Now Boarding ... Chicken or Beef?

[Quickstatus]

Re: Calling the Flight Attendant

Maybe bottles less than half full (or what ever level is determined 'suitable' for needs) is decanted, or shunted to the F/J lounges for use there?

It seems if bottled can be loaded less than full, they aren't entirely ditched at the end of each flight.

This is a reply from an retired 747/380 CSM regarding unfinished bottles. It seems nothing to do with payable duties:

"all bar carts locked in and out of port as goes to bond store, unless in screw cap hard to re-stow, but a bottle on one flight may be open for 16 hours, so not much good to carry over. different wines out of each port and cost of keeping and moving moe than disposing"

 

[boffman]

No, not weird and it happens all the time.

chocolates always go down a treat

Really positive feedback *after the flight* is the best thing you can possibly do. Go out of your way to give it if you're happy.

The "gift" thing would be awkward for many of the airlines I fly, and it also seems insincere if you've bought it before you even know if they've "served" you well.

But I don't know if that means I should reply "chicken" or "beef".

It does happen. Your FA who receives it may never have had something like that happen to them in their entire career, whether that is a career of 2 days, 2 months, 2 years, 2 decades or 2 popes. But, it does happen.

Why do you want to do it?

If you are bringing something as a "bribe" or "incentive", forget it. If you think you are expecting something (other than perhaps "thank you"), forget it.

Other than that, don't go overboard (figuratively or literally!) on the gift.

Giving it at an appropriate, convenient and not so busy time in the middle of the flight (rather than during boarding or disembarkation) is probably the best idea. Most other times will be too busy.

I don't find it weird, and have done it for a bit over 10 years now.. on all long haul international (I don't do it on domestics), there has been 1 case where I felt I wasn't treated well and nearly didn't give the chocolates out (normally in the first 10 mins on boarding).. it was about 1/2 way through the sector and still did it but said to the CSM "I have never not done it but its not fair to change my rules/thinking because of an incident with 1 crew member"...

I am on the review panel and was asked for feedback on this flight.. Qantas dealt with it well and 2 years later I still do it..

Every departure city has a different things for the crew, eg LAX is Seeas candies, SYD is chocolate, HKG is one of the MASSIVE selection bags, that one looks really funny handing over as its bigger than most duty free bags...

my only request is they get shared to all zones (and they normally do)

Thanks everyone. My intention certainly isn't to curry favour. If I do it (and it's still an 'if' as I'm shy by nature), it would be during a quiet moment after the initial flurry of service. And assuming of course that service was going well.
The intent is simply to express thanks for a job well done. I'm pretty good with filling in feedback forms and have emailed customer support at an airline occasionally when someone has gone out of their way to help me. But this is First. And it's my first time. And, well why not.

 

[Denali]

I don't think its weird and Ive done it a few times, usually Christmas day flights but we had one NZ flight and the FA said to me in 20yrs its the first time he'd been thanked that way by a customer. That was the flight that the FA had to glove up to clean poop off the wall so he totally deserved something that day!

I usually gift a couple of boxes and another flight, a couple of the FAs came to thank us (which wasn't the point for us) and said they were going to enjoy them with their cup of coffee and sit down that they were looking forward to

Christmas day, the pilots came out after landing and before doors opened to say thank you. We usually try to gift and run but this flight they overheads were full so the FA put our bag of goodies away for us.

When in the US, we buy a heap of $10 Starbucks gift cards and give them out as thank you, I like this as they can be done quietly on the way out the door.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Thanks everyone. My intention certainly isn't to curry favour. If I do it (and it's still an 'if' as I'm shy by nature), it would be during a quiet moment after the initial flurry of service. And assuming of course that service was going well.
The intent is simply to express thanks for a job well done. I'm pretty good with filling in feedback forms and have emailed customer support at an airline occasionally when someone has gone out of their way to help me. But this is First. And it's my first time. And, well why not.

You must be joshin'.

 

[Mattg]

As discussed in this thread, I was wondering what happens to the leftover (untouched) amenity kits at the end of a long-haul flight? Are they thrown away or re-used?

I'd also be interested to know what happens to menus left on board, as well as unused blankets etc.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

As discussed in this thread, I was wondering what happens to the leftover (untouched) amenity kits at the end of a long-haul flight? Are they thrown away or re-used?

I'd also be interested to know what happens to menus left on board, as well as unused blankets etc.

They're re-used.

 

[JessicaTam]

They're re-used.

Which of the items mentioned are reused? All of them, or just the blankets?

Also, as per post #1 of this thread, can you clarify your airline role?

 

[milehighclub]

As discussed in this thread, I was wondering what happens to the leftover (untouched) amenity kits at the end of a long-haul flight? Are they thrown away or re-used?

I'd also be interested to know what happens to menus left on board, as well as unused blankets etc.

First and Business amenity packs used to be plastic wrapped. If the plastic was opened, the kit would have to be disposed off. As part of reducing waste, the amenity packs are no longer plastic wrapped, but have a kimble tie instead.

Menus are thrown out after each sector.

Blankets still plastic wrapped are not taken off and left for the next sector.

 

[Lemon_Party]

First and Business amenity packs used to be plastic wrapped. If the plastic was opened, the kit would have to be disposed off. As part of reducing waste, the amenity packs are no longer plastic wrapped, but have a kimble tie instead.

Menus are thrown out after each sector.

Blankets still plastic wrapped are not taken off and left for the next sector.

I'm a little surprised about the menus - seems incredibly wasteful... Many airlines print both outbound and inward meals in same menu so I'd always assumed that meant reused. I suppose it's easier to chuck out and replace than sort the clean ones from the dirty?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm a little surprised about the menus - seems incredibly wasteful... Many airlines print both outbound and inward meals in same menu so I'd always assumed that meant reused. I suppose it's easier to chuck out and replace than sort the clean ones from the dirty?

Some airlines collect menus - for the purpose of reusing them. But printing both sectors I had assumed was a matter of ease of logistics... one less thing to have to design, order, print, sort through at the supply point.

 

[Lemon_Party]

Some airlines collect menus - for the purpose of reusing them. But printing both sectors I had assumed was a matter of ease of logistics... one less thing to have to design, order, print, sort through at the supply point.

Yeah the logistics part makes sense, only one to pack per plane, can't hand out wrong one etc etc. I was just trying to gloss over the mathematics in my head of eg EK and how many flights per day they'd be running with 300+ pax in both directions and the tens of thousands of these things that would be chucked out every single day on just 1 airline!

Hopefully a lot of recycled paper/card is involved...

 

[anat0l]

If there is a life jacket missing from under a seat / in a storage compartment for a passenger,

• Can the aircraft still take off, or the jacket must be replaced before the aircraft can leave?
• If it so happens that, in an emergency, a passenger does not have a life jacket available to them at their seat, what happens (to the pax and the crew member)?

How often do life jackets "go walkies"? Is it an offence to remove a life jacket from an aircraft without permission?

If you are allowed to say so, where are the crew life jackets stored?

 

[Quickstatus]

Yeah the logistics part makes sense, only one to pack per plane, can't hand out wrong one etc etc. I was just trying to gloss over the mathematics in my head of eg EK and how many flights per day they'd be running with 300+ pax in both directions and the tens of thousands of these things that would be chucked out every single day on just 1 airline!

Hopefully a lot of recycled paper/card is involved...

Do Y passengers get a printed menu?
Could menus be uploaded into the IFE?
Catering could arrive with a ?USB stick electronic menu that can be uploaded before departure...

 

[Lemon_Party]

Do Y passengers get a printed menu?
Could menus be uploaded into the IFE?
Catering could arrive with a ?USB stick electronic menu that can be uploaded before departure...

Definitely EK and SQ medium and long haul.

Would be a great idea to implement. Air NZ allow purchasing of food items through the IFE on trans Tasman...

 

[seanpodge]

If there is a life jacket missing from under a seat / in a storage compartment for a passenger,

• Can the aircraft still take off, or the jacket must be replaced before the aircraft can leave?
• If it so happens that, in an emergency, a passenger does not have a life jacket available to them at their seat, what happens (to the pax and the crew member)?

How often do life jackets "go walkies"? Is it an offence to remove a life jacket from an aircraft without permission?

If you are allowed to say so, where are the crew life jackets stored?

Without being qualified to answer the question, I flew Ryanair last month (I know, I know, stay with me here. ) and noticed that they put their life jackets in the overhead panels where the oxygen masks would come down from. Presumably if needed, the crew/pilot can push a button and they fall down to you. I thought that that was a really great idea to prevent idiots from nicking them and should be implemented by other airlines.

 

[serfty]

...
Would be a great idea to implement. Air NZ allow purchasing of food items through the IFE on trans Tasman...

Yeah ... and crew really hated it when introduced ... they couldn't jut ignore it like they can with a 'call' light.

In the early days the order system was often switched off by the crew for most of the flight.

 

[milehighclub]

Do Y passengers get a printed menu?
Could menus be uploaded into the IFE?
Catering could arrive with a ?USB stick electronic menu that can be uploaded before departure...

Y passengers continue to get menus on International flights except Tasman.

Anything is possible with the IFE. The old Rockwell Collins system had this and believe the number of people viewing it was extraordinarily low. The Panasonic system no doubt would allow it too, but is not set up to do so.

Personally, I think menus are a waste in economy and hope that the move to a digital version on the IFE will be the future (maybe even with a picture). Perhaps a text pops up on the screen during your movie saying ' We're about to serve xx_XX. Touch here to see today's menu". If you want to view it you can, otherwise you can keep watching.

Menu packs are loaded in economy in packs of 96. So on a 380 you'd load 4, on a 330/747 you'd load 3.

 

[milehighclub]

If there is a life jacket missing from under a seat / in a storage compartment for a passenger,

• Can the aircraft still take off, or the jacket must be replaced before the aircraft can leave?
• If it so happens that, in an emergency, a passenger does not have a life jacket available to them at their seat, what happens (to the pax and the crew member)?

How often do life jackets "go walkies"? Is it an offence to remove a life jacket from an aircraft without permission?

If you are allowed to say so, where are the crew life jackets stored?

How often that happens I wouldn't know but don't doubt that it does. I also would have said it was an offence as you are stealing aircraft equipment. You would have to replace it with either one from a spare seat or a spare carried. Engineers check this as part of their routine.

If in the unlikely event that a passenger doesn't have a life jacket, you'd either get them one or get them onto a raft.

Crew life jackets are located under their seat too. Crew have orange life jackets to stand out from the yellow passenger ones.

 

[get me outta here]

I remember reading that flights in and around China often have life jackets souvenired.

How often that happens I wouldn't know but don't doubt that it does. I also would have said it was an offence as you are stealing aircraft equipment. You would have to replace it with either one from a spare seat or a spare carried. Engineers check this as part of their routine.

If in the unlikely event that a passenger doesn't have a life jacket, you'd either get them one or get them onto a raft.

Crew life jackets are located under their seat too. Crew have orange life jackets to stand out from the yellow passenger ones.

 

[Lemon_Party]

I remember reading that flights in and around China often have life jackets souvenired.

I'm sure i had a flight a while back in AU where part of the safety demonstration reminded pax it was an offence to remove life jackets from the plane. Maybe back in the days of DJ or my sole and never to be repeated foray into Tiger...