Well kids, I have seen the light! Let me describe a situation and see if you can figure out where I was:
*A comfortable and clean leather cushion for my tush.
*Smiling people and happy and courteous employees.
*Fusion jazz in the bathroom.
*Video games, music, TV for free.
*Fresh flowers at the desk.
*Soft lighting and ambiance.
*Room to spread out.
So where was I? Was it...
*The Proctologist's office.
*The Lazy-Boy Showroom
*My office
*Phil's Barbeque
*A US Airline
Alex, the answer is Virgin American airline, which I flew the other day...and my thoughts are that if I have to pay a 25% premium over any other carrier I will fly Virgin.
Check them out at http://www.virginamerica.com/va/vaDifference.do ...as they say come to "the coolest living room in the sky" and I was very impressed...and left scratching my head...Why does flying have to be as horrible as it is? Why can't people be treated decent? Why can't they act human and understand that the small things really do matter? Why not charge enough to do it right?
For some reason it is taking a good old Brit Sir Richard Branson to bring somethind good back to the US domestic airline business...You really have to try it to understand how nice it is to be 6'2" and actually be able to stand up in the bathroom...and more or less be able to "hit the target" (so to speak)...and not have some young "attendant" tell me I have to shut off my Bose headphones because "the electrical interference can cause disruption to the pilot"...yepper depper one AAA battery really throws the juice out! Thanks for being concerned for my safety! (actually happened a month or so ago on American)...and interestingly enough on Virgin the personal entertainment centers (really...they truly are centers)...are live when you get on the plane and you can use them the whole time both on the ground and in the air...go figure...
Was it perfect? Of course not...their computer crashed and they had to write our tickets by hand...and you are allowed only one bag (bad news) but the single bag is given 75 lbs. and not the usual 50 lbs (good news)...oh, and they only had the current catalog of Bruce Springsteen and omitted Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born to Run...the nerve!...but other than these troubles it was really a great way to fly...so I give them
So do you like my suit? Stylin!
2 comments:
Haha, it's too bad most US airlines have 90 year old flight attendants that are overweight and unhappy since their pensions were stripped back after 9/11 and recent pessimism on oil came into play. Most people can't handle the all day routine of serving impatient jerks (I've seen some unruly travelers); it's hard to keep a smile when you don't even know what city you just came from or where you're going for it's just another headache in the air. Not to mention the fact that the pilots sittin' up front get payed twice as much as they do and don't have to deal with the grumpy masses. You're away from your loved ones usually 3-4 days a week and live out of a suitcase. It's not as glamorous as it use to be (as my parents use to describe it at least).
Now, how on earth are airlines suppose to maintain positive customer service in the air when your in-flight staff has all of that to deal with? Like you said Randy, ramp up the media center, give the customer what they want (more space), and hire younger, more attractive, energetic flight attendants that are footloose and fancy free to roam about the country. Not only do they want to travel, but they are full of optimism in where their life is going versus older flight attendants who can only regret where their life has taken them.
Some frequent flyers just want to sleep on their flight. Business persons like to get work done on thier laptops (Internet? What's taken so long! Although apparantly certain airlines will be providing that service shortly). A majority read a book while others like to use the in-board entertainment system. Provide bubbly young flight attendants to make sure all of these desires are accomodated, make the seats actually comfortable (Useless [US] Airways is terrible), and create a company that people actually look forward to doing business with.
Hey - I just looked at the cell phone video (the popcorn thing)...just want to pass along that it was a hoax - and ad, in fact, for a telecom company. i don't know if you were posting it for a good laugh, or because it appeared to be fact...but check this out: http://www.snopes.com/science/cookegg.asp - read down to the end - the popcorn part is at the bottom.
Cheers!
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