Flight Attendants Make a Difference

 

Carlos - "What every flight attendant should be"

As an avid traveler for so many years, and then becoming a travel agent…I fly frequently.  I love air travel as a means to reaching destinations rather than auto travel.  On a whole, I think that Airlines attempt to  satisfy customers.  But as they say in life, “You can’t please everybody!”  However, the other rule of business is “The Customer is always right!”  Considering the “things that can go wrong, and the things that will go wrong”..being a flight attendant is a true test of Customer service. After all, even in the worst Customer Service situation, the customer usually storms out of the place….that is not an option on an airplane!

Now, I am not saying that there isn’t anything to complain about on an airplane.Strictly from a passengers view, there is so much to complain about when traveling by plane…

• The seats are too small
• We had to sit on the plane for 1 hour before taking off
• It is so hot!  It is freezing!
• The passengers in the rear have taken up all the overhead space in the front!
• The food is worse than TV dinners!   Now you must pay for that bad food!
• The guy in front of me reclined his seat the whole time!
• My TV screen doesn’t work.

All of these complaints are valid, and the airline executives are for the most part immune to these daily complaints.  But unfortunately it is the people on the front line (the Cabin Attendants) who are FULLY aware of these inconveniences and problems.  In fact, the airline executives are counting on the Attendents to “fix” it.

As a passenger I have seen it all.  I have seen passengers & Flight attendents act rudely.  I have actually been a bit offended by many flight attendants reactions to passengers.  But as in any other profession, it is always that one person that stands out in the crowd and truely does his best.  On Continental flight #1867 from Newark to LA there was a serious issue with a passenger that was irrupting quickly.  Flight attendant Carlos went above and beyond what training could have ever taught him.  He resolved the issue without making the passenger angrier and actually calmed him down.  There were other incidences on the plane that were verging on volitile and he handled with grace and strength.

I do appreciate that in stressful situations (and most people are stressed when they fly) it is important to have people like Carlos in charge.  I would like to say Thank You to Carlos.  I only hope that on my future flights, Carlos is waiting to greet me when I board my next Continental flight!

The Bachelor “Fantasy Suite”

"Where is the bathroom"?

“Am I nuts or does this look like the one place I would NOT want to spend the night”?!

I was watching the Bachelor on CBS last night (okay, I admit it!) and it was the night that the Bachelor Brad takes the 3 remaining women to a “fantasy Destination” to spend time with them before he chooses which 2 girls he would like to bring home to Mama.  Before I start, I would like to say…I know this show has critics, because I am one of them.  As much as I love to watch this show…I also criticize the heck out of it!  It is fun, It is entertainment!  And it is sooooo easy!

So last night the show took the Bachelor and the 3 girls to South Africa.  His first date was with Chantal on a safari.  It was awesome to see the wild animals and how close they were in their Safari Jeep.  It looked like such an exotic fun experience.  After dinner, Brad the Bachelor had a surprise for her.  He delivered her the invitation to a “Fantasy Suite” where they could spend the night alone without the cameras, relax and “really” get to know each other  (hey, get your minds out of the gutter!).

I have watched this show for years and each Fantasy Suite is better than the next.  Seriously top notch rooms.  Super impressive.  On this season of the Bachelor, Brad took Chantal to the middle of a field and proceeded to show her the Fantasy Suite..a Tree House.  YEP, that’s right.  A Tree House. The Chalkley Treehouse at the Lion Sands Resort.

The Lion Sands website says –

“Guests are taken to the treehouse at sunset, where drinks and a delicious picnic dinner await them. They then enjoy the hours of African dusk relaxing and absorbing the beauty and sounds of the bushveld as it transforms from day to night, before turning in for slumber beneath the stars. As dawn breaks, guests are collected by their ranger for a morning game drive, followed by a delicious bush breakfast at one of the many animal and bird hides.”

Now in many circumstances this could be very romantic.  A Tree House could set the mood for adventure.  In fact, the bedding was gorgeous and the colors blended right into nature…BECAUSE IT WAS IN THE NATURE!  THERE WERE NO WALLS AT ALL!   TOTALLY in nature.  My first thought….”WHERE DO I PEE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!?”

Then the thoughts started rolling in….

 

I am pretty sure these pretty little things climb!

Do Cheetahs climb trees?  Can the Giraffes reach this far?  Do Bats eat mesh? DO monkeys get tangled the mesh?  OMG!  Are they kidding!  And it all comes back to “Where do I brush my teeth and pee?”   SO they drop you off at sunset and leave you there all night until someone comes to get you at dawn?  Okay…NOT HAPPENING!  Romance is not how I would describe that.  To me that would be torture.  Waiting for the next sound, thump that makes the ground shake or buzzz that threatens to suck my blood.  Relaxation is definitely not the word I would use to describe a night in the jungle.  Terror would be a better description!

When I visited the website to try and find out where the bathroom would be (answer – there is a toilet bowl and bath sink!) I did see the main lodge and accommodations and they seemed more my speed.

 

My Style of Fantasy Suite!

But I still do have to ask one question….”If they have such a big mosquito net over a bed that is INDOORS…how is that flimsy little net in the Treehouse supposed to help at all?”

For more information on the Lion Sands Private Game Reserve click here!