What makes a fantastic flight?

[Parry Hotter]

Goodmorning/evening to you all,

I am Cabin Crew and would just like some feedback from passengers/SLF on what makes an enjoyable flight. Is it the food, seats, movie, on time departure or something else?

Also, what qualities do you think makes the best crew? Do you want them to chat to you, leave you alone, smile and enjoy themselves or something else?

I look forward to hearing your responses. ;)

[Evening Star]

Pre-flight hassle will often make or sour my flight more than anything during the flight.

So, for example, if the person in front of me at SVO turns out to be checking in his entire football squad, I will spend the entire flight to AMS thinking about my letter of complaint (no matter how unfair). Or if there is a misunderstanding about the weight of my hand luggage at NCL, my mood will be sour all the way to HKG.

On the other hand, if check in was a dream and I have got a really good seat, I will calmly accept waiting for a slot with engines off in a remote part of NCL even though I have a pressing appointment at LHR. Or if there is a problem with my flight from MEL to MAN and QANTAS bend over backwards to get me to SYD for a suitable connection, then I will bless then for the entire flight.

During the flight, cheerful cabin crew is the most important thing. Not so fussed about chatty because I like my own company, but a smile and helpfulness really makes the flight.

[Globaliser]

Absence of hassle in the departure airport is definitely way up there on everyone's list. As Evening Star rightly says, if there is any it just starts things off badly.

Another good thing is good information. There are always going to be problems sometimes. Even if there is bad news, I can take problems much better if there is truthful information as opposed to patent lies or, perhaps worse, just silence.

The rest depends to an extent on what sort of flight it is. I like and appreciate different things on a short hop from London to Paris as compared to the double-overnight haul from London to Sydney. It's difficult to pull common strands together because they are such different situations.

I think that the best crew are those who are cheerful and positive in themselves, but who are nevertheless sensitive to what the individual wants - which is often to be left alone. The open attitude will spread in the aircraft, but it shouldn't be so extrovert as to feel pestering or intrusive to those who don't want to engage.

Also, some people have the knack, when talking to you, of making you feel like you are the only and most important person in the entire world. That is a quality which always goes down well.

One thing I hate is crew (or, more often, ground staff) who fail to notice that I fly frequently and I know what I'm doing. I don't throw my FF status around for the sake of it, but there are times when I get into stupid arguments with staff members who tell me things which I absolutely know from experience to be wrong - eg about which check-in queues I'm entitled to use. I don't blame them for not knowing, because that's a training issue. It's the condescending way in which some staff members deal with these problems that's the irritation.

[Jerricho]

The best flight I had was after having been away from home for 18 months. The QANTAS flight from Heathrow was full, but I still managed to blag the emergency exit seat. But, the culmination was the Cabin staff member who I started having a chin-wag with, who excused himself as soon as the seat belt sign went off, and returned with a can of VB and a Bundy and Coke and placed them infront of me. "Welcome back..............". It brought a tear to my eye. And every time it was empty, it was replaced (until I had to say I had had enough........which was about overhead India!!!)

I must admit one thing that really erks me, and it isn't a cabin staff thing, but being kinda tall (6 foot 1) and being told emergency exit seats are not available, and getting on the jet to see people of the older generation sitting there (no disrespect intended). I was always under the impression that people were usually selected to sit there with the thought being they could help in an emergency situation. I always aim to check in as early as possible, but this happens on a regular basis.

[Ozzy]

Friend of the family just got back this week from a trip to Paris. She flew an americAn airline (!) direct to Boston. Sounded like it was a 767 (but she wasn't sure) she was in economy. Anyway, no seat back video but central movie screen that showed the same movie they had shown on the outbound flight! No offer of wine with dinner, when she asked for a glass she was charged $5 or 5 Euros for glass. The crew seemed indifferent to the pax she said. This for around $750 return - unbelievable!

Ozzy

[pilot_2b]

if there is a delay i like to be told the truth not a cover up excuse or something like that!

onboard i like a crew who take pride in their work and actually seem as if they are enjoying it. it is nice when they do talk to you and seem interested. in particular i remember two flights which were great because of a really nice crew. i had a flight with BA , one of the two, and the crew were smiling , nothing was a problem and i had a chat with one crew member in the galley about the holiday i was returning from and she seemed really interested which again was nice and i left the aircraft felling that my holiday had ended on a really positive note.

The other flight was with gulf air. i was returning from oz!
the crew were willing to chat all through the flight. whenever i asked for something it was given to me , and i always go to the galley during the flight because for some reason i dont like pressing the call button.
also on one of their flights i came across a crew member who was remarkebly polite. she was always smiling and so polite.


i think oll of those things make a great flight. if the meals are bad or the ife is bad, that is no reason to blame the cc because they dont prepare the meals or decide which movies we watch.

i flew on a flight from san francisco to cdg and it was awfull. the crew were not interested at all. they never smiled they were not polite and they didnt care about us to be honest.

now this is what makes a bad flight, because when one is stuck on a 12 hour flight, or any flight, with a totally uninterested crew, it can be complete hours of misery.

[redsnail]

That special gift that some FA's have in making you feel like it's his/her's absolute pleasure in assisting/serving you. Efficient and prompt service, with a friendly face. (sure, there are some a'holes that really wreck an FA's day, I'm not one of them). Definitely a good sense of humour with confidence is a bonus too.
Now, I am aware that if the senior FA or even the tech crew are nasty or aggro to the FA's it will rub off. It's really easy to spot a good happy team. They all work together and you can see that they really enjoy that job.
I do feel for the FA's. They have to smooth over ruffled feathers that check in or Customs generated. There are some passengers that really shouldn't be let out alone and how the FA's keep their composure while dealing with them I have no idea. Well done.
I fly either BA or Qantas when travelling home. I have had no complaints whatsoever. In fact, one QF FA saw me struggling to get stuff in the over head locker. Without asking he came up and helped me get it all sorted. He was really good. One BA FA stopped what she was doing when I thought my passport had walked. It was not a problem for her to give me a hand. I appreciated that.
These days I fly with Ryanair and easyJet for positioning for work. Often I am in uniform (pilot) and I thank the easyJet FA's for that special touch.

I reckon flying with flaps 40, Xenia and Flyblue would be a right laugh :D

[Pax Vobiscum]

My best flight was also my worst flight - turned round by a fantastic cabin crew. I and my telecoms manager were starting a 10-day whistle-stop tour of the US in cattle class on the (now discontinued) BA187 from BHX to JFK via GLA and the date was 13/03/94, which some may recall was when the boys in green decided to drop some mortars (which luckily failed to detonate) onto the runway at LHR.

We were already boarded, but were told what was happening and that our departure would be delayed because lots of flights into LHR with connecting pax for the states were being diverted, some to BHX. Some muttering and grumbling from others, but we had no problem with that and the crew were soon round with the complimentary champers which helped. After an hour or so the flight, initially pretty empty (the service had only recently been launched), began to fill up. We passed the time chatting with the cabin crew.

While this was going on, it was noticeable that the aircraft (a 767) was rocking on its stand and the flags in front of BHX were standing straight out. Yes, there was a 'hurricane' on its way (parts of the UK experienced almost 100mph winds). We took off (a couple of hours late) without incident, but getting into GLA was a different matter - high crosswinds necessitated a go around and there were plenty of white knuckles on display when we were finally planted safely but firmly on the ground. The tension was broken by the announcement: "British Airways would like to welcome you to Glasgow and assure passengers that there will be no extra charge for the go around" - laughter and cheers.

Of course, with all the disruption to UK flights the aircraft was now full to the gunwales. The captain announced that because of the high winds we would be climbing quickly after take off and reinforced the need to keep seat belts fastened until the light went out. He also told us that to avoid the strong jet stream we would be taking a more northerly route than usual - he wasn't wrong as we later passed over Greenland, which I've only previously seen on west coast routings. This added further to our delay and we eventually arrived at JFK 6 hours late at 22:00 having been on board for 16 hours.

The cabin crew must have been on duty for at least 17 hours, but were cheerful and helpful throughout (despite a few grumpy pax). I assume the flight crew must have changed in GLA in order to stay within hours. On our way off we were asked by the crew if we would 'save them time counting the returns' and handed two carriers containing a selection of spirits miniatures!

PS We were hoping to be able to catch the last evening flight for our onward connection to ATL, but this was foiled by a yellow cab who couldn't find his way from JFK to EWR. On the flight back we were lucky to get the same cabin crew and this time on leaving the plane we each got a bottle of champagne from the Club service.

[Mashie Niblick]

Good thread folks.
Being crew myself,I'm finding this interesting to say the least.Good to know what you think and it's certainly giving me some food for thought.
Keep 'em coming.
Mashie,

[radeng]

Start with a check in that's as hassle free as possible. My recent experiences say that's BA at LHR, LGW, DFW and PHX and Servisair as the BA agents at CPH and ARN. Check in with AA at DAY was a nightmare, arguing with the woman that my bags were to be checked through to ARN, as that was where I was going, and explaining that it was no use saying I couldn't be booked through as the flight had already left - she was trying to book me on to that day's LHR to ARN instead of the following days flight!: America West at COS not much better.

Competent security. Not too impressed with the US, although I think it's noticeably better now that the TSA people are there. Even though at COS the other week, they unloaded my suit case and came running down to the gate to give me the pair of shoes they'd forgotten to put back in the case!!!

Security at LHR and LGW always strike me as OK: ARN terminal 2 as the best anywhere.

Decent lounge for frequent flyers. BA wins hands down here, although the lounge at Nice (Servisair?)isn't bad. ARN Finnair lounge (shared by the One World people) is a bit basic - even the section for the BA Gold card holder.

Cabin crew that at least appear pleased to have you on board. Even in Business class transatlantic on American, this doesn't seem to be the case. However, AA have had that many lay offs I suppose it's hardly surprising.

Pet HATE: (confined mainly to the US) Safety briefings gabbled through at high speed, often at too low a volume, probably on the basis that few people listen to them. Sometimes in an incomprehensible accent, too. The commuter flights seem to be the worst, although I've had a couple of bad ones (again on American) on mainstream flights.

Another hate is all the drinks coming at the same time as the meal. I know it's not always avoidable, especially on short flights, but longer ones can be better dealt with. Not so easily, I suppose when BA cuts the number of cabin crew..........

Getting the balance between being too quick with clearing away the meal service and too slow. Very difficult.

I'm probably spoilt by mainly having used BA Club and Club Europe for the past 17 months (32 round trips, 73 flights). When BA CC have an off day, (which, let's face it, everyone does occasionally) my experience is that they are only very good. Most times they are excellent. Other airlines I've flown in the past year (SAS, American, Finnair, South West, America West) have all given the impression to a greater or lesser extent that they'd rather not be bothered with passengers.

[Jorge Newberry]

Two pet hates:

1. Despite checking in really early discovering that the emergency exit seats have been given to someone who looks as if they would have difficulty opening a crisp packet.

2. Not collecting the meal try soon enough so that one is left trapped in conditions that batttery hens wouldn´t envy.

apart from this I'm not too fussy.

[ratsarrse]

My personal list of things that might make the flight as close to fantastic as it's possible to get when stuffed into metal tube:

1. Flight no longer than 3 hours. It could be the greatest airline with the best crew, but after 3 hours I've had enough. Actually after about an hour without smoking I'm starting to get impatient.

2. Legroom, legroom, legroom. Whoever works out the seating arrangements is either a double amputee or a midget.

3. A spare seat next to you. At least you can do a contortionist impression and sprawl at an angle to stop gangrene setting in and causing you to become the double amputee that works out seating arrangements for airlines.

4. Friendly staff. I guess just how friendly they're gonna be depends on the proportion of ******s amongst the pasengers.

5. A nice sunset/sunrise. I never get tired of clouds, but combined with a fantastic sunset or sunrise - well it certainly puts me in a better mood.

6. General anaesthetic. This would be the perfect way for me to travel longhaul. Either that or having a smoking lounge. With a proper bar. And tables. Actually, I'd rather travel by Sunderland flying boat (and take a few days to get somewhere) than travel by any Boeing or Airbus.

[Mashie Niblick]

Jorge,
That "should" never happen in reality,but occasionally it does.Only my last flight I had to move an elderly Indian lady from the seat opposite me,who amusingly had hung her walking stick on the door handle,to another seat.There is no problem with her sitting there during the flight,but certainly not for T/Off and landing.The Check-in staff should never seat anyone who is not "able bodied"amongst other restrictions, at those seats.
Happens RARELY.

Ratsarrse,
I'm going to assume you were either "rattarsed" or tongue in cheek when you posted,'cos none of your points are worth reply,either constructive or otherwise.Frankly,and I speak as a smoker,if you cannot get through a few hours without a ciggie,then you are a pitiful human being.

Ppruners,keep the "constructive" comments coming.....some of us are listening!!

[payingpax]

Things that put me in a grumpy mood

*Delays

*Delays – for no adequately explained reason

*People shouting instructions (Stansted security staff are really into this)

*Overcrowded waiting areas

*Realizing that the drunken stag party currently chain-smoking with gusto in the no-smoking area is booked on the same flight as me

*Bizarre procedures that only apply to certain airports or airlines and seem to serve no useful purpose (why does Air2000 need to check boarding passes 3 times?)

*Discovering that members of the aforementioned stag party have seats allocated next to me

*Being sat behind someone on a charter flight who insists on reclining their seat

*Overcrowded airport buses that sit on the tarmac for 15 minutes whilst the driver reads a newspaper.


Things that perk me up

*A row of seats to myself

*Sitting in the emergency exit row

*An uninterrupted view out of the window

*If there’s a delay being given a plausible explanation why (“late arrival of inbound aircraft” doesn’t count)

*Cabin Crew who are on the ball – and who manage by whatever means to keep assorted stag parties, malcontents and miscellaneous mad people under control (top marks to the BMIBaby crew on my flight back from Prague last year)

*Even if I haven’t got a problem, it’s nice to see the crew looking after people who have.

[Jordan D]

A real pet hate of mine, is when your flying on into the night flights, that leave Europe at a sensible hour, but arrive Asia at midnight-ish (eg LHR - BOM), and the cabin crew go round the plane after the meal and shut all the blinds, so that passengers can "get some sleep" ... well I for one don't want to sleep, and enjoy looking out the window at the unusual view ... will the cabin crew understand this please!

Jordan

[FOXIBOY]

paying pax :- Just to let you know most airlines now check boarding cards right the way thru to boarding the ac this is for your security and also not all ground agents are observant and occasionally it happens that a passenger boards the wrong flight,
which as crew i have seen many times over the last 12 years .
But once the doors are closed and after take off esp on a night flight i like to get service over and done with so the punters can get some sleep, and me a nice cup of tea,ha ha.

[Dantruck]

Well I'm here to tell ya Cabin Crew do a bloody fine job. Given all the prats (aka fellow passengers) I've had to sit next to over the many years, I'm always amazed at how well you guys and girls cope.

What makes a good flight?...a human approach, I'd say. A smile and a sense of humour can go a long way, of course, but so can a courteous passenger. Carry on the way you are, you're doing just fine.

And tell your boss I said you deserve a raise.

[payingpax]

"Just to let you know most airlines now check boarding cards right the way thru to boarding the ac this is for your security..."

I don’t have a problem with security measures – in fact the thought that security has been improved makes me a happier pax.

However, I still can’t understand why I needed to have my boarding pass checked at the gate, at the bottom of the steps to the aircraft and then 30 secs later on entering the cabin. In the grand scheme of things this is of course a very minor quibble.

But it does still seem to be a bit OTT – and a probably delayed the moment when we were all finally sat down, and the crew able to go off and have a well deserved cuppa!

[reynoldsno1]

I'm with Jordan on the "go to sleep" thing - irks me too. Also, when I am fortunate enough to travel business class, I don't drink alcohol on the way to work, but I often get the "are you sure, sir?" quiz and imploring - I want a glass of water, thanks. What's so difficult to understand?

[radeng]

Boarding passes - show 'em three times? So what?

At ORD earlier this year, I had to show my boarding pass 5 times in 5 minutes in one queue in a distance of 20 feet! (It may be that TSA staff don't trust each other to be able to read)

[Jordan D]

I'm none too fussed how many times I need to show the boarding card, as long as I get a good heads up in advance, and I don't have to go and scrabble for it at the last moment ... it annoys me enough when other people hold up a long line of passenger when they do that.

One other thing that makes a good flight ... if the plane has in flight entertainment, I emplore the Cabin Crew to please not switch it off half way through a film when we are landing ... Nothing annoys me more than that ... and if there are multiple tapes to be used, then please change them ...

Jordan

[Gouabafla]

I go along with all of the statements about having an empty row of seats, exit rows and such. Being able to breath and stretch makes all of the difference.

A KLM crew from Abidjan to Amsterdam made a flight really special for my family. We were returning to Europe after twelve years in West Africa and the crew discovered this. They brought us glasses of champagne and orange juice for the kids before take off. Not something you normally get when your seat row number is in the thirties! Just that little touch made us feel very special and helped us through what was actually a very traumatic time.

I wouldn't want to do the FA's job. Being that polite to so many people for so long would kill me! Given that, I don't expect lots of fun and games from the FA, but I do appreciate it when they show a more human side.

On a recent flight to Budapest with Lufthansa I made my way to the back of the aircraft for a pee when a steward told me that the toilets were all out of action. Just before I had time to react, the steward said 'there is no problem, I just like to see people's faces when I say that'. It was probably very unproffessional and not everyone would appreciate that sort of humour - but it kept me laughing all the way to the terminal.

[marlowe]

Jordan D.
The reason the film is turned off on landing is for safety reasons, takeoff and landing has a habit of being the difficult bit of the flight i think its something to do with the close proximity of terra firma!!!!! So we like to get the cabin tidied up a bit as well,you know switch off laptops, gameboys disc players etc etc then if the drivers get it wrong upfront you might just notice myself and the rest of the crew legging it you wont if you are engrossed in the film with your headphones on!!

[Jordan D]

Marlowe, I understand the reasons behind it completely ... however if there is, say, 1 and a half hours left of the flight, then why start a programming sequence of 2hrs, when at most only 1hr will get shown?

Jordan

[Trollied Dolly]

I've always found CC really helpful and nice.

BA staff were great with me and my mates flying London to Dallas. The first time they brought the drinks trolley we got apple juice, the next time they had run out of apple juice but went to get some, after that they made sure they had apple juice because they knew that's what we wanted.

Same little possee flying Lima to Dallas with AA. We were all asleep when the food came round (we hadn't slept in a bed for 3 nights, just a few hours sleep overnighting on buses next to goats and chickens) We were all leaning on each other and blatantly away with the pixies. :zzz: The CC just put down the end tray and left 3 meals for when we woke up (several hours later)

These may seem like really daft little things but but it was the thought behind it. The CC obviously had a full plane to look after but the personal touch really came through. :ok:

[DeepC]

I nearly always travel EZY so my comments are really only applicable to them.

The most important thing for me is information, information and information. Always keep the passengers informed. The other day returning Zurich to Luton I was told at the desk that there was an unknown delay as the plane had not even left LTN yet on the previous flight. Yet when we get to the gate there is no delay. No announcement was made as to the reason for this even though the fact that EZY had seen far enough ahead to send an empty plane out from Luton in advance of the late departing Luton - Zurich service. I found this out be asking the cabin crew member at the door.

Other gripes include....

Passengers insisting on leaning their chairs back.

Passengers talking too loudly so that everyone can hear the tales of the personal life.

Passengers who have flown on EZY once before so they think they know everything, telling their travelling companions this at the top of their voice. Very cringeful.

Very rarely that the crew annoy me. Keep smiling and try and see the funny side of any situation.

Oh and pilots avoiding flying through large, thick clouds on a very hot day, such as last Tuesday, to avoid the turbulence also cheers me up.

DeepC

[Wot No Engines]

As with many, it's mostly determined before boarding, but a great crew can turn things round.

Good things:


Easy check in
No queue for security
Pax board in sensible order.
Crew NOT rushing past every 30 seconds bumping my shoulder - I take a aisle seat if possible as it is more comfortable for all.
Being left to sleep when I want to overnight.


Not so good:

Huge queue for check in and then security.
Inconsistant security - items that were fine yesterday are totally forbidden today - inspected visually both times.
Short overnight flight ahead of schedule (capt delighted to tell pax this), then with seats upright and now awake, 30 mins holding for 6am and then 1 hour in a remote part of LHR waiting for a gate
Any US domestic flight
Cabin crew rushing around smashing into every other pax as they go past and don't appologise

[Evening Star]

Postscript to my previous post (which I should say are all actual experiences) to add my voice to those who wrote about reclining seats. When some careless unthinking b:mad: reclines his/her/ape seat onto my knees, it does rather ruin my flight (being tall, space in cattle class is precious). Mind, was ready for the :mad: who tried to do it yesterday. Ha, he will not forget in a hurry how hard and unforgiving my knee is :E.

(Next post will be somebody complaing about hard knees!)

[PAXboy]

I am tempted to say ... "Any flight on Concorde is a good flight"

But then, as new Concordist, I am biased!

Friday 8th August will remain a day to remember:cool:

[Jordan D]

Got to say that people moving their seats whilst trying to eat a meal is really very very annoying.

Jordan

[SkySista]

Nice topic, Parry. Good to see some of you CC do your research... :D

Things that bug me:

* CC who are surly to/don't pay attention to pax
* Noisy (i.e. rowdy, not talking) pax in front/behind
* Aforementioned meal-time seat recliners
* Delays at check in for stupid reasons (i.e. ground staff making avoidable mistakes - not things beyond their control)
* Stinky lavs
* Sitting next to someone who promptly asks "Where is the emergancy exit/lifejacket/etc after the briefing
* Pax who won't listen to CC instructions/ do dumb things by not listening/cause delays by not listening

Things that make a good flight:

* Explanations for delays (and CC who are decent enough to act like I MAY understand what they mean, and tell the truth)
* Captains/FOs who do a greeting over the PA, along with any interesting scenery/passing aircraft etc (though not too many)
* Above who make it funny
* CC who, though having a cra p day, will take the time to smile, and recognise that though the guy in front may be acting like a complete :mad:, I am not the same just for asking for something
* CC who don't mind listening to me waffle on while in the lav queue on a long flight
* CC who know when to leave me alone/ask if I need anything
* Good landings!! :E
* Gorgeous sunset/sunrise
* Capt/FOs who will sign my boarding pass for me (habit since childhood to collect 'em) and CC who will nicely ask for me
* CC with a sense of humor
(Like one AN flight where the Capt welcomed all on board, informed us that Ansett had some of the best CC in the world, but unfortunately couldn't get any for this flight. F/As took it well, rolling eyes and amused smiles to pax who of course all told them how good they were...) :D
* JUMPSEAT RIDES!!! Wooo!!

That's about it. Basically, a good flight is one where the CC really try to make us feel at home, and don't treat us like yet another busload of drunk West Aussies (though most of the time we are... ;)

SkySista