Singapore Airlines To Trial Business Class Dine On Demand

Qatar does this, and does it well. More than well. Excellent, in fact, now that I think about it. I tell them I may not have three courses, I plan on sleeping for the duration, “it’s ok, just choose the ones you like anyway, and if you change your mind just let us know.” They make my bed. They are there when I awake from my slumber. The only bad thing about Q suites is that they’ve ruined every other business class product for me.

@Dean This WHINER is why I don’t set butt on United anymore. He represents the company’s entire attitude that they are not there to provide a service to the customer. And why I NEVER book onto a US line when going abroad. Absolutely unbelievable that he would post this drivel online, not realizing that he is stating exactly what is wrong with the US carriers in spades.

So for those of you mentioning “it’s the crews job” or “just retrain them for on demand”, let me shed some light on a few things as a United flight attendant. Air crews, both pilots and flight attendants are given several hours to sleep on the flight in an area with sleeping berths for crew rest. Each airline has a different policy depending on the workers collective bargaining agreements or work rules set up between the company and crew. The breaks are usually distributed in two parts to maximize the sleeping time of crews. Remember a flight attendants first responsibility is the safety and security of all passengers and crew onboard. So being rested is a crucial step in having crews that are capable to deal with any inflight emergencies and possible evacuations. So generally, one half of the crew begins their breaks 2.5-3 hours after departure. Leaving only one half awake to tend to passengers whom are awake. Depending on the length of the flight, they will swap out after 3-4 hours and repeat this process. All crew are then awake for the arrival and sometimes the mid flight snack. So you can see that there will be concerns. What if too many desire to dine at one time, while now there is only 3 crew awake for a certain cabin, while normally there is 6 during a regularly scheduled meal service? I know some may say, send economy flight attendants to assist, this would not be possible, as they have a minimum number of flight attendants assigned to each cabins and even cabin coverage is required by the FAA and other agencies. I know some are still livening in the age thinking we are still pretty faces giving 5 star service, and while we still strive to give everyone good service, the new reality is that times have changed, and we now are dealing with more security training, medical training, etc. I’ll reiterate this one last time. Flight attendants are mandated now by all government agencies, but this mandate is not so that we are there to give turn down service and serve meals, it’s there to make sure that if an airplane is on fire we can get everyone out safely in 90 seconds or less. It’s there to insure that if someone has a heart attack somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, that we can give that person a fighting chance at survival until the airplane has safely landed. It’s there to ensure there will never again be another 9-11 type security breach. I’m afraid the times have changed, and customer expectations need to change also. We do our best, given that since deregulation, we now are working with 50% less crew to do the same job, with more responsibility, so airlines can once again be profitable for the shareholders and grow to offer new destinations. Also when asked, most airline customers now value comfort most of all, a good nights sleep. Less than 25% are interested in the food as their top priority. So if you are one that wants lobster thermidor served at your convenience, remember that you are now in the minority and airlines have noticed that and are evolving, and you too, may need to evolve.

I think it’s a great idea, and will assist in taking your mind off sitting at a back twisting angle on the weirdest seat in the air.

Those lazy Singaporean fight attendants might have to work for a change