With adult amenities such as the Tradewinds Club and H20asis adults-only pool in place, the Aruba Marriott Resort is subsequently offering a special “Alternative Aruba” package for the adult community. This package has been specially curated to the likings of adult guests, and includes the following:

• Tradewinds Club level accommodations
• Oceanfront dinner and bottle of wine for two at Simply Fish
• H20asis pool cabana for a day with bottle service and complimentary bottle of champagne
• Catamaran sunset sail for two

“This package was designed specifically for our guests who want a peaceful environment and splash free zone but not necessarily an entirely ‘adults-only’ resort,” said Director of Sales and Marketing, Antoinette Van den Berg.

Guests who book this package will be staying at the Tradewinds Club, which is a boutique, ‘hotel-within-a-hotel’ concept on the eighth floor of the resort. The Tradewinds Club offers exclusive services, luxurious accommodations, deluxe amenities and personalized attention. Guests must be 18 years of age and can enjoy special services such as five complimentary food servings per day, upscale bath products, exclusive access to a private Lounge, secluded beach area and an evening open-bar.

“Alternative Aruba” package rates start at $539/night and are available through December 15, 2012. A minimum five-night stay is required. For more information or to book the package, call (800) 223-6388 or visit www.arubamarriott.com and request promo code VIQ. 

The route I usually do is to a vacation destination, a big one. I love working the flight because the passengers are usually happy and thrilled to be going on vacation and theres never a problem, leaving the city – it’s full of people who are hungover and broke – so also never a problem.

So, considering I do this flight all of the time, you can imagine my surprise when I encountered this situation.

Once we were inflight headed back to California, I approached the mother and the father of the family sitting in row one. They had a lap baby and also two 5-7 year old boys sitting across the aisle from them. I presented them with our dinner menu and suggested that their boys may not be interested in crepes or salmon, so, if they’d like, I could obtain more kid-friendly meal options from coach. They both suggested that their kids might be interested in the fish. I then explained that I couldn’t guarantee that both kids would end up with the salmon because flying from East to West, I take meal orders from the back of the first class cabin to the front. The father then told me that I didn’t  have to offer first class food to the passengers seated in 2C and A, they were “the help” and could eat coach food.

In a bit of shock, I quickly rebounded and explained that I did, in fact, have enough food for everyone, just not enough of the salmon for everyone to make the same selection. He said he understood, and once again mentioned, that I didn’t have to offer nor serve the passengers in 2C and A a first class meal. I said I understood, and began taking my orders.

When I reached 2C and A they were an older lady and man, who both stumbled over ordering a glass of wine, the lady asking the man “do you think it would be okay?” I explained that everything is free and not to worry about cost. The lady decided against it and opted for a diet coke, the man asked for a glass of red wine.

Later, when I returned to take their meal orders, they had both been told not to order from the first class menu, I told both of them that I had all of our options still available so they could have their choice. Once again the lady turned to the man, and at first responded by saying she’d take the salmon, then just as quickly snapped, “no! I’ll just take a sandwich from the back.. whatever it is, I don’t care. No to the snapper.”

The guy, was a bit braver than she was. “I’ll take the Snapper.” I double checked that he was sure, “Yes, I’m sure.”

When I got to the first row and took the family’s order they seemed to have switched their stance from the kids eating the fish to them just eating a sandwich and some fruit and cheese. I then asked if they wanted me to re-check with their fellow travelers in row 2 (aka “the help”) to see if they wanted to choose a first a class meal (even though one already did) since I now had extra. “No thanks sir, they’ll be fine.”

Now I’ve reached a cross roads. At this point I’m a bit disgusted at how this family is treating “the help” and how scared they are to eat anything from first class. I have more than enough food for them but I cant serve them the first class options without their boss seeing me.

So, I placed two sandwiches on a tray, along with a can of pringles and a note:

If you’d like to eat the fish, you’re more than welcome to eat it in the galley

As I placed the tray in front of the lady, she read the note and mouthed “thank you, but I’m okay” to me. Fair enough. The guy on the other hand looked at me and said “Thank you for treating us so well. We’re not used to that.”

A few minutes later, he ‘went to the restroom’ and stopped by the galley to eat his fish dinner.

Let me be clear: the family was never rude to me nor my crew. They and their kids were as gracious and kind as could be. But, what struck me as interesting was during the deplaning process when I asked them about their vacation, the father pointed over toward “the help” and said “my in-laws were excited to go too, but didn’t seem like they had fun.”

Yes, you heard that right, the “help” was his wife’s parents.

]]> http://upupandagay.com/2012/05/14/dont-feed-the-help/feed/ 6 http://upupandagay.com/2012/05/09/wacky-wednesday-man-sues-flight-attendant-woke-him/ http://upupandagay.com/2012/05/09/wacky-wednesday-man-sues-flight-attendant-woke-him/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 14:36:44 +0000 Bobby Laurie http://upupandagay.com/?p=8563 An Arizona man filed a complaint with police saying a flight attendant “rudely” woke him up by tapping his knee with a magazine.

Kevin Johnson, 37, told Indianapolis Airport police he was sleeping on a chartered Million Air flight as it taxied to the gate, when the flight attendant struck him on the knee to wake him up.

Johnson said he was “rudely interrupted” by the flight attendant, whom he could not identify.

Officer Ricky Seconds wrote in the police report that Johnson “had no physical signs of injury, no complaint of pain and no paralysis from the magazine.”

Really? You’re going to file a police report because a flight attendant used a magazine to nudge you? It might be a different story if he/she repeatedly beat you with the magazine, slapped you across the face multiple times and then tried to break your knees with it, but from the sounds of this report they merely used to it wake you up.

Sure, there are better ways of doing it. I, myself, wouldn’t use a magazine or a menu for that matter to nudge a passenger awake. I always take the soft poke to the shoulder approach, but, would that have landed me in hot water with you? Would you have preferred to sleep and not be disturbed? Because if that’s the case, then maybe that message should have been conveyed to the crew. Although, if you were sleeping and you managed to sleep through a regulatory announcement about bringing your seat forward for a critical phase of flight, well, then, the crew would have to wake you up to ask for your compliance because I’m sure if they just adjusted your seat while you were sleeping you’d probably have a problem with that too.

I’m not quite sure how this situation could have been handled differently, other than not using a magazine, that would have resulted in a happy passenger. I mean, clearly, he was trying to start something over nothing if the police had to specify in their report that the passenger “had no physical signs of injury, no complaint of pain and no paralysis from the magazine.” Of course he didn’t.

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Oh! Did you know the blog was turned into a book titled..(look at P)

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TV segments, I appear on them once or twice a month offering travel tips and tricks! (Bonus points for two more T’s right?)

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1. DearSkySteward.com

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3. Come Back Daddy

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5. Through the Lens

6. Day in the Life of a Sky Gurl

In the fight for equal rights, marriage being at the forefront in recent years, here in the United States I honestly haven’t been involved or paying much attention. Sure, I believe everyone should be treated equally and we should all have the same rights. If you tell a hospital that John Doe is your family, then John Doe should be permitted in your room. If you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, that’s your choice. No one elses.

The debate has been going on for a while and for ever step forward there seems to be a step back {Prop 8 in California for example}. However, BrandUSA, a company which is partnering with the government to help drive international tourists to the United States released a video titled “Land of Dreams” which is currently airing on TV stations in Canada, Japan and the U.K. This commercial shows various points of interests around the U.S. and also happens to show a gay couple vacationing.

Now, in this “Land of Dreams” that we call the United States, where equality is, well, nothing but a dream at the moment, some states accept and recognize couples and some are fighting tooth and nail to ensure that equal rights are never realized, and some Presidential candidates feel its “okay” to fire their staffers merely because they’re gay. But, yet, we’re asking the travelers of the world to come here.

With that said, we have made many strides. Marriage is legal in a few states, don’t ask don’t tell no longer exists, and acceptance is on the rise. Almost all TV shows now-a-days have an openly gay character and the idea that being gay is something “wrong” is slowly slipping away.

Hopefully, this video will be another push in the right direction. We’re telling all of the travelers of the world to visit the United States because its the ‘land of dreams’ — but maybe it’s time to stop dreaming and make change more of a reality. I think this video is a step in that direction. As a nation, we’re telling the world we’re on the road to doing just that.

Check out the video by clicking here. 

Statement From Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines

“At a time of ever-rising airfares, Spirit Airlines makes commercial air travel affordable for many Americans. A very important part of keeping our airfares reasonably priced is our refund policy.

Every day we seek to balance customer service with customers’ demands for the lowest airfare possible. But sometimes we make mistakes. In my statements regarding Mr. Meekins’ request for a refund, I failed to explain why our policy on refunds makes Spirit Airlines the only affordable choice for so many travelers, and I did not demonstrate the respect or the compassion that I should have, given his medical condition and his service to our country.

Therefore I have decided to personally refund Mr. Meekins’ airfare, and Spirit Airlines will make a $5,000 contribution, in his name, to the charity of his choice, Wounded Warriors.

We have worked hard to build a great company that makes air travel affordable while making our employees proud and customers satisfied. All of us at Spirit Airlines extend our prayers and best wishes to Mr. Meekins.”

Last week Mr. Meekins, 76, of Clearwater, Fla., was hoping to receive a refund for an airline ticket after his esophageal cancer would no longer allow him to travel. However, Spirit issued a statement saying it was sympathetic to Meekins’ situation but said he did not purchase travel insurance and therefore could not receive a refund.

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The Lords South Beach Hotel in Miami is hosting a “schools out” promotion for college students this June.

June 8th through the 10th rooms at the only gay hotel in Miami start at $129 a night and they’ve arranged a calendar of events for the weekend.

Students with a college ID will be able to score free admission and drink deals at various clubs throughout the area. For more information visit LordsSouthBeach.com or click the photo to the left.

I spoke about the “downfall” of airline food on FOX5 in San Diego just two weeks ago. I was asked what I thought started the decline of food on coach, and really, it all started with the cost cutting post 9/11. Slowly, airlines phased out free food in coach and started the a-la-carte program. The first airline being America West Airlines and the last airline to phase out free food was Continental just last year. Therefore, it should be common knowledge that if you’re sitting in coach you’re going to have to pay for your food and snacks.

Now the economics of having a buy-onboard program is where the passengers may lose out. The airline won’t be stocking the plane with 150 sandwiches, or one for each person, because the chances of everyone buying one is slim to none. So, they preform a “market analysis” on each route to gauge just how much food is being purchased on a particular flight and then they adjust the initial inventory accordingly. The last thing they want to do is put more food on the plane than is sold, therefore creating both food and monetary waste. I would guess (an educated guess) that most airlines will board enough meals for 20% of the airplane. The rest of the inventory would be snack items.

All of this talk got me thinking: how many of you actually wait to buy food on the plane, as opposed to buying it in the terminal or packing it with you? Also, if you’ve ever found yourself in the situation where you were seated in the back of the plane and food had already sold out — did you contact the airline to let them know? Take our poll!

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Let this serve as a reminder that when the seatbelt sign is on, it’s best that you take your seat.

US Airways Flight 496, an Airbus A319, left Phoenix bound for Denver 6 minutes early at 9:39pm yesterday evening. The flight was uneventful until it started it’s decent through weather in the Denver area.

Around 11:50pm last night the flights on approach to the mile high city were all talking with Denver Departures/Arrivals about the weather that lurked in their path to the runway.

“It was severe mountain wake turbulence right at 32,000ft” one Pilot told the controller, “moderate [turbulence] in the decent, light to moderate icing…the outside temp is -8.” The Controller then warned American Airlines 1488 of the weather and offered them an alternate route.

A few minutes later Cactus 496, the call sign for US Airways, asked to speak to the ground. “Yeah, we have..uh.. two flight attendants hurt we need paramedics at the gate” the Pilot said. “496 Roger” the Controller replied.

Two flight attendants were  injured during the decent into Denver. The turbulence was severe enough to cause damage in the cabin, possibly from where the flight attendants struck the ceiling. One of them has a few broken bones.

“Not that it makes a difference..” the Captain said already having been cleared for his approach, “but we’re declaring a medical emergency.”

Click to play the conversation with Air Traffic Control and US Airways 496 -> Play (note: there are silent breaks between transmissions. the clip is just over 3 minutes long.)

The flight attendants were taken to a local Denver area hospital for treatment. One of the flight attendants on board is a personal, close friend of mine. Hearing this story struck a chord. This could have happened to me, as recently as my flight yesterday home from Cancun.

As flight attendants its a risk that comes with the job, being injured while at work due to unsettled air. For me, I never think twice about a bump or two because of how common it is.. I’m always thinking that it can go from a few little bumps to severe turbulence in just a second and ensure the bins and carts in my galley are always latched, even during service. Nothing is ever fully unlocked or extracted from its stowage position for reasons such as this. It would be hard enough to restrain myself, never mind a galley full of supplies and equipment.

Take this as a lesson: When the seatbelt sign is on, sit down. Is getting up worth the injuries?

I’ve worked many flights with my friend involved in this incident and those passengers couldn’t have had a better flight attendant on board in the event things went from bad to worse.

Here’s to hoping she has a speedy recovery.

With that said, here’s a photo I’d like you to look at. This photo sparked a news story in Houston, TX:

According to an article in CultureMap Houston, you’re looking at a flight attendant’s bag on an United Airlines flight from Phoenix to Houston. The sticker on the bottom of the bag is supposed to be a sign that today’s skies are unfriendly.

Personally, I’m not convinced this is a flight attendants bag. A few of the comments on the original article’s website states that United has standard issue bags for both pilots and flight attendants, this is true for many airlines. At my current airline, we all have the same one – and at my previous airlines we had different bags than our Pilot colleagues, but they all had to be purchased through the company. What you’re looking at is a Pilot’s bag. Believe it or not we all DO work together. Many times I’ve briefed my pilots on a situation that myself or my cabin crew have handled and they repeated say “I don’t know how you do this job, I could never do it. I couldn’t handle these people.” Pilots do respect the job that flight attendants do, and this sticker is showing support of that.

Now, yes, we are on board to provide a service. However, whether you want to believe it or not, our primary purpose is your safety. That’s why we are there. The FAA doesn’t mandate that we’re on board to serve a coke, they mandate that theres 1 flight attendant for every 50 passengers so that theres someone to open the doors and get everyone off of the aircraft as quickly and safely as possible. As the airline industry progresses through time the “service” aspect started strong started to fade away and is slowly making a come back. After 9/11 what’s the first thing airlines cut to save money? Service. Why? It’s not a requirement that it’s offered. Post 9/11 saw the birth of buy on board and a-la-carte pricing for extras such as checked bags, drinks, snacks and movies. If all of that were free, everyone would be happier. Passengers would be because they wouldn’t feel nickel and dimed and flight attendants wouldn’t have to deny someone food because they only have cash and no credit. However, airline service will never be what the “baby boomers” remember it to be when they were younger. It won’t ever be that way again.

With the recent spike in ticket prices thanks to the once again rising cost of gas, more airline passengers are expecting more for their money. They think if the flight is delayed, they deserve something free and that’s not how it works. Some passengers also think that complaining to the flight attendants might fix a problem. And, unless it’s a seating issue, there isn’t anything we can do.

As a seven year flight attendant who loves my job, I truly do, loves the company I fly for, and really tries to make my passengers as comfortable as I can, I still can relate to that sticker. There are those few passengers that push all of the wrong buttons and demand answers and a fix on the spot. Unless the airline has given the flight attendant power to offer a refund, credits, or whatever else — nothing will make that person happy on board and that sentiment ”we’re here to save your ass, not kiss it” is called into play.

Now, a true test of a flight attendant’s customer service skills, is how they tell you that they’re not on board to kiss your ass, without actually saying it. There are always multiple ways of saying something that still conveys the same message but may lessen the force in which the message was delivered.

“I’m so sorry that we were delayed 3 hours for a mechanical issue. I know that you’re seeking a credit toward a future flight but unfortunately I’m not empowered to issue those. Once we land feel free to contact customer service or speak to an agent who may be able to help.” That’s customer service.

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