Nervous to Fly? Flight Attendant Gives Big Laughs Before Takeoff

One of my favorite parts of journalism and writing is that most of the stories I get to tell are all different – I’m learning or doing something new almost every day.

Not every career is afforded that fun bonus. So, what happens when you’re in a job that requires you to do and say the same things several times per day (albeit in a variety of locations)? You mix it up and have fun with it, especially if you’re this Southwest Airlines flight attendant, currently making the rounds in her own viral video.

She is delivering the safety instruction speech prior to the plane taking off – and, instead of droning on with less than five people paying attention, she surprises the guests with a comedic version of the directions.

Her zingers include “Wear your seat belt tight and low across your hips, like my grandmother wears her support bra” and “flight attendants are coming by, hoping you’ll tell them how good looking they are,” and “as you know, it’s a no smoking, no whining, no complaining flight.”

This line is my favorite, in the middle of the “if the cabin loses pressure and you have to put on your oxygen mask” part: “If you’re traveling with small children, we’re sorry. If you’re traveling with more than one child, pick out the one that you think might have the most earning potential down the road.”

By the end of her routine, the plane full of people was smiling, laughing, and giving her a round of applause. I’m sure it helped to put them all at ease – especially those who are nervous at the beginning of a flight.

Watch her stand-up gold below — and talk about great customer service!

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To Err (Air) May Be Human, But Costly

I enjoyed an interesting weekend, but that’s not why you come to this forum. Except, in this case, there is a business-related angle. The enjoyment involved the NCAA tournament, the nation’s gaming capital and you can guess the rest.

The implications for business started with West Coast winds that rocked our plane back and forth while it was still sitting at the gate. Thus, a long delay … a late arrival in a southern city with what I believe still has the busiest airport in the world … a missed connection … unhappy fellow passengers wanting to stage a riot … an overnight stay.

On the anecdotal side, a fellow passenger who said he once worked for Southwest Airlines (not the culprit here), offers that the in-air claims of "we’re working with the gate agents to do everything we can to help you make your connections" are bogus. On the more factual side, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) offers a paper titled "What Happened to the Airline Industry?" 

Among the fact-based review of industry changes is the statement: "Delays and full flights had made passengers so averse to connecting flights that adding a layover to the route could reduce the number of passengers on it by almost four-fifths." I’m not sure about that total, but NBER has the breakdown here.