Jun 14, 2006 02:11 PM
3979 Views
I travelled from Delhi to Seattle via KLM & NorthWest.
I hope it was just one bad experience.
Though I am not likely to try & find out how the experience would be a next time unless some emergency strikes or I am taken hostage from my house & dragged on to a KLM craft.
Staff can't communicate well. If there is one Airline that cries for ESL training apart from finishing school ... it is this.
Courtesy along with knowledge about what they were doing were both missing.
Staff didn't know what they were serving. On being asked what was being served as vegetarian food... the woman kept repeating "Vez food". Like her chanting it a few times would conjure a vision of the menu before us.
She asked another steward in to explain to me what was being served in the veg menu...
& he said "Vez Food" & they both gave a giggle...
Amazing... if ever I saw a live demonstration of "Proud to be Daft"...
Asking for water mid flight is again something KLM looks down upon.
My co passenger asked a passing airhostess for one of their precious 100 ml cups of water.... (she was carrying a tray full of them, but was few rows away)...
"Yesss" She was told curtly, "I will come back to you after serving other passengers too" . This was mid flight, most passengers were asleep. She could have just excused herself & used the loo or whatever she needed to do. But after her sharp reply... I didn't see anyone around me ... dare to ask for water for the rest of the flight .. self included... :)
The partner airline N-W was no better. We boarded after having a hearty meal at the airport & ready with our own water bottles & tiffin boxes. Infact my partner had enough to feed a few crew members if cost cutting had brought things to real sad levels.
But bad things happen in pairs... KLM & NW... My ear was hurting & I had to request the airhostess for ear plugs...
She was verrrrrrrrrrry strict & so loud like pointing me out to the whole aisle... "ears plugs are only for business class"...
Great... so my ear is hurting... stuff some sponge into another passengers ears...
anyways ... I am sure it is not people... its the cost cutting by airlines...
saving on costs of pretzels, ear plugs, water (thank god the toilets work on dry flushes)...
But even in bad days of soaring costs ... manners & knowledge of whatever stingy little you are doing can be mastered...???
Else start Outsourcing in-flight services to cost effective ASEAN countries ..
