Saturday 13 December 2014

Excellence In Flight, My Nuts!


You must have read this piece of news by now.

The first time I read it, I thought it was like a scene from the American drama series, Dynasty, where Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter, with all her wealth, power and diamonds, kicks out someone lower than her out of a plane. I guess high drama on high altitude would make high TV ratings.

Although I understand that the airline executive just wanted to make sure the in-flight manual was observed on how the macadamia nuts should be served to first class passengers, I don't exactly agree on her kicking out the chief flight attendant from the plane when it had already left the gate. Wasn't there any other way to teach the flight staff a lesson? The news said that she also made those flight attendants kneel before her. I had a feeling those flight attendants regretted having been assigned to the first class section. To quote Judi Dench in Philomena, "Just because you're in first class doesn't make you a first-class person." Ouch!


Although I have met some snooty flight attendants all these years of travelling, I found most of them helpful and friendly. Years ago, on my first flight to Korea, I flew on Korean Air, and the pretty flight attendant (I flew coach by the way!) even gave me a list of tourist attractions I needed to visit after I told her it was my first visit to South Korea. She wrote on a small piece of paper some attractions which included Gyeongbuk Palace. And now, what do you know? I have visited Gyeongbukgung several times already! 

As I said, flight attendants are friendly and helpful, but one female attendant on the business class of a Philippine Airlines flight I took from Incheon Airport to Manila described one of her unresponsive passengers as 'stupid!'. I clearly heard her blurt out that word as she walked away from that passenger; she must have been exasperated after asking him several times. But I wondered why you would call your Business Class passenger 'stupid' when he was supposed to be your customer. Minutes later, the female passenger on the next seat helped her communicate with him. It turned out, that male passenger had a hearing problem.

Oh, well. The things you experience on the plane.


And as I am about to ride a plane next weekend, I wonder what story is waiting for me...in the economy section. Ha-ha-ha! But one thing for sure, on my way back to Seoul from Manila, I will again enjoy the best in-flight meal on board the plane, the ones I will bring myself. Sapin-sapin, turon, ube halaya, and maybe a few other desserts. 

In the meantime, as I wait for the next weekend, I'm enjoying peanuts served on a cap of a jar. But nobody's complaining and no plane's going back to the gate.Ha-ha-ha!



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