Hew J; I notice that all the incidents you post are really to do with hygiene. All seem to be down to CC making the best of a bad situation and not down to malevolence.
A land-based restaurant has the luxury of space. Hygiene is a relative term when you discuss aircraft galleys. In a land based establishment you would be closed down for having a lavatory opening into the kitchen. It’s not even allowed in a private dwelling in the UK, if I remember correctly. This is a normal occurrence on an A/C. You would be horrified to learn what can and does sometimes happen in the kitchens of hotels and restaurants across the land. You might even be shocked about what can happen to the food before it is loaded onto the aircraft. Most people’s private kitchens would be condemned if health and safety inspectors inspected them. A/C do not come under the jurisdiction of these bodies for the very good reason that they would be automatically condemned and NO aircraft would ever fly.
I know that coffee pots are emptied down the loo when the galley sink gets blocked. What is the CC supposed to do on a 9-hour sector to BGI? Blocked sinks are a fact of life. Accidents do happen and yes I’m sure instead of running out of meals, the CC sometimes repair the damage and present the meal. Again this due to accidents and is not down to malevolence.
Hew J; with almost 40 years in the business I’m guessing you must be BA and at least a purser. If you see these things being done by your junior crew then it’s up to you to correct them. My other half never allows unhygienic practices or skivers among the crew. Anyone who tries it on learns very fast the error of his or her ways. Oh yes, before becoming CC my other half used to work as a personnel manager in the hotel industry so a direct comparison can be made. I will admit to getting fed up when she castigates me for infringing some hygiene rule at home when I put the shopping in the fridge.
I like everyone else have heard all the stories that were repeated on TV thousands of times before. Usually in the bar after a few drinks. The incidents are claimed to be true by the narrator, but since I’ve heard the same basic line told dozens of times by different people since I joined I know they are just shooting a line. It’s still very funny though.
What has really got my dander up is this accusation that we let CC fly the aircraft. The program stated 25% of those interviewed admitted to having flown the A/C. We know that that makes it two. The general public does not; the inference is that 25% of CC has flown the A/C. Piffle.
Just for the record I have not said that it could not or would not happen, I said that I have never seen it…a subtle, but important difference.
MOR/password, do try to change the FROM field in your profile. It does rather give the game away.