International Cabin Crew AMA

[iaintgettingonnoplane]

Have found these threads fascinating.

In the unlikely event everyone's not bored to tears by now... ask away!

Oops I realise there is a specific forum for these now... MNHQ please move!

Do you take revenge in rude/entitled passengers?

Any celebrity tales?

Flicketyflack not revenge as such. However I'm much less inclined to go above and beyond or bend the rules for rude people... For example in economy there is no hot chocolate/herbal teas. If someone comes to the galley, asks nicely and has a conversation with me you can bet I'll head down to business and get them one. If someone has been rude/difficult snappy it will be a "sorry sir/Madame we don't have those here can I offer you a tea or coffee?"

If you were flying somewhere long haul, and could choose any airline, which one would you choose

a) to fly economy
b) to fly premium economy
c) to fly business
d) to fly first class

What’s the rudest thing a passenger has said to you?

Also I’m always polite but rubbish at small talk. Would you mind if I didn’t engage in chitchat?

@SuperSuperSuper

Cara Delevigne - an absolute delight. By far the most posh, "old money" (in terms of accent) person I have ever met but an absolute sweetheart with wonderful manners.

She was tiny, not a scrap of make up on and no diva demands. On disembarking, she pulled me and a colleague to one side and was asking about our views on our uniform, was it mandatory to wear high heels/make up etc. It was done in a totally non patronising way, she was genuinely curious. Loved her!

The duchess of York - very very sweet, brought presents for the crew

Jimmy Carr - very pale in person. Nice guy, flew economy and wanted to be left alone

What is the best way to clean up sick?

@BIWI

I only have long haul experience with my own airline and one other. But based on videos I have seen on the internet, Emirates / any of the middle Eastern for all.

They are light years ahead of the rest of us!

@Cutietips

Thankfully I've not met anyone truly vile. It's a lot more in people's behaviour rather than anything they have said "I.e - can I get you anything to drink sir/Madame?" "Orange juice" without looking up from their paper or making eye contact. This happens every flight

We are very good at gauging how a person is and how they want to spend the flight. I would not at all be offended if someone didn't want to engage in chit chat, as long as they were polite

@VanellopeVonSchweetz99

Blue towel hot water. We are loaded with scented granules which soak up the excess and hide the scent. Luckily most people make use of the waste bags or make it to the toilet in time in which case they are closed for the remainder of the flight

What is the best way to score yourself an upgrade?

Cool thread!

Do you ever get to spend a couple of days exploring places, or does it generally tend to be a very quick turnaround?

How many emergency situations have you actually had to deal with, and over what timespan?

Have you ever delivered a baby?

@squeaver

My airlines policy is that we only upgrade on the ground, I guess being a frequent flyer/honeymooner etc helps

Saying that, sweets or a box of chocolates given to the senior cabin crew member shortly after take off (never ever during boarding as it's such a manic time!) a smile and a "thank you, we know how hard you work" goes a long way. I have seen passengers upgraded for this, to a nice washbag from first class and a few miniatures to send you on your way

@AbsentmindedWoman

I work a mixture of long and short haul routes so it depends. The longest I've ever spent on a layover was 3 days. Minimum rest can be as little as 12 hours in a destination. It all depends on the needs of the business and the frequency of flights. I've spent 48 hours in Germany (1 hour time difference, 1hr 10 min flight) and 20 hours west coast America (8 hours time difference, 19 flight) then there are the dreaded there and backs where we don't leave the aircraft.

Over Xmas I had colleagues spending 7 nights downroute. We don't get a bad deal but the glory days of the 60s/70s/80s spending weeks on tour are long gone

@tectonicplates thankfully I haven't had too many emergencies. I had to start the medical drill on my first ever flight which was petrifying. The gentleman's wife was in absolute hysterics but thankfully he was just in a very deep sleep. I was surprised how the training did kick in.

I also had a "go around" (when the plane goes to land but for whatever reason has o divert) in this case the flaps (the mechanism on the wings that lifts on landing to break the speed) would not go up. We were feet from the ground. Scary but the flight crew had it under control

@MrsPatrickDempsey I haven't. I have been trained to, but I'm really hopeful I never have to put it into practice!!

how do you cope with time zone changes?

Ooh! I have loads of questions!

What are your tips for dealing with jet lag?
Any tips on packing so you can get everything into hand luggage?
What presents did the Duchess of York give? Was it for an upgrade or did she know the crew?
Do you get rotated through the different classes?
What is the difference between people who fly business & first?
What are your favourite layover places and why?
How do you make your hair and make up stay so perfect for 10-12 hours. ( I am especially curious about the Virgib Atlantic chignons)
What is your favourite part of your job?

Still RTFT but a question for you @iaintgettingonnoplane.

I regularly travel a specific long haul route.
I have taken to bringing a sealed box of chocs/cookies/candy which I drop off to the galley after the first meal service, for the crew.

Are they likely to eat the contents or bin as it could be dodgy/could be a general policy.
(I have seen them box virtually empty when I have gone to the galley later on in flight, but other times it has vanished completely.)

On my last flight, as soon as the doors shut a woman started screaming and crying 'stop the plane please, we're going to die please' over and over. The cabin crew didn't react so I think they were expecting it. The passengers were very disturbed by this (I was thinking Final Destination!), but the crew didnt say anything or reassure anyone. Why not do you think? I think it would have been better if they had just said 'we knew this would happen, she's got a fear of flying, it's fine' or something, cos people were freaking out.

Is it true that pilots often get BJs mid-flight?