Wow, has it truly been over 2wks since my last blog?

Sorry ladies and gentlemen, I have taken a little vacation without knowing it and got a little more involved with that darn Twitter account. I tell you, it's a full time job keeping up with all the airline folk out there twit-twit-twittering away about my love of aviation.

There have been lots of interesting news this past week:
British Airways and Iberia agreeing on a combined company 

London arrests a UAL Pilot for being drunk before a flight to Chicago.  
Iberia's Flight Attendants striking for better wages.
Delta Airlines engine fire in Atlanta grounded flight.
Flight Attendants get same FMLA as 9-5 jobs.
Couple jailed after stealing bags at PHX Sky Harbor Airport
US Airways Flight Attendants to picket  PHX airport for better wages
AA Flight Attendants to hold "Mock Strike" at select AA hub airports

I think the one that gets my vote for the worst is:
Woman drives into Aquarium at TPA

Just a crazy week around the world of aviation if you ask me. I think I'll have to start taking my camera with me again and take pictures of my endeavors and start posting about them. However, that just might not be a good idea, I'm often too critical of my passengers, especially when they don't act the way I would expect them to.

Another thing I'll have to start doing is writing down when either one of my fellow flight attendants act up, or when a passenger does something funny or weird so I can blog about it and let you know.  I know at some point I'll have to post a picture of a Business Class seat that was literally trashed by a Business Class passenger.  I truly amazes me how people leave their area messier than when they found it, yet are the same ones who complain that the airplanes are filthy. Alas, I'll have to leave that for another night.

Sean Penn - I am Sam

One of the great perks about being a flight attendant is meeting the different celebrities. It's hard to not get overwhelmed when you have them on-board, but you learn quickly that they are just regular people too.

If I have a celebrity on a flight, I try to feel them out if I could have the honor of getting my picture with them before the end of the flight.  I've had quite a few great celebrities that I couldn't ask, wouldn't ask, or have been denied, but the ones that I had the honor, it's been great.

One of those honors was with the great actor Sean Penn.  I'm currently watching I am Sam and I'm just amazed at how he has grown as an actor since Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982.  I had the chance to briefly meet him on one of my flights a few years ago and was very gracious to have my picture with him.

Even though this was at the end of the flight before landing, he was extremely nice and polite. It was amazing to watch him portray the late Harvey Milk in the movie Milk.

Anyone that can transform themselves from character to character and actually make you believe that who they are on screen is true, is an extremely great actor/actress in my opinion. The transformations that he has made over the years as a bad ass  punk, to bad ass cop, to recently playing a mentally challenged individual and an openly gay politician. He has been amazing.

One thing to think if you encounter a celebrity is if they don't want to give you their autograph or have their picture with you, then it's not worth having.

Paranormal Activity

After I finished watching Saw VI tonight, I then bought another ticket and watched Paranormal Activity. I got in about 15 minutes after the show started, but here is a quick synopsis.

After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban 'starter' tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to.

About the only thing I really enjoyed about this movie was the house the young couple were living in.  I would LOVE to have a place that looked like this place did.  It was awesome. It was a 3 bedroom, 3bath home with a large living room leading into a kitchen and dining.  It even had a large attic, but you'll have to watch the movie to find out more.

This movie reminded me of the Blair Witch Project, Quarantine, and Cloverfield all combined together. Very shaky video work that could give you a headache. Stupidity of people who, after hearing things go bump in the night, don't turn on a light to see what's going on.  Fun movie, good movie for those people easily scared, but the ending is just another thing to be desired....it just ends, as shall I.

Saw VI

Tonight I watched the latest in the Saw series, Saw VI.  I must say that it did NOT let me down.  With great flashbacks to previous movies, and the possibility of another movie for the future, I highly enjoyed the movie.

Once again, the movie plays on the psychology of the mind.  It plays the mind of how much do you value life. Are you willing to sacrifice your life to possibly save another, or do you value yours too much and kill them? 

Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood

APFA - It's Our Turn

Reports from the APFA Negotiating Team indicate that substantial progress was made in recent discussions with the company over the cost-out of specific proposals and Article TAs. This followed meetings by members of both teams, their respective financial experts and our Federal Mediator. Through the end of this year, the teams have set an aggressive schedule to focus on issues surrounding agreed to changes in scheduling articles, the contractual language for the TAs thus far achieved, as well as the cost-out of these items. This lays a firmer foundation for the discussions over the final pay issues, now on the horizon.

As talks move forward, the last few weeks have seen APFA Negotiators and local reps holding council and InfoRep meetings in base cities to continue coordination of OUR TURN Around Campaign, which is now gearing up for a major membership action in the coming weeks. As part of this action, the APFA Team communications sub-committee has completed an informational pamphlet for the membership, detailing our positions in relationship to the company’s in several contractual areas of pay, benefits and work rules. It is important for members to know where we stand and how we plan on reaching our goal of a ratifiable contract that restores our standard of living and brings us the financial stability and security we need and deserve. Watch for the pamphlet arriving in mailboxes beginning next week.

Be sure you are armed with the facts and with your GOT UNION / GOT GUTS yellow and red disk for your union pin. Wear only your APFA pin—now with the yellow GOT UNION side of the disk behind it—and your Flight Attendant wings on your uniform.

New uniforms for cabin crews

Flight attendants at Air Tahiti Nui donned new uniforms recently. The updated outfits, created by Balenciaga Uniforms, were commissioned to celebrate the airline's 10th anniversary. (but was it a mixup?  According to this website, it may not be his.)

The new uniform pieces for women cabin crew include several dresses, as well as jackets, pants and skirts. The men have new jackets and trousers, as well as several choices of shirts.

While some of the uniform items have a crisp, tailored look, other pieces feature fabric printed with Tahitian flowers, for a more casual appearance. Colors selected for the uniform pieces represent the colors of the ocean, the island lagoons, and the flowers of Tahiti.

Air Tahiti Nui's pilots, agents, and ground crews also have new uniforms. Here is a link to the Air Tahiti Nui Photo Gallery where you can see more pictures of the crew attire.

American Airlines is in the process of updating their 20yr old cabin crew uniforms, but no images are available.  It's a true shame that American can't just pick a designer and use their uniforms and make a firm date when flight attendants must start wearing them.

As of right now, if you order the pants, you might get them by December, then sometime next year you can order the shirts.  Following that it will be Coats, and possibly vests and dresses.  When asked, the VFSolutions people couldn't answer when all the pieces will be available to wear.  I'm sure there are some people out there like to order everything all at once.

When I was in the Air Force, we were always told to keep one complete uniform together and dressed up for promotional purposes.  This means that one piece isn't a different color from another piece because you wear it at different times, or launder it at different times.

I can't believe that it's already been over three years since Delta Airlines unveiled their Richard Tyler uniforms.  Even among the latest complaints from Northwest Airlines Flight Attendants who might be size 18 or bigger, Richard Tyler has every right to not put his name on something he doesn't approve.  Yet, the uniform looks very good because it's a clean cut look. 

I just wish that crews from (mostly US Carriers) cared about their own personal appearance because when a uniform is worn properly, it looks very good.  Some just refuse to do it because they are 'protesting' to either the company for taking away uniform points, or protesting against the their Union for not fighting stronger for their rights.

All-n-all, I hope that we get new uniforms (all pieces together) very soon

NW pilots likely to be terminated

According to a statement from Delta, looks like the pilots of NWA Flt 188 will be terminated.

Using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots' command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airline's flight deck policies and violations of that policy will result in termination. 

 As another news source suggested, the pilots became aware of their situation after a flight attendant called up to ask when they would be starting their descent into the MSP airport.