Monthly Archives: March 2015

Marry me, fly for free – Is this still a thing?

Posted on March 29, 2015 | 4 comments

Saw a t-shirt recently that read: “Marry me, fly for free!” Made me wonder, is this still a thing?!

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that free travel may have been a draw to marry someone in the airline business. The benefit of travel is a wonderful thing. To the non-airline person, thoughts of day trips to NYC for shopping and weekends in Paris is alluring. Before companies began offering benefits to same-sex couples, I was approached by someone that wanted to marry me so she could fly for free. Her partner worked for an airline, and at that time her partner’s airline didn’t extend same-sex couple travel benefits.  Imagine that! Someone was willing to marry me, not because I can offer a lifetime of love and great memories, but because they could fly for free. True story.

After many takeoffs and landings later, let me say the benefit of travel is still a wonderful thing. Looking back on all the places I’ve been is simply amazing. And there are plenty more places to visit. As we know, the world of aviation has changed in so many ways. It’s a very cyclical industry. Years of flying high and record profits can change overnight.

Ok, back to “Marry me, fly for free” being a thing. With high load factors (81% in 2014. A recent LA Times article reported a record number of people traveled by air in 2014. According to the DOT, 848.1M traveled by air in the US), weight and balance issues, payload optimized flights, competition to get a seat from commuters, active employees, retires, and buddy pass riders; it’s a wonder anyone looks to marry an airline employee for the benefit of free flights. Once you factor in not getting a seat for several flights, paying to eat at the airport, sleeping in an airport or paying for a hotel room, and missing days from getting to your destination; airline employee travel is hardly “free”. Some airlines subtly discourage relying solely on travel privileges; if you want to get there buy a ticket.

I’ll say it again, the benefit of travel is a beautiful thing. Wouldn’t change it for the world. As for marrying an airline employee for free flights, marry them because you love them. And according to my mom love ain’t enough. Before marrying someone you should know you like them. And what’s not to like about airline folk? Airline people are some of the quirkiest, funniest, thoughtful, helpful, compassionate people that I know. And THAT should be reason enough to marry one.

Sylvester

airlineguys™ Community builders. Aviation enthusiasts. Experience in airline operation/leadership/PR/. Former cabin crew. Discerners of excellent customer service.

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I saw myself…

Posted on March 13, 2015 | Leave a comment

Even though I gave up flying 7 years ago, I thought I saw myself working the flight the other night. No, I wasn’t hallucinating. However, the young male flight attendant working the cabin reminded me so much of myself that I had to do a double take. It was like being in a parallel universe.

As I boarded and got settled in my seat, he breezed by and said “Hi Sly!” For a moment I thought “How does he know me?” He looked slightly familiar yet I couldn’t recall his name or how we had met. As boarding progressed I noticed that he was engaging, smiling, and proactively assisting customers with their carry-on bags as they settled in. He seemed to really enjoy himself. Even during the live safety demo he was having fun. During the beverage service he made chit-chat with customers he interacted with. When he was within earshot I heard him say to the passengers he served, “my pleasure.” It was pure, genuine, and heartfelt. When he got to me I received the same level of customer service delivered to those before me.

Upon arrival, I made it a point to wait until all passengers had deplaned to speak with the flight attendant who had truly caused me to take notice of his customer service skills. As I approached he said “Hey Sly! You taught my Service From the Heart class.” That was the missing clue I was looking for. I went on to tell him that I enjoyed the flight and that I had noticed his ability to deliver great customer service. I gave him specifics: his smile, approachability, eye contact, his genuine use of the phrase, “my pleasure.” He thanked me and said, “this means a lot coming from you”. He told me that he had never considered being a flight attendant until I spoke of my time as a flight attendant during a class I was facilitating and he was attending. He said he was happy he became a flight attendant and enjoys his job. I was moved, flattered, and felt grateful to have been on this flight. I was also moved in that I had touched someone’s life in such a positive way.

I hope his career as a flight attendant shapes up to be everything he wants it to be. May his level of professionalism and passion for the job inspire someone else to raise the bar on delivering excellent customer service.

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