The Crew Lounge Podcast

TCL 85: What Time Is It?

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 18:27:54 +0000

Welcome back to The Crew Lounge. In this week's flight crew podcast we talk with Scott about company mandatated shared hotel rooms on layovers. We also touch on some recent news including: a flight attendant that retired after 63 years and flight attendant secret tips.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants only and do not reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 84: After the Fall

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:28:47 +0000

We're back and this week our flight attendants discuss some of what happens when an airline goes out of business. This week's guest, LeeAnn, worked with Mimi at ATA before it went out of business. Topics include: what the rumor mill was during the last years, deciding when to leave the airline and what happened in the last few days from their perspective.

TCL 83: Magic Carpet Ride

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The "sky is falling" takes on a whole new meaning in this week's silly and fun flight attendant podcast as we discuss the report that a plane allegedly dropped poop on a New York couple. Inspired by this story we thought we'd help the traveling public with a few lav tips as well.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants only and do not reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 82: Flight Attendant Training

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:49:06 +0000

Our flight attendants discuss training with Paul and Joe as they finish their class. But first, Sara and Mimi discuss places to see in Chicago on a layover. Do you have any Chicago tips? Is deep dish pizza just for tourists? ;)

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 81: Screw Scheduling

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:59:46 +0000

Rumors abound regarding crew scheduling, how its organized and if they have their favorites and not-so-favorites. In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by a former pilot crew scheduler to hear the conversation from the other end of the phone. We discuss scheduler pay, hours, bidding and the differences in pilot and flight attendant scheduling.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 80: Jill of All Trades

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:29:23 +0000

Ramp agent, operations, weight and balance and baggage handling are just a few of the jobs that Susan performed before becoming a flight attendant. Listen to this week's flight attendant podcast to learn more about balancing each of these roles.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 79: Destination Holidays

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:20:50 +0000

Happy Holidays to all our listeners! Join us this week to discuss both naughty air rage and nice trips to the North Pole for sick and underprivileged children. Our flight attendants are joined by Brian discuss:

American Airlines may pull 30 Rock from flights but not because of Alec Baldwin
RIM execs gnawed through restraints before allegedly assaulting the flight attendant
First class air travel thief arrested
And in lighter news of the season:
- Detroit flight to North Pole provided by Silverliners’ Motown Chapter
- Ronald McDonald house kids in Cincinnati get trip to North Pole on Delta
Brian's blog on upgrd.com covering 24 hours in New York City and his newest post on the best places to eat in London

Are you a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode? If so, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 78: Hotel Van Confessions

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:14:32 +0000

In this week's flight attendant travel podcast we are joined by Sluggo and Paul to discuss the news, funny passenger stories and the sordid details that he sees in hotel van rear view mirror.

Qantas investigates pilot's steamy midair 'interaction'
Crew hotel layovers
and more...

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 77: Flight Attendant Gift Guide

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:40:02 +0000

In preparation for the holiday season our flight attendant co-hosts discuss travel gifts in this week's flight attendant podcast. Suggested gifts include:

Travel size Humidifier
A clothes steamer for "ironing" on the road.
Travel power strip with USB port for charging your cell
TravelPro luggage use coupon code THEFLYINGPINTO15
Noise cancelling / folding ear phones. Sound as good as the more expensive brands but without the crazy price tag.
Headphones for kids kidzgear.com
Slingbox, watch your home shows on the road or Roku to watch Internet streaming on your TV
www.flightattendantshop.com - great gifts for travelers
www.jetsetbetty.com
Travel Condoms !
And for those on a budget a Tide Stain Stick !

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

The above affiliate links help offset costs of website hosting and podcast production.

TCL 76: Thank You!

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:21:04 +0000

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States and we want to express a heartfelt thank you to all our listeners worldwide. In this week's travel podcast, we share stories from flight attendants and crew about what they're thankful for and their best Thanksgiving memories.

Thanks for listening and thank you for all your great feedback here, on Twitter and Facebook!

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 75: People Express

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:11:57 +0000

This week our flight attendants talk with a former People Express flight attendant about working at one of the first discount carriers. We discuss flight attendant and flying news and some of the unique work required at People Express including:

TLC ordering 13 half-hour episodes of a reality series
AirTran sued over cockroaches on a flight
Money stolen from flight attendant, flushed down toilet
Newark Airport in the early 80s
Collecting airfare on board
Cross utilization at People Express
and more..

Do you have any questions for a future episode on PEOPLExpress? Comment below or send your questions to fa@upgrd.com

TCL 74: Dirt!

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:08:09 +0000

Our flight attendants talk with Kristy about flight attendant training and what Mimi is really like. Join us for a behind the training class peak at flight attendant school and one of our co-hosts. We also discuss:

Some sad news this week, and a call to all flight attendants to be careful on layovers. A US Airways flight attendant was slain in Mexico City
Steven Slater gets one year probation and a standing ovation.

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

TCL 73: Corporate Flight Attendant

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:08:16 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Seiko to discuss her new role as a corporate flight attendant. In addition we discuss:

The new Pan Am show
Evangeline Lilly recalls farting in a passenger's face as a Flight Attendant
Qantas to revamp their uniforms

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

TCL 72: Pan Am Flight Attendants In The 80s

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:36:47 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we continue our previous discussion about Pan Am Flight Attendants with Kevin, Debbie and Jeri who all flew with Pan Am during the 1980s. We discuss the differences and similarities in their training and Pan Am onboard service during the last decade of Pan Am.

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

TCL 71: Flight Attendant Travel Fitness

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Andrea and Tracy to discuss fitness while on the road.

We discuss some news and keeping active while on layovers:

Out with the old in with the new cabin crews
Emirates Airlines bets on glamour
Healthy rules for Sara and Mimi from Tracy:
- More water - less beer
- Lunch bag first ( almonds, hard veggies and fruits, fiber cereals, whole wheat sandwiches..)
- 4 minutes of the risky business workout is better than a margarita
- Water, veggie before wing, water, lean protein ( wings generally do not qualify) and tons more like:
- Get the hotel rest. to prepare a health sandwich that you can pick up on your way out
- Stretch, breath and be merrier.

Thanks for listening, if you're a flight attendant and would like to join us on a future episode please email fa@upgrd.com!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 70: Flight Attendant Uniforms

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:31:53 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Amelia, Cliff from uniformfreak.com and Scott to discuss collecting airline memorabilia. We discuss:

Working at KLM

The KLM Combi 747s and their often special cargo
Collecting airline uniforms, cutlery, dinnerware, and more
and more...

Thanks for listening, if you're a flight attendant and would like to join us on a future episode please email fa@upgrd.com!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 69: Pan Am Flight Attendants Onboard Service

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:41:01 +0000

Our Pan Am flight attendants have returned in this week's flight attendant podcast to discuss more of Pan Am's onboard service. We start the discussion with the first of seven courses: the caviar cart and walk you through a typical service. We then talk with Gigi and Judy about salaries, schedules, benefits and their eventual switch of airlines.

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers. Creative Commons picture from Russavia

TCL 68: Pan Am Flight Attendants

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:55:39 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Gigi and Judy, two former Pan Am flight attendants. After discussing some recent news, we begin our conversation about Pan Am including:

The Pan Am hiring process including language skills and other requirements
The weight and height requirements for flight attendants
An intro to the service onboard
And the differences in training between then and now
World Wings International is the organization for former Pan Am flight attendants and can also be found on their facebook page
In the news: Someone needs to tell Gerard Depardieu where the bathroom is and hear our reaction to Qantas showing The Female Orgasm Explained

Next week Gigi and Judy give us more insight into onboard service and the inflight meals. (You could get a medium rare steak, heck a medium rare anything!)

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Photo of Judy, courtesy of Judy ;)

A300 photo creative commons attribution to Deanster1983

TCL 67: Tweet Like A Flight Attendant

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:30:18 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast, Mimi joins us to help co-host and interview Baochi from Boingo Wireless. We discuss using Twitter to make traveling easier, how you can use Twitter to get customer service, and how we've made great friends through the service. In addition we discuss:

Cathay Pacific said it has launched a full investigation into photos allegedly showing a flight attendant performing oral sex on a pilot aboard their aircraft.
Top 10 grossest things on airplanes authored by our own Sara
Passengers stealing from airlines
Pan Am show premiers Sep 25th, we're talking with some former Pan Am crew, send in your questions!

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 66: Food Glorious Food

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:07:04 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by our resident foodies Elyse and Jenn to discuss food while traveling. Lots of shocking news from our own panelists and a chat about:

Brothers charged with striking pilot
J.Lo and Marc's divorce drama, why is it always a flight attendant?
Octomom taking over business class
European eats

If you're a flight attendant, gate agent or other crew and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

KKMC3BMJHN8Z

TCL 65: The Trainee

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:14:50 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Dominic to discuss his recent time in training. In addition we discuss:

Miami woman escorted off flight for taking a photo
Americans rank airlines lower than the Post Office and the IRS
Study: Long commute could fatigue pilots
$20 trick?

Are you a flight attendant, gate agent, or ramp employee? Join us for a recording by using the Contact Us form.

TCL 64: Flight Attendant Uniforms

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 03:31:54 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we discuss Sara's judging of the some popular flight attendant uniforms with our guest Mike. In addition we discuss:

The ranting Southwest pilot apologizes
Man sneaks onto plane
No infants allowed in first class on Malaysian Airlines

What's your pick? Which airline has the best uniform? Which has the worst?

TCL 63: You're The Host

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:00:33 +0000

In this flight attendant podcast, recorded a few weeks ago, we asked our listeners on Twitter and Facebook to tell us "What's the most disgusting thing you've ever seen on an airplane" and "What advice do you have for a white knuckle flyer?"

Join us as we discuss the above and news that week including:

The man that was arrested for allegedly slapping a flight attendant
and more.

If you're a flight attendant and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 62: Travel Blog Exchange

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:24:19 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we catch up on the news and talk about the travel blog exchange conference. We discuss:

Man kicked off for swearing may sue airline
Passenger that was arrested for not pulling up pants
US Airways worker stows away in baggage compartment
Aer Lingus 'justified' in sacking hash cookie attendant
Delta Passenger Kimberly Goodwine Serves Light Punishment
The Travel Blog Exchange Conference
Our stay through Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO) and our great host that sponsored our stay in Vancouver

TCL 61: Flying Solo

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:00:07 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Jenn to discuss her switch to international flying and our trip to Vancouver.

Man single handedly joins mile high club
Ryan Air flight attendants tearing their hair out
Shocking Study finds passengers are snobs to each other but flirt with flight attendants. Who would have thought?!
We asked our facebook friends "What's the first thing you do when you get home?"
off to the Travel Blog Exchange - TBEX in Vancouver

TCL 60: Delta Diversion

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:55:42 +0000

On May 20th Delta flight 2060 was diverted to Memphis where a passenger, Bryan Sisco, was removed and taken into custody by police. There have been many reports online of the event with differing stories of the events that led to the diversion. In this podcast Bobby spoke directly with Danielle Valimont, the passenger seated next to Bryan Sisco about the events of that day. Hear directly from Danielle her opinion on the reports of Mr. Sisco's alleged intoxication, whether or not he was flirting, and the communications she had with the flight crew that ultimately led the flight crew to make the decision to divert.

TCL 59: Flight Attendant Dating

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:09:42 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by the Flying Bachelorette to discuss dating in the friendly skies. We discuss:

Best and worst pick up lines
Managing schedules and expectations dating someone outside the industry
Teaching your significant other how to travel
Does a business card really work?

In addition we got your comments on Facebook and Twitter on great things that crew and passengers alike have done for uniformed military on your flights.

TCL 58: Regional Flight Attendant

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Fri, 13 May 2011 03:14:15 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by thesassyfa to discuss the differences working for a regional airlines. In addition we discuss:

American Union upset over "beauty contest"
Recent spout of people trying to open doors midflight
Woman strips naked on flight

If you're a flight attendant and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 57: Cross Trained Agent

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 05 May 2011 20:59:24 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we are joined by Mike, a cross trained gate agent, ramp agent, and ticket counter agent to discuss all of his duties. In addition we discuss the aviation news including:

More time to catch that flight with Richard Branson
Air New Zealand pilot trying to get his job back
Flight attendant for a day
Can people check in too early?

If you're a flight attendant and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

TCL 56: The Flight Attendant Manual

mike@upgrd.com (Flight Attendants Sara and Mimi) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:30:05 +0000

In this week's flight attendant podcast we discuss the contents of the flight attendant manual. We also discuss updating the manual and other fun topics. Plus we chat about some airline news including:

Richard Branson to work in drag as a flight attendant.
Flight attendants get kung fu training
and more...

If you're a flight attendant and would like to join us on a future episode, please email us at FA@upgrd.com.

Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.