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The pre-conference programs were a huge success this year. At a lead flight attendant manager’s roundtable these individuals are personally invited to attend and share every aspect of their flight department’s issues, share solutions and solve issues common to all flight departments. O’Saveurs Chocolatier from Geneva Switzerland sent samples of the various types and grades of chocolate with information to be shared so they might be educated in the luxury of chocolate and what to expect for their passengers who expect the best. Their motto is that luxury has to be learned to be appreciated. That was a delicious presentation for the lead managers. Jet Professionals teamed up with Aircare Crews for a great program to help flight attendants with their career essentials, covering every aspect of what they needed to become the Professional Flight Attendant. Mary Ann Fash, with the Boeing Company, this year’s Committee Chair, opened the conference which proved to be the best to date. So you ask who were these exhilarating speakers? First up was Judith Bowman, President and CEO, of Protocol Consultants International, author of “Don’t Take the Last Donut.” She filled an hour with interesting etiquette lessons, and what the professionally trained flight attendant needs to know as he/she travels the globe from cultural awareness to table etiquette to preventing faux pas. (And yes I was expecting donuts for the break). Jumping right in from etiquette to International security, we listened with interest to Tom Winn with Frontier MEDEX Security. This definitely kept the attendees’ attention as we sat on the edge of our seats to pick up many tips to protect ourselves as we travel and learned how to be alert to our surroundings and those individuals in them. I think it was eye opening for many of us. I have heard Mr. Winn speak before and always find his presentations full of information on the state of the world. Ever wonder what is like to be a flight attendant in various parts of the world with extreme conditions in weather or religious beliefs? Conoco Phillips, Boeing, Y2K Aviation and Aramco opened our eyes to how they operate, each a different type of flight department from part 91 to 135, each with different expectations. This program was extremely fascinating by the way they exhibited the differences in a corporate flight departments.. We witnessed various clothing required at 70 below in Alaska to burkas in Saudi Arabia and how to properly wear them and when it’s appropriate to completely cover your hair and head. J.D. McHenry with Global Jet Services spoke on Leadership for Flight Attendant. This program was amazing also! Mr. McHenry empowered Flight Attendants to reach for the sky. The point that that hit home for many was that concept of why aren't and why can't flight attendant’s become Aviation Managers? As long as they have the proper education and continue to learn that there is no reason a flight attendant couldn't be the boss. Perception is everything. The way you dress and present yourself is significantly greater than a spoken word. Only 7% of people hear what you are saying. He also mentioned the concept of considering a name change from Flight Attendant to Cabin Safety Officer . . . there is a First Officer in the cockpit, why not a Cabin Safety Officer in the cabin as they are maintaining the standards and safety in the cabin? So, by now you are asking about catering, right? Well, we are getting there in a minute in a roundabout way. Danielle Wesse ( a pilot and now a certified health coach) opened the door to food, nutrition, and how to make healthy food choices on the road in an effort maintain good health and energy. As you know from my articles, I feel this topic is overlooked too often. We must take care of our crews in order for them to take care of our passengers. She provided the flight attendants with information for menu planning and menu selections for crew and passengers alike. Because stress is a key element of the jobs flight crews live daily, because they have incredibly difficult jobs with high demands on their bodies, Elaine Masters took the stage next to introduce Flytime Yoga techniques to enable the crews to stretch and unwind during flight. I can bet some of what they learned and took away with them will be taught to passengers who have that cramp or backache during the flight. Although I was part of the group organizing the conference, my part in the planning was more involved with the catering sessions. Each year we ask for volunteers to do presentations on a topic of their choice. The catering training programs covered a wide range of topics in a short amount of time. I like to think of the rotating sessions like the game of musical chairs. We call them minute clinics since the objective is to pass along one idea or teach one skill. The attendees move from program to program every 30 minutes so that they can visit each of the five presentations. It is high energy, loads of fun, and a change from the normal conference type programing while it enables the caterers to teach a variety of topics all in different styles and formats. There are demonstrations, PowerPoint presentations, hands on skills, and lots of visuals. This year International Water Guard opened our eyes to the topic of safe water on board our aircraft, our global water sources and information for them to take back to their flight departments on preventive measures for a safe water supply. Airware prepared a program on the newest trends in packaging, a discussion on the proper use and reheating in all types of containers to prevent fires in the galley, how to prevent oven or metal arch’s in the microwave, how to determine if a container is microwavable or ovenable, as well as eco-friendly and sustainable packaging for aircraft. In addition we treated to seeing all kinds of new items available for the aircraft. WOW! Atiki’s Catering’s program was on quick fixes for catering mishaps, things the flight attendant/flight tech can do to help prevent catering disasters and mix-ups. Knowing how to fix a problem means the flight attendant can remedy a potential catering disaster. Really great information! Aviation Catering Consultants informed the attendees about variable portion sizes globally from continent to continent, city to city. The idea suggested was have those placing catering orders to change their mindset on how much to order. How? Stop ordering by portions such as a fruit tray for one and start to order by weight, volume or length to reduce waste and costs. Then three of the world’s best catering companies- Manny’s Catering out of Mexico, Alison Price on Air out of London and Air Culinaire open worldwide, discussed language miscommunications, catering coordination and logistics, major events catering such as the Olympics and how to prepare for the catering side of the trip. There was so much great information from the caterers, I am proud to be part of this group. As a conclusion to the conference, we cried, laughed and were extremely moved by the shared stories of First Officer Jeff Skiles and Aft Flight Attendant Doreen Welsh from ill-fated USAirways 1549, now famously known as the Miracle on the Hudson. As you all know, the aircraft experienced crippling bird strike as soon as they departed New York’s LGA and made an emergency landing into the Hudson River. I personally felt every emotion possible and I know I wasn’t the only one, as I saw others with tears in the eyes as well . . . During the entire conference a mini trade show was taking place during breaks and lunches with a total of thirty-three exhibitors. The vendors who participated have services and products that would be useful to the flight attendant and department. It was like having a one-stop shop for all things they might need from aircraft equipment, service supplies, catering to training. How perfect! I am sorry for those who missed this conference and suggest that if you too want to take part in this exceptional conference that you start to plan now for next year. The annual 18th NBAA flight attendant /Flight Tech conference will be held in Washington DC June 20, 21 and 22, 2013. If you want to see some of the material from this conference check out www.nbaa.org for copies of the PowerPoint presentations, handouts and pictures or go to Facebook and search for flight attendant committee Facebook page. Below are the names of all sponsors and their websites for you to check them out. We missed you . . . NBAA Flight Attendants Committee Facebook Page link Sponsors
Speakers
Let me introduce myself . . . My name is Paula Kraft and I am founder and President of Tastefully Yours Catering, an aviation specific caterer, located in Atlanta, Georgia for 35 years.
Currently I am an active member of the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee Advisory Board and the NBAA International Flight Attendant Committee, Women in Corporate Aviation, Women in Aviation International, National Association of Catering Executives, International Flight Catering Association, the International Food Service Association and the International Caterer’s Association. I have coordinated training programs and clinics for NBAA, EBAA and BA-Meetup conference attendees for over 10 years, created mentoring programs for caterers and flight attendants to broaden their aviation culinary skills, and to assist them in adapting to the unique challenges and constraints found in catering for general aviation. I recognize the need for training and have worked closely with flight departments, flight crews, schedulers and customer service reps at the FBOs to ensure that catering specific training provides information and skills necessary to reduce risk while assisting them in their job duties that include safe food handling, catering security, accurate transmission of food orders, and safe food production, packaging and delivery. I fell into aviation catering quite by accident. I was the in-house caterer and bakery supplier for Macy’s department stores in Atlanta when catering was ordered for a Macy’s customer which was soon to change my life. After the client enjoyed the catering provided, I was summoned to the client’s corporate office to provide several of the items delivered through Macy’s to the executive dining room. Within a week, I was providing food for the flight department and my first order was for the President of a foreign country (as I was too be told soon after). So, here I am, some 35 years later, still loving every minute of every day in aviation catering.
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