Quick post. Here’s a lovely article on a nineteen-year-old flight attendant for a partner of Northwest Airlines who didn’t want to fly a specific route at work — so he allegedly started a fire inside a paper towel compartment in the rear bathroom of the plane.
Things that bother me:
- He allegedly boarded the plane with extra paper towels and a lighter. Excuse me, where the hell is TSA? Why do I have to take off my shoes but this tool can walk through the airport with Quilted Northern and a lighter?
- He didn’t just call in sick with the blue flu like most employees who want to send a message — he just got even.
- He’s a nineteen-year-old flight attendant.
Doesn’t 19 seem a little young to be responsible for the safety & security of 40+ passengers on an airplane, by the way? You can’t even drink but you can be a flight attendant? Weird.
In any case, there seems to be a new math in the airline industry.
- Low wages + horrible work environment = fire on planes.
I miss the good old days of crappy airplane food & stale peanuts.
What has happened to airplane food, anyways? I mean, they used to force TRAYS of it on you, for free too. Now it’s $8 for some stale crackers and rubbery cheese to get you through a 5 hour flight. WTF? I missed something.
I know. It’s weird. I want my rubbery steak.
First, I too think it is amazing that a 19 year old is a flight attendant…and I’m cool with the no food. What I don’t like is the fact that there is a charge for everything now. When grandma is freezing, she better fork over the cash or she’s gonna form enough icicles on her knees to make margaritas (maybe she could sell enough of them to get a blanket).
Also, the usage of “tool.” Nicely done. I was in a team meeting at an ad agency recently and the presenter paused after saying the word tool as in: “For our clients, we strive to be a tool…(slight pause).” I belch out a guffaw at this…apparently no one had used this term in the 200-person meeting. Many stares in my direction. My manager buried her head…guess, I should have started a fire.
Jeremy, I’m not sure how the airlines can justify the cost of a flight if they don’t feed me a snack. It doesn’t cost American Airlines much to fly from Chicago to St. Louis if there’s no beverage service and the kid working the intercom system makes $14/hr. I know the price of fuel is high, but it’s not that high!
The use of the word ‘tool’ is not as relevant as it once was… so I often have to explain myself when I use it. Call someone a douche and your intentions are clear. A tool? That takes a supplemental essay.
I prefer “idiot”. Trendy words may come and go, but the classics are eternal.
Many years ago, back when you could buy a no-frills airfare, Calvin Trillin wrote about taking the money saved and spending it all on a multi-course gourmet picnic to eat on the flight. He is a wise man. I’ve always preferred to bring my own food onboard. I used to pre-order the fruit plate, which guaranteed strawberries and melon slices for dessert, and then pack my carry-on with sandwiches that *weren’t* made two weeks earlier.
When I read that story I was shocked at the age of the attendant as well. I’ve never seen an attendant under 25. I also remember watching some show about the training they go through and I doubt a 19 year old could have hacked it (but maybe that was just that airline).
My only defense for him would be if he had a panic attack and felt he needed to get off the plane right away. If that’s not it then there’s no excuse. It’s just dumb given the nature of flight security these days. Also I wonder how he got a lighter on board.
Rachel, do you remember this song? This dude is crazy-ugly. In any case, it’s what came into my head when I read the story of the flight attendant.
@Perrik You can only bring 3 oz of your favorite gourmet soft cheese — and make sure to put it in a see-through, quart-sized ziploc bag!
Are you guys all on drugs? Why can’t the airlines afford to feed you? The price of a ticket today compared to that before deregulation is less! How about fuel!?
You can fly to California much cheaper than drive there!
Try raising the fare and Joe Q Public will go to a lesser airline for $5 less fare! Never mind that the airline is a startup and nothing is known about safety issues. If the majors are having such a hard time with maintenance, here is a little inside tip… the LCC’s are hurting even more. Therefore everything is cutback including maintenance. If you meet any pilot ask him about how they “defer” writing maintenance issues in the logbook in order to keep the airplane from getting grounded. This is standard practice. But it is okay I guess, as long as the average American idiot gets his cheap airfare and is able to fly to MIA for 189 RT…. Who cares about little issues like maintenance! And oh my goodness, a ninetten year old flight attendant? What do you expect? No one in their right mind would work for these wages! Why didn’t he call in sick? AIrlines are known for being draconian with their sick policies. There are always 10,000 stewardess wannabes’s who will step in to take the kid’s job. ALl for the glamour of being a steward/stewardess.
Wake-up America!