2014 DCI World Championships Semifinals Recap Roundup

Recap Roundup: 2014 World 

Championship Semifinals

By Michael Boo | boomike@dci.org
Saturday, August 9, 2014 - 6:15 AM

DCI.ORG

Here is a look at the scores awarded to the 25 corps that competed at the 2014 Drum Corps International World Championship Semifinals, Friday, Aug. 8.

Only twice in DCI’s history, in 1992 and 2004, did as many as nine corps break 90 points at the World Championship Finals. That could easily happen again this year, as eight corps did so in Semifinals and two more corps were within a point of the milestone. There has never been as many as 10 corps at 90 points or higher at the Finals.

There are two judges for GE 1, GE 2, and Percussion, with scores from each of those pairs of judges averaged together for the total caption score. The scores of the two Effect captions are counted for full value, but each of the scores of the three Visual captions (Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis and Color Guard) and three Music captions (Brass, Music Analysis and Percussion) are first divided in half, with each of those half scores added together for the Total Visual and Total Music scores.

While Blue Devils may well be on track to set a record high score in the Finals, their Semifinals score did not set a record. In the 2002 DCI World Championship Semifinals, the Cavaliers scored 99.050 to BD’s 98.950 this year, the score differential being only 0.10. The Cavaliers’ Finals score in 2002 was 99.150, matched in 2005 by the Cadets, whose Semifinals score that year was 98.125, a full 0.825 under what BD scored Friday night.

So, let’s have a little speculative fun: If Blue Devils picked up the 0.10 that Cavaliers picked up between Semifinals and Finals, they’d still only have a 99.050. However, if BD picked up the 1.025 that Cadets picked up in 2005, their 2014 Finals score would be 99.975, just a quarter tenth from a perfect 100.

The other score of extreme interest was Crossmen making it into the Finals by just a tenth over the Colts due to a one-point warm-up violation.

Blue Devils (1st, 98.950) took 1st in every caption except Percussion, in which the corps placed 3rd, just 0.10 under 2nd and 0.20 under 1st. Therefore, a caption sweep is still a possibility, just as the corps had done at the DCI Eastern Classic in Allentown just a week ago (with the highest overall score ever achieved at that show). BD scored a perfect 20 from one of the GE 1 judges and was just 0.10 away from a perfect score from the other GE 1 judge. The corps also scored a 19.90 in all three of the Visual captions; Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis, and Color Guard.

The Cadets (2nd, 96.700) finished 2.250 behind BD in overall score and just 0.15 above Bluecoats. In Prelims, the corps was 1.125 above Bluecoats, so Bluecoats picked up 0.975 on the Cadets in one day. Cadets were 2nd in GE 2, Visual Analysis, Color Guard and Music Analysis, 3rd in Visual Proficiency and Brass, and 4th in Percussion.

Bluecoats (3rd, 96.550) took 2nd in Percussion; just 0.10 under SCV’s winning score, and tied for 2nd in GE 1. The corps placed 3rd in GE 2 and Color Guard, and 4th in Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis, Brass, and Music Analysis.

Santa Clara Vanguard (4th, 95.650) won Percussion and tied for 2nd in GE 1. The corps finished 3rd in Visual Analysis, 4th in GE 2, 5th in Visual Proficiency, Color Guard and Music Analysis, and 7th in Brass, down two spots from Prelims.

Carolina Crown (5th, 95.300) placed 2nd in Visual Proficiency and Brass, 3rd in Music Analysis, 4th in Color Guard, 5th in GE 2 and Visual Analysis and tied for 5th in GE 1, and 7th in Percussion.

The Cavaliers (6th, 93.275) were 5th in Percussion and tied for 5th in GE 1, took 6th in Visual Proficiency and Brass, and placed 7th in GE 2, Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis and Music Analysis.

Blue Knights (7th, 91.825) were 6th in GE 2, Visual Analysis and Music Analysis, 7th in GE 1, 8th in Brass and Percussion, 9th in Visual Proficiency, and 10th in Color Guard.

Phantom Regiment (8th, 91.550) took 5th in Brass, 6th in Percussion, 7th in Visual Proficiency, and 8th in the remaining five captions.

Blue Stars (9th, 89.225) captured 6th in Color Guard, 9th in GE 2, 10th in GE 1 and Percussion, and 11th in the remaining four captions.

Boston Crusaders (10th, 89.050) was 8th in Visual Proficiency, 9th in GE 1, Music Analysis and Percussion, 10th in GE 2, Visual Analysis and Brass, and 13th in Color Guard. In the Prelims, Boston’s guard placed 9th.

Madison Scouts (11th, 87.650) was 9th in Color Guard (up from 12th in Prelims) and Brass, 10th in Visual Proficiency and Music Analysis, 11th in GE 2 and Percussion, and 13th in GE 1 and Visual Analysis.

Crossmen (12th, 85.450) had that full 1.00 penalty for a warm-up violation, nearly knocking the corps out of the Finals competition. They tied for 11th in GE 1, took 12th in GE 2, all three Visual captions (Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis and Color Guard), Brass and Percussion, and 13th in Music Analysis.

Colts (13th, 85.350) placed 9th in Visual Analysis, tied for 11th in GE 1 and took 11th in Color Guard, 13th in Visual Proficiency, 14th in GE 2, 15th in Brass, 16th in Music Analysis, and 17th in Percussion.

Troopers (14th, 84.775) were 12th in Music Analysis, 13th in GE 2, Brass and Percussion, 14th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency and Visual Analysis, and 15th in Color Guard.

Blue Devils B (15th, 82.325) was 15th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency and Visual Analysis, 16th in GE 2 and Color Guard, 17th in Brass and Music Analysis, and 18th in Percussion.

The Academy (16th, 81.875) was 15th in GE 2 and Music Analysis, 16th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency, Brass and Percussion, 18th in Visual Analysis, and 20th in Color Guard.

Spirit of Atlanta (17th, 81.550) was 14th in all three Music captions (Brass, Music Analysis and Percussion), 17th in GE 2, Visual Proficiency and Color Guard, tied for 18th in GE 1, and was 21st in Visual Analysis.

Vanguard Cadets (18th, 80.200) took 14th in Color Guard, 16th in Visual Analysis, 17th in GE 1, 18th in Visual Proficiency, 19th in GE 2, 20th in Brass, and 21st in Music Analysis and Percussion.

Oregon Crusaders (19th, 80.100) took 15th in Percussion, 17th in Visual Analysis, 18th in GE 2, Brass and Music Analysis, tied for 18th in GE 1, took 20th in Visual Proficiency, and finished 23rd in Color Guard.

Pacific Crest (20th, 78.900) was 19th in Visual Proficiency, Brass and Percussion, 20th in both GE captions and Music Analysis, and 22nd in Visual Analysis and Color Guard.

Mandarins (21st, 78.150) was 19th in Visual Analysis, Color Guard and Music Analysis, 20th in Percussion, and 21st in the remaining four captions.

Jersey Surf (22nd, 75.800) took 18th in Color Guard, 23rd in Brass, 24th in Visual Analysis, and 22nd in the remaining five captions.

Genesis (23rd, 74.075) was 24th in Color Guard and Brass, 25th in Visual Proficiency, and 23rd in the remaining five captions.

Spartans (24th, 74.050) was 20th in Visual Analysis, 21st in Color Guard (down from 15th in Prelims), 25th in Brass, and 24th in the remaining five captions, tying for 24th in GE 2.

7th Regiment (25th, 71.475) was 22nd in Brass, 23rd in Visual Proficiency, tied for 24th in GE 2, and placed 25th in the remaining five captions.

2014 DCI Prelims leaves much up for grabs

Prelims leaves much up for grabs

Many tight races develop from top to bottom after day one of

 World Championship competition

By Michael Still
Friday, August 8, 2014 - 1:59 AM

DCI.ORG

Blue Devils

Blue Devils came within two tenths of setting a record on Thursday when the Concord corps conquered all at the 2014 DCI World Championship Prelims.

Their score of 98.550 just barely misses the previous Prelims high score of 98.700 held by the 2002 Cavaliers.

Snare drummer Brandon Olander is new to the Blue Devils, and at 16 years old he is the youngest member of the corps. Coming that close to setting a new record was a really exciting moment in his young drum corps career.

“It feels great. We’ve just been working really hard all season, not just for the scores, but also for ourselves. It looks like that work has really paid off,” said Olander.

Blue Devils took home first in all captions except percussion, which was reclaimed by Santa Clara Vanguard (4th, 95.450) with less than one tenth to spare.

Bluecoats

Bluecoats (3rd, 95.800) finished a mere four-tenths ahead of Vanguard and the two corps’ color guards tied for third place.
 
The Cadets, who received second place with a score of 96.925, also took second in the overall general effect, overall visual and overall music captions.
 
Last year’s World Class Champion, Carolina Crown's award-winning horn line finished second by a tenth under the Blue Devils, taking home fifth place (94.750) overall.

The Cavaliers finished sixth with a score of 93.600, while the Blue Knights (7th, 91.650) were more than a point behind the Green Machine.

Blue Knights front ensemble member Heather Rau has enjoyed her time with the corps and is experiencing mixed feelings about the Prelims performance.

“It feels great, but it’s also heart wrenching because you know there are only two more [performances] and then you’re done,” said Rau.

Phantom Regiment

Phantom Regiment’s performance of “Swan Lake” earned them a score of 91.025, good enough for eighth place. Meanwhile, Blue Stars (9th, 89.375) crept ahead of Boston Crusaders (10th, 89.125) for the first time since the 2010 DCI World Championship Finals.

After the first night of competition in Indianapolis, Madison Scouts (11th, 88.425) Crossmen (12th, 86.250), and Colts (13th, 84.725) find themselves on and around the cutoff of the 12 corps who will advance to the Finals competition on Saturday.

Though a little more than one and a half points behind the Crossmen, Colts director Vicki MacFarlane says that her corps members still have plenty of performance left in them.

“Everything we’ve got. Every moment. There’s no letting down,” MacFarlane said. “We shouldn’t depend on numbers to find motivation. Whether we’re 14th, 12th, or anywhere in between or around that, the Colts have the inner drive it takes to be great no matter what anybody says about them.”

Oregon Crusaders

Troopers (14th, 84.600), Spirit of Atlanta (15th, 82.300), the Academy (16th, 81.875) and Oregon Crusaders (17th, 81.050) made it through to perform at the Semifinals on Friday, and joining them is 2014 Open Class World Champion, Blue Devils B (18th, 80.800).

“There were some new challenges we had to face, but that didn’t stop us from performing like the Open Class Champions we are,” said drum major Albert Lin. “We’re basing all our hype off the championship win. We just want to recreate and build off that feeling that we had on Tuesday.”
After Pacific Crest’s 19th place finish (79.375), the Vanguard Cadets (20th, 79.300) join the ranks of the “Top 25.” Mandarins (21st, 77.750) and the Jersey Surf (22nd, 75.550) come next, followed by the last three advancing Open Class groups, Genesis (23rd, 75.175), Spartans (24th, 74.425), and 7th Regiment (25th, 72.350).

This is the first year that 7th Regiment will advance to the Semifinals, a milestone that drum major Dalton Gyorda is proud to say the corps has been working hard for this season.
“We’ve been pushing for it this year, really hoping to take this corps to the next level,” said Gyorda. “We rehearsed all day yesterday, and it’s been a constant process to get better.”

Cascades

Cascades (26th, 72.250), Music City (27th, 71.575), Gold (28th, 71.250), Legends (29th, 71.000), and Pioneer (30th, 68.850) made their final performances at Lucas Oil Stadium Thursday, but the end of the season brings reflection for many of the non-advancing corps.

“At every show, the kids have gotten even better and stronger,” said Gold director Donald Flaherty. “Some seasons you have good shows and bad shows, but this year the corps has been very consistent about getting better. There’s been a tremendous amount of growth.”

The Raiders (31st, 66.250), Colt Cadets (32nd, 63.150), Coastal Surge (33rd, 60.625), Les Stentors (34th, 57.425) and the Racine Scouts (35th, 55.600) also finished their seasons after their Prelims performances.

The Racine Scouts will walk away from their 2014 tour winning the Most Improved Open Class Corps award, as voted on by the Open Class corps directors.

Racine Scouts

“It’s a testament to our hard work, and given the history of the corps, it’s really exciting to receive this recognition. We put in a lot of effort every day, and we love what we do,” said drum major Aeris Kania.

Two international corps, the Blue Saints from Canada (36th, 51.250) and Patria (37th, 46.375) from Guatemala, round out the bottom of the rank, but take home wonderful memories of their competitive tours.

“Being in this stadium with DCI has fulfilled a dream of mine,” said Patria director Gabriel Estrada. “We’ve seen almost every group perform, and we’ve learned a lot form this experience. It’s not very easy for us to travel all this way, but we would love to come back in the future.”

The top 25 corps from tonight’s competition will return to Lucas Oil Stadium to perform in the Semifinals Friday, Aug. 8. The top 12 from that event qualify for the Finals competition on Saturday.

Contributing to this report: Christina Mavroudis, Katy Nowak

2014 DCI Prelims

 Recap Roundup: 2014 World Championship Prelims

By Michael Boo | boomike@dci.org Friday, August 8, 2014 - 7:02 AM

DCI.ORG

Blue Devils (1st, 98.550) took 2nd in Percussion (0.10 under SCV) and 1st in the other seven captions, capturing a perfect score in Visual Analysis.

The Cadets (2nd, 96.925) were 2nd in all captions except the three Music captions, placing 3rd in Music Analysis and 4th in Brass and Percussion.

Bluecoats (3rd, 95.800) was 3rd in General Effect 2, Color Guard, Brass and Percussion, and 4th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis and Music Analysis.

Santa Clara Vanguard (4th, 95.450) was 1st in Percussion, 3rd in GE 1 and Visual Analysis, 4th in GE 2 and Color Guard and 5th in Visual Proficiency, Brass and Music Analysis.

Carolina Crown (5th, 94.750) was 2nd in Brass (by 0.10 under BD), 2nd in Music Analysis (by 0.20 under BD), 3rd in Visual Proficiency, 4th in GE 2, 5th in GE 1 and Visual Analysis and 6th in Color Guard and Percussion.

The Cavaliers (6th, 93.600) took 5th in GE 1, Color Guard and Percussion and 6th in the remaining five captions.

Blue Knights (7th, 91.650) placed 6th in Percussion, 7th in GE 1, Visual Analysis, Color Guard and Musical Analysis, 8th in GE 2 and Brass, and 9th in Visual Proficiency.

Phantom Regiment (8th, 91.025) was 7th in GE 2, Visual Proficiency and Brass, 8th in GE 1, Visual Analysis and Music Analysis, and 10th in Color Guard and Percussion.

Blue Stars (9th, 89.375) was 8th in Color Guard, 9th in GE 2, Visual Analysis, Music Analysis and Percussion, 10th in GE 1 and Visual Proficiency, and 11th in Brass.

Boston Crusaders (10th, 89.125) took 8th in Visual Proficiency and Percussion, 9th in GE 2 and Color Guard, 10th in Visual Analysis, Brass and Music Analysis, and 11th in GE 1.

Madison Scouts (11th, 88.425) placed 9th in GE 1 and Brass, 12th in Color Guard and 11th in the remaining five captions.

Crossmen (12th, 86.250) was 11th in Color Guard, 15th in Visual Analysis, and 12th in the remaining six captions.

Colts (13th, 84.725) was 12th in GE 1, and Visual Analysis, 13th in GE 2 and Visual Proficiency, 14th in Color Guard, 15th in Music Analysis, and 17th in Brass and Percussion.

Troopers (14th, 84.600) was 13th in GE 2, Visual Analysis, Color Guard and Brass, 14th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency and Brass, and 15th in Percussion.

Spirit of Atlanta (15th, 82.300) was 13th in Brass and Percussion, 15th in GE 2, Visual Proficiency and Color Guard, 17th in GE 1 and Music Analysis, and 19th in Visual Analysis.

The Academy (16th, 81.875) placed 14th in Music Analysis, 15th in GE 1 and Brass, 16th in Visual Analysis and Percussion, 17th in GE 2, 18th in Visual Proficiency, and 20th in Color Guard.

Oregon Crusaders (17th, 81.050) was 13th in Percussion, 16th in GE 1, Brass and Music Analysis, 17th in Visual Proficiency, 18th in GE 1 and Visual Analysis, and 23rd in Color Guard.

Blue Devils B (18th, 80.800) was 14th in Visual Analysis, 16th in GE 2 and Visual Proficiency, 18th in GE 1 and Color Guard, 19th in Brass and Percussion, and 20th in Music Analysis. BDB was the highest placing and scoring Open Class corps at the Prelims.

Pacific Crest (19th, 79.375) was 17th in Color Guard, 18th in all three Music captions, 20th in GE 1, GE 2 and Visual Proficiency, and 21st in Visual Proficiency.

Vanguard Cadets (20th, 79.300) took 17th in Visual Analysis, 18th in GE 2, 19th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency and Color Guard, 20th in Percussion, and 21st in Brass and Music Analysis.

Mandarins (21st, 77.750) placed 19th in Music Analysis, 20th in GE 1, Brass and Percussion, 21st in GE 2, 22nd in Visual Proficiency and Visual Analysis, and 24th in Color Guard.

Jersey Surf (22nd, 75.550) was 24th in Visual Proficiency and Brass, 25th in Visual Analysis, 26th in Color Guard, and 22nd in the remaining four captions.

Genesis (23rd, 75.175) was 21st in Visual Proficiency and Color Guard, 24th in Visual Proficiency, 26th in Brass, and 23rd in the remaining four captions.

Spartans (24th, 74.425) was 15th in Color Guard, 20th in Visual Analysis, 24th in GE 2 and Percussion, 25th in GE 1, Visual Proficiency and Brass, and 27th in Music Analysis.

7th Regiment (25th, 72.350) will make its first appearance in the Semifinals by placing 23rd in Visual Proficiency and Brass, 25th in Music Analysis and Percussion, 26th in GE 2, 27th in Color Guard, 28th in Visual Analysis, and 29th in GE 1.

The following corps will not be advancing to Friday night’s Semifinals.
Cascades (26th, 72.250) was 22nd in Brass, 30th in Color Guard, and between 24th and 27th in everything else.

Music City (27th, 71.575) was 24th through 30th in all captions.

Gold (28th, 71.250) was 22nd in Color Guard, 23rd in Visual Analysis, and 27th through 30th in the remaining six captions.

Legends (29th, 71.000) was 30th in Percussion and 26th through 29th in everything else.

Pioneer (30th, 68.850) was 26th in Percussion and 29th through 32nd in the remaining seven captions.

Raiders (31st, 66.250) was 28th in Color Guard and 30th or 31st in all other captions.

Colt Cadets (32nd, 63.150) was 31st through 33rd in all captions.

Coastal Surge (33rd, 60.625) was 32nd through 35th in all captions.

Les Stentors (34th, 57.425) placed 34th or 35th in all captions.

Racine Scouts (35th, 55.600) was 33rd through 35th in all captions.

Blue Saints (36th, 51.250) was 37th in Color Guard and 36th in all other captions.

Patria (37th, 46.375) was 36th in Color Guard and 37th in all other captions.

Things Flight Attendants won't tell you...

Want to start off on the wrong foot with me?

Put your carry-on in a full overhead bin, leave it sticking out six inches, then take your seat at the window and wait for someone else (me!) to come along and solve the physics problem you just created.

Yes, passengers are incredibly rude...

but stealing a beer, cursing out passengers, and jumping out of a plane is not the way to handle it. You disarm an unruly passenger by introducing yourself, asking his name, and saying something like ‘I’ve been incredibly nice to you for three hours. Why are you treating me like this?’ Generally that gets the other passengers on your side—and sometimes they’ll even applaud.

We don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend

in every city.

Despite popular belief (especially from the 60s and 70s) we don't have a 'trick' in every layover city. Most Flight attendants these days are married, have families, and have settled down. Flight schedules are too hectic to have extra fun sometimes....and our median age these days is 44.

An all-too-common scenario?

I hand you a cup of coffee and say, ‘Cream and sugar?’ You say, ‘What?’ I say, ‘Cream and sugar?’ You say, ‘What?’ Come on, people. What do you think we’re going to ask after we’ve handed you coffee? Your favorite color?

If you’re traveling with a small child and you keep hearing bells, bells, and more bells,

please look to see if it’s your child playing with the flight attendant call bell. If the crew is lucky, depending on the aircraft type, they can disable the seats call bell!

The lavatory door is not rocket science.

To some, it might be though. To open the Lavatory door, you open it like you would a normal door, by turning the knob! Some doors you simply just push.

 

If you have a baby, bring diapers.

If you’re diabetic, bring syringes. If you have high blood pressure, don’t forget your medication. That way, I’m not trying to make a diaper out of a sanitary pad and a pillowcase or asking over the intercom if someone has a spare inhaler.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, there are other people on the airplane besides you.

So don’t clip your toenails, snore with wild abandon, or do any type of personal business under a blanket!

If you’re traveling overseas, do yourself a favor and bring a pen.

You would not believe how many people travel without one, and you need one to fill out the immigration forms. I carry some, but I can’t carry 200.

 

Passengers are always coming up to me and tattling on each other.

‘Can you tell him to put his seat up?’ ‘She won’t share the armrest.’ What am I, a preschool teacher?

I hate working flights to destinations like Vail and West Palm Beach.

The passengers all think they’re in first class even if they’re not. They don’t do what we ask. There isn't enough room for those sitting in First Class to hang all the coats. And the overhead bins are full of their mink coats.

Do you really have to go to the bathroom right now, while we’re wrestling a 250-pound food cart down the aisle?

You can’t wait 90 seconds for us to pass?

Is it that difficult to say hello and goodbye?

We say it 300 times on every flight, and only about 40 people respond. 

Do not poke or grab me

I mean it. No one likes to be poked, but it’s even worse on the plane because you’re sitting down and we’re not, so it’s usually in a very personal area. You would never grab a waitress if you wanted ketchup or a fork, would you?

We’re not being lazy.

Our rules really say we aren’t allowed to lift your luggage into the overhead bin for you, though we can “assist.”

I don’t care if you want to be in the mile-high club, keep your clothes on.

Who decided the mile-high club was something that everyone wants to do anyway? It’s cramped and dirty in those bathrooms. Besides, that's not water on the floor!

If you hear us paging for a doctor

or see us running around with oxygen, defibrillators and first aid kits, that’s not the right time to ask for a blanket or a Diet Coke.

 

The only place you are allowed to pee

on the airplane is in the lavatory. Period.

Don’t ask us if it’s okay to use the lavatories on the ground.

The answer is always yes (unless we're taxiing to/from the gate). Do you think what goes into the toilet just dumps out onto the tarmac?

You really expect me to take your soggy Kleenex?

Or your kid’s fully loaded diaper? I’ll be right back with gloves. Often times passengers will hand the flight attendants their tissues after blowing their brains out, then expect us to continue serving others. If you don't want your Kleenex, why do you think we do if we don't have a trash bag for you to dispose it into?

 

Sure, I don’t mind waiting while you scour the seatback pocket

and the floor for candy wrappers and other garbage, then place them in my bag one by one. I only have 150 other passengers to serve.

 

I’m sorry it’s taking forever to get you a wheelchair,

but that’s one thing you can’t blame the airline for. The wheelchair service is subcontracted to the cities we fly into, and it’s obviously not a top priority for many of them.

Helpful websites for Airline Crew

Here is a small list of helpful websites I thought would be nice to pass along to airline crew members. I saw these on another site (Flight Attendant Source) and thought it would be good to include in my small blog.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
TSA has established guiding principles to maintain the security of the traveling public and continuously set the standard for excellence in transportation security. Any inquiries about the policies and procedures of the TSA can be found by searching there website or contacting their staff during business hours. Visit Site

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
The FAA provides air traffic services for the world’s largest and busiest airspace. Tens of thousands of aircraft are guided safely and expeditiously every day through America’s National Airspace System to their destinations. For a value of aviation news and information you can browse their website. Visit Site

Known Crewmember (KCM)
This is a TSA approved security program in which authorized crew members are trusted to forgo security line.  Use this link to check if a specific airport has a Known Crewmember line. Visit Site


Global Entry
This is especially beneficial for International Flight Attendants. Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Visit Site

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA)
The world’s largest labor union.  AFA represents nearly 60,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines, serving as a voice for flight attendants at their workplace. the goal of flight attendants who become part of AFA-CWA is to negotiate better pay, benefits, working conditions and work rules at their airline, and to improve their safety on the job. Visit Site

Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA)
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants is the official bargaining representative for all of the US-base flight attendants at American Airlines. APFA is also the largest independent Flight Attendant Union in the nation, representing ONLY American Airlines Flight Attendants. All APFA Representatives are also AA Flight Attendants. Visit Site

Turbulence Forecast
Turbulence Forecast is a tool that can be used to give an estimate on how turbulent your flight might Visit Site



Airline Ambassadors International (AAI)
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) helps orphans and vulnerable children worldwide by leveraging connections with the airline industry towards humanitarian service. We are the only charity of the overall airline industry.

Their volunteers escort children for life changing medical care, hand deliver humanitarian aid to children in orphanages, clinics and remote communities and advocate and educate and advocate on child protection and human trafficking awareness. Visit Site

United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)
Change for Good is an innovative partnership between UNICEF and the international airline industry. Established in 1987, it is one of UNICEF's best-known and longest-running partnerships. Currently eleven international airlines support the Change for Good program. Thanks to the generous support of customers and participating airlines, the global Change for Good program has generated more than $120 million that UNICEF has used to provide a healthier, happier future for millions of children. Visit Site

Flight Aware
Founded in 2005, FlightAware was the first company to offer free flight tracking services for both private and commercial air traffic and quickly rose to become the most popular flight tracking service.
FlightAware currently provides private aviation flight tracking in over 45 countries across North America, Europe, and Oceania, as well as global solutions for aircraft with datalink (satellite/VHF) via every major provider, including ARINC, Garmin, Honeywell GDC, Satcom Direct, SITA, and UVdatalink. FlightAware also continues to lead the industry in free, worldwide airline flight tracking and airport status for air travelers.

FlightAware's seamless integration of over 50 real-time, worldwide data sources combined with FlightAware's powerful, intuitive, responsive, and reliable web-based interface yield the most capable and useful flight tracking application and service. Visit Site

Flight Attendants in Aisle during Taxi

Why don't we see more Flight Attendants in the aisle during taxi-out/in to/from the gate?  Simply put, only safety related duties are permitted to be accomplished during aircraft surface movement. (Safety Demo, ensuring baggage is properly stowed, medical emergencies, ensuring electronics are either properly stowed-or in airplane mode, picking up any service items that were handed out during boarding)

Check out the legal version of this requirement of the FAR.

FAR 121.391

During taxi, flight attendants required by this section must remain at their duty stations with safety belts and shoulder harnesses fastened except to perform duties related to the safety of the airplane and its occupants.

What about the Galley?

While most flight attendant adhere to this requirement, unfortunately some (more often “Galley FAs”) are accomplishing duties not related to safety during taxi. This message is not about picking on the “Galleys.”  

After all, they are the miracle workers of the kitchen. Instead, the focus is to raise awareness that accomplishing non-safety duties during this period is risky. Here’s why.

Physics-101

While the aircraft is whisking along towards the departure runway, you (along with any other unsecured items) are being held in place by simple laws of gravity. Should the flight deck crew make a sudden stop, the laws of inertia quickly trump gravity -- thus placing you (and those loose items) in a precarious situation. In fact, the more distance from any fixed object (galley wall/surface), the greater the risk for severe injury.  What about those unsecured items (inserts/carts/rack of glasses)?  Applying the aircraft brakes “firmly” will result in those items very quickly on the floor -- even worse, possibly striking you!  Look at it this way….,

·        Greater Distance/Speed = Greater Inertia = Harder Impact

Don’t think it happens?  Guess again because in 2013 (for one airline) over 25 flight attendants were seriously injured due to surface movement accidents.  Sadly, most were avoidable had these flight attendants been seated and buckled-up.

 Let’s Talk $$

The FAA has taken a very clear position on this topic. During recent Town Halls, cabin safety inspectors have publicly stated that flight attendants can be personally fined for noncompliance with FAR 121.391. Your Cabin ASAP reports confirmed the FAA is watching since inspectors do not have to make themselves known to crewmembers when onboard.

But more importantly, you could be injured. Please don’t chance your personal safety. During taxi, all flight attendants not performing safety related duties must be in their jumpseats (focused on cabin safety) with lapbelt and shoulder harnesses fastened.

Opening wine bottles, linen lining inserts, tray unwrapping, and all the other fabulous things you do for our customers can wait.  On the other hand, your personal safety can never wait; it must always be #1.

Celebrating a Decade of Excellence

Still the largest, longest, tallest, widest, and most expensive ocean liner ever built. This year, the only
ocean liner and the most famous and fastest passenger ship in the world, QUEEN MARY 2 will be celebrating her tenth birthday in style!

The decade since QUEEN MARY 2's launch was launched with fireworks as she left Southampton beside QUEEN ELIZABETH on the 2nd of January. Official birthday celebrations begin with a Gala Day in her homeport of Southampton on 9 May 2014 prior to sailing to New York and back - a return Atlantic crossing that underlines her role as the only passenger ship in the world maintaining a scheduled service across the Atlantic, something a Cunard ship has done since 1840.

The Gala Day itself will have several exciting moments including the sight of all three QUEENS in port together, special sails pasts, a celebratory lunch and tremendous firework display as all three depart Southampton.

When QUEEN MARY 2 heads to New York, she will carrying special guest lecturers who will be presenting fascinating insights into the operation and construction of the world's grandest ocean liner.

Also hard to believe that Cunard will be celebrating their 175th Anniversary in 2015.