Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Could be a scary read for some., August 31, 2005
This is definitely not a book to read while on a flight to somewhere, especially if you are seated in economy class and beginning to come out of the far side of middle age. The book describes many antics that those in the industry get up to, the incidents that occur on flights and the somewhat casual approach many crew have towards their profession. A lightweight yet enjoyable read that provides an insight into many of those incidents that all air travellers have experienced from time to time at airports, or in the air but couldn't quite get a grip on. And a final warning, don't be rude to the check-in folk or you will definitely regret it!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fly The Friendly Skies?, March 4, 2006
After reading Hotel Babylon, I had to get my hands on a copy of Air Babylon. The pilot's hungover, the flight attendants are drunk, the passengers are coked up, there's a corpse in the galley, and children spray vomit from row A to row K.
Supposedly, this has all really happened. On board, any annoying first class passengers won't be delighted to know where their steak might have been, and economy meals are usually too sloppy to hold, so offenders will simply have their stew spiked with Dulcolax. The advice on scams is handy, too. Look out for those duty-free designer watches: it's all too tempting for flight attendants to replace the genuine article with unspottable $5 fakes from Thailand and pocket the difference. And any regular traveller will be interested to hear how check-in staff, exchanging e-mails with the boarding gate, casually conspire to smooth your way or ruin your flight, according to their whim. It really does pay do be nice to people in the service industry. Overall, I thought it was a fun, guilty pleasure!
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Insulting and simply, a bad book, November 23, 2006
I didn't have any illusions when I picked up this book. I worked for two airlines for a total of 13 years. I thought things might be exaggerated a bit. I expected it. I laughed my backside off in Airplane and I can take a joke about my job.
I wish I could give this sorry book negative stars. It was just pathetic and insulting. It was so full of misinformation. No plane would be allowed to fly like that. The only person I ever knew who drank onboard was fired. The only death we had was treated with dignity (she wanted to see Paris one last time). She was kept in her seat, shielded from view (not with garbage bags) and removed with an ambulance gurney, not a drinks cart. F/A's spend hours with the defibrillator and passing the test is not easy. No one would have been fumbling with it. It's not given over to another passenger, doctor or not (functions very differently than those in the hospital). Doctor's licenses are checked. No one would put anything in anyone's food because guess who gets to clean it up?!? I could go on but I wont.
Even the terms were wrong. Business class, for instance, was always referred to as "Club", which is what British Airways calls theirs'. I've never heard the term "hosties" even though I worked at Heathrow for 6 years. I wont even comment on the Flight Attendant "inspections". F/A's are not allowed to have green hair, but give us a break!
I did "surf" though once. Ferrying a plane is a rare treat and ours' was a military charter. Sure there are also couples who dive in the toilets but most F/A's couldn't give a toss. We have things to do and barely enough time to get it all done, let alone sit on customers' faces.
Getting a job with the airlines isn't easy. There's a lot of competition and those chosen are definitely not "office people" or "9-5ers". I worked with some pretty colorful characters and some really interesting folk. We were often rolling in the aisles, and not because of drinking or sex. There are some really funny people working up there at 30,000ft but the author missed that point entirely. There are some funky situations and some sad. Then there are the layovers all over the world... Those who want a boring job, need not apply!
She missed the magic and fun of working in this field. I, personally, think the whole book is made-up as a joke on the readers.
Don't be a sucker. Don't waste your time.
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