I was on a Virgin Blue flight today. Last month all my flights had been on Qantas. I have noticed a difference in the way the cabin crew act. The Virgin Blue staff behave less “professionally” than the Qantas staff.

On this particular flight, the things that occurred; some of which were funny, and some of which would have been embarrassing to the person affected; are:

• A cabin crew member asked a young lady to blow into a straw attached to a breathalyzer, before serving her wine she ordered. The machine was in fact their receipt printing machine with a straw stuck in it. I was thinking I should not order a wine at this stage.
• The same cabin crew member then told the same young lady that the breathalyzer was in case the pilot took ill, and she had to fly the plane (imagine if she had a fear of flying!)
• On approach the crew advised over the P.A. that to get a discount from the car hire place, all one had to do was show their “body parts”, which was then corrected with “i mean boarding pass”
• They advised to turn off all electronic devices on approach including, mobile phones, music players, fridges, dish washers and lawn mowers! This was more humorous than hassling

This was the main “jokes” I remember, but similar jokes were cracked on take off, during the safety brief, and throughout the flight. I am not sure why the staff were acting like this. Maybe it is the end of the work week (end of rotation/roster) for them?

Either way, I have NEVER seen Qantas cabin crew make these sort of jokes, some of which were in bad taste to the people concerned. I know with whom I would rather fly from now on, and not just because Qantas serve me meals!