Pgtravel From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 444 posts, RR: 4 Posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 4815 times:
I had the chance to spend yesterday afternoon with the folks at LiveTV. They showed me the new system that CO will be getting onboard, and it's just awesome. There will be 80 channels of tv, a program guide (like on cable boxes at home), and a bigger 8" screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen). Unfortunately, they would let me take pics while I was there, but it'll be on its first CO plane (a 739) around the 1st of the year.
PanAm330 From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 2508 posts, RR: 13 Reply 1, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 4633 times:
Very nifty. I wonder if B6 will follow suit and progressively install this newer system in their planes as they come due for heavy checks.
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 4849 posts, RR: 13 Reply 2, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 4591 times:
Will CO be charging for this service?
As a Silver, I kinda hope not...
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined May 2005, 20630 posts, RR: 62 Reply 3, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 4446 times:
Let's hope their new system works better than others.
Been on JetBlue where 1/2 the channels were out. Other times it was fine.
Been on VX, where most of the channels were out. Every flight on the west coast.
I was on DL's 763 with DishNetwork last night out of Atlanta, and the upper 6 channels weren't working. At first, no channels but FX were working, as they were listed as not subscribed (suggesting you call to activate them). A very snotty, spikey haired old hag running the show in First (I'm generally nice to people and don't call them names, but she was just AWEFUL and should be fired for her attitude, not in charge of the crew), who knows nothing about technology but believed she knew everything, said that somehow each individual seat could have this error (despite the whole plane having it). They reset the system once, and said they can only do so once, and that's it. After resetting, only the top 6 were still dead.
Which of course included ESPN. Which meant that there was no monday night football last night. The AVOD system worked fine, but the TV was just screwed up.
When, after the full reset (interesting to watch, as the lights go off and it takes 5 minutes) I told the head F/A that "ESPN is still not working" she just snapped back "it's just yours, every other unit is working" and "ESPN doesn't work out of Atlanta, but will come back later". Of course, none of my neighbors could get ESPN either and it was off the whole flight (as was ESPN2, ESPN News, etc.), and since I've installed DishNetwork systems in the past, I do know what needs to be done (turn off receiver, turn on, if not solved, REPEAT, and finally call them as a last resort). She never bothered to ask the Captain if he could reset the system, or contact DL center to notify DishNetwork (who could fix it instantly if told about it). Because she knew best. Even other F/As were rolling their eyes at her, because they must have had to deal with her attitude on many other flights. And of course many customers paid the fee for headphones (small fee, but not free) on the pretext that ESPN would be working, and then it wasn't.
Which leads to a major problem with these systems in the USA:
The technology is new. But due to the seniority system of F/As in the USA, the ones in charge of many of the aircraft with the systems are old and generally know little about the technology they are asked to be in charge of. If they have a power trip complex, they won't let younger junior crew try to fix things. They do not seem to be trained properly (and if they are anything like my Mom, it wouldn't help), and with the systems being buggy, it causes problems because there is no one with a tech brain allowed to fix it on many longer flights. I was talking to a CRC agent about this, and he was saying the Panny system is so buggy that they are suspending installations (true?) and that the crews are not trained properly on them. The 738 crews being younger have fewer problems, but the 767/777 crews seem to not get that the system is a selling point and having it not work is a bad thing.
Contrast this to airlines like QF, SQ and EK that make sure, at least according to the crews I talked to, that one crew member is trained specifically to work with AVOD system issues.
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
Richierich From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 3855 posts, RR: 7 Reply 4, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 4341 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): The technology is new. But due to the seniority system of F/As in the USA, the ones in charge of many of the aircraft with the systems are old and generally know little about the technology they are asked to be in charge of. If they have a power trip complex, they won't let younger junior crew try to fix things. They do not seem to be trained properly (and if they are anything like my Mom, it wouldn't help), and with the systems being buggy, it causes problems because there is no one with a tech brain allowed to fix it on many longer flights. I was talking to a CRC agent about this, and he was saying the Panny system is so buggy that they are suspending installations (true?) and that the crews are not trained properly on them. The 738 crews being younger have fewer problems, but the 767/777 crews seem to not get that the system is a selling point and having it not work is a bad thing.
Contrast this to airlines like QF, SQ and EK that make sure, at least according to the crews I talked to, that one crew member is trained specifically to work with AVOD system issues.
Interesting point. I have wondered that myself but I tend to agree with your assessment that FAs generally only give a half-assed attempt to fix a broken system. I do agree that the focus of their job should be on safety but I also think there should be some remedial training on the tv systems for the occasions when they don't work properly or at all. I would imagine that there are a host of "usual" problems and most can be troubleshooted and fixed relatively easily. (For the record, I've yet to be on a JetBlue flight where the system was completely out. I saw a row or two not working on my last flight but the plane was empty enough to move people away from those rows).
My bet is that CO will charge (in economy at least) for their tv. 80 channels sounds awesome, perhaps a little overkill, but definitely good. Anyone know if they'll get XM too?
JetBluefan1 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2701 posts, RR: 17 Reply 5, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 4287 times:
Quoting PanAm330 (Reply 1): Very nifty. I wonder if B6 will follow suit and progressively install this newer system in their planes as they come due for heavy checks.
I would think so. JetBlue owns LiveTV, so the cost to do this would be minimal, and it would enhance the customer experience even further.
Quoting Richierich (Reply 4): (For the record, I've yet to be on a JetBlue flight where the system was completely out. I saw a row or two not working on my last flight but the plane was empty enough to move people away from those rows).
I know people who have been on flights where the system was completely out (and received a $15 credit). I have been on over 20 JetBlue flights, and on only 1 flight the LiveTV wasn't working (from JFK to ROC). At the time, JetBlue had partnered up with FOX to provide free Simpsons episodes - which doesn't rely on the LiveTV system - so it wasn't much of a problem. Most passengers didn't seem to be annoyed.
JetBluefan1
Most people on a.net hate JetBlue. Get used to it.
Richierich From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 3855 posts, RR: 7 Reply 6, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 4135 times:
Quoting JetBluefan1 (Reply 5): I would think so. JetBlue owns LiveTV, so the cost to do this would be minimal, and it would enhance the customer experience even further.
I wouldn't say 'minimal'. It would still be a pretty darn expensive upgrade, and as I understand it, the room for servers on each plane is already being used up. More channels would mean new hardware that fits in the same space. That would not be cheap.
OOer From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 1288 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 4126 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): I was on DL's 763 with DishNetwork last night out of Atlanta, and the upper 6 channels weren't working. At first, no channels but FX were working, as they were listed as not subscribed (suggesting you call to activate them). A very snotty, spikey haired old hag running the show in First (I'm generally nice to people and don't call them names, but she was just AWEFUL and should be fired for her attitude, not in charge of the crew), who knows nothing about technology but believed she knew everything, said that somehow each individual seat could have this error (despite the whole plane having it). They reset the system once, and said they can only do so once, and that's it. After resetting, only the top 6 were still dead.
Which of course included ESPN. Which meant that there was no monday night football last night. The AVOD system worked fine, but the TV was just screwed up.
When, after the full reset (interesting to watch, as the lights go off and it takes 5 minutes) I told the head F/A that "ESPN is still not working" she just snapped back "it's just yours, every other unit is working" and "ESPN doesn't work out of Atlanta, but will come back later". Of course, none of my neighbors could get ESPN either and it was off the whole flight (as was ESPN2, ESPN News, etc.), and since I've installed DishNetwork systems in the past, I do know what needs to be done (turn off receiver, turn on, if not solved, REPEAT, and finally call them as a last resort). She never bothered to ask the Captain if he could reset the system, or contact DL center to notify DishNetwork (who could fix it instantly if told about it). Because she knew best. Even other F/As were rolling their eyes at her, because they must have had to deal with her attitude on many other flights. And of course many customers paid the fee for headphones (small fee, but not free) on the pretext that ESPN would be working, and then it wasn't.
I am a DL F/A and have almost 2 years with them. your statement is 100% dead on. The older more senior F/As will not take advice from more junior...younger F/As...personally I usually fly lead, but when I don't and an issue arises...I just do it, I don't ask!
I apologize about the service failure on behalf of the crew, and apologize our IFE was not working properly.
Solution: Write DL an email from Delta.com, complain about the crewmember that was horrible and list specifics about the flight...they can track who it was.
Also, if you or anyone else happen to be on another flight on DL with an IFE failure and the crew has no idea how to fix it...this is what they need to do.
1. Turn off the IFE power from their screen
2. Call the cockpit, they need to pull the IFE circuit braker
3. Leave the cabin system off for 5-6 minutes
4. Restart the system
80% of the time, it works every time!
I just worked a flight from ATL-PHX where the IFE was not working...guess what? That fixed it and all the channels ended up working!
Once again, take your issues to DL, 2 minutes of your time writing up a comment on Delta.com can make your next trip 100 times better! Also, please send positive comments as well...those always make us feel good about what we do!
COalways From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 333 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 4047 times:
WOW Continental is going to to have the Best LiveTv system in the skies!!! 80 channels of Directv thats Awesome! Are the going to have 100 channels of XM satelite radio to?
Manfredj From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 1132 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 4010 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): The technology is new. But due to the seniority system of F/As in the USA, the ones in charge of many of the aircraft with the systems are old and generally know little about the technology they are asked to be in charge of. If they have a power trip complex, they won't let younger junior crew try to fix things. They do not seem to be trained properly (and if they are anything like my Mom, it wouldn't help), and with the systems being buggy
Ikr!!!!! Naughty. I simply can't accept this as true, even with the F/A's comments above. The risks involved from complaining passengers is too high on the F/A's part to simply opt not to turn on/troubleshoot the equipment because they are "too old" to care.
If anything, an entertainment system would have the same affect that a DVD system does for children on long trips in the car....shut the passengers up.
There is something homey about being taken care of by a seasoned crew member. I know I'm going to get great service, and someone who will act accordingly in an emergency and not break down in a tantrum. I think we all forget that that's ultimately what they are there for...not to make sure our hot towels are at the correct temperature with the perfect lemon scent.
B6JFKH81 From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 2398 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 3947 times:
Quoting Richierich (Reply 6): I wouldn't say 'minimal'. It would still be a pretty darn expensive upgrade, and as I understand it, the room for servers on each plane is already being used up. More channels would mean new hardware that fits in the same space. That would not be cheap.
I remember when we went from 24 - 36 channels and Fox Inflight. That mod was insane. I was transferred to MCO to support it. And yes, it would be costly as there are a ton of small parts needed along with modifying some of the larger units. Just because we own them doesn't mean we don't have to buy parts and spend extra money on the labor to install it. I remember seeing the racks and everything that needed to be installed and thinking to myself "there can't be that much room left in any electronics compartment after that goes in" LOL!
~H81
"If you do not learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it"
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 4849 posts, RR: 13 Reply 11, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3800 times:
Quoting Manfredj (Reply 9): There is something homey about being taken care of by a seasoned crew member.
You can't very well listen to this guy say that she was a b--ch and then turn around and tell him, "no she wasn't, she was 'homey'."
Quoting OOer (Reply 7): 80% of the time, it works every time!
Um... run that by me again?
At the airline I USED to work for, we'd occasionally have a single seat go out, and it was usually beyond the F/A's to fix it. Once on the ground, we'd reset the system, check ALL PTV screens (which takes a while in a 747-400), and everything would usually be fine.
Snn2003 From United States of America, joined May 2001, 297 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3787 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): The technology is new. But due to the seniority system of F/As in the USA, the ones in charge of many of the aircraft with the systems are old and generally know little about the technology they are asked to be in charge of. If they have a power trip complex, they won't let younger junior crew try to fix things. They do not seem to be trained properly (and if they are anything like my Mom, it wouldn't help), and with the systems being buggy, it causes problems because there is no one with a tech brain allowed to fix it on many longer flights. I was talking to a CRC agent about this, and he was saying the Panny system is so buggy that they are suspending installations (true?) and that the crews are not trained properly on them. The 738 crews being younger have fewer problems, but the 767/777 crews seem to not get that the system is a selling point and having it not work is a bad thing.
As a CO F/A I kinda take fault with this. I have never been shunned by a senior FA when trying to help. We all understand this stuff makes use $$...
One way, IAH-RTB please! No return ticket required.
Burnsie28 From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 7215 posts, RR: 10 Reply 13, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3759 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): was on DL's 763 with DishNetwork last night out of Atlanta, and the upper 6 channels weren't working.
Well Dish network to begin with sucks, poor decision by them to go with dish network instead of DirecTv
"Some People Just Know How To Fly"- Best slogan ever, RIP NW 1926-2009
SFOnative From United States of America, joined Jan 2008, 209 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 3597 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): The technology is new. But due to the seniority system of F/As in the USA, the ones in charge of many of the aircraft with the systems are old and generally know little about the technology they are asked to be in charge of.
This statement holds true in many other situations and industries....
The technology is there, but a large portion of the workforce either doesn't understand it, really can't grasp it, or even down right fears it!
Newtothewidget From United States of America, joined Aug 2008, 9 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 3459 times:
As a mid-seniority flight attendant I can only answer for myself. We have all had a bad experience with a crew member from time to time. It happens. But before you go and say she should be fired for her rudeness, etc. you might want to cut her a little slack. Have you been 100% at your job everyday? I am sure there have been days she has delivered great customer service too. I agree with maybe you should drop Delta a note and express your disappointment. Perhaps the best situation would be to deal with her directly and tell her how you were feeling about things. I get so tired of people coming up to me and tell me something a colleague did on the flight and start the sentence " you should tell your co-worker..." If you have an issue with someone, deal with them directly. It is not my responsibility to express YOUR feelings. I think in this society we tend to hide behind a computer screen or go through several channels when the best way to resolve an issue is to deal directly with someone. Own up to your opinions and be direct. (kicking soapbox out)
For the most part as well, flight crews have very limited means to fix issues with audio/video systems in flight. We usually just have the ability to reset the system. There is actually not much else we can do. Most of the systems are self-contained. Pulling the circuit breaker in the flight deck may or may not resolved things. There is really not much "training" involved other than which buttons to push when. I understand your frustration with the situation, but maybe your expectations for its resolution were too high. I hope you brought along a good book.
I hope your future experiences on Delta, and its wholly owned subsidiary Northwest, are good ones.
COalways From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 333 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 3291 times:
Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 13): Well Dish network to begin with sucks, poor decision by them to go with dish network instead of DirecTv
Dish Network is not a reliable sysytem delta is haveing major problems with gettin recipition for the channels to work also Virgin America has the same problems
USAirALB From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 2421 posts, RR: 2 Reply 17, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 2681 times:
Will the PTV's in first been in the armrest?
And will the keep the overhead monitors to show movies, air show, arrival video,etc..
Mexicana: "La Primera Siempre Sera La Primera" R.I.P. Mexicana!
Tdubjfk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 2601 times:
Quoting Manfredj (Reply 9): There is something homey about being taken care of by a seasoned crew member. I know I'm going to get great service, and someone who will act accordingly in an emergency and not break down in a tantrum. I think we all forget that that's ultimately what they are there for...not to make sure our hot towels are at the correct temperature with the perfect lemon scent.
BULL. Service is a major part of their job .. as is keeping Premium passengers happy. Too bad for the ones that feel 'above' that. OOer has the right attitude. Don't blame IKRAmerica for being offended at the hag's behavior. SHE was in the wrong -- there is no excuse for that kind of behavior from any employee to any customer, whether it's on a plane, in a hotel or in a gas station!
COalways From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 333 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 2559 times:
Quoting USAirALB (Reply 17): And will the keep the overhead monitors to show movies, air show, arrival video,etc..
No they will take the overhead monitors out like how they took the overhead monitors out of the 757-200 when they installed the AVOD system from Nose To Tail.
JetBluefan1 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2701 posts, RR: 17 Reply 20, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 2321 times:
Quoting Richierich (Reply 6): I wouldn't say 'minimal'. It would still be a pretty darn expensive upgrade, and as I understand it, the room for servers on each plane is already being used up. More channels would mean new hardware that fits in the same space. That would not be cheap.
You're right - I should have said in comparison to what other airlines may pay. Since JetBlue owns LiveTV, then there is no need for LiveTV to "profit" off of such a move. On that note, if the costs to do this are still very high, I don't know if it would be worth it for JetBlue to do this - especially since they already have 36 channels (more than enough) as wel as XM. Maybe it can be done on new aircraft, but perhaps not across the entire fleet.
JetBluefan1
Most people on a.net hate JetBlue. Get used to it.
jetBlue's inflight entertainment system is phenominal. Where B6 lacks, tho, IMHO, is their cabin crews. I fly B6 often and will continue to, but man can their cabin crews (for the most part) use a dose of class and professionalism . It's all detailed in my Trip Report entitled WhitePlains-MCO; the jetblue Experience in the Trip Report section.
OOPS ... sorry guys, I didn't mean to hijack the thread ...!
Flyingcat From United States of America, joined May 2007, 462 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 2245 times:
Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 13): Well Dish network to begin with sucks, poor decision by them to go with dish network instead of DirecTv
Live TV owned by B6 has an exclusivity agreement with DirecTV. Those who have another competing live IFE have to go with DISH as they are the only choice.
OOer From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 1288 posts, RR: 2 Reply 23, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 2008 times:
Quoting AA737-823 (Reply 11): Quoting OOer (Reply 7):
80% of the time, it works every time!
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 4849 posts, RR: 13 Reply 24, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1730 times:
Quoting OOer (Reply 23): Watch Anchorman, you'll get it!
Haha, I totally got it, but figured that it was a mental typo on your part!!!
I didn't realize anyone else had actually enjoyed that movie enough to quote it!!!!!
CAL From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 495 posts, RR: 9 Reply 25, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 1478 times:
Quoting Snn2003 (Reply 12): As a CO F/A I kinda take fault with this. I have never been shunned by a senior FA when trying to help. We all understand this stuff makes use $$...
Second that.... At continental they have done a good job letting us know that the IFE is an important part of the customer experience and try and do everything possible to have it working correctly. However, They have no training for entertainment systems that flight attendants must take. U think there should be some kind of mandatory course for some basic knowledge.
On continental side now they do provide some computer based learning of all the IFE systems but the flight attendant has to take advantage of this and do it on their own...
CAL........Continental Airlines....... Work Hard, Fly Right
Pgtravel From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 444 posts, RR: 4 Reply 26, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 1456 times:
Quoting PanAm330 (Reply 1): Very nifty. I wonder if B6 will follow suit and progressively install this newer system in their planes as they come due for heavy checks.
B6 has not made any plans to do so yet, but they can always do it later if they want. The new system is much smaller and fits in the overhead bin. It also has a different remote with a couple more buttons for passengers. So it would be a pretty big change for B6 to do it. The good news is that if they make this change, the new system is expandable to as many channels as they want without any additional hardware.
Quoting AA737-823 (Reply 2): Will CO be charging for this service?
Yes, they will. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't consider deals for elites.
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined May 2005, 20630 posts, RR: 62 Reply 27, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1421 times:
Quoting OOer (Reply 7): Also, if you or anyone else happen to be on another flight on DL with an IFE failure and the crew has no idea how to fix it...this is what they need to do.
1. Turn off the IFE power from their screen
2. Call the cockpit, they need to pull the IFE circuit braker
3. Leave the cabin system off for 5-6 minutes
4. Restart the system
Exactly. The F/As resetting the system themselves is NOT the same thing as asking the Captain to power it down.
Anyone who's worked with AVOD technology and especially satellite systems knows that literally unplugging the system, waiting a minute or two, and replugging solves problems that no amount of soft/live reboots can solve. It is what the technicians ask you to do first, as well, because they know it will mean a short service call. And the majority of the rest of the problems involve the "home office" resetting something in the account, or a faulty piece of equipment (which usually means no signal, not 6 blank channels).
It would take just a little training to instill in the F/As this "new reality" on their planes as the airline upgrades the IFE. So either DL isn't doing it, or some F/As are not listening? I don't know the answer…
Quoting Manfredj (Reply 9): The risks involved from complaining passengers is too high on the F/A's part to simply opt not to turn on/troubleshoot the equipment because they are "too old" to care.
I didn't say she was "too old" to care. My point is that many are "too old" to know about how these systems work in a first hand way as they don't use this stuff at home in any way, and because they are senior, have no reason to learn anything new if they don't want to. They know how a 763 works in general having staffed them for years, they know that the old analog tape based system was either working or broken with little in between, and thus don't bother to know that digital technology and PTVs require different methods for fixing. After all, ESPN not working simply because the F/A doesn't think it matters is probably not a fireable offense, so why bother?
Quoting Manfredj (Reply 9): There is something homey about being taken care of by a seasoned crew member.
Usually. Not this lady. 55 year old spikey haired militant type. I kept thinking to myself "if she was my Grandma as a kid, I would beg my Mom not to have to visit."
Quoting Snn2003 (Reply 12): As a CO F/A I kinda take fault with this. I have never been shunned by a senior FA when trying to help.
CO has a different corporate climate. I hope that means that your LiveTV will work better too.
And if you'd just return to SRQ, I'd switch back in a heartbeat!
Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 13): Well Dish network to begin with sucks, poor decision by them to go with dish network instead of DirecTv
Been a Dish customer since before DirecTV merged with Primestar. Service has always been good, DVRs are superior to current DTV fare, channels are ordered more logically, etc.. Nothing is perfect, had some issues, but always resolved.
Quoting Newtothewidget (Reply 15): But before you go and say she should be fired for her rudeness, etc. you might want to cut her a little slack.
I've flown enough to know what there is a "poison employee" in the driver's seat. She was one. Before you go judging my judgment, remember that you were not there, and I was. She was the bossy, domineering type. The rest of the crew was very nice, but she was in charge.
And it wasn't a long day for her, yet. It was the start of her day. This was her first flight, it wasn't delayed or anything, and the problem happened right after wheels up, so the tired excuse doesn't cut it. Overhearing her complaining to a customer near me, turns out she was scheduled for the red-eye LAX-ATL return as well, then a commute flight home (then a 1.5 hour drive from there) to take two days off, then work the ATL-CDG flight (those BE passengers are in for a treat later this week).
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined May 2005, 20630 posts, RR: 62 Reply 28, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1405 times:
Quoting OOer (Reply 7): Solution: Write DL an email from Delta.com, complain about the crewmember that was horrible and list specifics about the flight...they can track who it was.
Thanks for your suggestion, but the whole thing was just the end of a long ordeal, and I want to put it in the past.
TPA-LAX Sunday night: canceled. Why? Because the Sunday morning flight was canceled. The plane went tech and they put all the pax through ATL all day. They kept it there ALL DAY to fix it, and rather than ferry in a new bird for the 7PM, or even use the regularly scheduled plane to LAX (must have sent that one somewhere else), when DL knew it wasn't going to go, they notify passengers by phone AFTER they are already at the airport (too late to make a difference since I already turned in my rental car) that it will be delayed until 9PM. CRC guy says they told him it could be up until 2AM before they cancel, and CRC will close at 7PM. About 6:50PM they decide to just cancel it.
So I was already arriving LAX a day late, after missing an important meeting. I just wanted to relax and watch MNF. But I watched Baby Mama instead. Almost the same thing…
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
Luv2cattlecall From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 1648 posts, RR: 2 Reply 29, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1376 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): I was on DL's 763 with DishNetwork last night out of Atlanta, and the upper 6 channels weren't working. At first, no channels but FX were working, as they were listed as not subscribed (suggesting you call to activate them).
Think that's bad? Many DL 757's I've been on still show BET on what should be the Animal Planet...this problem has been going on for the past 6+ months!
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): She never bothered to ask the Captain if he could reset the system, or contact DL center to notify DishNetwork (who could fix it instantly if told about it)
To be fair, it's probably for the better that the flight deck doesn't worry themselves with IFE issues!
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): I was talking to a CRC agent about this, and he was saying the Panny system is so buggy that they are suspending installations (true?) and that the crews are not trained properly on them.
Not sure about them suspending..however, I do know that the eFX system is a mess due to one main issue: The code is written by "outsiders"..not Panasonic directly...and no designated supplier. VX wrote theirs in-house, and I'm not sure who Delta had write theirs..but they both run on a Linux platform.
I'm more of a PC fan than a Mac fan, but I do have to admit that because they have control over the hardware and the software, there's much more consistency!
On the eX2, the firmware and what not are pre-written...and the airlines simply apply a skin to it.
I'm kind of wondering why CO didn't go with the eX2...it's much more modern than LiveTV w/ things like
-The ability to great each pax by name and pre-load their preferences (takes seat data from SABRE and Shares currently)
-Closed captioning (a biggie IMO..that way you can still talk to fellow pax),
-Interactive connecting gate info, the ability to book future flights, manage your FF acct, etc
-5x the speed and 3x the memory at the seat so there's less load on the server (would also eliminate things like the bumper videos VX plays before each and every music video while the thing loads from server to PTV)...
-AVOD...enough said!
-And the biggest selling point to most pax: each unit has a built in mic array that it uses in order to output a noise-cancellation stream. Not quite as good as a pair of Bose QC2s...but most pax don't have a $300 set of earphones, and this will even work with the throwaway sets
Since this is a new undertaking, the extra cost wouldn't be that much...
Quoting JetBluefan1 (Reply 5):
I would think so. JetBlue owns LiveTV, so the cost to do this would be minimal, and it would enhance the customer experience even further.
Well...you're still talking of about $30-$50 million to roll it out fleetwide....
Putting in on new aircraft is an option, but then it ruins the consistency... Of course, no one would be worse off, so I guess that's a non-issue. Eventually, B6 will have to update their system due to age...should be interesting to see what they do.
Quoting Richierich (Reply 6):
I wouldn't say 'minimal'. It would still be a pretty darn expensive upgrade, and as I understand it, the room for servers on each plane is already being used up. More channels would mean new hardware that fits in the same space. That would not be cheap.
This is one area in which I believe LiveTV is a bit behind. I've always felt that the LiveTV system was designed with low cost of development in mind...and lacks efficiencies which could be realized on a fleet of 50+ aircraft. I got to see the "guts" of an XM enabled B6 aircraft's IFE server, and they use individual decoder chip for each channel... Contrast that to what I saw on a recent tour of a Royal Caribbean vessel last month. The RC ship uses decoders that utilize off the shelf Intel Quad-Core chips - each decoder can handle 12 channels from satellite, and is about the size and weight of a PS3. Their entire pax cabin a/v processing setup, the decoding, the multiplexing, everything..would fit into a 24" roller bag, and weigh less than 50 lbs. It's so small and light that they bolt it down to keep it from "walking away".
Also, if I remember correctly, the B6 system uses hard drives to store movies, etc. The RC system uses solid state drives (like what an iPod Nano uses) that aren't affected by turbulence, the bumps on landings, etc..
This is what VX's media-hub looks like, still a bit bulky
Quoting OOer (Reply 7):
I am a DL F/A and have almost 2 years with them. your statement is 100% dead on. The older more senior F/As will not take advice from more junior...younger F/As...personally I usually fly lead, but when I don't and an issue arises...I just do it, I don't ask!
I really hope that your very-positive attitude is reflected with good pax reports and acknowledged by your supervisors!
Quoting COalways (Reply 8): WOW Continental is going to to have the Best LiveTv system in the skies!!! 80 channels of Directv thats Awesome! Are the going to have 100 channels of XM satelite radio to?
The best LiveTV system doesn't necessarily = best IFE system...it's basically the B6 system with more channels. Once you get past the "core" ~30 channels, the viewership and appeal of the rest of the channels goes down dramatically (Source: I had the displeasure of dating an employee of Nielsen)
When you have to breaststroke to your connecting flight...it's a crash!
Luv2cattlecall From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 1648 posts, RR: 2 Reply 30, posted (3 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 1336 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 27): Quoting Newtothewidget (Reply 15):
But before you go and say she should be fired for her rudeness, etc. you might want to cut her a little slack.
I've flown enough to know what there is a "poison employee" in the driver's seat. She was one. Before you go judging my judgment, remember that you were not there, and I was. She was the bossy, domineering type. The rest of the crew was very nice, but she was in charge.
Just to back Ikr up, he usually is the one pointing out that an FA may have had a long day, and defending airline employees when someone comes on here and whines about insignificant stuff... his comment about the FA should definitely not be taken with a grain of salt... In fact, if I were a Delta employee, I probably would have tried to track down the rogue attendant and I'd have a nice long talk.. Just last night I was reading a story about a large law-firm that canceled its contract with a prominent hotel chain (Hilton, I believe) due to 1 rude employee having a bad attitude with a partner in the firm.
I know that it's convenient to say that the FA could have been having a long/bad day, or that it's not indicative of the whole airline..etc, but I see that as a cop-out for management. My first job was at a video rental store, and we were known for sub-par service (but being the only game in town, what choice did people have?)... Each time we got a complaint, an employee would point out that they have finals coming up, or that their car was out of gas, etc, and the manager sympathized. I became manager eventually, and had a near-zero-tolerance policy for customer complaints (I did use common sense to sort out complaints from problem customers). After I fired 2 employees within my first week there, people got the message that when you're at work, you NEED to put everything else aside. In the back room, I'll be very sorry for you that your dog died, I'm an animal lover too....but it's not the customer's fault, and they shouldn't be forced to share in your problems.
Within a month, the only customer complaints I'd get involved DVDs that wouldn't play, etc...
When you have to breaststroke to your connecting flight...it's a crash!
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From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 444 posts, 
Even other F/As were rolling their eyes at her, because they must have had to deal with her attitude on many other flights. And of course many customers paid the fee for headphones (small fee, but not free) on the pretext that ESPN would be working, and then it wasn't.
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