Ask An A380 Purser

Sounds like a great Q&A! Just curious, Have you flown with this purser before?

How is the crew prepared to deal with severe weather/turbulence? Have you ever experienced clear air turbulence?

How many times have you caught two people in the shower?

Have you ever upgraded (non-rev) someone from Y to C or even F, and what was criterion?

99% sure I know the airline based on two clues... would be completely irrelevant if they're speaking from experience on multiple airlines, though

I've had a small handful of flights with lousy inflight crews. In most of these rare incidences the crews were just indifferent, similar to Ben's LH flight from Seattle to Frankfurt. However, I've had a couple of overseas flights where the crews have been laughingly rude. What is the best way to express displeasure with a crew's service both while in flight and after the flight is complete?

Thanks! And I agree with Lucky...is there any sweeter job then being a purser on an international flight?!?!

How much are pursers paid?

Some questions:
1) Do you take a break during long-haul flights? If so, who is the purser then? Do you get a private room to sleep in or do you sleep/nap with the rest of the crew?
2) Have you ever had anyone in economy try to bribe you to get a seat in business class? (or a business class person to first class)
3) Does the crew have their own restroom? Or do they use the first class restrooms? 😉
4) Have you ever given a tour of the bar or shower to someone who is in economy class? a tour of the A380 shower to someone who is in business class?
5) Has anyone ever given you their number or have you ever given your number to any passenger you fancied?
6) Have you ever met anyone famous in one your flights? Did they sit in economy? 😉
7) In the passenger list for business class and first class, does it state whether a passenger is flying on a reward ticket?
8) Have you ever been on an A380 flight with an empty First class? If so, which route? 😉
9) During purser training, do they fly you in first class at least once (so you know what it feels like to be a first class passenger and thus know the expectations.)

Thanks for taking the time reading and answering these questions!

Why can one flight's service, even in the same class, be so different from other flights on the same airline?

Is there a good way to deal with a language barrier with crew members during flight? I recently flew from SFO to Hong Kong in first and one of the flight attendants came across pretty badly. I just chalked it up to the fact that either she was having a bad day or she just wasn't as fluent in English as she could be...

This is coming from being a high school college & career counselor (I might use the contents of this post for a lesson): how did you become a purser? What sort of education or training would you recommend for a young person pursuing a career in this field?

@Tom

who asked "How many times have you caught two people in the shower?":

The only airline with showers on their A380s allows (a maximum of) 2 people in there, so there should be no issue there 😉

A few items in here suggest to me that maybe you're flying for AF. Whether or not that's the case (heh), can you tell me what your company and personal policies are that ensure great experiences for kids on board? I recently flew a certain carrier BOS-CDG and was so impressed (both ways) with how well children were handled that it's extremely unlikely I'll fly an different airline TATL with my family again.

If you're not an AF purser, or responding would unwantedly out you, feel free to generalize to your airline.

Following 9/11 I flew quite a few times on USA metal domestic where the flight team seemed to take the safety mission to their head in a way that really was distasteful and bullied the passengers.......as a passenger I felt there was really no way to respond other than take more driving vacations......have your airline experienced that over reaction with some crew and how have you dealt with it?

Have you ever helped passengers put their luggage on the overhead bin? Over here in the USA (United ahem), whenever I hear a request from an elderly passenger or a passenger who is short, the flight attendant flatly refuses to help! Either another passenger or myself would step up and help the passenger put his/her luggage up there.

What will you do if the baby in the business class cries loudly and other passegners complain to you? Do the crews usually dislike babies on the plane, especially in first or business class?

let me guess this purser is from BA.:)

How many times have you served Lucky some hot nuts?

Do you know which passengers are on revenue tickets and which are on awards?

@ Lucky & Secret Purser - thank you! That was quite informative.

@ Joey - I believe in the US FAs aren't allowed to help you with placing items in overhead bins because their/airline's insurance doesn't cover injuries in that scenario (don't ask me why).

Very good questions & extremely informative article. Thanks, Lucky !!

Fabulous memories 1995 -2005 dc10 TriStar and a320 Gatwick and stansted London wish I was back !! ?