I’m quick to judge when onboard service is poor, so it is only fair that I recognize a flight attendant who goes above and beyond the call of duty, even on a very short flight up the California coast. Today I want to recognize Rowena, who flies for SkyWest for her gracious service onboard my United Express flight.
Rowena Rocks: Best SkyWest Attendant I’ve Ever Had The Pleasure Of Flying With
I mentioned her briefly yesterday in my flight review, but from the moment we stepped onboard I could see that Rowena cared…and while this should be true for every flight attendant, she did far more than what was required of her.
I travel frequently between Burbank, in Southern California, and San Francisco. The flight is operated by a mix of United Airlines mainline jets and regional jets operated by SkyWest on behalf of United Express. I tend to take the United Express flights because the times work better for me.
Onboard, service is a game of roulette. So many times I have heard announcements like “due to the short duration of the flight…” or “due to expected turbulence we are not able to offer a beverage on this flight.”
In fact, on one recent flight, the flight attendant spent the entire flight seated in her jumpseat on the phone, blaming “turbulence” when the flight could not have been smoother. First class passengers did not even get a drink in the air.
Bottom line: flight attendants are actually given a fair amount of discretion on these shorter flights and so when a flight attendant does go above and beyond, I take note.
And Rowena went above and beyond.
Yes of course, she performed a beverage service and offered a selection from the snack basket to first class passengers shortly after takeoff. Yes, of course, she then helped the flight attendant in the back ensure that every passenger in economy class also had a snack and a drink.
But she did not stop. In fact, she never sat down until moments before landing.
She offered multiple refills and additional snacks, thanked every first class passenger for flying United, and was as friendly as could be.
We told her about our tight connection in San Francisco and she (not knowing, nor did we, that our layover would turn out a bit differently than expected) mapped out how to get from our gate to our connecting gate, turn by turn like a GPS. Being a MillionMiler on United who frequently flies through SFO, I knew that already, but I greatly appreciated her proactive help and her knowledge of SFO.
And she’s a traveler…we talked about some of the places we have visited, which is always fun. When someone is enthusiastic about travel, it is contagious.
So thank you Rowena. SkyWest: she should train all your flight attendants. United: what an asset Rowena is to your United Express division. Her charming demeanor makes me more loyal to United.
She is great! I recognize her (and wrote a nice letter) from a flight last month from LAX to FAT. I don’t think she sat still for 1 second more than she had to.
Good for Rowena. It’s a shame she’s only getting SkyWest wages.
It’s amazing how many US based FAs think they don’t have to to provide service. LHR-CDG, FRA-MXP, MAD-BCN are all quite a bit shorter than this and the FAs are able to do a full meal service with refills and a smile. Something like DOH-AUH, half the distance, you get refills on the ground, and continuous service from take off to landing.
Do they think their job is harder than their foreign colleagues?
Nope. They’re just lazy Americans, with a false sense of entitlement.
European FAs also speak , read , and write multiple languages : English , Dutch , German , French , Slovenian , Italian, Spanish , Czech, Norwegian , Danish , Swedish , Flemish , to name but a few .
Not on BA they don’t, but they do manage to serve a meal.
Well, yeah, they’re Euopean. It isn’t strange for them to be speaking a European language or two…
Very nice to see a bright and positive article!