Flight Attendant

Re “ Jack Klugman, 1922-2012 ,” Obituary, Dec. 25 Jack Klugman was on my flight years ago when I was a flight attendant. I told him: “I've never asked for an autograph, but I couldn't go home without asking for my nephew, who idolizes you.” He signed the autograph and arranged tickets to a taping of his show for my two nephews and me. Afterward, he came over and shook hands with both boys. Needless to say, he had three fans for the rest of his life. B.J. Peterson Big Bear Lake, Calif.

Labor strife is common among airline workers, but flight attendants for Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific voted last week to try unusual tactics to push stalled salary negotiations. The flight attendants, who demanded a 5% pay increase but instead were offered a 2% raise, were considering performing only their basic, safety-first responsibilities. That means they could refrain from serving food and drinks, according to the union's general secretary, Tsang Kwok-fung. Not only that, he said, they may also abstain from smiling at work.

James Badge Dale has that familiar, handsome face that many a solid actor or high school sweetheart might have when you pass him at the coffee shop or traffic light. What you don't know is that you already love Dale -- or "Badge," as he's affectionately referred to. Soldiering on in HBO's "The Pacific," or his scene-stealing turn as Michael Fassbender's adulterous boss in "Shame," or the gaunt and haunting turn in Denzel Washington's "Flight," Badge is a chameleon who by this time next year will likely be a household name.

Question: My husband and I fly regularly on American Airlines to visit ailing parents in Austin, Texas. Most of our flights have been positive experiences, but a recent one was not. In short, the man in Seat 29D had horrendous body odor. Unfortunately, we were in 29E and 29F. For the next three hours, my husband diverted the air vent back to the cause. After the flight landed, the flight attendant looked me in the eye (everyone else was gone) and asked how we had endured the terrible odor.

The chicken or the fish. Only a few years ago that was the only choice of reheated meals available when you flew first-class. But now airlines are tapping celebrity chefs such as Suzanne Goin at Singapore Airlines, Michelle Bernstein at Delta Airlines and Sam Choy at American Airlines to cook up the kind of meals you don't expect at 30,000 feet. And last week American announced that it was going a step further by letting first- and business-class passengers review and reserve their in-flight meal via the airline's website.

American Airlines says it will post job openings for 1,500 flight attendants next month, to replace the 2,205 attendants who accepted a $40,000 buyout. It will start hiring in December and put the new staff in training beginning in January. It's the first time the company has hired flight attendants in 11 years . . . . Disney will use Twitter, blogs, websites and other social media to let park visitors know what's happening in a new program featuring weekly surprise themes and events.

In a case of how not to do your job, a flight attendant forgot she had a loaded gun in her handbag when she passed through security at Philadelphia International Airport, and a police officer then accidentally fired the weapon while trying to unload it. Nobody was injured in Sunday's incident, at least not physically, but chances are some reputations were a bit bruised. Neither the flight attendant nor the officer has been identified. The Philadelphia Inquirer said the flight attendant, who works for Republic Airlines, has a permit to carry the weapon and that she was cited only for taking the .38-caliber revolver through security.

Flight attendants will soon be allowed to join pilots in using faster security checkpoints at airports across the country, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. Since last year, pilots of commercial airlines have been allowed to bypass the extensive security checkpoints used by passengers to instead use faster screening points under a program known as the Known Crewmember initiative. In an effort to speed screening for low-risk travelers, the TSA said Monday that it will expand the program to include flight attendants at 31 airports across the country by the end of the year.

Let them eat cake, says Korean Air. The Seoul-based airline hopes to sweeten the flying experience by offering free cake and cupcakes to passengers who are celebrating a wedding, honeymoon, birthday or some other special occasion during a flight. The cake service has been offered for months to passengers in Asian markets, and Korean Air recently began promoting the complimentary pastries to U.S. passengers. To get the onboard goodies, passengers must call a Korean Air agent at (800)

A San Diego jury convicted a young woman on kidnapping charges Thursday for her "femme fatale" role in a Mexican gang that targeted wealthy businessmen for large ransoms. Nancy Mendoza Moreno, 24, an aspiring flight attendant, was found guilty of luring two men to a gang of kidnappers who preyed on San Diego suburbs from 2004 to 2007. Mendoza was acquitted of a third kidnapping charge. She faces a possible life prison term at her sentencing hearing in August. Portrayed as a party girl with a taste for pricey liquor and gangster boyfriends, Mendoza was found guilty of enticing Eduardo Gonzalez Tostado, 37, to a rendezvous at a house in Chula Vista, where masked gunmen held him captive for eight days.