myself.

I used to find physical work outs and exercise exhausting but because of hypnosis I am now in the best shape of my life.

Incidentally I also stopped myself blushing with hypnosis. Now if ever I have a difficult call or conversation coming up, something I may naturally feel reluctant to do (you know the kind of thing) I spontaneously self hypnotise and rehearse the upcoming situation feeling good, with myself remaining calm. In this way I habitually set my own emotional 'blue prints' for up coming situations. Having said that it's naturally that some people have concerns or half digested 'hand me down' ideas regarding hypnosis. A common one is the one about 'mind control.' However what does this really mean?

Why you are more in control of yourself in hypnosis

If someone expresses concerns about being 'controlled' in hypnosis what they mean is they don't want to be like a robot, an automaton that is forced to obey the every whim of the hypnotist. We can't help but influence others but we don't control them. To understand why you need to understand hypnosis better.

So what is hypnosis like?

Hypnosis isn't like a coma. It's not unconsciousness - more a subtle shifting of consciousness. In hypnosis, you can still think logically but you also have access to the 'software' of your mind so that you can update instinctive emotional and physical responses. In fact the hypnotised subject (not the hypnotist) calls the shots. When I hypnotise someone I need to go at their speed and respond to their needs and expectations. Hypnosis will give you more control in your own life because of what it enables you to do.

How can I be so sure?

Because over the decades I've seen all kinds of people, all ages and from all backgrounds turn their lives around thanks to hypnosis. When you use hypnosis for yourself it improves confidence in all kinds of ways. When you use it to change other's lives it just blows you away. This is what I mean.

When I first hypnotised someone to feel no sensation in a painful arthritic arm it was an incredible feeling. When I first cured life long phobias quickly and comfortably I was astounded. When I stopped hardened alcoholics from drinking and even got a heroin addict off the stuff and back into mainstream life again I started to feel angry that people could just associate hypnosis with entertainment.

With the aid of hypnosis I (and many people I have trained and worked with) have helped severely depressed people feel strong and positive again. The rewards and satisfactions are hard to describe. I'm going to take a stand against ignorance and short sightedness around hypnosis and here's why.

Why you need to reclaim hypnosis for yourself

Hypnosis is your birthright. It's nature's optimum learning tool. In fact to learn and perform anything well you need to experience a natural focussing of attention, a natural kind of hypnosis. To be successful hypnosis needs to be your companion and friend.

Successful people use it naturally all the time because hypnosis is natural. It's the way we learn new responses. Unlike medications its side effects are purely positive - one expectant mother I worked with to feel relaxed during child birth later reported that she was also more relaxed when flying!

Hypnosis is easy to learn and every body can benefit. Hypnosis is a safe environment to 'try out' new behaviours and emotional patterns before you experience them for real. So the young man can ask a woman out for a date many times in calm relaxed hypnosis so that by the time he does it for real it feels real and natural and relaxed. Sports people who use hypnosis learn new quicker and more accurately. So hypnosis gives you more control of yourself and your life, it's natural and gives you instant benefits and it's a way of 'trying on' and establishing new patterns of emotional response and behaviour, Hypnosis enables you to develop yourself as a human being.

HypnosisDownloads.com offer a free course called 'Learn Hypnosis in 5 Days'.

Article by Mark Tyrrell of Hypnosis Downloads.com.

Stumble Upon Toolbar

Some Unbelievable Customer Complaints!

The Sky Steward found this hilarious post on Flyertalk.com, one of his favorite websites! The Sky Steward also makes a 'tongue-in-cheek' suggestion for responding to such ridiculousness:



Dear Sirs,
I was a passenger on your flight XXX from XXX to London last night. On arrival at the airport, I had expected to find your flight cancelled due to the inclement weather in the UK, but to my surprise was advised that the flight was operating on time. This came as a shock since I had seen numerous news reports that airports in London had closed, and had accordingly rescheduled my meetings for the next day.The flight departed on time and arrived in London 30 minutes ahead of schedule. As a result of this, I have been forced to incur costs of £80 in taxi fares due to non-operation of trains, plus lost productivity for my rescheduled meetings. Under EU regulations, your company is liable for these damages and expenses.I also note that British Airways took the prudent step of cancelling their flight on the same route and were courteous enough to place all their passengers in hotel accomodation and not risk their lives on the icy roads in London. I have always flown British Airways in the past and had been reccomended to your airline, but after this incident I can assure you that I would never travel with you again and also ensure that none of my friends and family consider traveling with you.

Yours sincerely,
Lee XXXXX
0790XXXXXXXX

The Sky Steward believes in providing the best possible service to customers. However, he does take delight in offering a suggested form letter (repurposed content) for silly complaints such as this.

Dear Sir,

We at XXX airlines are extremely sorry about the inconvenience our service has caused you. We understand that you would like some sort of compensation.

I am Nancy Yaya Kouaku, besides being a customer service representative at XXX Airlines, I am the only daughter of late Mr. and Mrs. Yaya Kouaku. My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant in Abidjan; the economic capital of Ivory Coast, my father was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip.My mother died when I was a baby and since then my father took me so special. Before the death of my father on 12 February 2008 in a private hospital here in Abidjan he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of Four million ,five hundred thousand United State Dollars.USD($4.500,000) left in a suspense account in one of the prime bank here in Abidjan ,that he used my name as his only Daughter for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned by his business associates.

As you know, times are tough in the airline business. The only way for me to compensate you will be to give you a portion of this money being held in the bank account. Help me, help you! Please, provide us a bank account into which this money would be transferred to so that I may compensate you ASAP!After the successful transfer of this fund into your nominated account overseas, and once you have deducted your compensation (considering the severity of your inconvenience, please deduct up to $500,000), you must send us the rest within 24 hours, or we will have to rescind our offer and bill you for our time in dealing with your particular situation.

We look forward to serving you in the future.

Regards,
XXXXX XXXXXX
XXX Airlines
Customer Service

Stumble Upon Toolbar

The ‘Getting to Know You Period’
on the Plane

Dear Sky Steward,

You address the subject of children kicking the back of your seat on the plane, but what about adults? I flew recently from Denver to New York and had to have my seat kicked, shifted, and pulled-on the entire flight. What should I do the next time?

Signed,
Uncomfortable from Aurora

Dear U from A,

The Sky Steward dealt with this situation recently when flying from Los Angeles to Miami. The best way to handle this situation is on the second time it occurs. In this case, when the person in the row behind was seated, they immediately started kneeing his seat every 10 to 15 seconds. He very politely turned around, with a smile, “Excuse me, is my seat pushing against your knees?” When questioned, the other passenger said that the seat was not hitting his knees. The Sky Steward then let him know that for some reason he kept feeling something against his back, as if it were a strange mystery how this was occurring. The ‘kneeing’ stopped immediately. So, The Sky Steward was not the most popular person on the plane to this passenger; however, it was worth it for him to escape 5 hours of discomfort.

Tip: It is best to these types of things soon after they start occurring. Although we never want to be rude, we must sometimes remind people that the only seat that is theirs is the one their bottoms are touching. This also applies to people putting their carry-on luggage under their seat and on your feet. We’ll talk more about that next time.

Stumble Upon Toolbar

Whose Space Is It Anyway?

Dear Sky Steward,

It infuriates me when the passenger in front of me slams his or her seat into the fully reclined position the moment the seat-belt sign is switched off, cutting into what I believe is “my” space. I am not talking about late night flights and overnight sleeping, I am talking about short to medium haul day-time flights. I am less and less polite about this situation as time goes by. Could you please explain what personal “space” a passenger is and is not entitled to.

Signed,
Violated from Vancouver

Dear Violated,

The Sky Steward suffered during a situation like this himself when a couple seated in front of him at the bulkhead decided to put their seat back all the way. He was left with so little space, he could not use his laptop to get any work done on the 3 hour flight from Dallas to San Francisco. Turning the air vents on full blast and turning them in the direction of the couple (who had already complained to the flight attendant about the cold) did nothing to help the situation. Looking back on it, he wishes he had practiced what he preaches and politely asked the the husband to bring his seat up just a bit.

That is the only thing to do since it is the right of everyone on the plane to recline their seat and the "no-recline device" has been banned by most carriers. The Sky Steward does not feel that it is always necessary to recline the seat and when it is possible to keep it upright, it is a very generous act of kindness that is greatly appreciated. It seams like a game of dominos; when one seat goes back, so do all the others behind it.

Stumble Upon Toolbar

Top 10 Jetiquette Infractions

The Sky Steward asked his frequent flier friends on FlyerTalk and Linkedin to share their opinions regarding the most irritating in-flight behavior, lack of travel manners, and deficiencies of airborne etiquette and here is our list of the Top 10 (for now) Jetiquette Pet-Peeves:


Here is what travelers have said:

"It is so annoying when people..."
  1. Bring so many items on board that they hit everyone in the aisle on their way to their seat
  2. Pull down the seat in front of them to climb over and get to the aisle
  3. Talk to me the whole flight while I am trying to read, sleep, or watch the movie
  4. Bring smelly food on the plane that I have to smell. Worst? A can of tuna or chicken!
  5. Allow their children to kick my seat or scream. I now bring my noise canceling headset :) Oh, and no diaper changing outside of the lavatory please
  6. Take an overhead bin in the front when they are seated in 52K!
  7. Use games or DVD players without headphone so the sound heard by all
  8. Blow their nose incessantly or cough and sneeze without covering their nose/mouth.
  9. Spread trash all over the plane affecting the entire onboard environment
  10. Move into the space of their neighbor's seat...You know, that unwelcome elbow?!

There are quite a bit more and there is plenty of time to cover them. Of course we want your comments and questions!

Stumble Upon Toolbar

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.

Stumble Upon Toolbar