Pilot Sucks Chicken Wing

Welcome Back...

Food powers the mind and body.....along with other things.

So, consumption of food is important, but how and where you gobble it down is in the eye of the beholder.

Well, you work for Company X and they have restrictions that say you can do this and you can do that. In this case the company policy concerning your appetite is basically to eat in a less conspicuous place.....not behind a podium while in uniform stuffing your trap.

This doesn't only apply to the pilot "boning" his mouth, but perhaps to the general working public who might use discretion before they consider stepping up to the podium.

The pilot was only doing what his gut was telling him to do......EAT!

As a crewmember working for the same company I was obliged to have a conversation regarding his eating habits. For me and the rest of my fellow crew we were quite disgusted at watching him dine.

He replied, "I have to eat sometime."

The conversation, of course, was friendly and no hard feelings came from it. Apparently, someone beat me to the punch.

One customer, Ernie, found the entire show "not very nice."

Dogs Go Bow-Wow, Cats Go Meow-Meow

People have a love for animals that sometimes supersedes the love for a sibling or relative.

This is a relevant fact considering the number of pets on board air crafts these days and the numbers are only getting bigger.

I'm certain that given the opportunity, any pet lover would like to bring the "family-friend" along.

There are, however, regulations that limit how many pets are allowed per plane and the size of the pet.

Limits apply, however, more for pets that are carried on board the plane that share the cabin with passengers.

All-to-often, the love pet owners have for their animal does more harm than good when they bring them along. There are reasons for regulations that not only protect the pets well being, but also the paying customers.

There are people who just don't like pets and there are a lot them.

It's always a problem when when trying to situate a pet and a anti, pet-loving customer.

Who should be relocated?

Despite the animosities that some people have there are those people who are cool with pets and finding someone to move is never a problem.

A rule-of-thumb is to be prepared and research your travel options ahead of time so there is no surprises the day you fly.

Always follow regulations and comply with the flight attendant in charge.

Pets must always remain enclosed in their pet carrier and stowed like any other piece of carry-on luggage. The FAA deems a pet in a carrier as a piece of luggage.

Pets are to remain stowed under the seats in front of the passenger's assigned seat during take-off and landing. It's ok to have the pet in a sealed carrier on the lap once the aircraft is in flight.

Often enough, however, pet owners break the rules and are reminded they need to comply.

As an in flight crewmember, I can say that pet regulations are not taken seriously and are ignored more than they are followed.

Think Smaller or Take A Big Delay

What type of carry-on luggage is considered standard these days?

As an inflight crewmember, I am baffled with this question.

Although bag sizers are located in terminal boarding areas, I rarely see customers using them.

Also, you'll probably never see a flight attendant with a measuring tape to insure compliance with regulations.

Luggage these days comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. It seems that if it can fit in the overhead bin, it is considered a carry-on.

Carry-on luggage, however, small or large, must comply with Federal Aviation Regulations.

Size matters as does the weight of the bag:

• size matters because it allows the use of the overhead compartments for shared purposes.


• weight matters because overhead bins are weight restricted and excess weight weakens the infrastructure of the bins.

When shopping for the perfect piece to travel with consider staying within the measurements required for a carry-on.

It will save the headache of checking luggage at the boarding door which may or may not delay a flight.

Frequent Flyers

These days consumers have moved away from using their "cold-hard-cash."

Instead, consumers prefer the feel of plastic in their fingertips and reap the benefits of swiping a credit card.

Credit card companies offer all sorts of incentives when you carry around plastic instead of cash.

MileCards.com is a website that offers consumers the ability to compare and apply for credit cards that provide "mile points" for the frequent flyer.

Points can be redeemed for travel tickets, gasoline, gift cards, and hotel nights.

Not all cards offer the same benefit; so, it is wise to shop around and choose the best one for you.

It seems American Express offers the most in value for having their card; so, check out the website.

Best Foot Forward

Welcome Back......

Well, for starters it wasn't another boring day flying the freindly skies.

This will make you consider who you're sitting next to in an exit row.

What if your life was on the line and your survival depended on the person closest to the only operating window exit. Lets say that it was the only exit excessible for your survival....

First of all, over-wing, exit windows do offer the extra leg room, but think about this.....the extra leg room is a trade-off for your willingness and ableness to help the inflight crew in the event of an emergency.

Anyway, a young lady boarding my flight on Friday, Sept. 19 was afraid of flying. I was flying position 1 and of course I was the first to meet and greet the customers.

She didn't hide the fact that she was afraid of flying as she informed me of her fear. I asked her where she was seated and the rest was history....

I asked her why she felt that it was ok for her to sit in an exit row informing her that she may be called upon in the event of an emergency. She simply replied that after a drink or two she'll feel better.

So, what's wrong with this picture that I'm painting in your head?

Keep On Moving

Welcome Back.

A good laugh every now-and-than is good medicine to perk up the day. In my case it was a good perk-me-up after a long day.

It was just the other day on Tuesday after I just settled in for my flight home from Orlando on Southwest Airlines. While those that were sitting around me were reading or doing some other sort of thing I was watching people expedite the boarding process as they came onto the plane.

Southwest offers open seating for all customers; so, it is first-come-first serve. Unfortunately, I was processed in the B category and was the fourth set of customers to board. Middle seating was only available by this time, but I managed a seat close to the front of the plane.

It never fails that overhead space is always an issue in the front of the plane. The reason for this is that customers seating further back will always place their bags in those bins. I guess they find it easier to just walk up and pull down the bag and walk off.

Customers who this are wrong for doing so.

It's such an inconvenience for customers who board toward the end to have no over head space for their bags. They usually have to put it further back behind their row. Now, this makes for an ugly deplaning when that customer moves against traffic and holds up the process by retrieving their bag.

Anyway, my point follows here. People feel that once they occupy the overhead space it belongs only to them and organize it in a fashion that makes it an inconvenience for others to share that space.

Such is the case when a man on my flight had not only a roller board(suitcase) in the overhead, he also had his laptop bag and suit jacket. Oh, the suit jacket was also perfectly folded and placed ever so neatly in the overhead bin. These items can be stacked so others can share.

Now, here is the funny part. When seating in the bulkhead it is regulatory for all bags to be stowed. Bulkhead seating, unfortunately, does not have "under-the-seat" stowage and so bags need to be placed in overheads.

Hey folks it's FAA policy not mine.

Well, there was a young woman who needed to stow her bag and she just so happen to open the bin where that jacket I mention was stowed. The man, of course, made sure to tell her that she should be careful not to disturb his jacket. She replied, "It will be OK."

Funny thing is that it's never OK and wouldn't you know it, she closed the overhead bin down onto his jacket. Parts of the jacket were now sticking out of the bin. In disgust the man jumped up to save it from getting a wrinkle and mumbled some profanity.

All-in-all, I just find that at times that people are unaware what is going on around them. We need to pay more attention. The woman could of been more careful when she closed the overhead and the man could of been more considerate to others when he stowed his belongings.

Thanks for reading.

Time Sure Does Fly

Welcome back.

It's sad to see the current state-of-affairs unfolding in our economy.

Overall, it's the mortgage-lending fall-out that has lenders feeling the squeeze and banks faultering on the verge of failure.

If this doesn't make your head spin along with the presidential race hitting the airwaves everyday, you're immune to the _______! (fill in the blank).

Personally, it bothers me that our financial infrastructure is collapsing......or is it?

Anyway, at my age, I've lived through the good and the bad. I would give this advice and say, "Make your own judgements and wise choices. Don't be steered by everything you see or hear."

I say this because I have a lot at stake in the financial market. I invest in a 401K and wouldn't have it any other way. I've invested since I started working for my company and surely I am taking full advantage of it. Why not!

I've vested over 5-years of my blood, sweat, and tears in the company and now they match dollar-for-dollar for every cent I invest. It's called matching.

It is, however, my fear that with the crap going on in the economy today I could loose my hard-earned cash. That's suppose to be my early, retirement fund.

Despite the ups-and-downs, I've seen fluctuations in my 401K that would surely have made your head spin.

What I did was absolutely nothing. I let time fly by and take its course. The market dipped, but came back up.

So, with that said just consider what I said above.

Goodnight :)

Heading North by Southwest

Hi and thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

This past Monday, Sept, 15, I had reservations on Southwest Airlines. It's been some time since I actually flew the airline and to tell you the truth I can't really remember how many years ago it has been.

As you can probably guess by my blogs title it's all about what may go on in an aircraft or the industry in general.

Anyway, I had a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando at my company's expense. Generally, I fly for free on pretty much any domestic carrier. This time it was for business. This month marked my fifth year anniversary as an inflight crewmember......big pay raise that's all I have to say.

Well, I was quite impressed by Southwest and their efficiency at operating business as usual.

Now, working for an airline myself and flying everywhere around the country I am witness to numerous things. This particular time I was impressed by Southwest's boarding process.

Like I said earlier, I can't really remember the last time I flew the airline, but I was aware of their boarding procedures. I guess I never really took the time to pay attention.

All-in-all, I pay attention to everything and that mainly comes with the territory, more-or-less, surrounding the 911 attacks on our country.

The boarding was flawless and the customers followed protocol.

Generally, though, customers flying short routes like Fort Lauderdale-Orlando, New York-Buffalo, or New York-Boston, for example, are business-suite types who fly several times a week. They're repeat customers racking up flying miles and due this sort of thing in their sleep.

Really, though, the company I work for has tried several approaches on aircraft boarding. We just can't get it right.

I'm not knocking my company or any other company, for that matter, its just that I have experienced the process first hand time-and-time again.

It's important to remember, however, that where there is credit due it's OK to express your thoughts.

Goodnight :)

"Ad" Me To Your Manifest

Welcome and thanks for "blogging" in.

Unless you live in a remote part of the world untouched by "civilized" communities your victim to an endless bombardment of banner advertisements.

Civilized communities are driven for the sole purpose of big business and personal gain.

I find it preposterous for Spirit Airlines to take it a step further in selling ad-space on their aircraft's to utilize overhead bins and bulkheads to plaster advertisements in your face.

An article in the Sun-Sentinel dated Sept. 12, 2008 states, "onboard advertising appears to be the low-cost carrier's latest revenue-generating tactic" to ease losses.

Airlines today operate in a time with higher cost due to fuel and fewer travelers who just can't afford the cost of a ticket.

Does this mean that other airlines will follow suit to raise revenue? I personally hope that it isn't a precedent in the making.

I find advertisements distracting, especial billboards on roadside that you can't even read. You'll drive off the road even before you can understand what it is that the ad is saying. At 70-mph it isn't Ad-vantageous to take your eyes off the road.

In One Ear and Out the Other

Ears serve a very specific function....to listen and process information in the brain. They don't come with a volume control switch to tune out surrounding noise.

The term selective hearing is a nice way of saying that a person listens to what they want to hear by tuning out what they feel is unimportant. Sometimes, however, what they tune out is valuable information and serves to provide a life saving measure for their safety.

Guidelines must be followed when customers board an aircraft and most important is the "safety demonstration" set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This is a mandatory stage in the safety and comfort for customers and crew members.

For every three customers on board an aircraft, I can personally say that 66.66 percent of customers are listening during the demonstration. The other 33.33 percent are tuning out by listening to iPods, text messaging, using laptops, or distracting those that listen with loud conversations. There are also those that fall right-to-sleep as soon as they sit down.

The experience I've had on board an aircraft has shown me that, overall, for every 10 safety demos performed on board one is interrupted due to phones ringing or conversations that are to loud. These serve as distractions for those that are listening to the pertinent information and it is a dis-service to humanity.

The realization is that repeat customers hear safety demos time-and-time again and the demos rarely divert from the usual information. Yet, there are those that listen tentatively because they fear that "this-time-may-be-the-time" they need to save their lives.

Even though statistic say that flying is the safest way to travel, people have a bigger fear of flying then they do traveling in ground transportation.

The world would be a much better place if people listen and show consideration for others despite their personal short-comings