Another Slam Bam-Tastik Idea
On my personal slice of the WWW, I will admit, I can be a little unrealistic and might even venture into absurdity.
But not this time.
I was on the ladder repairing drywall on a ceiling and a song came from my playlist that I have always liked: “Waitress in the Sky” by The Replacements, perhaps you’ve heard it.
And while on the ladder singing along with The Replacements, an alternative rock band out of Minnesota – an idea struck me like a lightning bolt.
*Side Note 1 – When you listen to The Replacements, you can definitely hear the influence that The Violent Femmes had on them.
I’m not talking about the other ideas I’ve had, which while GREAT ideas that need to be seen to fruition, this one is a Walk-Off Grand Slam in the bottom of the ninth on a full count down by 3 runs.
Sure, other ideas were also good: Dodgeball in the Olympics, and all you need cut in a month haircut to name but a few.
But this one …. Oh, this one …..
Sure, some planning needs to be involved and it might take years to implement, but the benefits are HUGE.
It has the potential to turn a major industry upside down and create even larger profit margins.
Okay – now, you have to clear your mind and be free of any distractions as you read this ……..
Okay – here we go.
Slam Bam-Tastik Idea:
Back story – I’ve flown many times. Many of us have. In all the times I’ve flown I can not count a single engagement with a flight attendant of note. Sure, they serve a purpose. Years ago, they pushed a beverage cart down the aisle and I interacted with them during that.
*Side Note 2 – we all got our bag of 13 peanuts
But other than serving drinks and/or snacks, and later taking a trash bag down the aisle to collect trash, they are not a significant part of my travel.
Nothing against them, I’ve just never needed anything from them, nor asked anything of them.
Are they needed?
Well, I guess, sure.
But, are “THEY” needed.
So …. What if, for a modest fee, I’d suggest $250-$500, you could enroll in a certification and become certified to be a flight attendant for domestic flights.
We’ll leve international flights out of this conversation.
Here’s the pitch: When a flight attendant takes a flight, they are a paid employees and the industry standard is 2 to 4 flight attendants for every 50 passengers. So, if a flight has 150 passengers, then it might have 10 flight attendants. Airlines also pay for hotel accommodations when it applies and also ground transportation between the hotel and airport. That is a huge expense.
Flight attendants make a median salary of $68,370 a year. The highest of the group make over $86,000 a year and the lowest paid make just under $50,000.
Add on to that their insurance and the costs related to stay overs and ground transportation THEN – why not have volunteers sign up to be certified and offer them discounted air-fare?
By reducing the costs of the airlines, the airlines can pass this savings on to you, the customer.
I’m not suggesting we do this for pilots as well. Nope. Not even my, in my highest levels of absurdism would I suggest that.
My idea is for a regular guy like me, I could pay for my flight attendant accreditation and if I am taking a flight I would serve as a flight attendant. I would get free airfare for that flight. I have to assume that my ticket for a domestic flight would be less than the hourly wage of a flight attendant – THINK OF THE SAVINGS.
THINK. OF. THE. SAVINGS.
But it doesn’t have to be a free flight. It can be a reduced rate until a certain criteria is met.
Maybe in a year, your 1st domestic flight is at a 50% reduced rate, your 2nd flight is at 75% reduced rate and after that your flights are free as long as you perform the role and duties as a flight attendant.
I’m sure there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be done.
Certifications to participate in this program need to be properly created and monitored.
I’ll leave that for the many MANY people smarter than me.
Remember recently in a post when I said that 2025 will be “The Year of Endless Ideas” ?
….. BecauseJimSays is never wrong.
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