AAngels can fly… and I deserve to have my wings clipped!

AAngels can fly… and I deserve to have my wings clipped!

21

Now that I’m living in a different city than my parents for the first time, I’m having to fly home for the holidays. This might come as a shock to you guys, but I’m generally not a fan of high air fares and full flights (filled mostly with infrequent travelers). So I’ve done the best I can to avoid them by traveling home on Thanksgiving and returning later next week when most people have already completed their holiday travel. I got a better deal on my flight, upgrades were easy as could be, and the airports aren’t quite as crowded.

I flew this morning from Seattle to Dallas, and my day was off to a great start since I got TSA PreCheck. I was surprised by how crowded the airport was, since I figured it would be deserted. It wasn’t as crowded as I’ve seen it on peak travel days, though it wasn’t uncharacteristically quiet either.

Anyway, it’s rare that I’ll write about a domestic flight, but my flight from Seattle to Dallas was phenomenal. I kind of expect to get mildly surly flight attendants on Thanksgiving since it must be frustrating to be apart from your family, though I’m willing to say that the flight attendant working the first class aisle was the best flight attendant I’ve ever had on a US airline. Period.

Christine was amazing from the second we boarded. She offered pre-departure beverages of choice, couldn’t stop smiling, and wished each passenger boarding a happy Thanksgiving. There was a baby in row one and she even managed to entertain him.

After takeoff she came around the cabin to take meal orders and introduce herself, and not only addressed each passenger by name, but thanked them for flying American.

I don’t think she sat down once during the flight. She was constantly offering (actually, encouraging) drink refills, and at every single interaction addressed passengers by name from memory. As we were approaching Dallas she once again came around to each first class passenger and said “thanks so much for flying with us, we really appreciate your business and wish you a happy Thanksgiving. It was such a pleasure to have you aboard.” Unbelievable. She was amazing.

Then I got off the plane thinking everything was alright. When I got to the Admirals Club and opened my bag to power up my laptop, I realized it was missing. I immediately remembered that I had left it on the plane, so ran back to the gate.

As I deplaned Christine and the rest of the crew were getting off the plane. I mentioned that I had left my laptop in the seatback, and Christine said “one moment Mr. Lucky, let me get it for you.”

She came back with it a couple of minutes later and said “there you go, Mr. Lucky. Hope your connecting flight to Tampa goes smoother, and enjoy the warm weather.” I had never told her I was actually going to Tampa, so I guess she studied the manifest really well. I thanked her profusely for the great service, getting the laptop, and working on Thanksgiving, and we parted ways.

Christine, you’re the greatest person ever. And thank you.

And now I’m sitting in the Admirals Club next to a dad with his two, bratty teenage kids. “Dad, shut up.” “Dad, this is a $200 jacket, stop it.” “Dad, I want a car for Christmas.” FML.

Conversations (21)
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  1. El Ingeniero Guest

    That turned out better than when I left a laptop in a Beijing taxi ...

  2. NFamous Guest

    Oh no, it sounds like Janesis has some competition!!!

    Glad you had a great flight & got your laptop back.

  3. TopGunner Guest

    Flew UA BRU-EWR on Thansgiving and had a similar experience service wise, including washing a Happy Thanksgiving and thanking each passenger for flying. Have to say the Purser was not the nicest, she had a favorites and when she welcomed 1Ks she skipped me and even tied to deny me moving to a pair of open seats for crew rest seats. Thankfully my attendant actually checked the manifest and found other suitable crew seating.

  4. Tom // Sit in first Guest

    This one sounds like it warrants a letter of commendation to HQ. Write in to the CEO....99% of what they must get are complaints....nice to see some praise for a change.

  5. Ace Member

    @Dax, who's giving the compliment, you, or Lucky? ;)

  6. Dax Guest

    "Christine, you’re the greatest person ever."

    Um, what? Is this some sort of joke? I'm happy you got great service, truly I am, but is going this far really necessary? Seems like the ultimate "first world compliment" just for doing her job with a friendly and willing attitude.

  7. Katie Guest

    Happy Thanksgiving, Ben. I am thankful that I found your blog a few years ago and for all your tips. Have fun with the family!

  8. TravelinWilly Diamond

    I do hope you tell AA about Christine via a letter, and not rely on them reading your blog. She sounds fantastic. Congrats.

  9. lucky OMAAT

    @ Bob -- ROFL! Happy Thanksgiving!

  10. Bob Guest

    Really, Lucky? As I was sitting in 1A, it's clear I saw Christine first. And because she addressed me by name, you would have heard it too. Can we say hat tip?

    Only kidding and recognising the ridiculousness you, Gary and other bloggers go through. Wish you and your readers all the best. Happy Thanksgiving!

  11. BBTBphile Guest

    That IS impressive. Remembering your name and connecting flight. Nice touch. Good job, Christine.

  12. lucky OMAAT

    Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Love y'all too!

    @ Dan -- Her name was definitely Christine, at least that's what her name tag said. Though maybe it was the same person?

  13. Kiera Reilly Guest

    Glad that you recovered your laptop. And nice to hear that there is good customer service on US planes these days. Sad to say though that's it's such a rarity - it shouldn't be.

  14. Dan Guest

    I flew with a flight attendant named Krista on MKE-DFW several weeks ago, and the service level was just about as fantastic as you described. Could it have been the same FA?

  15. Bryan New Member

    Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels

  16. caligal Guest

    Happy Thanksgiving.

  17. smittytabb Guest

    Glad to hear you had a good flight on AA. I had a really good experience recently as well. Just ignore the teenagers if you can. Ask me how I know? I raised four and used to teach high school in another life. Happy Thanksgiving!

  18. Carl Guest

    I am glad you got your laptop back, felt bad for you after your tweet. Happy Thanksgiving Ben. Enjoy your time with your mom and dad. Am sure they are glad to have you home for a while.

  19. Solar Guest

    I'd see if the kids want some shots... Of bleach.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

El Ingeniero Guest

That turned out better than when I left a laptop in a Beijing taxi ...

0
NFamous Guest

Oh no, it sounds like Janesis has some competition!!! Glad you had a great flight & got your laptop back.

0
TopGunner Guest

Flew UA BRU-EWR on Thansgiving and had a similar experience service wise, including washing a Happy Thanksgiving and thanking each passenger for flying. Have to say the Purser was not the nicest, she had a favorites and when she welcomed 1Ks she skipped me and even tied to deny me moving to a pair of open seats for crew rest seats. Thankfully my attendant actually checked the manifest and found other suitable crew seating.

0
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