TikkiRo
16th Aug 2000, 23:50
I've flown with this airline quite a few times now, as well as BA and BM, and with being disabled have found a major difference in the airline and cabin crew attitudes. On the latter 2 I was treated as just another disabled person - bumping the queue and being awkward by wanting a lift-on, which isn't possible anyway on BM's little "puddle-jumpers". Their pilots sometimes seem to be in constant training as most landings feel like they're just bounced down to get rid of us quickly - maybe in the hope we'll give up and go elsewhere? I made the 'mistake' of approaching a BA Captain for a cockpit viewing, which he appeared to resent having to bother with, and when he did let me up, just said "there it is" and walked out the door. At this stage, I was just starting to build my flying interest, and he certainly didn't do much to encourage me.
BE however, are quite the opposite. Not only have the staff gone out of their way throughout the entire process of getting from A to B, but the flights themselves are (to me, a novice) perfectly flown and landings so quiet and smooth I barely notice them if at all. On top of that, I made the same request of a flight deck viewing to one of their Cpts, who rather than treating me condescendingly i.e. You're over 35, you're female, you're disabled and you want to know about FLYING???, did the opposite. He gave me his name and told me to write to him to arrange a jumpseat flight for the whole of my next flight. He then phoned me personally 2 weeks later during a very tight turnaround, and sure enough another week saw me in the cockpit for the entire flight, which was AWESOME. Ok - so some see a BAe 146 as not much to shout about apparently, but I loved it. And more to the point he was so encouraging about my interest and I have him and another colleague of his to thank for the fact that I am now taking my first flying lesson this weekend, and hope to go on to my PPL soon after. I can appreciate that not every Cpt wants a Pax up front while he's busy but some of us have a genuine interest and like me (I hope), know when to keep quiet. Just wish it was possible on more airlines, but I believe that international flights are particularly difficult to obtain this privilege on? At any rate I just wanted to give a BIG thumbs up to BE for their staff - at least in Belfast if nowhere else!!
BE however, are quite the opposite. Not only have the staff gone out of their way throughout the entire process of getting from A to B, but the flights themselves are (to me, a novice) perfectly flown and landings so quiet and smooth I barely notice them if at all. On top of that, I made the same request of a flight deck viewing to one of their Cpts, who rather than treating me condescendingly i.e. You're over 35, you're female, you're disabled and you want to know about FLYING???, did the opposite. He gave me his name and told me to write to him to arrange a jumpseat flight for the whole of my next flight. He then phoned me personally 2 weeks later during a very tight turnaround, and sure enough another week saw me in the cockpit for the entire flight, which was AWESOME. Ok - so some see a BAe 146 as not much to shout about apparently, but I loved it. And more to the point he was so encouraging about my interest and I have him and another colleague of his to thank for the fact that I am now taking my first flying lesson this weekend, and hope to go on to my PPL soon after. I can appreciate that not every Cpt wants a Pax up front while he's busy but some of us have a genuine interest and like me (I hope), know when to keep quiet. Just wish it was possible on more airlines, but I believe that international flights are particularly difficult to obtain this privilege on? At any rate I just wanted to give a BIG thumbs up to BE for their staff - at least in Belfast if nowhere else!!