Not your Ordinary Flight

In my travels to Mexico recently you have the opportunity to see how the airlines are doing during this economy and how hard they are working to keep things positive for the passengers.

Our group was broken up between several airlines and flights with the Alaska group flying on Alaska Airlines with a layover in Seattle each way. Some of the flights I have made into Seattle have been entertaining as there is usually a pretty decent wind blowing across the runway giving a chance for the pilot to either show off his great skill in bringing several tons of pressurized metal tube full of people down smoothly or allowing the elements to win that landing with a bounce, hard drop, or a controlled crash.

One of our flights with Alaska Airlines was both entertaining and slightly different. It was our return leg from Cancun to Seattle where we had a male/female flight crew along with a mixed steward staff taking care of us after a fun week in the sun and warmth of Mexico.

It started with the preflight briefing. Occasionally, airline attendants make an effort to make the "in-flight safety lecture," and their other announcements, a bit more entertaining.

They explain to you over the intercom and with the flight attendants in the aisles how an airplane seat belt works. She was holding it over her head showing how to snap it and there was a lady about three rows in front of me trying to hold hers up high to snap it and called out to the flight attendant that the seat belt was not long enough. Everyone around her cracked up but ladies and gentlemen, this is America in 2009. If you don't know how a seatbelt works by now, you don't deserve to survive the crash if it happens. I’m not real sure if we need you. It might be time to thin the herd.

After we climbed out of Cancun over the Gulf you get the normal announcements about the flight path, the cities you may be flying over or close too. This one was no exception as the pilot said, "We've reached our cruising altitude now, and I'm turning off the seat belt sign. I'm switching to autopilot, too, so I can come back there and visit with all of you for the rest of the flight."

That brought a few laughs and a couple of worried looks from some of the older passengers.

The flight was just over six hours and when we were a couple of hours out of Seattle the female pilot came on giving us the current weather report for our destination. “Weather in Seattle is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember nobody loves you, or your money, more than Alaska Airlines."

Luck would have it that it was a little windy this trip so after a real crusher of a landing in Seattle, the Flight Attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt up against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silent, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.”

Everyone laughed and it took a bit of ouch out of the rough landing and after we arrived at the gate the flight attendant made her final announcement:

"As you exit the plane, please be sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

"Last one off the plane must clean it."

Times are tough for many industries right now but what was a long day of travel (over 20 hours) was made a little more enjoyable by a lively Alaska Airlines flight crew. Attitude has a lot to do with turning things around maybe it starts with small gestures working its way forward.

Ice