Champagne taste on a beer budget.
People who say airplane food is terrible have probably never flown up front, where it’s generally not half bad — and there’s a way to get a nibble of the good life without springing for a pricey ticket, a former flight attendant revealed.
Erstwhile Emirates crew member Kamila Jakubjakova spilled to The Sun in a tell-all of her time in the air that’s recently resurfaced — and one of her most surprising secrets was how simple it can be to upgrade your menu options on a long-haul flight.
Were they out of the beef tenderloin by the time it was your turn to be served? Not happy with rubbery pasta and stale bread? Make a (polite) stink.
“Sometimes, if someone maybe didn’t get their preferred meal choice and then complained and made a big fuss about it, we would bring them a meal from business class instead to soften the blow,” she said.
“We would always try our best to get passengers their preferred meal choice, but sometimes it’s just not possible.”
And while the pro hastened to add that complaining won’t always work, as it really depends on who you’re dealing with, some lucky flyers may not need to make a fuss at all — particularly if they’re celebrating a special occasion.
In that case, Jakubjakova said, feel free to broadcast your happy news to the crew — it could lead to good things.
“If I saw honeymooners, I would bring them some extra treats from business class,” she said.
“Like, for example, a dessert or a glass of champagne, and try to make their flight more special, even if they’re flying economy.”
And if your celebratory mood fails to soften up the most jaded veteran air hosts, there’s always flat-out bribery, according to Jakubjakova.
“If you bring some treats with you to the flight, for example, some candies or some chocolate, and offer them to us, then we will probably try to make your flight a little better or pay you back in some way,” the sweets lover admitted.
“We are nice to everybody, but, of course, if you go the extra mile, we’ll probably also go the extra mile in return.”
Other tips Jakubjakova shared included always traveling with a spare pillowcase — and stuffing it full of clothes if your bag is full, or over the weight limit.
Pillows don’t count as luggage, she explained, saying “nobody can deny you.”
“It’s a little extra space…plus it’s comfortable to sleep on during the flight,” she said.
