"How dare the staff sit in business class"

[AirHostess]

At my airline we have a policy that if you positioning on duty you will get a business class ticket. Basically you may be required to work a flight out to a destination, stay over and then you travel back as a passenger but you are still on duty and being paid etc

Obviously we travel in uniform and this can sometimes have a negative effect on other passengers ie "how very dare the hired help sit in business class." Also staff travelling for personal reasons very often get upgraded too, this is most obvious in crew who commute to work as we get discounted tickets.

I do not understand how other passengers begrudge this. We are crew for goodness sake and this is our place of work. If you want upgrades and discounts get a bloody airline job! Surely every employee will have perks of working for a particular company?

This particular woman in business class was moaning to her partner quite loudly that it was a disgrace that the 'staff' got to sit in business class too and they should be sat in the main cabin where they belong. You would think that we were hired help rather than trained safety professionals.

I know in the US many airline crew have taken paycuts...well they certainly deserve to get upgrades then as they are trying to keep their airline afloat!

[friendofjimmyk]

Hell! I applied to an airline SPECIFICALLY because one of the perks was free airfare to anywhere the airline went. I mean, c'mon...I work for an emergency roadside company...one of the perks is I get a free membership...it's called benefits and, in some cases, the benefits well make up for the lack of compensation.

[valhar2000]

See, what you are not getting is that she has more money than you do, or rather, her husband does, and that means that she is better than you and the other lower quality people. I mean, come on! Doesn't the fact that you are serving her make you happy? What's wrong with you?

PLease excuse me while I

[smileyeagle1021]

Oh, those passengers would hate where I work... the owner has said that every employee is entitled to one free night in the jacuzzi sweet every year... granted there are a LOT of restrictions... it has to be a night we're projecting to be less than 80% occupancy, we can't reserve it in advance, and you must provide your own services for it (ie, housekeepers must clean it themselves, front desk employees CAN NOT call the desk for any reason other than to set a wake up call, we must do our own guest services, we want towels, we walk down to the desk and ask for the keys to get into the housekeeping office to get them ourselves, shuttle drivers follow the same rule as front desk, and maintanence must be acting as on call). Now, then again, there's no rule that says we have to stay in it... if we want to give our free night away, so be it, but the same rules apply (except the provide own services thing)... this is on top of getting discounts at any hotel within the same hotel group.

And there is an important reason why the hotel industry does this, and why the airlines do it, and with good reason... it's a really cheap way to improve employee morale... a lot cheaper than raising pay.

[Apathy]

Morale? What's that?

[former csr slave]

I hate.hate.hate. flying. I went overseas for the first time this summer and said never again, unless I am sedated for the entire flight.

That being said, I personally like to have people on the flight crew in eye sight when I am on a flight. That way, I can tell if something might be going wrong. There is something comforting about looking up and seeing smile or them just going about their job during turbulence or take off.

And I ALWAYS listen to the safety information.

[auntiem]

Am I the only one that does a "happy dance" whenever I see crew deadheading on my flight? I figure they are the ones that know the crew and who is good and have a little leeway in picking their flight. I also figure that we'll be faster to the gates when landing (on the puddlejumper flights that are transporting commuting crew) since those guys have got to get to work.
When I took industry discounted flights there were also all kinds of rules about conduct and dress code - so it isn't like you can start your vacation at the airport.

Also, they have not only cut pay to US crew - they also gutted their pension plans. They deserve to use any little perk that comes their way.

[Peppergirl]

When I took industry discounted flights

*headtilt*

This sounds....vaguely...familiar.

Talk about a blast from the past, my friend!

[freeatlast]

I hate.hate.hate. flying. I went overseas for the first time this summer and said never again, unless I am sedated for the entire flight.

I hear you! Two years ago I flew from Indianapolis to Phoenix and back. I had never flown before. When the plane took off from Indy and that point where it seems to kind of hesitate before going up into the air, I was convinced that it was going to crash. I discovered right then and there that you really can make peace with the fact that you are going to die and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I was convinced that the plane was going to fall like a rock and kill everyone aboard. It was quite a relief when the plane continued climbing and actually made it to Phoenix. Had a great vacation - watched my beloved Colts win the Super Bowl and then at the end of the week had to get back on a plane to fly home. And I was no more relaxed at takeoff on that flight either.

I hate takeoff, landing and anything in between. And don't even get me started on how I felt when there was turbulence - lots of turbulence, and I could see the wing moving each time. I will only fly if it is a choice between getting on a plane or driving two or three days to reach my destination.

[TOLady]

Best flight I ever had was many moons ago coming back from Jamaica from a week of vacation.

Almost the entire back part of the plane were flight staff coming back after something major weather-wise. It was just after a big storm and some had been stranded for a few days in Montego Bay.

It was hilarious! The flight attendant was trying to do the safety instruction, but kept cracking up. All the flight staff around me were doing it all in synq with her and some were really flamboyant. The food was great (compared to the front of the plane (apparently) and I had a fantastic time. I had lucked out. I had been supposed to be sitting with my Dad (who paid for the vacation), but we couldn't get a seat together on the way back.

This was waaaaay before all the restrictions on smoking and drinking on planes (it wasn't actually that long ago, but still...) so everyone was a wee bit tipsy, but since I'm a nervous flyer, I had the best flight ever!

You FAs are amazing! I don't know how you do it. Thanks for everything you do!!!

[Stryker One]

Flying

I don't mind flying, assuming the flight is short. Being 6'2" and 285Lbs., after sitting for more than 2 hours, I am in pain. Maybe I'm a freak, but I actually like turbulence, it breaks up the monotony of the flight.