TSA Takes Toys from an 8 Year Old Boy/Russian Airline Wants Hot Flight Attendents: A C2 Response

RUSSIAN AIRLINE GOES SEXY

According to an online report, Russian Airlines company Aeroflot plans to upgrade their flight attendants by hiring "very striking, very eye-catching girls" to serve passengers on their planes. Of course they also plan several other changes as well (uniforms, aircraft changes, customer service, etc.), but a key component of the changes will be in their personnel.

Though I've never flown this airline before, I do fly semi-regularly (a couple times a year). I could care less about what the women who serve me look like. What I could go for, however, is a little better service (or maybe a lot better service). Service on airlines is starting to resemble Walmart: get in, get what little bit you're promised and not a smile or ounce of effort more, then get out! "Thanks for flying "[fill in popular airline company here]!"

To Aeroflot, a few questions:

• How do you plan to measure the hottness/sexiness of your potential Stewardesses?

• Will there be added financial incentives to women who work hard to keep up their appearances (working out) or add to them (such as through cosmetic surgery or botox)?

• Will you offer refunds if passengers aren't pleased with the quality of their eye candy while on board?

• As executives, are you pleased to know that men boarding your planes are encouraged by your company to gawk at and enjoy the scenery that is your female employees?

• Last one - just to be clear - I assume you will hold your employees accountable for sexual harassment in the workplace, but will encourage it from your passengers?

So the moral of your company's story is: hot women = better bottom lines (all puns intended) and a better standard for customer service? Friendly skies indeed.

TSA Takes Toys From an 8 Year Old Boy

Let's get a couple things out of the way, first.

• I am a HUGE Disney fan (my wife and I are, both, former Cast Members/Employees and love visiting their parks - though because of cost have only been able to go once in 13 years).

• I generally support the TSA, despite all the annoyances that comes with removing everything down to my shoes just to board a plane (even more annoying when I have to do the same for my kids). I also don't like the 3-D X-Ray machine and don't like being treated rudely by a select few; however, in general most are wonderful and do the best they can to make an annoying situation as comfortable as possible.

My response is less toward the TSA and more toward another blogger (Scott Carmichael) who, while well intentioned, misses the mark in his article regarding the situation. To sum it up, a young boy went to Disney World with his family as a way of coping with the loss of his father to cancer (to that family - my heart breaks for you). On their return trip home, the TSA agents in Ft. Lauderdale confiscated a few toys he planned to carry on to the plane (one being a Pirates of the Carribean sword and the other a toy gun); Disney replaced the toys after hearing about this incident (see why we love Disney!). To add insult to injury, after the agent(s) confiscated the toys they apparently turned around and played with them in front of the boy. According to the TSA's policies (posted in all U.S. airports and online) no weapons or anything resembling a weapon may be brought on to a plane (Mr. Carmichael references these policies in his article).

I understand Mr. Carmichael's view (that the toys were obviously toys, the boy is obviously a boy who was playing with these toys - not a terrorist, and he is also a boy grieving the unbelievable loss of his father); I do not fault him for his view - I even sympathize with it. I simply write to state that in the age we live in, terrorists use anything to harm the innocent (hence the reason they train children to carry bombs). It probably was quite obvious to the TSA agents that this was a normal boy with souvenirs, but their policies do not allow them to make judgment calls (especially when the rules are clear).

This is something I went through personally... a few years back I was in Atlanta on business and decided to buy my then 3 year old son a mini souvenir Braves' bat (wood) to hang on his wall. At the last minute as I was walking out of my hotel room I saw that I forgot to pack the bat and, not thinking about it, I put it in my carry on bag. As I went through TSA Security they removed the bat and told me I could: (1) go back to the counter and ask to put it in my already checked bag (don't know how that would have happened considering my bag was well on its way to the plane, but it was an option), (2) throw it away myself, or (3) turn it over to the TSA agent. Reluctant to do any of them, I turned it over as it was the easiest of the three options. As the TSA agent turned her back with my son's (former) bat in hand, she announced to another agent "look what I got for my grandson!" Yes, that was tactless and mean for her to say, especially seeing how badly I wanted to keep that bat and give it to my son (and yes I was enraged sitting on the plane the whole way home); however, the rules were posted and it was my fault for failing to check the bat with my baggage.

The mom or family in this situation was probably like me - just not thinking. They let the boy bring the toys as a way of clinging a little longer to the trip, putting off the reality of the empty home that awaited him. Thankfully, again, this story had a happy ending since Disney replaced the boy's toys (even though they had no reason or obligation to do so - good job Disney!).

For Mr. Carmichael, I understand your frustration (as I share it, too), but to attack the TSA for doing their jobs (thinking of security when we obviously do not and making sure our planes are safe) is an error. Yes, it was hurtful that the agents carelessly began playing with toys in front of the boy - so call them out for that. Do not call them out for lacking "common sense [at the] checkpoint" when there is no ambiguity in their policies. Their decision was not only smart, but the ethical and responsible thing to do (they have to have the same standard across the board - whether it be Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta, Dallas, Tucson or LAX). Instead, praise their conduct in performing their job duties, but call them out (or the agents responsible) for their gross lack of decency in that situation.

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Photo borrowed from DanialMartin
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