As we mentioned in an earlier story, 'Onboard Service Tests Liquor 'Discrepancy Reporting Process', Onboard Service conducted a 30-day accounting discrepancy test in IAD and DEN.  Among the new changes and procedures to arise from their testing is the following announcement regarding layover hotel charges:

Via a Flight Attendant Financial Report (meter) placed in the mailboxes, flight attendants and their performance supervisors will be notified of any outstanding financial issues involving layover hotels.  Flight attendants will have two weeks from the date of notification to resolve the issue directly with the hotel.  Once resolved, please advise hotel personnel that they must notify Corporate Travel via fax at the following number: 847-700-6150.  This will ensure that flight attendants are removed from the notification listing.

Should a flight attendant receive a second meter notification, he or she will need to meet with a performance supervisor. Together they will seek appropriate resolution to the outstanding charges and if appropriate, review the Articles of Conduct.

So there you have it.  More evidence than ever before that you must follow Tip #8 in Ten Ways to Get More Respect.  Layover hotel clerks are not always reliable for their sharp pencils and clear eyesight.  Make sure you save all room service/restaurant/bar receipts---especially if you pay in cash.

Lastly, make sure you print the TVLQCK or TVLLST reports before each trip, especially if you're the Purser.  It only takes an extra minute or so at your domicile before your briefing.  The information contained in these simple Unimatic pages will clearly outline what a hotel may or may not charge to you, e.g., items like local telephone charges.

And if you do charge something, than for Heaven's sake---pay it!

And of course, if there is a problem with the hotel, always use TVLLOG.

Had a Xxxxxx City trip awhile back and when I printed the TVLQCK report before my briefing, I noticed it clearly indicated that the XXX layover hotel did not charge flight attendants for 800# calls.  Since this was an international layover location, this kind of info is good to know. During my briefing, one of my crew had never been to Xxxxxx City and wanted to know how much it would cost to call home.  I told her that with the long distance charges billed to her AT&T USA Direct or MCI Card, the hotel would not charge for her 800# access. So now we're down in XXX and POOF! goes a mechanical.  Now we get stuck with an extra night in Xxxxxx City added to our layover.  The crew telephoned home (using that 800# access) while I telephoned Operations to verify our deadhead tickets did indeed exist and waiting for us. So when it came time to check out, we discovered that the layover hotel intended to charge each crewmember $3.75 for each 800# access call placed from their room. I found the manager and told him 'No Can Do' regarding this charge.  I even showed him the actual TVLQCK printout in an effort to jog his memory.  However, he was adamant (in an almost cute stubborn sort of way) that this was the deal UAL Corporation had made with his hotel.  My crew and I ended up paying the 800# charges (some ranging in the $20.00 neighborhood) and I ended up keeping copies of everyone's receipts. In the end, United had to 'educate' the Xxxxxx City hotel staff about their contract and they reimbursed the flight attendants on my crew back for those 800# charges.  However, I cannot stress enough Christopher's advice earlier in this article: Make sure you save all room service/restaurant/bar receipts---especially if you pay in cash.