Nov 19, 2019
Recorded 14 November 2019
Written by: Geoff Dahl & Vinod Viswalingam
Listen to this experience wherever you download your podcasts - including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play and Overcast.
In this experience Vinny and Geoff go into the mailbag and review a bunch of different questions and feedback. We look at what is the logic and order of the meal and beverage service that takes place during a flight? We also look at free hotel stops – are they still provided by an airline?
Why do some passengers get served first? how do the cabin crew decide to serve passengers? How does the airline decide how many crew members to have? Who's in charge of the cabin crew? Why is one cabin crew always in the galley? Vinny shares his experience of working as inflight crew on multiple airlines.
How does the service flow and order work in first, business and economy classes? How does the length of flight change the timings and flow? What are all these different meals that are available for flights? The serving of your beverages, there are different methods that crew use. Which row does the crew start their service at? What happens when passengers have to get up?
Why do special meals have to get served first? How does the crew have to adapt to buy on board options? Here comes the turbulence – how does the crew handle the baggage carts in bumpy conditions? Just how much beef or chicken meals are there? Is your flight being catered independently or from a centralized kitchen? Geoff shares an experience at ORD where the special meal didn't match up where he was flying to. And what about the crew – what are they eating? Geoff shares a story of a travel agent who got a bland surprise. Sitting at the back, might not be bad for service – it all depends on the airline. Vinny remembers his favourite lamb pastry flying to Canada from LHR on Air Canada. There are shared memories of getting leftovers as ground crew – both above and below the wing.
Airlines that provide free overnight hotel stops – Vinny shares a childhood memory of a flight from YYZ-KUL via HKG with an included stay at the Kimberly Hotel. We share a story from Evelyn W who got a complimentary stay at a hotel in DEL while flying from SYD-FRA. But alas it is a rare thing nowadays. Some airlines though offer a stopover option without an additional fee.
News Items:
If you have a meal or free included hotel story, a question or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/
SELECTED LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE EXPERIENCE
NEWS ITEMS
Businesstraveller.com | Southwest tests boarding from
rear of planes (13 November 2019)
https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/11/13/southwest-tests-boarding-from-rear-of-planes/
"Many passenger aircraft have two doors, but typically are
boarded using only one. Southwest Airlines is experimenting with a
new boarding system using both doors that is facilitated by its
system of not assigning seats to passengers."
pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com | Jail Time For
Baggage Handler Who Swapped 250+ Luggage Tags (12 November
2019)
https://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/jail-time-for-baggage-handler-who-swapped-250-luggage-tags/
"Checked bags get put on wrong flights all the time, but
usually due to negligence or some other non-malicious occurrence.
However, an airport baggage handler at Singapore Changi Airport was
given jail time for putting luggage on the wrong flights —
totally on purpose."
PODCAST CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS
PEOPLE MENTIONED
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