First Time in Flight
On a recent vacation, I decided to be frugal on a flight between Hamburg and Stockholm and flew on Ryanair for the first time. Once on board, I realized I was not the only first-time flyer on the flight. Who else, you ask? The person next to me? No. The little girl two rows up? No. It was a flight attendant!
Now, I know that everyone has to be new on the job once in their life, but this was a hands-on experience I did not appreciate. I also understand that Ryanair is a low-cost carrier, always looking to cut down on their costs to continue to give us, the consumers, the best prices possible. However, when I saw a senior flight attendant teaching the new girl how to open and close the main cabin door (repeatedly, as she could not close it properly the first two times, let alone open it in case of emergency) it was one step too far for me.
There are certain occupations that require practical training, and flight attendants definitely need the real equipment to do their training. I just prefer when I am not 30,000 feet in the air during their first go-around. I suppose some would say you get what you pay for. However, I did arrive safely, which was the primary purpose of the flight.
Afterwards, I was speaking to one of the pilots who worked for SAS for many years. He made a good point as well. When you purchase a ticket on Ryanair, you buy a mode of transportation from point A to point B. When purchasing a ticket on a major air carrier, especially when flying business, or first, you are also buying the experience. I guess once you go business you can’t go back. I will most definitely appreciate all my future flights, especially those in the premium class cabins - flight attendants, seats, and all!
- Alex Young, Associate Publisher and Vice President
