Up, Up, and A Gay, a recently discovered blog from another Flight Attendant, dishes about why we’re always dishing about work.  It’s true, too!

Los Angeles Times tries to makes sense of the security rule regarding exact name matchups.  There may be flexibility now, but what little there is will be going away soon.

The Venice Guide captured my attention again this week with a post about the etiquette of dining in Italy.  If you’re planning a trip there, give this post a once over.

Consumer Traveler enters the debate about travel agents being charged fees to book tickets on United.  No matter which side wins this battle, it’s us travelers who will wind up paying.

Gadling reviews a gadget with a name too long to remember.  Bottom line, though, is this little gem will help you get better wi-fi reception in hotels.

The Rio Guide gives suggestions for saving on your food budget by hitting up the right supermarkets.

Intelligent Travel tempts us to the 49th state with a post about Homer, Alaska.

Wanderlust and Lipstick has a travel writing contest.  You can win a 12-day culture and spa tour of Vietnam.

The Miami Guide writes about the story behind Vizcaya, a landmark property along the Miami shore.  You may want to catch the upcoming PBS documentary about it, too.

Tripbase lists 20 ways to screw up your Labor Day road trip.  These are good trips for any time at all.

Ron Dubin Photography has a great shot of Los Angeles and the smoke blanketing the city from the aggressive forest fires.

Traveling the Green Way reviews recycled travel speakers from OrigAudio.  Compact and green, what a great combo.

USA Today writes about the conception vacation promotion.  Provide some medical documentation to support your claim that your baby was conceived while vacationing at the The Westin Resort on Aruba, and get a credit for a return visit.

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Q.  What is deadheading?

A. In aviation speak, deadheading is a phrase used to position a flight crew member as part of their scheduled trip.  The term “positioning” is also used.

A Flight Attendant who is deadheading is on duty, that it, s/he is traveling on a particular flight under orders of the company, and is not a pleasure travel.  They may or may not be in uniform, that policy varies among airlines.  They will likely occupy a regular passenger seat on the airplane, although on some carriers they may be in a jump seat.  Some airlines allow deadheading crew members to sleep, others do not.

A deadheading leg may occur at the beginning, end, or in the middle of a scheduled trip.

Here are some examples::

• The first leg of a trip (flight) is deadheading to Hawaii, and then the following day, work the trip back to your home domicile (where the trip started).
• The first flight of the day is working from your home domicile to San Francisco, and then you deadhead the next leg to Oakland, and then fly from Oakland back to your home domicile.
• The first flight of the day is working from your home domicile to Chicago, and you then deadhead home (back to your home domicile).

In essence, deadheading is a way of getting a flight crew member where they need to be to work a trip, or to get them home at the end of a trip.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Q. I’m a 28 year old male based out of Phoenix, Arizona. I’m interested in becoming a flight attendant. I have worked most of my life in the golf industry so I have plenty of customer service experience under my belt. I’m fluent in French so I would love to work for an international airline. I understand that this is a career where you don’t really get to choose what you want at first, however my goal would be to work for an airline that goes to France often. If you could give me some tips on where to start I would appreciate it.

A.  Given the current state of the economy, and current events in general, this is not the best time to try to break into the business.

Most airlines have Flight Attendants on furlough (laid off) or on voluntary staff reduction leaves.  Before any new hiring is done, all those employees would first be recalled.  How long the furlough lasts will impact the likelihood of whether those Flight Attendants will return to flying or if they’ve moved on to other jobs and will leave the airline.

With those cautions in mind, there are some airlines that are hiring, mostly commuters and airlines needing very specific language qualified Flight Attendants.  French isn’t on that list, though.

So what should you do?

Everything in the industry is based on seniority – meaning when you were hired.  Obviously then, you want to get hired as soon as possible.  And, you don’t want to be job hopping, because every time you change airlines you start at the bottom of the seniority list and pay scale.  But – there is nothing wrong with starting out with a commuter airline, seeing how you like the lifestyle and work schedule, and then moving on to a major.  (That’s what I did.)

I’d recommend that you keep an eye on which airlines are hiring.  The Association of Flight Attendants tries to keep an update status page on which airlines are hiring Flight Attendants, and covers both union and non-union carriers.  Do your research and identify your ideal carriers, then follow their hiring information and guidelines.  Most have a jobs section on their website.  As you track the industry, you’ll put yourself in a position to be at the front of the line when hiring begins once again.

My prediction – Absent some major economic change, I doubt there will be hiring by the majors for about a year.  Until and unless schedules and routes pick up, current furlough levels will continue and possibly increase.

Good luck!

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Marty asks:

Q.  I was wondering what flexibility you have, if any, in choosing what hotel to stay at?  I’m imagining that you probably have to stay at the airport location for whatever hotel chain that your airline has designated?  Is it the same chain in every city?  And can you stay somewhere other than the chain’s airport hotel?  Also, are there situations where the airline might give you an allowance to seek more permanent accommodations in a city that you are often having layovers in?  i.e. enough to get a shared apartment, etc?

A. Hotel costs are a huge budget item for airlines, and, as you can imagine, every effort is taken to save every single penny that can be saved.  It’s the ultimate standoff – with the people who are staying in the hotels wanting comfortable, well appointed, and conveniently located hotels, and the people paying the bill for the hotels needing to crunch the numbers and to negotiate the lowest possible contract rates.

While the process is handled differently, depending on the airline, the over arching issue is the same.  At most airlines that I’m familiar with, there is a Hotel Committee of Flight Attendants, of Pilots, and a counterpart for the Airline.  These three parties each have a list of what they require in a hotel (often set by contract) and what they’d like in a hotel.

Word is put out to hotels to determine who might be interested in having flight crews stay there.  Not everyone wants us, as it usually is at a seriously discounted rate.  In return, however, the hotel is guaranteed a number of booked rooms each month.  When there is a list together of interested hotels, representatives from the Flight Attendants, Pilots, and Airline will schedule onsite inspections.  Additional considerations will include the distance from the hotel (travel time will eat into crew rest), transportation to and from the airport, availability of restaurants, etc.

After all that, it will come down to money.  Sometimes a hotel will offer a lower rate if you choose their property in several cities.  Sometimes you want locations in a city, but can’t get it.  It varies tremendously, and there really isn’t any consistency.  It’s all about the money.

You are not generally required to stay at the crew hotel.  For example, many Flight Attendants commute to a base other than where they live, and bid for layovers at home.  However, the crew hotel is the only place where the airline will pick up the tab for the expense.  The airline direct pays for the hotel.

That’s the basic process, and although there will be some variations, it will essential be the same from airline to airline.

Thanks for the question, Marty!

—

Is there something that you’d like to know about the job or lifestyle of being a Flight Attendant?  You can email me your questions, and I’ll answer them in a future Flight Attendant Friday.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Q.  Do you use your travel benefits?  Where do you go?  How often?  How do you decide?

A.  This is not quite as easy of a question as it might seem.  Much depends on how much time is available, the time of year, if I’m traveling with a friend, alone, or with a group of people, and, of course, the available budget.

For quick getaway weekends of only 2-3 days, that probably means sticking close to the west coast.  Favorite cites for that would be:  Las Vegas (great shows and restaurants, nice hotel resorts, and something to do 24/7), San Francisco, or Phoenix.

For extended weekends (4-5 days), some additional favorites include New York City, Washington DC, Hawaii, Boston, and I’ve even done Paris in 5 days.  Yes, I had 5 days (including travel days) and went to Paris.  It was great!

Deciding where to go is tougher than it sounds.  In addition to considering where I’d actually like to go, and what I’d like to see, I have to take into account passenger loads on the flights that I want to travel on.  Since we fly “space available,” if it’s a time of year or destination where flights are full, it’s going to make it complicated.  I look for flights that aren’t booked full, and try to travel at off-peak times.

Travel passes are a GREAT airline perk, and once you figure out how to use them, are a great benefit.  But if I really have to be somewhere on a set schedule, especially if I’m flying with a group of people, it’s easier to buy a ticket.

Where do you go on a short getaway weekend?  What about a longer one?

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

The Buenos Aires Guide – Be careful when booking you’re hotel, or you may wind up at one that rents by the hour.

Nerds Eye View – Pam is off at BlogHer with a bunch of other Seattle travelbloggers.  While I had to miss the event due to a scheduling matter, I’m keeping up on the travels via her blog.  I loved this section of their trip through Cody, Wyoming.

Travellious – My pals over here spent three weeks in Italy shortly before I did.  While I love, love, LOVE the food in Italy, I could relate to the urge for a food quintessentially American – onion rings.

Tripso – Cruising may not be the luxury experience we hope for.  Read about the five dirtiest cruise ships before making your plans.

LA Times – Commuting airline crew members who “live” in RV’s in the parking lot at LAX.  Yep, this is a real glamour job.

Gadling – Always a great stop for great photography, but this photo taken from the edge of the Grand Canyon made me realize how insignificant we all are.

Wanderlust and Lipstick – Beth gives some solid advice for a young woman about to embark on her first solo trip.  I’m reading Beth’s book on solo travel right now, so look for a review and more solo travel tips in the coming weeks.

Photo credit: irrezolut @flickr

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Q.  During the training, what will be taught by the training center?  Do they have evaluations tests every day?

A.  Training differs among various airlines, but the two basic areas covered are Safety and Service.

For US airlines, the Safety part of training encompasses the bulk of the training process.  It will cover such things as learning about the various aircraft you will fly, emergency equipment and procedures, how to evacuate a plane, first aid, safety and security, FAR’s (Federal Air Regulations, the law governing commercial air travel that sets forth the rules and regulations for commercial air travel), and company policies.  This covers everything from the time you check in at the airport for your duty assignment until your return at the end, and governs everything that happens in between.

The Service side of training will encompass the components of customer service, from setting the boarding music, to serving cocktails and cutting off passengers who appear to be intoxicated, to announcements made during flight.

Competency tests occur regularly, although not necessarily every day.  You’ll need to demonstrate written proficiency as well as hands on proficiency at various stages of training.  Plan to study every night to learn what you’ll need for the following day, as not everyone will pass.

Hope that helps let you know what you’d be in for, Zoe.  And if you have questions about a particular airline’s training program, you can seek out someone who works for that airline and ask specific questions.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Here’s what she wants to know:

Q.  My question is do you get breaks whilst on duty? If so, how long are they and how many would you get on a 12 hour flight?, I’m just curious to be honest.

A.  Duty hours for Flight Attendants are regulated by a number of things, the collective bargaining contract (if they are represented by a union), the company policies (if they’re not), and the FAA duty regulations.  The first consideration is the length that you can be scheduled to be on duty.  For me, that’s 10 1/2 hours from the time I check in (one hour prior to scheduled flight departure) to 15 minutes after the plane blocks in at its destination.

During that 10 1/2 hours (it is often less), I do not get any scheduled breaks.  I don’t have a scheduled coffee break, meal break, or bathroom break.  I simply have to grab whatever time that I can to quickly eat and take care of personal needs.  That’s why you will often see Flight Attendants in the galley trying to quickly cram something into their face – it’s been a very long day, and it’s the first chance that we’ve had to eat.

On very long flights, usually international, there are provisions for scheduling extra crew members onboard in order to rotate everyone into a rest period.  But this is only applicable in very limited situations.

So unfortunately, the answer to this question is no.  We don’t get break.  We try to find time to eat after everyone is served and we can grab a few minutes to ourselves.  So please, if you see a Flight Attendant trying to grab a quick bite to eat, realize that it may be the only chance she’s had to eat all day.

Do you have a question that you’ve always wanted to know about the job and the life of a Flight Attendant.  I’m happy to answer all your questions here, so just email me and ask what you are dying to find out.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Disappeared?  Airplanes just don’t disappear!  But apparently this one did.  And it will be days, weeks, and months, before experts sort through what happened and have answers for us.

No matter the airline, the aircraft, or the nationalities involved, those men and women who do this job have a bond that unites them.  We do the same job, we share the same experiences, we laugh over the same silly things that happen on the airplane, and we complain over the same type of passengers.

Today, we all stand in respect and honor the Flight Attendants of Air France.  We, too, grieve for the crew members of Air France Flight #447, for all the passengers, family, friends, and loved one left behind.

It’s a tough day to be out flying, but on tough days I’m prouder than ever to be a Flight Attendant.

Photo credit: wikipedia

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

And the first time I heard a rapping Flight Attendant it would be a hoot.  But working multiple flights and hearing this more than once a day, would start getting as old as the regular safety announcement.  What do you think?

Post from: Fly Away Cafe