no I know what your saying,but what it comes down to is that as part of the job they took they thought they would be working say 12 hrs,now we all know that most companies will gladly work it's workers for 24 hrs a day 7 days a week,but when it comes to certain jobs the employees are protected by law,in the case of airline's the CAA,FAA etc mandate that after a certain amount of time crew must rest.
This is true of some jobs including train drivers etc
This is done for the protection of not only the employee but also the public they serve.
Now most FA's I know love their job's,at times not because of us pax,but the job does have some perk's,pay not being one of them.
This is true of some jobs including train drivers etc
This is done for the protection of not only the employee but also the public they serve.
Now most FA's I know love their job's,at times not because of us pax,but the job does have some perk's,pay not being one of them.
My point was perhaps made to sound like I thought cabin crew are nothing more than 'Trolley Dollies'. That was NOT my intention. What I'm trying to say is that the MAJORITY of CC's work is customer service - right? Serving food, drinks, duty free, heating and preparing the food in the galleys is what keeps them on their feet for '10 hours'.
Now the SAFETY aspect is of course EVERY employees first concern regardless of which profession they choose. I can't be programmed to work an 18 hour shift because I have the potential to kill hundreds of people if I were negligent in my job. But what if i was coming back from Inverness and got stuck in a snow drift next month? I would then be placed in a position where I HAD to work 18 hours and I wouldn't just get up and walk off leaving the passengers behind - I would manage the situation.
Fortunatley for you train travellers there are STRICT enforcements on working hours in the UK rail industry.
I'm losing the plot here again - what I was miffed about is your lack of service due to the cabin crew 'all going to bed'. That's plain rubbish. It doesn't happen to them every time they fly so in situations like this they should make exceptions - or maybe it's too risky in case they crash the trolley.
Regards
John
Hey jetwet - love the '5 star Legend' stuff!
Now the SAFETY aspect is of course EVERY employees first concern regardless of which profession they choose. I can't be programmed to work an 18 hour shift because I have the potential to kill hundreds of people if I were negligent in my job. But what if i was coming back from Inverness and got stuck in a snow drift next month? I would then be placed in a position where I HAD to work 18 hours and I wouldn't just get up and walk off leaving the passengers behind - I would manage the situation.
Fortunatley for you train travellers there are STRICT enforcements on working hours in the UK rail industry.
I'm losing the plot here again - what I was miffed about is your lack of service due to the cabin crew 'all going to bed'. That's plain rubbish. It doesn't happen to them every time they fly so in situations like this they should make exceptions - or maybe it's too risky in case they crash the trolley.
Regards
John
Hey jetwet - love the '5 star Legend' stuff!
1. I did choose my job, I love it and I happen to think I'm pretty good at it [;)]
2. I am also human, I get exhausted, I fly over time zones, sleep is dreadful on ocassions. This is part of the job, I don't complain about it, i just get on with it.
3. I have 400 passengers onboard who are mine and the Captains responsibility. I realise that I am in some customers eyes glorified waitressess etc and to be honest it doesn't offend me. I know my safety knowledge is second to none and in the worst case scenario I would be able to deal with this accordingly. The botttom line is we are there for your safety. Service naturally is part of the deal but really we are there for safety.
4. I have many colleagues that have dealt with emergencies onboard, we have had small fires, people stop breathing, babies choking, crew and passengers being assaulted. It does happen. That again is our job and I accept that when I signed on the dotted line but surely you can appreciate that when tired our judgement and ability to make decisions is impaired. I am sure there are studies on sleep deprviation. Would you not rather have an alert crew onboard in this instance?
5. Now I agree we all could probably have continued the flight from Lagos onto London, without the crew taking breaks and quite likely without incident. The crew may have been dead on their feet but physically it is possible. However imagine if your child started choking, the crew member is so tired they cant remember if its 5 back slaps or 5 chest thrusts first and the delay kills your child. Your wife/husband has a cardiac arrest and some one forgets to attcach the pads because they are so tired. These are all incidents that happen frequently, we are no nurses and heros but we do save lives every now and again.
6. As a UK registered airline we have to adhere (thank God) to the CAA and this is a measure that they inforce. All UK airlines have the same hours and duty restrictions.
I may have read some of the previous posts and have over reacted but I felt there was an underlying inferrence that crew were being somewhat lazy taking a break. I hope this was not the case. I know us crew that visit this site enjoy all the positive debate and support we get from you guys. John hate to say it but your comment on 'crashing the trolley' was just a tad too patronising for me and I'm not normally a sensitive soul.
2. I am also human, I get exhausted, I fly over time zones, sleep is dreadful on ocassions. This is part of the job, I don't complain about it, i just get on with it.
3. I have 400 passengers onboard who are mine and the Captains responsibility. I realise that I am in some customers eyes glorified waitressess etc and to be honest it doesn't offend me. I know my safety knowledge is second to none and in the worst case scenario I would be able to deal with this accordingly. The botttom line is we are there for your safety. Service naturally is part of the deal but really we are there for safety.
4. I have many colleagues that have dealt with emergencies onboard, we have had small fires, people stop breathing, babies choking, crew and passengers being assaulted. It does happen. That again is our job and I accept that when I signed on the dotted line but surely you can appreciate that when tired our judgement and ability to make decisions is impaired. I am sure there are studies on sleep deprviation. Would you not rather have an alert crew onboard in this instance?
5. Now I agree we all could probably have continued the flight from Lagos onto London, without the crew taking breaks and quite likely without incident. The crew may have been dead on their feet but physically it is possible. However imagine if your child started choking, the crew member is so tired they cant remember if its 5 back slaps or 5 chest thrusts first and the delay kills your child. Your wife/husband has a cardiac arrest and some one forgets to attcach the pads because they are so tired. These are all incidents that happen frequently, we are no nurses and heros but we do save lives every now and again.
6. As a UK registered airline we have to adhere (thank God) to the CAA and this is a measure that they inforce. All UK airlines have the same hours and duty restrictions.
I may have read some of the previous posts and have over reacted but I felt there was an underlying inferrence that crew were being somewhat lazy taking a break. I hope this was not the case. I know us crew that visit this site enjoy all the positive debate and support we get from you guys. John hate to say it but your comment on 'crashing the trolley' was just a tad too patronising for me and I'm not normally a sensitive soul.
Originally posted by JAT74L
Yes you're right and I apologise for typing that.
That take a big man. I guess that is why your respect rating is as high as it is.
HEAR HEAR Southernbelle!!!
I enjoy looking at this site and I am always keen to here what is going on out there and up there!
It's comments on this post that make me so mad with people's attitude.
I am sure you will agree that we all wish it was as simple as 'just customer service'
Anyway I am getting mad reading this post so will end now.
I enjoy looking at this site and I am always keen to here what is going on out there and up there!
It's comments on this post that make me so mad with people's attitude.
I am sure you will agree that we all wish it was as simple as 'just customer service'
Anyway I am getting mad reading this post so will end now.
I know what you mean about the saftety requirements
When flying to SFO in Upper last year, I had a long chat at the bar with the cabin crew about safety, and one cabin crew showed me the book they have to memorise, detailing all the saftey aspects of each type in the VS fleet.
From my (geeky!) point of view it looked very interesting, but to remember it, pass a test on it, and then be ready to use all that knowledge in practice requires quite a few brain cells, I'm sure!
Respect to them on their safety knowledge any day of the week....
When flying to SFO in Upper last year, I had a long chat at the bar with the cabin crew about safety, and one cabin crew showed me the book they have to memorise, detailing all the saftey aspects of each type in the VS fleet.
From my (geeky!) point of view it looked very interesting, but to remember it, pass a test on it, and then be ready to use all that knowledge in practice requires quite a few brain cells, I'm sure!
Respect to them on their safety knowledge any day of the week....
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