# St Barts Forums > Getting To St Barts Forum - Airlines, Ferry Service, Charters >  >  If only VX flew to SXM/SJU

## JEK

We make several trips a year on Virgin America from IAD to SFO and love the service. Today is the first time we flew on a Saturday and were interested to see  a number of other carrier crews deadheading. One deadheader brought chocolates for the cabin crew.  Talked to our number 1 and he said that on Saturday and Monday they are slammed with other carrier's crews. They seem to prefer the Virgin America experience :)

image.jpg

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## stbartshopper

We are curious- do you have a purple filter on your camera or is that the color at the time you took the photo?

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## JEK

Mood lighting on VX flights.

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## jeffbg

> Mood lighting on VX flights.



Had the same on ANA leaving about 5pm from Tokyo - was like the sun was setting inside the cabin!

- jeff

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## Islander

> They seem to prefer the Virgin America experience :)



Unfortunately crew usually don't get to decide which airline they're deadheading on. Your picture shows a flight deck of an airbus. 

If it ain't Boeing, I'm not going!

Boeing calls the "mood lighting" the "Sky interior". Available on the Dreamliner and the latest 737-800's.

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## JEK

> Your picture shows a flight deck of an airbus.



That's because that's all VX flies. Best airline in the US by any measure.

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## Islander

The Airbus (a.k.a the "Scarebus")....So much for supporting US economy...:)   But after all, the founder, Sir Richard Branson, is himself European...

US airlines: not hard to beat in customer experience. I was not impressed by the service aboard the last AA flight I took. An old 767, with no personal entertainment screen, a freezing cabin, and aging flight attendants (they really shouldn't be doing this job past 60 years old, no offense intended).

Oh yes, I can see why VX is doing well:

"Main Cabin seats offer 32 inches (810 mm) of pitch and are 17.7 inches (450 mm) wide with power-ports and adjustable headrests. In Main Cabin, _Red offers free live satellite television, pay-per-view on-demand movies and on-demand television shows, a small selection of free games and a larger selection of games for purchase.[57] Passengers can order snacks, meals, and alcoholic beverages from their seats via Red. Flight attendants receive the orders via a tablet computer on the food cart thereby eliminating the traditional food and beverage service.[59]"_

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## kent1994

Why do you call Airbus "Scarebus"?

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## KevinS

> The Airbus (a.k.a the "Scarebus")....So much for supporting US economy...:)   But after all, the founder, Sir Richard Branson, is himself European...
> 
> US airlines: not hard to beat in customer experience. I was not impressed by the service aboard the last AA flight I took. An old 767, with no personal entertainment screen, a freezing cabin



Wait until you try AA's new 737-800. In coach, every aisle and every center seat has a box under the seat in front of you for the personal entertainment system.  It's bad enough in the center seat, but it's difficult to fit anything but the smallest personal item under an aisle seat.  It's difficult to even put your feet in that space.

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## elgreaux

sorry to say but the remark about the over-60 flight attendants is indeed offensive, if they are doing a good job what business is it of yours how old they are...

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## JEK

> sorry to say but the remark about the over-60 flight attendants is indeed offensive, if they are doing a good job what business is it of yours how old they are...




Agree 100%. Sexist.  Ageist.

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## cassidain

Especially see #5,6,&13

Like every occupation, the airline industry has its own lingo. Today we'll be sharing some slang so you can be in the know, too. And know just how bad it could be if Blue Juice splashed all over a Lounge Lizard touching up her Landing Lips before sitting in the Sharon Stone Jumpseat.
*1. BLUE JUICE, N.*

The lavatory water is blue. So when we call the pilot to say, The lav is out of blue juice, you may want to hold it.
*2. COMMUTER, N.*

A crew member who lives in one city but takes a plane to their base city to get to work. These are tired crew members.
*3. CONCOURSE SHOES, N.*

High-heeled pumps flight attendants wear to walk though the airport, changed out for comfortable (usually ugly) flats once in the air. Would you believe there is a market for used flight attendant shoes on eBay? Now, I would love to sell my smelly old shoes but I find the idea rather creepy.
*4. CRASHPAD, N.*

Commuters sometimes share an apartment with 20 or more other commuters so they dont have to pay for a hotel room between trips. Ive never had a crashpad because one bathroom for 20 people sounds icky.
*5. DEADHEADING, V.*

Flying as a passenger on company business to get to work. (Nothing to do with The Grateful Dead.) You may have to deadhead to New York to work a flight back to Los Angeles so you are deadheading to New York. We like deadheading!
*6. DINOSAUR, N.*

Really senior flight attendant. Just about every flight attendant starts off thinking they will only fly a few years. But as the years go by, the time off, and the flexible schedule and travel perks just get better and better, so you end up sticking around (forever and ever).
*7. JUMPSEAT, N.*

The uncomfortable fold-down chairs we sit on.
*8. JUMPSEATER, N.*

An off-duty crew member hitching a ride when there is no passenger seat available. This makes you sort of homeless and generally standing around the bathrooms in flight.

*MORE FROM YAHOO! TRAVEL...*

The 11 Strangest Things People Ask for on Planes
*
This Is Really a Gas Station Bathroom
*
How to Take the Perfect Underwater Picture of a Sea Turtle

*9. LANDING LIPS, N.*

The snappy gorgeousness you see after we reapply lipstick before landing in order to look fresh for the buh byes.
*10. LOUNGE, N.*

The rooms downstairs where we have couches and computers and where we sign in and brief for trips.
*11. LOUNGE LIZARD, N.*

A commuter who doesnt have a crashpad and doesnt want to pay for a hotel between trips. They sleep on the couch in the lounge overnight. The lizard part is because they cant take a shower. Glamorous!
*12. MINI ME, N.*

A small trash cart that is half the size of the big trash cart. Crew members have been known to climb into the big trash cart to scare passengers!
*13. SENIORITY RULES, N.*

Ever wonder why you see older flight attendants on longer flights? The airline industry is an odd duck in that we only get paid when we are in the air  not while boarding the plane or, worse, waiting to pull away from the gate to takeoff (we hate it just as much as you!). Most people prefer to get paid when they are at work, so junior flight attendants are stuck with the four or five short flights a day where they are only getting paid half of the day. So if youre on a short flight you will have younger and cuter (and poorer) crew members. Like any occupation, you pay your dues and it slowly gets better and better  one reason why there are so many dinosaurs.
*14. SHARON STONE JUMPSEAT, N.*

The jumpseat that faces the passengers. This goes back to the movie _Basic Instinct_, where the actress crosses and uncrosses her legs. Extra caution is required to sit here while wearing a dress.
_Yahoo Travel is a mental_floss partner. Confessions of a Fed-Up Flight Attendant is a Yahoo Travel series where Betty describes the harrowing, real-life situations she and her comrades in the sky face every day, 35,000 feet away from a foot massage and premium whiskey._

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## cassidain

I flew the stupidly cheap Allegiant Airline recently. Three cute, young stewardesses. Didn't think they came that way anymore...on American based carriers. 
Just sayin'

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## Islander

> Agree 100%. Sexist.  Ageist.



Why sexist? There is no mention of female flight attendants in my post. This is a wrong assumption on your part. You accuse me of being sexist for no reason.

What's your problem, JEK? You're not being a friendly moderator for the moment. Perhaps should you take a deep breath and take example on the other moderators who actually "moderate" their speech?

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## Islander

> Why do you call Airbus "Scarebus"?



Google it up and you'll find out... but basically this is how the Americans called the first generation Airbus (the A320 crashed a few times in the early days). Probably associated with some French bashing or should I say European bashing in this case as the Airbus is assembled in Toulouse (France) but built in Germany, Spain, France and in the UK. 

Nowadays, the Airbus is a strong and reliable aircraft. Most US airlines have some Airbus in their fleet, and the "Scarebus" effect is dissipating. But as an European who trained in the US and heard that word repeatedly from my instructors, it's still deeply in my ears.

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## Islander

> sorry to say but the remark about the over-60 flight attendants is indeed offensive, if they are doing a good job what business is it of yours how old they are...



Well in fact it is my business as I work with flight attendants all year long. Their main duty is to maintain safety for passengers, not serving coffee. I have seen flight attendants on AA (and other airlines) who are too old for the job. As Cassidain's post, they are indeed called the "dinosaurs" in the industry.

In a real emergency situation, I'd like to see these grandpas and grandmas jumping on a slide from the height of a 767 and not get hurt when reaching the ground.

I just did the recurrent training a few days ago and jumped from a slide (pilots have to do it also), it is not something I look forward to when I'll be 65 years old.

Flying 900 hours per year across multiple time zones and being constantly jet lagged (the senior FA's are usually on long haul flights) is really though on the body. Again, not very pleasant when you're over 60. Flag carriers and legacy airlines have a seniority system (boosted by unions) that encourages flight and cabin crew to fly until they retire. This is not how it works on low-cost airlines or younger generation airlines (such as VX, SouthWest or JetBlue). 

In Europe, Air France, BA, Lufthansa also have senior flight attendants, whereas the young airlines promote youth and yes, good-looking and young female flight attendants. Nothing wrong with that, after all it's a business where customer satisfaction is important. 

My post was not ageist at all, just realistic. It's my own opinion of course, but as someone who actually works in the airline industry, I believe I see a bigger picture.

Yea, yea, whatever....

panamfa.jpg

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## elgreaux

> I flew the stupidly cheap Allegiant Airline recently. Three cute, young stewardesses. Didn't think they came that way anymore...on American based carriers. 
> Just sayin'



also a sexist remark, if you want to ogle young women there are places you can pay to do so....  :evil:

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## cassidain

> also a sexist remark, if you want to ogle young women there are places you can pay to do so....



Ellen, I value our friendship, but we have different values. I like pretty stewardesses and make no apology for it. You are free to have your own tastes and predilections.

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## debo

As a now retired 40 yr airline employee I find your remarks very surprising and a bit ridiculous for another airline employee to me making..those 55 to 70 yr old flight attendants have to go through recurrent training each year and prove in front of FAA inspectors that they can perform their duties in case of emergency which includes evacuation of a fully loaded aircraft from the smallest to the largest in the fleet..I worked the in building at AA where all the recurrent training was done for both flight attendants,pilots and my fellow dispatchers and saw daily them performing the above mention duties..as far as young pretty flight attendants..yes Virgin and Jet Blue have many that fit the category but then they are still relatively new carriers in the big scheme of things..not so much Southwest any longer as their employee base is aging just as Southwest is.. Are you suggesting that once those younger attendants be forced to retire or be fired as they get older??Shortly before I retired from AA they had begun hiring new flight attendants again for the first time in years and yes..some were young and pretty and others were in their 50's and still beautiful women and good looking men..Unless of course you also have an issue with male flight attendants..bottom line is as long as they are capable of doing the job why shouldn't they continue to do the job they love...the days of flight attendants not being able to work past age 35 or having to resign when they got married was ushered out in the 70's...Just my observation here and you are certainly entitled to your opinion but I for one don't agree with it...

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## elgreaux

> Ellen, I value our friendship, but we have different values. I like pretty stewardesses and make no apology for it. You are free to have your own tastes and predilections.



Ditto re: our friendship, but sexism, racism, ageism, bigotry... make no sense to me... anyway may you always get a pretty stewardess, may I always get a competent flight attendant....

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## Islander

Well, flight attendants can be pretty and competent at the same time (valid both for male and female FA's).

I don't see any sexism, racism, ageism or bigotry in the posts above... we are talking about competence and customer satisfaction in the airline business.

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## Islander

> As a now retired 40 yr airline employee I find your remarks very surprising and a bit ridiculous for another airline employee to me making..those 55 to 70 yr old flight attendants have to go through recurrent training each year and prove in front of FAA inspectors that they can perform their duties in case of emergency which includes evacuation of a fully loaded aircraft from the smallest to the largest in the fleet..I worked the in building at AA where all the recurrent training was done for both flight attendants,pilots and my fellow dispatchers and saw daily them performing the above mention duties..as far as young pretty flight attendants..yes Virgin and Jet Blue have many that fit the category but then they are still relatively new carriers in the big scheme of things..not so much Southwest any longer as their employee base is aging just as Southwest is.. Are you suggesting that once those younger attendants be forced to retire or be fired as they get older??Shortly before I retired from AA they had begun hiring new flight attendants again for the first time in years and yes..some were young and pretty and others were in their 50's and still beautiful women and good looking men..Unless of course you also have an issue with male flight attendants..bottom line is as long as they are capable of doing the job why shouldn't they continue to do the job they love...the days of flight attendants not being able to work past age 35 or having to resign when they got married was ushered out in the 70's...Just my observation here and you are certainly entitled to your opinion but I for one don't agree with it...



Whatever... I'm such a nostalgic!

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## debo

Whatever!!! LOL!!! Great reply...by the way..whatever happened to good old Pan Am,Eastern,Braniff International and all those beautiful young flight attendants...many of them are still flying for AA,UA,DL and yes even Southwest!!!!...Have a good evening Islander!!

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## cassidain

> ...may you always get a pretty stewardess, may I always get a competent flight attendant....



les deux, à la fois, madame. :)

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## MIke R

I would rather have an older FA with experience in an emergency situation than some inexperienced  hottie who might make some awful decisions  in regard to my personal safety in an emergency .....

so I am assuming those who want young and pretty FAs would also want older captains and co captains out in favor of a younger crew as well????.....or does a double standard exist?

my parents both worked for TWA when sexism ruled the airline industry and they  met while working there ....when my father married my mother, TWA  told my mother she had to quit, as married people couldn't both work for the airline .....and she had  the better job at the time !!!

thankfully those days are gone

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## cassidain

> I would rather have an older FA with experience in an emergency situation than some hottie who might make some awful decisions  in regard to my personal safety in an emergency .....



so what "ism" is that, for you on the Left who are into "isms" ? i.e. if a hottie stewardess is assumed to be stupid or incompetent? hottieism? 
give it a rest.

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## MIke R

> so what "ism" is that, for you on the Left who are into "isms" ? i.e. if a hottie stewardess is assumed to be stupid or incompetent? hottieism? 
> give it a rest.




Learn to read and comprehend what you read .....I said MIGHt make an awful decision, not will make a bad decision ,  and  that remark was based on relative inexperience as a FA, not a nice ass..,that's why I said EXPERIENCED older FA

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## Islander

> Whatever!!! LOL!!! Great reply...by the way..whatever happened to good old Pan Am,Eastern,Braniff International and all those beautiful young flight attendants...many of them are still flying for AA,UA,DL and yes even Southwest!!!!...Have a good evening Islander!!



Debo, you don't realize what's being discussed here.... You're talking about the right to work, where I talk about competence and customer satisfaction. Not the same topic at all. There are hundreds of jobs available on the ground for flight attendants who'd like to stop flying (and many do). They usually convert to office duties or training.

Any international traveler who regularly flies abroad will compare service, quality of aircraft and general customer experience. Competition is everywhere. Asian airlines, some European airlines, Middle East airlines are competing with old US airlines such as AA, UA and DL. They invest in modern aircraft, and provide better customer experience in general. But of course, the only way to know is to try. Have you tried Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Thai Airways, Air China, Virgin Atlantic, ...? 

This topic started with VX for a reason. This airline brings some fresh air in the US airline industry. Part of their success is in the modern fleet their provide, but is also about the general passenger experience. I believe that flights attendants should be rather young and pleasant. Exactly as in any other service industry.

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## cassidain

From the HuffingtonPuffingtonPost

cording to a survey of 1,000 people by the Business Travel and Meetings Show (BTMS), Virgin Atlantic has the most attractive flight attendants with 53 percent of those surveyed picking Virgin's "red hotties." 
Businesstraveler.com reported the survey results and noted Singapore Airlines' "cabin crew received 18 percent of votes for the top spot, while 12 percent gave Etihad's the thumbs up. Emirates' staff came in fourth with 11 per cent, followed by Aer Lingus with six per cent."
While 1,000 people isn't the largest survey pool, the whopping 53 percent of the tally going to Virgin's "red hotties" does say something about the qualifications Sir Richard Branson values when hiring staff. 


_Nobody's really complaining._The survey results also fit in with the image Virgin Atlantic is trying to portray. Sleek, sexy, exciting. Some might claim Virgin Atlantic is objectifying their flight attendants, but after watching the following video, do you think they care?

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## JEK

> so what "ism" is that, for you on the Left who are into "isms" ? i.e. if a hottie stewardess is assumed to be stupid or incompetent? hottieism? 
> give it a rest.



  Hank,
You can't possibly believe that racism, anti-semitism, sexism are only the words of one leaning? I don't think the Holy Father would agree with that interpretation. When any group of people are vilified by their unique human condition, how could anyone condone that behavior.

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## cassidain

John, this thread presents a good example of the different interpretations that persons of different ideologies place on everyday life situations. One sees sexism while the other sees attractive flight attendants. 
The Holy Father and I are in complete agreement regarding the human individual and his or her God-given right to be treated with dignity from natural conception to natural death.

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## tim

From Virgin's "red hotties" to the Holy Father, where will this thread travel next?:)

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## cassidain

> From Virgin's "red hotties" to the Holy Father, where will this thread travel next?:)



The least moderation is the best moderation. ☺️

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