Now Boarding ... Chicken or Beef?

[serfty]

The A380 has 12 bunks beds below economy (in the green section). If you're seated near there you'll see crew go down. ...

FWIW, they use the stairway in front of 66F/G to "go down", not the escape hatch in front of 71D.

 

[milehighclub]

Actually the escape hatch is in front of 71D. Here is a picture of it open for those curious.

 

[samh004]

Actually the escape hatch is in front of 71D. Here is a picture of it open for those curious.

My one and only A380 flight had me in that seat, but I didn't once peel away the carpet to work out how it opened... and I'm glad it didn't while I was sleeping or I'd have had a nasty shock!

 

[petercr]

Actually the escape hatch is in front of 71D. Here is a picture of it open for those curious.

Which I guess would explain why 71D is listed as a 'premium, extra leg-room' seat in the middle of the ecconomy cabin (if there can be such a thing)

 

[smit0847]

Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't and each crew member is different. I might read a bit, listen to music or watch a video and then fall asleep. Sometimes when I know I won't sleep, it's just nice to lay down and relax.

I sometimes change out of my uniform for a long break (still wear my pants but put on a t-shirt). Short breaks under 2 hours, I'll rest in my uniform. They don't really crease and are actually quite comfortable to rest in.

Thanks.

Are you able to tell me the sort of rest periods you get on say, an LAX return? A friend who is cabin crew for VA long-haul says an LAX return ends up being around 37 hours total work time so doing that once a week actually seems like quite a normal job. From clocking on (90? 120?) mins before a flight to clocking off (when you arrive at your hotel?) for MEL-LAX I imagine would be around 18 hours - do you work a third, rest a third then work another third? Do some airlines give longer rest breaks than others (I realise all the flight lengths would be different)

 

[milehighclub]

Here are the duty times as published for LAX flights
MEL-LAX: 16:20
LAX- MEL: 17:20
Total: 33:40

SYD-LAX: 15:35
LAX-SYD: 16:30
Total: 32:05

A duty starts 1 hour 25 minutes prior to departure when leaving Australia. When leaving from an international port the duty starts 1 hour prior to departure. The extra time ex AUS is to allow for the briefing.

A duty finishes 30 minutes after the aircraft arrives at the gate.

The above duty times include this (and times are adjusted for delays etc to the actual time).


Now as a general rule the breaks for probably most airlines is determined by a simple formula:
After the first service, calculate time left to top of decent
Calculate how long to allow for the second service (based on passenger load)
Whatever time is left before the next service is halved, and that becomes your rest.

Using those flights listed above on a flight to LAX you would get around 2 1/2 to 3 hours off and on the way back about 4 1/2 hours (but this would be split into two breaks maybe 3 hours and then 1 1/2 hours).

QF and VA are lucky to have enough bunks to be able to do an even split of the time for breaks. EK for example on the A380 only has 9 bunks for crew but with 26 operating crew, they would have to split their time into thirds giving the crew less rest.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

On long haul A380 flights, how many pilots are there? And how long is each shift?

 

[docjames]

Here are the duty times as published for LAX flights
MEL-LAX: 16:20
LAX- MEL: 17:20
Total: 33:40

SYD-LAX: 15:35
LAX-SYD: 16:30
Total: 32:05

A duty starts 1 hour 25 minutes prior to departure when leaving Australia. When leaving from an international port the duty starts 1 hour prior to departure. The extra time ex AUS is to allow for the briefing.

Why is there a briefing ex-Aus but not ex-LAX?

What is covered in the briefing?

 

[milehighclub]

On long haul A380 flights, how many pilots are there? And how long is each shift?

There are 4 pilots on any flight to LAX ex AUS plus SIN/LHR.

AUS to SIN/HKG usually has 3 pilots although because the SIN-LHR requires 4, occasionally there are 4 pilots ex AUS - SIN

 

[milehighclub]

Why is there a briefing ex-Aus but not ex-LAX?

What is covered in the briefing?

Ex AUS we have briefing rooms. They have a large TV screen for our electronic briefings. Any new or need to know information is presented here. There can be videos, pictures etc to highlight any recent changes or important information. Here the managers also highlight any new CSO's, safety and service related information along with information about the flight they are about to depart on.

When we leave an international port it highly unlikely anything has changed within the short time the crew have been away. However on the bus to the airport, there is a briefing conducted with regards to the upcoming flight (and should anything have changed, it can be communicated here)

 

[docjames]

Thanks, makes sense.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Thanks milehighclub

 

[Kangol]

Ex AUS we have briefing rooms. They have a large TV screen for our electronic briefings. Any new or need to know information is presented here. There can be videos, pictures etc to highlight any recent changes or important information. Here the managers also highlight any new CSO's, safety and service related information along with information about the flight they are about to depart on.

When we leave an international port it highly unlikely anything has changed within the short time the crew have been away. However on the bus to the airport, there is a briefing conducted with regards to the upcoming flight (and should anything have changed, it can be communicated here)

With said briefing, do they mention anything about specific passengers? eg details about CLs or VIPs, potential groups to be wary of (eg football teams), UMs travelling, etc...?

 

[milehighclub]

With said briefing, do they mention anything about specific passengers? eg details about CLs or VIPs, potential groups to be wary of (eg football teams), UMs travelling, etc...?

Our briefings are electronic. There is information from various departments (safety, service etc) usually regarding any recent changes. The managers can also talk about anything they feel important to pass on. My last briefing had a slide reminding us about the lounge changes in Singapore in case anyone asked.

UM's are definitely mentioned, as are the number of wheelchair passengers. Individual passengers are not usually mentioned. A large group, perhaps. The managers may be aware of something in regards to a specific passenger on the flight, especially when there has been a recent interaction with customer care. They then usually pass that on to the specific crew later that will be taking care of them as the briefing (which is only 10 minutes) is best spent on covering topics that impact all the crew. But the managers will use their discretion and if they feel it is important to share it, then of course they can.

 

[anat0l]

Our briefings are electronic. There is information from various departments (safety, service etc) usually regarding any recent changes. The managers can also talk about anything they feel important to pass on. My last briefing had a slide reminding us about the lounge changes in Singapore in case anyone asked.

UM's are definitely mentioned, as are the number of wheelchair passengers. Individual passengers are not usually mentioned. A large group, perhaps. The managers may be aware of something in regards to a specific passenger on the flight, especially when there has been a recent interaction with customer care. They then usually pass that on to the specific crew later that will be taking care of them as the briefing (which is only 10 minutes) is best spent on covering topics that impact all the crew. But the managers will use their discretion and if they feel it is important to share it, then of course they can.

When you say that the briefings are electronic, do you mean they supply it via PowerPoint? So you don't get a paper copy of the notes, it's not written on the manifest or other documentation that you take onto the aircraft... or do some of you take down notes.....


Do you know about meals loaded in advance (e.g. what are the meals / menu (relevant to the class of service you're working in), which wines match them, are there special meals loaded)?

 

[cmon0005]

The managers may be aware of something in regards to a specific passenger on the flight, especially when there has been a recent interaction with customer care. They then usually pass that on to the specific crew later that will be taking care of them as the briefing

When you say recent interactions with customer care, does this mean any time we contact customer care the manager will see what we enquired about, or is it more a way for customer care to flag things like food choices, allergies?

 

[under the radar]

'milehighclub'... 'YOU'RE THE REASON WE FLY"

thankyou for your time/expertise/knowledge

hope your 2013 stays a safe/fun one

(your input brings back memories )

 

[milehighclub]

When you say that the briefings are electronic, do you mean they supply it via PowerPoint? So you don't get a paper copy of the notes, it's not written on the manifest or other documentation that you take onto the aircraft... or do some of you take down notes.....


Do you know about meals loaded in advance (e.g. what are the meals / menu (relevant to the class of service you're working in), which wines match them, are there special meals loaded)?

It's not made by powerpoint, but the slides have images, text and occasionally video that is presented. We don't get a paper copy as they are usually just reminders of information that is available on our crew site. Usually the managers will have a paper copy in case anyone wants to read it and there are always a few copies in the base but most crew read it online.

First and Business class cookbooks (how to cook, prepare, plate etc the menu on the flight) are available on our crew website. Economy is not, so we just read the same menu that is handed out to the passengers.

We won't know how many specials meals are ordered until we arrive at sign on. Then we double check that the figures match the caterers figures once onboard the aircraft.

 

[milehighclub]

When you say recent interactions with customer care, does this mean any time we contact customer care the manager will see what we enquired about, or is it more a way for customer care to flag things like food choices, allergies?

No not always. It depends on the nature of your discussion with customer care.

 

[Deleted member]

Fascinating insight. Thanks milehighclub