Customer Reviews

The Air Traveler's Survival Guide: The Plane Truth From 35,000 Feet

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Written by A. Frank Steward (ha, ha), this volume is a little bit of memoir, a little bit of advice by a seasoned veteran of the skies, but mostly a collection of stories about the life of a flight attendant. Tales of hijacking are conspicuous by their absence and security procedures are dealt with in bland admonishments to remember that it's for the traveler's good, thus instantly dating this book as pre-9/11. Talking about coach-class meal service is another dead giveaway.

It was probably funnier before last fall to read about people on planes who get sick, drunk, loopy enough to take off all their clothes in the john, or who get stuck there. Still, amid the tiresome dross (there is WAY too much vomit flying around) there are scattered gems. I was moved, for example, by the tale of a double amputee determined to see the world, and the flight attendant who quit the business but could never find his place in life. Since the book has no plot or organization it's easy to skip over the lesser parts, at least. I'd say this one is a reasonably good way to pass the time on an economy class flight.

This book made me laugh, cry and intrigued me to no end. I always wondered what it would be like to be a flight attendant and now I know, and have gained a greater appreciation of their job. I read the book on a ten hour flight and it made what would have been a boring trip, thoroughly enjoyable. A Frank Steward is a pen name for an open honest(frank)flight attendant(steward) who tells it like it is. I finished it unfortunately the day of the Twin Towers tragedy and feel for the people that risk their lives everyday. It was kind of spooky that there is a chapter in the book called "Insecurity" that outlines the lack of security in US Airports and the need for dramatically heightened regulations in America. He goes on to say that it is going to take some major terrorist event to wake up the world and change security measures. Unfortunately he was right and things will now have to change. This book is a glance into the various cultures, bizarre travel experiences, and a closer look into the people who get us from one point to another. Great read and I hope there is more.
LF

I got this book as a going away present and enjoyed it tremendously. It's a travel book with a twist, an insider's view of the people and crew inflight. Some of the strong points are the humor and feelings that are in some of the chapters. One flaw is that unless you are a frequent traveler, some of the humor is missed. A Frank Steward is at times quite frank, so if you can't laugh at yourself, than this isn't for you. Overall rating 8 out of 10. I look forward to the next flight.

I am currently a flight attendant and was skeptical at first glance of this book, but as I read on I was wonderfully transformed. It is about time that someone said what Frank Steward says. The book is funny, interesting, sad, helpful and would be a great flight companion for passengers and flight crews. It may be a great healing piece which is desparately needed in the airline industry these days. Frank Steward is donating 10% of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Relief Fund and families of fallen crewmembers. I was impressed.

This wonderfully written book was a lucky find. I had seen a couple of people on a recent flight reading this book and they never put it down. I asked both of them if they would recommend it, and they said absolutely!
I had never heard of the author A. Frank Steward before, but that was because it is a pen name for an honest flight attendant, who tells it like it is.
Full of fascinating airline stories (funny and sad), helpful traveling and inflight advice, and insights on the traveling public from a flight attendant's view.
It's the perfect book to read on a flight or at the airport, but the only problem was that I couldn't put it down at home and finished it before my next flight. If you are feeling a bit apprehensive about flying, especially these days, I would recommend this for your next flight. A healing period is needed for the air travel industry and this is the perfect start.
My only critiscism is that it didn't come out earlier, there is an insightful chapter that outlines the desparate need for change in security at America's airports.
Great book for all.
JM

Please ignore the 1 * comments by "James". James, I was based in London with "Frank" for YEARS and personally witnessed one of the incidents/anecdotes described. Elliot Hesters book was more a look at the profession but this book gives advice, anecdotes and several laughs.

I recently read and really enjoyed A. Frank Steward's latest book The Plane Truth: Shift Happens at 35,000 Feet, so I decided to read this one and absolutely loved it. I don't normally write reviews but this book stood out to me. It was a humorous, fair and often times touching representation of air travel and some of the bizarre occupants along the way.
Granted it was obviously written before the 9/11 tragedy but that is what makes his latest book so poignant. I would recommend both books to anyone who wants to laugh and enjoy their flight more, not to the grumpy frequent flyers who take out their frustrations on a constantly changing career field. I hope that this is the beginning of a new series of air travel books. It honestly saved me from a horrible flying experience, instead of suffering through it, I laughed, uncontrollably at some points. This is a major point for me as I am not a calm flyer to say the least.

Unfortunately this book comes out at a time when air travel is in it's decline, but coming from someone who doesn't read as much as he should, this book is what flying is all about. This classifies as my favorite book of the year. Great all around travel book!

It was a thoroughly entertaining book. It opened up my eyes to some of the people that work on the planes. It was a funny book but had some great tips and touching stories as well.

I am a frequent business traveler and have read all three flight attendant books out there now. This one is the best by far! I totally recommend this book for it's all around human touch. The other ones are good, but similar to a joke book. Frank Steward gives great advice, a clear in-flight perspective and an inside look into the people behind the carts. I am surprised that this book hasn't been in the media much more! Rating: Great book