No PSR in the F cabin has meant inconsistencey with the delivery (much the same as main crew on the UD on our jumbo) on occassion, I concede not all the time.
Much the same as every purser has differing standards within every cabin. As ex-WW crew, I know that every flight, the service, particuarly in the Traveller cabin will be delivered slightly differently, whether its just wine with the meal serivce, or other drinks aswell, horseshoes or 4 trolleys on the 777 etc. With 14000 cabin crew it's almost impossible to ensure the service is exactly the same on each flight because the people in charge of the cabin on each flight, the pursers, have their own favourite ways of doing things. This might sounds daft, but if there wasn't a purser, then people would
have to stick to the standards delivered in training. I would say the only cabin where service delivery is more consistent would be Club, due to the amount of different products offered, if you divert from the set procedure, you can find it getting out of hand and losing your way.
My flights are safe and my passengers are happy, my crew are valued. Does anyone really believe a 20 year old straight out of Uni can possibly give the same service as a 40 year old with 18 years experience? You get what you pay for and if that's what the Company wants so be it. When the pax start choosing other carriers maybe then the LT will listen. As an aside, safety being our main priority the young ones panic when the chicken runs out, can you imagine their reaction if the a'se end is on fire?
Isn't this way BA have recruiters and trainers? To sort out the good from the bad, to pick out those with the ability and potential over those that just want to 'fly'. Thats why their is a pretty stringent recruitment procedure, a 4 hour assesment day, 5 'essay' type questions in your initial application, answering the same 5 questions again in your interview, but with diferent answers/experiences, to ensure that those they recruit DO have the experience they require, or atleast the ability to be trained and excel in this environment.
I may have only 'flown' for 11 months but I definetly gave 300% on every flight and provided excellent customer service. Whether or not you've flown for 20/30 years bears no relation to your customer services skills. Ofcourse, the aircraft need experienced crew for safety reasons and i'm sure that within your time as crew you have built up a sound knowledge of the aircraft and the possible hazards etc., so please don't think I am dis-respecting your experience in anyway, but to say that a 'young person' is incapable of providing customer service or acting rationally in the event of an emergency is just absurd. Hardly the same comparison, but we do send 18 year olds out to Iraq and such places to fight wars for us, maybe we should be sending people with more experience??