DINNER ABOVE CLOUDS

Evening Star, Issue 22145, 27 September 1935, Page 16

DINNER ABOVE CLOUDS

LUXURY MEALS UN AIR LINER Serving meals and drinks on an air. liner is & job which changes almost as quickly as the seasons. Not so long ago the air passenger counted himself lucky if he was served with a sandwich for lunch, but now he can regale hinlself with a five or six-course meal served as efficiently and as tastefully as in a first-class hotel. The steward has no light job; but it is pleasant and full of variety. Most of those now employed Have served a hard apprenticeship in hotels or in the restaurant oars or our railways, and a few have valuable experience on large steamships. But air travel demands more patience —and more agility. Space is limited, if not cramped. All but the few seasoned passengers are plainly nervous, and, therefore, irritable, and thus they are disposed to find fault with things—including the steward. One must develop air-legs, which is, a much more difficult business than! acquiring sea-legs. Indeed, quite a) large proportion of people nave neven4 experienced much difficulty on board ] ship, but it is.only the very few who] are natural air travellers.

The jolts and “ bumps ” on board an j air-liner cannot be compared with the! plunging and rolling of a ship. They;? come unexpectedly, and they are often more severe. The steward on a steam-i ship can gauge every moment of the,' vessel, but the air-liner steward must' be something of an acrobat if he is to keep his laden tray intact. Journeys are short as a rule, and the number of passengers is limited, so that, of course, there is never any overcrowding. The air-liner steward’s job, is, therefore, easier, because be knows exactly what to budget for to meet all demands during the trip, and is rarely caught short. But he is not allowed to err on the safe side, as, like the passengers, he must not carry unnecessary weight. For this reason the crockery is made of a composition which is very light and unbreakable, the cutlery and glasses are selected with the same end in view, and table decora* tions are of the flimsy variety. HONEYMOON COUPLES.

It is said that we-are becoming air. minded as a nation, and the steward must agree that this is true. But, at the same time, people do not take to air travel as a duck takes to water. The best passengers are children and the elderly, and the worst beyond doubt, are the young married or honeymoon couples. The latter are often a. problem. The man is nervous and* anxiously endeavouring to hide his’nervousness. The lady, not easily deceived, shares his state of mind. “ Are we well up to time, steward ? ’•< “Is it likely to be rough over the Channel?”

“ This meat seems a little tough. Can I change it for something else? “Do you think we will have time to finish before we land? ”

They bombard the steward with questions, obviously seeking for some kind of reassurance. The agitated man may knock over his glass: the lady is almost sure to lose ner handkerchief and to scramble in a search for it beneath the table.

However, unless the steward wer« something of a student of human nature he would not keep his job long, and, after a time, he becomes accustomed to this kind of traveller—and even enters into the game. Just as there are those objectionable people who stride breezily up and down the deck of a steamer when* everyone else is the worse for seasickness, so there are those on an airliner who take a peculiar delight in kindling the nervousness of the air amateur.

They don’t stride up and down, oj course. But from the comfortable seat, close-packed with the rest of the passengers, they grin at the steward, “ Guess we’re going to have it rough,Fred!” they declare familiarly in a loud voice. “If this trip is going to be anything like the last one, it’s me fop terra firms in future. Flying may b* quick, Fred, but what’s the use, of that' when it takes you half a week to get over it? ”

Then comes a harsh laugh which ia meant to indicate that he lias delivered himself of a joke—but the damage hat already been done. It may seem a small point but a Steward is told early in his career that efficiency is less important than—a> smile. All of them are .smiling folk. It inspires confidence in the traveller, soothes the nervous, and Silences the bully, and has really a big cash value in the end. book out for it next, time you fin<l yourself dining above the clouds*