Now Boarding ... Chicken or Beef?

[Oneworldplus2]

Bogans and Bali?

 

[ash.1111]

Gold Coast flights!

As for hot drinks, I didn't really receive much training on it. A few 'do nots' and a few practice runs in the class room with no water in the jugs whatsoever.

 

[milehighclub]

Milehighclub, a question if I may.

Does LTG appear on the flight manifest? Or CL?

I read them when they are used for names prompting in galley, from memory it is just emerald and then if something special. Ie VIP

Have I recalled manifests correctly?

Lifetime membership does not appear.

Chairman's lounge does appear.

With the introduction of Platinum One, there are also CLPO who are not only Chairman's lounge members, but also fly enough to reach P1.

 

[milehighclub]

I've asked the same question at the ask the pilot thread, but it's something which goes across both areas.
Outside of announcements to pax, do you guys call each other by name, or by position (eg captain \ CSM \ Door 2R etc...)? (I'm assuming that you may or may not have flown with the various cabin crew members before)

We all refer to each other by name. Occasionally it is quicker to identify certain people by using their tittle. For example if the CSM is called Bob and I am trying to find him and there are two Bob's working, it is easier to say have you seen the CSM as the person can identify which Bob I need to find.

The Captain usually is referred to as Captain or Skipper, but those that you know well, you would use their name.

When you answer any phone you always state your position (to confirm that they have called the right phone) and your name.

 

[milehighclub]

How many flight/cabin crew in total does QF have for A380 & 747 flights?

I'm thinking for longish flights. Say to Hong Kong or Tokyo.

HKG and NRT are short compared to most of the flights we have!! The number of cabin crew will always be the same for each aircraft (with a few exceptions on domestic flights where are crew member is added on short flights where a meal is provided like SYD-MEL)

For our aircraft we have the following number of crew
A380 - 21
747 - varies depending on the configuration. It can be between 13 and 16
A330-200 INTL - 8
A330-200 DOM - 9
A330-300 - 9 (10 on flights to Mumbai)
767 - 7
738 - 5

The number of pilots would vary depending on the length of the flight. The longer the flight the more pilots you need. As a general rule anything domestic and SYD to MNL/CGK is 2 pilots, the rest of Asia is 3 pilots and everything else is 4 pilots

 

[milehighclub]

Another question: pouring drinks (especially hot coffee or tea) and serving them on an airplane seems like an art, even more so if the plane is not perfectly still.

How do they train for this particular part of the service in FA training? Or is it assumed and therefore not part of the training at all?

There are a few pointers on what to do and not to do, but it really isn't that hard! Pouring hot drinks was made easier with the introduction of the beverage bat many many years ago, meaning instead of leaning over you with the pot and pouring, you can place your cup on the bat, and I can bring the cup to me. It is safer for me and for you!

As for the other part of your question - probably best if I don't reply to that!

 

[ozmille]

What appears on the manifest for let's say a BA Gold? Is it Emerald or is there something else?

 

[Oneworldplus2]

HKG and NRT are short compared to most of the flights we have!! The number of cabin crew will always be the same for each aircraft (with a few exceptions on domestic flights where are crew member is added on short flights where a meal is provided like SYD-MEL)

Could that be a reason why 'meal times windows' (Y) are in a very narrow field, to decrease/limit the number of crew on board which thus saves QF money?

 

[anat0l]

There are a few pointers on what to do and not to do, but it really isn't that hard! Pouring hot drinks was made easier with the introduction of the beverage bat many many years ago, meaning instead of leaning over you with the pot and pouring, you can place your cup on the bat, and I can bring the cup to me. It is safer for me and for you!

Would it be silly if I asked if you could elaborate on a few of these pointers?

No, I'm not planning to pour hot drinks on an aircraft any time soon, just fascinated...


Also, the only other main pouring of drinks technique that I can think of is wine from bottles (e.g. Business and First Class; though slightly easier with more pitch / space, especially in the latter). Probably much easier to achieve due to the long wine bottle neck, though perhaps difficult for the first pour of the bottle (wine all the way up to the top of the bottle).

 

[Berlin]

This might be a dubious and perhaps controversial question, but are there particular sectors or flights (international are the more interesting ones) which tend to have certain kinds of passengers (or groups, or ethnicities) which characterise that sector?

I used to be friends with quite a few SQ cabin crew when I lived in Singapore a few years back. And all flights to a certain very big country just to the West over the bay of Bengal had been extremely infamous for horridly dirty toilets. In all classes, that is. I don't think I need say any more and better not go into the details of those stories! :shock:

 

[Harpoon]

Hi FA's!

Thanks for all the answers so far. As a self confessed plane nerd I'm loving this thread and the Ask Pilots thread. I have a couple, okay a lot of dumb questions!!

1) On a typical long-haul route, EG: SYD-LAX, can you describe the break structure for your typical FA? How long do you get for a power nap in a bunk/seat before being woken so somebody else can have a snooze? So on a 14 hour journey, how long would your breaks (in a bunk/seat) add up to and how frequent are they?

2) Following on from that, after 15 hours work, I know I would be knackered even with some power naps. How long is the layover in LAX for example to recover and get a decent sleep before returning?

3) What are the rest area's like on the A380 compared to 744?

4) Some people talk about the famed 'mile high club'. Ever ACTUALLY see two suss looking adults sneak in or out of the bathroom? Common or just a myth?

5) Ever acidentally spilled tea or coffee on a pilot?

6) Is there much hopping between airlines by FA's looking for something new? Or do you tend to stick to one airline and then quit and do something different when you've had enough?

Thanks....

 

[milehighclub]

Hi FA's!

Thanks for all the answers so far. As a self confessed plane nerd I'm loving this thread and the Ask Pilots thread. I have a couple, okay a lot of dumb questions!!

1) On a typical long-haul route, EG: SYD-LAX, can you describe the break structure for your typical FA? How long do you get for a power nap in a bunk/seat before being woken so somebody else can have a snooze? So on a 14 hour journey, how long would your breaks (in a bunk/seat) add up to and how frequent are they?

2) Following on from that, after 15 hours work, I know I would be knackered even with some power naps. How long is the layover in LAX for example to recover and get a decent sleep before returning?

3) What are the rest area's like on the A380 compared to 744?

4) Some people talk about the famed 'mile high club'. Ever ACTUALLY see two suss looking adults sneak in or out of the bathroom? Common or just a myth?

5) Ever acidentally spilled tea or coffee on a pilot?

6) Is there much hopping between airlines by FA's looking for something new? Or do you tend to stick to one airline and then quit and do something different when you've had enough?

Thanks....

1) On SYD - LAX you would probably get 20 minutes off, 20 minutes on, 3 hours off, 3 hours on. On the return LAX - SYD since the flight is longer you might get something like 20 minutes off, 20 minutes on, 1 hour 15 off, 1 hour 15 off, 3 hours off, 3 hours on.

The breaks can vary slightly as ultimately it is up to the onboard managers to work them out. On LAX - SYD some managers do the longer break first, then the shorter on.

2) The minimum rest after a 15 hour duty varies between the two conditions of QAL and QCCA. QAL would have a minimum rest of 36 hours and QCCA 24 hours. Both can have that reduced in the case of a delay. We generally get long slips in LA because of the way the schedules work. Most LA trips have you arrive in the morning and leave the following night. The crew operating onto JFK would get 2 nights in LAx, 1 in JFK then 1 more in LAX.

3) The A380 crew rest is like the crew rest on the old 747-300. It's below economy, quite smooth, and pretty quite. There are 12 bunks. The 747 has 8 bunks and is a little bit bumpier than the A380 due to it's position near the tail.

4) Certainly not a myth, it does happen. As I have posted before I have seen someone joining the "solo" division due to not locking the door correctly.

5) Never have, never will. We have to pass drinks from the sides to prevent spilling it over the equipment. As the pilots turn around to grab it, it would be impossible to spill it on them.

6) There are QF crew that have worked at SQ, CX, EK and a bunch of other airlines. Likewise there are crew who have gone to EK, VA and some airlines in Europe and the UK. All personal choice and not for any one particular reason but something new would certainly be one of them.

 

[yo yo ma]

The A380 crew rest is like the crew rest on the old 747-300. It's below economy, quite smooth, and pretty quite. There are 12 bunks. The 747 has 8 bunks and is a little bit bumpier than the A380 due to it's position near the tail.

I believe the crew-rest emergency escape hole is below 71D, hence the reason this seat gets extra legroom? (My brother works for QF and told me this).

 

[beardoc]

I believe the crew-rest emergency escape hole is below 71D, hence the reason this seat gets extra legroom? (My brother works for QF and told me this).

Below 70D, which is why 71D doesn't have a seat in front of it. My favourite seat in Y on an A380.

 

[milehighclub]

Correct, the emergency hatch is located at 70D. Here is a picture with it open. The emergency hatch is a secondary means of escape. Crew would attempt to exit normally first and would only use the hatch if the other exit was blocked or unsafe to use.




The 747 also has a secondary means of escape. If standing at the rear of the aircraft, on the left hand side near the toilets, the ceiling above you can collapse (hopefully not on anyone!) to allow the crew to exit the bunks from up there if the normal door was blocked/unsafe.

 

[Mattg]

I sat in the exit row today on an A321 and there were a few things that puzzled me. Firstly, I got no safety talk or anything. I am used to this on Qantas but perhaps it's different for other airlines? Secondly, I was the only person in the row; I thought there had to be at least 2? (Or is that only in Australia?) Thirdly, there was something that looked like a key in the door, with a red tag attached which said "Remove before flight" quite clearly. This was never removed. Do you know what that would have been and the consequences (if any) of not removing it? Thanks for your help

 

[milehighclub]

A safety brief at exit rows are only required when a crew member isn't seated at the door. Where a crew member is seated at a door the requirement to have people seated in that row is also not required. (As you mentioned in Australia 2 people must be in each row on a 737-800)

So you may see exit rows on 747/A380/A330 empty because there is a crew member at the door to open it. You also don't get a briefing for the same reason. On the 767 you do get a briefing because the crew member is not directly at the exit (although very close)

The "key" is actually a "pin" which stops the door arming lever from being inadvertently put into the arm position. The consequence of not removing it is that in an emergency you have to muck around removing it then arm the door. I find it strange though that a door would not be armed after push back so the pin should not have been there and the door armed. Of course overseas regulations differ to those here.

The pins look like this
http://www.headsetservices.com/images/hsmp1504.jpg

 

[Mattg]

Thanks for answering, yes that was the pin. That's interesting because there were no crew members seated there, I was the only person in the row. In fact, I also think there was only 3 or maybe 4 FAs, under the legal requirement for Australia. Different regulations overseas, I guess.

 

[milehighclub]

Most countries operate the 1:50 rule (1 flight attendant per 50 passengers) and some airlines also reduce crew numbers when flights are not full in order to save money.

Australia operates 1:36 and although there was a push (by the airlines) to change it to 1:50, it currently remains at 1:36

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I sat in the exit row today on an A321 and there were a few things that puzzled me. Firstly, I got no safety talk or anything. I am used to this on Qantas but perhaps it's different for other airlines? Secondly, I was the only person in the row; I thought there had to be at least 2? (Or is that only in Australia?) Thirdly, there was something that looked like a key in the door, with a red tag attached which said "Remove before flight" quite clearly. This was never removed. Do you know what that would have been and the consequences (if any) of not removing it? Thanks for your help

Thanks for answering, yes that was the pin. That's interesting because there were no crew members seated there, I was the only person in the row. In fact, I also think there was only 3 or maybe 4 FAs, under the legal requirement for Australia. Different regulations overseas, I guess.

Was this CNS/DRW or MEL/DRW & was it an overseas crew?