Routes you dread doing?
Espada:
The flight cannot commence boarding until the captain is satisfied that the aircraft is fit to fly, following a number of checks. Are you suggesting that both the cabin crew and the flight deck check in earlier (and stretch their duty hours further) just because it is a TLV flight?
The fact is that the rules of aviation apply to everyone, no matter their colour or creed and they are there for a good reason. Most of the rest of the world seems to be able to live with this concept.
Regarding point 1, I can tell you that as ex-airline staff, the people you mention are well aware they are causing offence, but couldn't care less. To hide behind the mask of naivety is simply disingenuous.
Regarding point 2, Endlessly arguing with the cabin crew over who you want to sit next to after seat allocation, (when you knew perfectly well that those people were travelling on the same flight in the first place), is time-consuming and unnecessary. I have seen this many times at first hand. They check-in with a seat next to their brother, but decide a few moments before the doors are due to close that they'd rather sit next to their cousin (insert here a friend, rabbi or relative of your choice, as the case may be). Cue much shifting of cabin baggage and inconvenienced passengers.
My experience with this is that such people are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't really care about anyone else. I write as someone with 30 years airline experience and who has visited Israel on many occasions.
I accept your point about queueing. I have seen it throughout the Middle East - it is by no means confined to Israel.
The flight cannot commence boarding until the captain is satisfied that the aircraft is fit to fly, following a number of checks. Are you suggesting that both the cabin crew and the flight deck check in earlier (and stretch their duty hours further) just because it is a TLV flight?
The fact is that the rules of aviation apply to everyone, no matter their colour or creed and they are there for a good reason. Most of the rest of the world seems to be able to live with this concept.
Regarding point 1, I can tell you that as ex-airline staff, the people you mention are well aware they are causing offence, but couldn't care less. To hide behind the mask of naivety is simply disingenuous.
Regarding point 2, Endlessly arguing with the cabin crew over who you want to sit next to after seat allocation, (when you knew perfectly well that those people were travelling on the same flight in the first place), is time-consuming and unnecessary. I have seen this many times at first hand. They check-in with a seat next to their brother, but decide a few moments before the doors are due to close that they'd rather sit next to their cousin (insert here a friend, rabbi or relative of your choice, as the case may be). Cue much shifting of cabin baggage and inconvenienced passengers.
The trick is to find those passengers who appear to be Jewish, calm and know a few people. Ask them to sort out the unruly ones and the problems will disappear quickly.
I accept your point about queueing. I have seen it throughout the Middle East - it is by no means confined to Israel.
Barry
I am as embarrassed by my co-religionists as you are annoyed by them. I agree that some are aware of the problems they cause, but others are not (for a whole variety of reasons woo long to go into here). In these situations I have diffused situations where the CC were unable to get through to the passengers, the problems they were causing.
I can think of one situation of three young pregnent women each with a baby on their laps all on one row. Their husbands were on the row behind. It took a while for the penny to drop about the oxygen masks and as these people barely spoke English or Hebrew (they spoke Yiddish) it was down to a couple of us to explain the problem - at which point they moved immediately as requested.
There are many people like me on flights from the UK to Israel, people with a lot of flying experience and able to communicate with other less educated passengers. I assume other destinations cause similar problems?
I am as embarrassed by my co-religionists as you are annoyed by them. I agree that some are aware of the problems they cause, but others are not (for a whole variety of reasons woo long to go into here). In these situations I have diffused situations where the CC were unable to get through to the passengers, the problems they were causing.
I can think of one situation of three young pregnent women each with a baby on their laps all on one row. Their husbands were on the row behind. It took a while for the penny to drop about the oxygen masks and as these people barely spoke English or Hebrew (they spoke Yiddish) it was down to a couple of us to explain the problem - at which point they moved immediately as requested.
There are many people like me on flights from the UK to Israel, people with a lot of flying experience and able to communicate with other less educated passengers. I assume other destinations cause similar problems?
