Before I get into this post, let me state that I have a lot of respect for flight attendants. A majority of them do a great job, and they work long and hard hours, dealing with a lot of complicated passengers, and often they’re not well paid. So I don’t want to in any way diminish what they do to keep the industry running.
That being said, in this post I’d like to talk more broadly about the normalization of really rude flight attendant behavior, brought to mind by an email I received from a reader. Admittedly a small minority of flight attendants act this way, and I imagine most hardworking flight attendants are as horrified by this behavior as I am.
In this post:
Absurdly rude American flight attendant “greets” passengers
Reader Josh recently flew American from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) with his parents, on a Boeing 777-300ER. While he shared a variety of anecdotes about the flight, one thing stood out to me, in particular:
The greeter at the L2 door could not have been more rude. When we boarded the aircraft, all three of us were together and we told the crew member that. My dad, who is older, was the last of the three of us to board. The crew member asked for his boarding pass (standard practice, I get it) and my dad mentioned he was with my mom and I.
The crew member then said “I didn’t ask who you were with and I don’t care. Boarding pass is what I asked.” My dad, frazzled, then had to get the boarding pass on his phone. The crew member then let out a long sigh and went “can you speed this up?”
I understand that boarding is a tedious process and everyone has bad days; however the flight was nearly empty and the boarding group after us had yet to even be called to board, so there was not anyone behind him. After my dad managed to get the boarding pass up, the crew member simply pointed in the direction my dad was to go.
Now, that was only the start of the issues on that flight, but I’d like to focus on that…
It’s a shame that this kind of behavior is tolerated
The level of rudeness exhibited by this “greeter” flight attendant is just reprehensible. Admittedly I understand what his intention was, which was to board efficiently and figure out which aisle everyone should go down (otherwise there’s not generally a requirement to show boarding passes on American flights). However, to greet any customer this way, let alone an elderly customer who isn’t intentionally trying to slow things down, is just awful.
What’s so unfortunate about this is that the flight attendant who greets you at the door really sets the tone for the flight. Sometimes you’ll have an absolute gem at the door, who is smiling, warmly greets each passenger, engages in small talk, compliments passengers, etc. What a lovely ambassador those people are for the brand.
Meanwhile in situations like this, you get exactly the opposite. How can you feel anything but unwelcome when one of the first company representatives you interact with acts that way?
What I find so interesting about this is that if you walked into any other business and were treated this way, you’d walk right out. No one wants to do business with a company where they feel actively unwelcome, unless there’s simply no other choice. I’m sure that same flight attendant would be miffed if he walked into a restaurant and were “greeted” that way by the host.
Yet in the airline industry, there’s a much higher tolerance for behavior that would in any other context be considered unacceptable. And I even feel bad for the people who have to work with flight attendants like this, because I’m sure they’re just as horrified.
Why is there such a tolerance for this kind of behavior?
- At US airlines, flight attendants don’t have a direct superior onboard, and it’s not like there are security cameras, so there’s not much accountability on the aircraft
- Flight attendants have the unique role of being in both the business of safety and service, and that means there’s more tolerance for poor behavior, in the name of safety
- Passengers aren’t generally going to confront flight attendants who act rudely (that’s not going to end well), so in some ways, that just emboldens that kind of behavior
- Due to a combination of these factors, plus the heavy unionization of these workforces, it can be hard for management to hold employees accountable, even if there are reports of rudeness or poor service
I really think some airlines underestimate the extent to which these kinds of interactions can leave a customer with a negative impression. The most fundamental thing American needs to change is its service culture, because incidents like this just shouldn’t happen. Then again, you’ll find some bad apples at all US airlines.
Bottom line
Service at US airlines is consistently inconsistent. What amazes me is how poor the service can be at times, though. An OMAAT reader shared an experience whereby the “greeter” flight attendant on a recent transatlantic American flight would’ve struggled to be ruder to an elderly passenger. Not only is it not a nice way to treat another human, but it’s amazing that anyone thinks this is acceptable in what’s fundamentally a service interaction.
I do wish there were more accountability for situations like this. For that matter, I feel bad for flight attendants who care, who have to work with colleagues like this, because I can’t imagine that makes for a great work environment.
What do you make of these kinds of flight attendant service issues?
Flying back from Vegas, I had biz. Last one to board, put my carry-on in the overhead, and this FA comes flying toward me, barks at me, stern and all, and asks where my seat. I said right here, pointing to my biz seat and showing her my boarding pass. She went Oh and walked back to what she was doing. She didn't offer me a drink and didn't ask if I wanted another one...
Flying back from Vegas, I had biz. Last one to board, put my carry-on in the overhead, and this FA comes flying toward me, barks at me, stern and all, and asks where my seat. I said right here, pointing to my biz seat and showing her my boarding pass. She went Oh and walked back to what she was doing. She didn't offer me a drink and didn't ask if I wanted another one when the flight was in the air. She was avoiding me at all costs. That is the start of my efforts to avoid AA flights.
As some people on this board have mentioned, I've received better service from Frontier and Spirit. One time, on a Spirit flight, some bloke was sitting on my window seat. It wasn't a big deal since the aisle was open, and the flight was short. I asked him if he was alright with the window seat, and he started out by asking why I was mad. I wasn't mad; I just wanted to be sure he was cool with the window, because, as we all know, some people get confused with seat assignments on an airplane, and I told him this directly. He didn't like it, but it's whatever; I choose not to fight this battle. Once the door closed, the FA heard the commotion and offered me an empty row in the front, which I was surprised because I had never gotten this service from Spirit before, so I took it and thanked her for giving me the empty row.
AA became an ultra-low-cost, legacy airline. In my opinion, Delta always treated me well. United is hit and miss, AA ugh...
Never had any issues with Frontier, Spirit, or Southwest. They understand their biz motto and people should understand them as well. It's a no-frills airline, so don't expect anything from them beyond getting you from point A to point B.
As mentioned Ben, there is so much one can do. Push back a bit and they will have police coming running to take you away.
One thing we know, believing in God, Great Spirit, who sees all, and its recorded, its on that person's record for life.
Imagine Quantum, I have tried to learn about it when I first heard. It is amazing. Its beyond our minds.
Well God, Great Spirit, probably has infinite...
As mentioned Ben, there is so much one can do. Push back a bit and they will have police coming running to take you away.
One thing we know, believing in God, Great Spirit, who sees all, and its recorded, its on that person's record for life.
Imagine Quantum, I have tried to learn about it when I first heard. It is amazing. Its beyond our minds.
Well God, Great Spirit, probably has infinite number of quantums available, so its not even an effort to record every one on Earth.
No one will get away with bad behaviour or hurting someone else.
As AA Executive platinum, my conclusion is that the widebody long haul usually means more seniority staff who know that they are union protected... so manners optional. Flying J internationally I asked a flight attendant how the casper bedding works the response was literally and figuratively: "i dont know, i have never been a passenger in business class." American Airlines.
I’m sorry. What is there to explain
I was on a UA flight (international, 15 years ago). There was a ground delay. I remember the distinct difference in the two announcements that went out in English and in Japanese. American (US-based) FA: ".. We can't do anything about it" Japanese (Japan-based?) FA: "We regret this delay" Very very different tone. And this was coming from the purser, so someone who should have some extra training? I would think that the training manual...
I was on a UA flight (international, 15 years ago). There was a ground delay. I remember the distinct difference in the two announcements that went out in English and in Japanese. American (US-based) FA: ".. We can't do anything about it" Japanese (Japan-based?) FA: "We regret this delay" Very very different tone. And this was coming from the purser, so someone who should have some extra training? I would think that the training manual is the same, even if there are different cultural nuances. I hope things are better.
I have find the US Carrier FA’s tend to be more 'security' oriented than customer service oriented than international carrier FA’s. (We see examples of belligerent pax almost daily so I see why)
For example post Covid when face masks were still mandatory we flew to a regionally to a major hub for our onward international flight.
On the regional flight the FA’s made multiple announcements that anyone found removing their mask would...
I have find the US Carrier FA’s tend to be more 'security' oriented than customer service oriented than international carrier FA’s. (We see examples of belligerent pax almost daily so I see why)
For example post Covid when face masks were still mandatory we flew to a regionally to a major hub for our onward international flight.
On the regional flight the FA’s made multiple announcements that anyone found removing their mask would be removed from the flight immediately!
While lifting my bag in the overhead bin I caught my mask and the elastic popped off my head. The FA saw this, pushed past other pax waiting for me and then she started to scold me like an errant school boy, complete with a pointing finger in my face. All completely unnecessary
Before I could even say something the passenger behind me handed me my mask & told the FA what happened. She only stopped as that past was a deadhead pilot for the same airline!! As she stormed off he apologized on behalf of the airline.
The FA had the final stay as she hit my arm from behind with the drink cart as I was in an aisle seat! She leaned over and offered a very sarcastic apology for doing so.
The international flight was much better.
Just a nice friendly, almost apologetic announcement the requiring face mask was mandatory but the FA’s knew it was uncomfortable but we’re all in this together type situation. Much warmer than the previous flight.
Why are some FAs rude? Because they can! Just like rude waiters, customer reps, cashiers, receptionists, DMV and on and on. We, the customers are at their mercy. Don't comply or act as they want, and you're off the plane and or on some type of sh*t list. Too bad that a few rotten apples ruin things for everyone else. Hope AA was contacted after this incident.
The story at the start of this article is exactly why I will not fly on AA ever again if I can help it. And in general I find American airline crew far less professional then International airline crews. The one exception is Hawaiian Air. Most FAs aren’t rude, but if I encounter one, it’s on a domestic airline.
Flight attendant are simply a reflection of the American Population. And yes we are a rude country. So this is not a'flight attendant' issue as it is a society issue.
This is a "top to bottom" issue. For a position that is so customer focused and important to brand loyalty it is often treated as lower than low. The leadership of the airlines do not support or appreciate their employees, choosing to focus on ROIC and shareholder dividends instead of investing in employees and culture. Most CEOs have placed the responsibility of stock prices on the front line employees instead of taking care of it...
This is a "top to bottom" issue. For a position that is so customer focused and important to brand loyalty it is often treated as lower than low. The leadership of the airlines do not support or appreciate their employees, choosing to focus on ROIC and shareholder dividends instead of investing in employees and culture. Most CEOs have placed the responsibility of stock prices on the front line employees instead of taking care of it themselves. The executive board rooms are full of "yes men" instead of those that actually care about providing customer service. Once strong culture's of service forward airlines has gone to the wayside... It's profits over people. So, going back to the rude flight attendant. You have a person who is told, via memos, on q weekly basis that they have to turn and burn and push on time. Cut back on service amenities because they are expensive and that they should be more focused on the stock price. Frankly after a few months, years of that it can grind you down. Instead of focusing on the flight attendants behavior focus on the industry itself, focus on the company's culture, focus on how the airlines are run now compared to the last time you traveled or even comparing now to the past ideal of the glamour of flying from the 60's
Part of the problem..at least at airlines like United.. and not to say I', for or against either way is the unions. The FA union makes it almost impoibe to repirmand an FA for bad service or get rid of them, they would have to practially punch a passneger to get fired. Thus there is very few consquiences for bad services once they are off probation.
You're not telling me anything I don't already know. I am a flight attendant and the behavior of some of my co-workers dusgust me. I've been a flight attendant for a long time (38 years) It used to not be this way.
I agree with you. I was a flight attendant decades ago, and our supervisors insisted we put customers first. They also insisted that we treat unruly or drunk passengers, politely, which would often de-escalate the situation. Don’t lose your cool.Meanwhile, if the passenger was rude and obnoxious, we had code words that the pilots could use to signal to the ground crew. On arrival the passenger would be dealt with. But during the flight, we...
I agree with you. I was a flight attendant decades ago, and our supervisors insisted we put customers first. They also insisted that we treat unruly or drunk passengers, politely, which would often de-escalate the situation. Don’t lose your cool.Meanwhile, if the passenger was rude and obnoxious, we had code words that the pilots could use to signal to the ground crew. On arrival the passenger would be dealt with. But during the flight, we were never to be rude. The exception would be situations where physical assault was involved. I suggest, if you ever have this experience, get the flight attendant’s name, then send a letter to the airline, to the attention of supervisor of flight attendant, and share your details. That letter will go in the flight attendant file, and even though they are unionized, there will be consequences. There’s no excuse for this rudeness.
Definition of I$0metrics: The exercise of financial contraction through the
exertion of effort against customer satisfaction.
Vote with your wallet.
After some recent experiences flying on American Airlines, I’d rate them below Spirit Airlines. Between the rudeness of the staff and American's total inability to follow their own schedules, they’re sitting on the bottom of their industry.
I have been an EXEC Plat on American almost every year for the last 25+. There are lots of great flight attendants but there are way more foul moods than ever, it is a huge culture problem (likely driven in part by the fact that they pay such poor wages) that I blame American management in creating over the years. I reached out during the last horrific event to customer service, and they could care...
I have been an EXEC Plat on American almost every year for the last 25+. There are lots of great flight attendants but there are way more foul moods than ever, it is a huge culture problem (likely driven in part by the fact that they pay such poor wages) that I blame American management in creating over the years. I reached out during the last horrific event to customer service, and they could care less, wanting to give me 10K miles to address the issue, I told them to keep the miles and work to fix the issues. I have been flying United and Delta in the last year, and while not perfect it is overall a much better experience. People need to speak with their wallet and maybe at some point they will take some action at American and improve the customer experience.
Is this the old man’s first time flying? That’s a flippant response to standard operating procedure.
I travel internationally often, although not as frequently these days as in the past. My business has taken me to more than 130 countries over the world of we do business in more than 90 of them. This should validate that I have used a very wide sampling of airlines.
12 years ago (after 22 years abroad) I moved my family home to the US. For the first two years I flew US carriers, but,...
I travel internationally often, although not as frequently these days as in the past. My business has taken me to more than 130 countries over the world of we do business in more than 90 of them. This should validate that I have used a very wide sampling of airlines.
12 years ago (after 22 years abroad) I moved my family home to the US. For the first two years I flew US carriers, but, I became so frustrated with the cabin crews and service that I quit. I started taking a 4 hour bus ride to one of the international hubs to board directly on foreign carriers. There is still an occasional "less than refined" flight attendant or gate agent but it is rare with foreign carriers. I have flown in South America with the chickens and goats and around the Middle East (Iran included) and always been treated with courtesy and respect. And I maintained my Gold Cards on three different Air Groups at the same time.
What happened to the the attitudes of the crews on US Carriers? I met an older flight attendant (still younger than me) after transferring from a Thai Air flight to a US carrier in Los Angeles connecting to Washington DC. I met up with her in the service area at the rear of the plane. We started talking about how unfriendly most of the crew was. It was my first time coming back to America in nine years. She agreed and we talked for most of the five hour flight. Crews used to know our names on sight and we theirs. We looked out for each other during flights and sometimes before and after flights. She explained that in the nine years I had been gone, the airlines had changed priorities from the "family atmosphere" between crew and passengers to onboarding efficiency and being careful not to waste too much time with individual passengers. All the time we talked, she was giving me free drinks and two meals.
Boy I sure miss the 80's and 90's.
Taking a Greyhound 4 hours to be graced with Lufthansa customer service would be a Choice
Nice work if you can get it -- paid just to talk to a passenger in the back of the plane for most of five hours.
The "greeter" FA is essentially there to be nice to people and help them avoid confusion. The anecdote you pass along should be a firing offense, tbh. No reason to be rude, no reason to hurry an elder, especially when nobody is waiting. There's lots of people who don't fly wide-body aircraft ever or frequently, so it could well be the older passenger's first time on such an aircraft.
Everybody has a bad day sometimes,...
The "greeter" FA is essentially there to be nice to people and help them avoid confusion. The anecdote you pass along should be a firing offense, tbh. No reason to be rude, no reason to hurry an elder, especially when nobody is waiting. There's lots of people who don't fly wide-body aircraft ever or frequently, so it could well be the older passenger's first time on such an aircraft.
Everybody has a bad day sometimes, but you learn to keep it to yourself as an adult. Thus not being 'friendly' would be fine. But being a jerk is never fine.
In thirty+ years of frequent travel across all classes, both domestic and international, I don't think that I have experienced a truly 'rude' flight attendant, yes there have been a few with an inbuilt 'sneer', but none that have been really rude. Yes, on some flights they disappear into their 'space' for a little downtime but have always been helpful, and it has to be really important for me to press the 'button' for 'service'.
In thirty+ years of frequent travel across all classes, both domestic and international, I don't think that I have experienced a truly 'rude' flight attendant, yes there have been a few with an inbuilt 'sneer', but none that have been really rude. Yes, on some flights they disappear into their 'space' for a little downtime but have always been helpful, and it has to be really important for me to press the 'button' for 'service'.
I'm about to take about 20 flights to six main destinations and experience at least three mainline airlines (SK, AY, QF) and a number of their subsidiaries, and yes there will be differences in service both at the airport (lounges) and in the air, it's to be expected and the differences appreciated (hopefully).
And, in reality, a great flight is the one that gets you there safely, possibly on-time, and yes free-flowing Champagne is a bonus.
By the way, I wonder how many travelers send a note to say how well 'Bob and/or Jane' were at their job on their latest flight? Just a thought.
I have experienced rude FA many times. On my last flight there was no water in the bathroom. She never informed us. I went to the restroom. Couldn't flush or wash my hands. She was reading a book. I said excuse me I think there's something wrong with the restroom. Oh yeah there's no water. I was in First Class. People are afraid to say anything for fear of retribution. FA have been given too...
I have experienced rude FA many times. On my last flight there was no water in the bathroom. She never informed us. I went to the restroom. Couldn't flush or wash my hands. She was reading a book. I said excuse me I think there's something wrong with the restroom. Oh yeah there's no water. I was in First Class. People are afraid to say anything for fear of retribution. FA have been given too much power after 9/11 and Covid. They'll put u on a no fly list so we all put up with it.
Indian FA's on Air Canada are probably the worst. SFO to YYZ yuk!
I always give Starbucks cards to flight attendant s - except on my last flights with American this week. I haven't traveled with them in years and it's unlikely I'll look to fly with them in the future. They simply didn't 'see' the passengers. I felt I was an inconvenience.
- "there’s not much accountability on the aircraft"
- "in the name of safety"
- nobody will "confront flight attendants who act rudely (that’s not going to end well)"
- "heavy unionization of these workforces"
So let's see: no accountability, self aggrandized to think their job is safety when 99.99% of their duties are customer service, emboldened with no pushback, and heavily unionized. I don't see how anyone could still be puzzled....
- "there’s not much accountability on the aircraft"
- "in the name of safety"
- nobody will "confront flight attendants who act rudely (that’s not going to end well)"
- "heavy unionization of these workforces"
So let's see: no accountability, self aggrandized to think their job is safety when 99.99% of their duties are customer service, emboldened with no pushback, and heavily unionized. I don't see how anyone could still be puzzled.
If these FAs are frustrated with doing the same job as they did in their 20s, maybe they should grow up and move on with their life, grow as a person and do something more challenging, instead of taking out their frustrations on the general public. In any other industry this would be taken care of by the company itself in the form of firings.
It is just the regular enshitification of everything in the USA. The empire is falling.
I too have had horrendous treatment from flight attendants and we always fly First Class, ALWAYS bring fancy chocolates to give to each and every flight attendant, NEVER ring our call button and never ask for "crazy" things! It is beyond me why some are so surly and seem to absolutely hate their jobs. And it does just start the whole trip on a downer....
Why are you giving gifts to the flight attendants? Crazy
No flight attendant should accept food gifts from passengers, after all how can they be sure the food item is not tampered with?
Like you said this is very small minority that are THAT rude. But as mentioned no oversight there is. We all have the number of professional standards and email on the back of our badge to report fellow crew members for bad behavior either with the company or the union. That being said, this is someone’s livelihood and we are very careful and considerate abt any reporting unless it’s a pattern. Too many people are...
Like you said this is very small minority that are THAT rude. But as mentioned no oversight there is. We all have the number of professional standards and email on the back of our badge to report fellow crew members for bad behavior either with the company or the union. That being said, this is someone’s livelihood and we are very careful and considerate abt any reporting unless it’s a pattern. Too many people are quick to judge, solicit negativity or stick their phone in our faces, ready for a confrontation. While not excusing unkind behavior which I agree is not even remotely okay. I ask that you give us grace for a bad day or write to customer service with your concerns. Signed, a not so perfect flight attendant
Three people traveling together doesn't mean all three go down the same aisle to reach their seats. Next time print out a boarding pass for Dad; that's what he is comfortable with. The FA's words are not acceptable, but how do we know his attitude? He might be treating an old man as a functional adult, to avoid seeming to patronize him.
Definitive Answer in my Book: Sitting a wedding reception 2 years ago, I asked the middle-age lady next to me who had informed me that she was a American Airlines flight attendant of significant seniority (over 20 yrs) why when I travel on airlines like SIA, Emirates, Etihad, Air Framce, I get mostly cheery service, 'Four Seasons' word choice and presentation, and overall great attention w/o attitude, she quickly replied without skipping a beat that...
Definitive Answer in my Book: Sitting a wedding reception 2 years ago, I asked the middle-age lady next to me who had informed me that she was a American Airlines flight attendant of significant seniority (over 20 yrs) why when I travel on airlines like SIA, Emirates, Etihad, Air Framce, I get mostly cheery service, 'Four Seasons' word choice and presentation, and overall great attention w/o attitude, she quickly replied without skipping a beat that she agrees with my evaluation and knows why--> she explained that the carriers I mentioned, as well as other Middle Eastern airliners, have the 'appropriate' level of staffing on their planes, particularly in J class. AA, she explained, is doing it bare-boned and over stressing FA's to perform a whole commotion of pre-flight and in-flight duties. For example, she said that on most domestic FC AA flts, you'll have just one FA in FC, where 2 during the entire flight (not just 1 helper) would really bring up service levels. But AA doesn't want to pay.
I believe that explanation to be incomplete however because it does take sig energy to be rude and act-out frustration.
AA notorious for jaded, entitled and rude staff on their NY-London route.
Walk right out and what, buy a new ticket for hundreds or thousands of dollars?
if there are more complaints against a particular FA
the management should ground him and give him an
alternate job not involving any public dealing and interacting
that way airline can be saved and the rude FA will get
job in a different section on ground. this will solve problem
Well, it was an AA flight.. management treats the workers like shit, they treat us like shit. Why i will hitchhike cross country before flying AA again.
Unfortunately, I have experienced this so many times with AA that I go out of my way to avoid them. I am top tier for life after switching to BA more than 25 years ago. Flying biz and first, that’s more than a few hundred thousand dollars that did not go to AA. It makes no sense. I’m with @travelinWilly: I’d walk right back to the gate.
Sorry to disappoint you, Tony, but under the transatlantic joint venture between AA and BA, Amercian will still get a cut of your money, even if you fly exclusively on BA metal …
I'd be sacking the wretch/sob. FA's on US carriers, especially AA, are shockers. And mate stop being apologetic in such articles. Stick to the facts.
Some people just dont deserve to have a job...
Having an actual, bonafide service manager on all flights would eliminate most of this behavior. Honest question: what is the ratio of managers to flight attendants at AA, DL, UA? 1 to 50? 1 to 100? Higher?
It’s not that hard to get rid of an underperforming union employee if you have a fair bit of evidence. It’s the workload and time of amassing the evidence that a manager ratio like that doesn’t allow time...
Having an actual, bonafide service manager on all flights would eliminate most of this behavior. Honest question: what is the ratio of managers to flight attendants at AA, DL, UA? 1 to 50? 1 to 100? Higher?
It’s not that hard to get rid of an underperforming union employee if you have a fair bit of evidence. It’s the workload and time of amassing the evidence that a manager ratio like that doesn’t allow time to do. A cabin service manager solves 90% of this, but US airlines don’t want to pay for it and US unions don’t want a position like that culling their numbers, so we are reaping what we’ve sown.
Well if you're a fussy gay man living in Dallas who isn't smart enough to go to college you work at H&M and then Starbucks and when you get called up to be a AA FA it is a BIG DEAL (to you) and you walk around thinking you're a BIG DEAL.
What about if you’re a fussy closeted man commenting on a blog under a pseudonym?
It’s a bit presumptuous of you to assume the FA was gay…unless, of course, you have had personal entanglements with the FA in question.
Anyone who lives in Dallas is way too much of a loser to be fussy, let alone a BIG DEAL.
@Lucky - I think you got played. No FA has ever asked me for a "flight pass". I have never heard the term used anywhere, let alone a US carrier.
I think you got suckered into writing this!
I will answer the question ben poses 'why are some flight attendants so rude' with a question -
How are flight attendants in the US performance managed, if so at all?
Do they have KPI's they have to reach in terms of customer satisfaction?
Do they have regular appraisals with their ground management?
Are verbatim comments that are questionable flagged with them and if there is a trend in negative passenger comments, how are...
I will answer the question ben poses 'why are some flight attendants so rude' with a question -
How are flight attendants in the US performance managed, if so at all?
Do they have KPI's they have to reach in terms of customer satisfaction?
Do they have regular appraisals with their ground management?
Are verbatim comments that are questionable flagged with them and if there is a trend in negative passenger comments, how are these managed?
Do they receive incentives for providing GOOD service?
It's more basic education than management.
If you fly in Europe, 95% of flight attendants are professional and treat you with respect (good morning, thank you, good bye, polite smile, no attitude) and there is no layer of over-management, no specific incentive except being a decent human being.
When you fly in North America (and I include Canada), it's usually a disaster.
It's so weird that the big three airlines tend to have this reputation. Southwest crew are generally friendly across the board.
It has to be a corporate culture thing. I don't think UA, DL, and AA are that bad, its just that they tend to be more serious with the occasional surly FA.
Are your surprised? is the US Airline that leans most to the right.. We are the decent human beings
I have two upcoming international trips booked. I chose foreign carriers for both trips. I'm done with US domestic carriers. Even a domestic trip I have booked on Delta, I booked through one of their codeshare partners.
The fake lawyer is back with so much time to waste.
But now hating on India as shown on the last AI 787 comments section, which isn't a bad thing actually. Just a stark contrast to his former Indian apologist stance.
Maybe he got rejected by an Indian woman?
Take the wisdom of VT-CIE and "visualise yourself dating French or Japanese baddie or Qatari princess or something of that kind! ;)"
This is why many of us fly with foreign carriers
You may not wish to confront them on the way in, but there's nothing to stop you calling them a rude pig on the way out, and letting them know you'll be making a formal complaint about their rude, unprofessional behaviour.
Basic dignity, and not lowering yourself to the crassness of the underclass.
Once when I dealt with a really nasty FA on an AA flight I did this. I told the FA that if AA ever went bankrupt she would have a great career as a 1950s style nun abusing school children with rulers.
I also find the staff at the DFW Flagship Lounge to be intolerable.
It's a shame to read this, I'm a regular user of Flagship Lounges but I never been in the DFW one, mostly MIA and ORD and they are great, I even requested to personally meet the cooks at ORD to congratulate them for the outstanding food. Amazing to receive intolerable level of service in one of the top lounges in the US
Agreed, and you can count if they do something similar to my elderly parents I will never be silent on the way out
As an Alaska member, I try to fly AS or AA domestically as much as possible. I can concur that American has some of the most grouchy staff who have been in their positions for too long. They're probably upset because they have to offer better in-flight service now.
Flight Attendants on US airlines are lazy and not held to anywhere near enough of a reasonable standard by the unions and airlines. Fly any major foreign carrier and compare them to the lazy poor quality employees you find on US carriers. I get the whole "we are here for your safety" line but US crews just use this as an excuse to do little work. The call bell debacle is a prime example of...
Flight Attendants on US airlines are lazy and not held to anywhere near enough of a reasonable standard by the unions and airlines. Fly any major foreign carrier and compare them to the lazy poor quality employees you find on US carriers. I get the whole "we are here for your safety" line but US crews just use this as an excuse to do little work. The call bell debacle is a prime example of this. Crews everywhere else in the world don’t mind if you use the call bell, however when you do on a US carrier you get some surly grumpy FA who gives you a lecture about it, US airlines need to demand better performance from the unions and their FA members. This story is sad and the crew member involved should be terminated
This is not a US airline problem. It's a US problem. From birth, American children are coddled in a K-12 school system that provides a laughingstock of an "education." Most teachers are severely underpaid and not given enough resources to care. Most parents do not care (the parents that do send their kids to a very small subset of schools that are actually good).
If you do confront an FA at a US airline, they often threaten to have you arrested, blacklisted. Etc. Its pretty sick.
Oh come on, I have confronted FAs on AA UA DL and have never been threatened with so much as the withholding of ice cubes in my drink. Of course I confront politely; you would never guess by my deportment that I go by PENILE on this website
heavy unionization of these workforces = and there’s the root cause of the problem. Unions are the reason why all the FA Karens and Donnas can treat us like garbage.
Unions could be one reason but a contributing factor is American culture generally not holding service personnel to the same standards as other cultures e.g. Japan would
Too many Americans tolerate mediocrity
Don't even start that Union hating bullshit. As a retired AA flight attendant I worked my ass off and sometimes I would walk through the plane trying to find fun people to give drinks to and I had a hard time even doing that it goes both ways. There are bad apples at every airline including international airlines but the majority of flight attendants I find are very friendly and do go out of their...
Don't even start that Union hating bullshit. As a retired AA flight attendant I worked my ass off and sometimes I would walk through the plane trying to find fun people to give drinks to and I had a hard time even doing that it goes both ways. There are bad apples at every airline including international airlines but the majority of flight attendants I find are very friendly and do go out of their way and of course you get a b**** every now and then and if that's the case you just send in a letter with their name and the flight attendant will definitely hear about it. The problem with American is that you have a Walmart management trying to run a former Neiman Marcus type airline with the Walmart budget. And I won't even get started on the type of passengers nowadays you know the ones that walk to the bathroom barefoot or put their feet up on the walls. Flying domestic is basically just mass transit. And on one side note it is very embarrassing being a crew member and having one of your co-workers act that way and I would never have any problem straightening someone out like that if I heard a comment that they have made rudely. I would never even charge older people knowing that they're on a fixed income and so forth so there are still a lot of great crew members out there so hopefully this was a one-time incident for this person's relative and I wish everyone safe travels.
It’s often argued that flight attendants occupy a uniquely demanding role—simultaneously responsible for passenger safety and for delivering the airline’s commercial “product” of comfort, care, and hospitality. While this dual responsibility is real, it’s far from unique. In fact, many professions require a careful balance between safety, compliance, and customer satisfaction. What sets flight attendants apart is not the combination itself, but how narrowly they’ve chosen to emphasize one half of it.
Teachers, for example,...
It’s often argued that flight attendants occupy a uniquely demanding role—simultaneously responsible for passenger safety and for delivering the airline’s commercial “product” of comfort, care, and hospitality. While this dual responsibility is real, it’s far from unique. In fact, many professions require a careful balance between safety, compliance, and customer satisfaction. What sets flight attendants apart is not the combination itself, but how narrowly they’ve chosen to emphasize one half of it.
Teachers, for example, are charged with educating students—a deeply human-facing product—but are also legally and ethically responsible for their students’ safety and welfare. Electricians must delight clients by delivering reliable, aesthetic results while ensuring strict adherence to code so homes don’t burn down. Healthcare workers, chefs, lifeguards, construction foremen, and even theme park operators all live in this tension between operational safety and consumer experience. The stakes may differ, but the principle is the same: the job cannot succeed unless both safety and service coexist.
What’s unique in aviation isn’t the duality—it’s the imbalance. Flight attendants have increasingly anchored their professional identity around the safety aspect, often framing service as a secondary or even degrading component of their role.
Yet, the airline’s “product” is not just transportation; it’s the entire experience of flight. Passengers don’t buy tickets to be rescued—they buy tickets to be served safely and with care. A teacher who focused only on preventing accidents and ignored the quality of education would be failing their purpose; the same is true of a flight attendant who prioritizes procedural compliance but neglects the human experience.
In reality, the power of the flight attendant role lies precisely in integrating both domains. The ability to project calm authority while delivering warmth and hospitality is what makes the profession extraordinary—not simply enforcing safety regulations. Other fields have long managed this balance. If flight attendants want to reclaim the dignity and distinctiveness of their role, it shouldn’t come from rejecting the “service” identity, but from redefining excellence as the seamless marriage of safety and service.
Thanks, GPT!
Please do not do this. Teachers in a classroom have the freedom to literally walk out of the classroom and catch a moment. Hard to do at 36,000 ft. Jesus !
The opposite is true. FAs can go to the galley or lav if they need a moment. Teachers are generally strongly discouraged from leaving their class unattended.
Stupid response.
And this is one of the main reasons I refuse to fly DL: their FAs are rude, surly, and hostile to anyone who isn't a Diamond. And yet they're still nicer than Delta Customer Service.
You are an admitted homosexual who has engaged in sex in a public restroom. You’ve admitted these facts right here on this website.
And what's wrong with any of that? At least I don't use an adjective as my handle.
Did I say wrong? I am providing context as to who you are objectively. This allows other readers to draw their own conclusions about you.
Other readers aren't interested in what commenters do in restrooms.
We ARE interested in the DL on DL.
Why don't you speak for your narrowminded self.
@PENILE
As a reader, I am also not interested in the poster's personal life. That you are so vested in what he does with his dick, speaks more about you than him, IMO.
"Admitted homosexual"? 1947 is wondering if you'll be back for lunch, J Edgar.
Using the phrase “admitted homosexual” implies there’s something wrong with it. Also, who cares where he had sex?
And who cares?
The answer is simple: because they can get away with it.
Lots of people can get away with a lot of things. There exists something called decency, though.
This sort of behavior on repeat is why I stopped flying AA & UA (was XP & 1K respectively) and switched to Virgin (Gold) & Delta (lowly Gold). Not worth being constantly belittled and talked down to.
thanks for sharing your tier status which nobody asked for lol
Sorry, but the level of entitlement from commemters here every day is indicative of the problem: "I paid McDonald's prices, but I expect to he treated like I'm at The Ritz".
I regularly pay $500 or more on one to two hour short flights with limited service. How would you feel if you bought a new TV and t it took 20 minutes to power on ? or wouldn't display half the channels? You would not feel like that was a very good value. Same with crappy airline service. ("Sorry, we are gonna be two hours late because the plane was over fueled" or "we can't depart because we cant locate the fourth flight attendant?" )
You feel that extremely basic human decency, like the lowest possible bar, is The Ritz?
Shame on you
I paid McDonald's price for ryanair or even cheaper for vueling for domestic Spanish flights but the flight attendants are always friendly...
I'd be happy to get McDonald's-level service when I fly.
It's American airline what do you expect im just glad I'm based in a region where i get to choose to fly with one of the world's top 10 cabin crew.
Hmm? Was this 1997 because the boarding responsibility is now in the hands of gate personell
At the entry door of the plane?
The gate agents take the tickets at the entrance to the jetway. Flight attendants are on the plane.
I think it's interesting that you mention the host at a restaurant. Restaurant staff are also in the safety business to a large extent: they are trained in the safe handling of food, and when someone chokes or has a severe allergic reaction, they are often the first and only ones on the scene with the proper training. The host is also responsible for maintaining the physical security of the property, breaking up fights at...
I think it's interesting that you mention the host at a restaurant. Restaurant staff are also in the safety business to a large extent: they are trained in the safe handling of food, and when someone chokes or has a severe allergic reaction, they are often the first and only ones on the scene with the proper training. The host is also responsible for maintaining the physical security of the property, breaking up fights at bars, keeping out potentially dangerous (drunk, etc) folks, etc. So yes, first and foremost, safety is the top priority in their jobs. But you don't hear them use any of this to rationalize away the fact that they are in a job where providing top-quality service is also a top priority. That largely only happens with air travel employees, mostly with flight attendants, but also check-in staff, gate agents, lounge attendants, and security.
Stopped reading at New York. It’s a bad combination of having to keep your guard up in anticipation of the next overly aggressive passenger encounter and the FA being New York based as well.
While this is bad service I wouldn’t be surprised that a New York based crew member is burned out.
Jet lag is a different story. Crew should be resting at their hotel and prepare to work the return flight....
Stopped reading at New York. It’s a bad combination of having to keep your guard up in anticipation of the next overly aggressive passenger encounter and the FA being New York based as well.
While this is bad service I wouldn’t be surprised that a New York based crew member is burned out.
Jet lag is a different story. Crew should be resting at their hotel and prepare to work the return flight. Not doing tik tok at 1AM ; a layover is not a vacation.
Why do New Yorkers have to be so aggressive, always rushing , and rude ?
New Yorkers are NOT aggressive, rushing, and rude. Only some are. You will find such people all over America. NY has a uniquely high density of people which means you're more likely to be exposed to such people than you would in other parts of the country where such people are less visible because people in general are less visible.
New Yorkers and upstate New York are completely different.
I'm not talking about upstate New York, which sucks (not because of the people, but because of the geography and economic desolation)
I generally find AA's JFK based crews to be some of the better ones they have. I understand your comment was more about taking a shot at New York than anything related to AA, but I rarely face problems with JFK based crews.
There should be security cameras onboard.
Also, FA's should be wearing body cameras.
"Attention passengers, unfortunately flight AA216 to Miami is delayed because the "security" camera above the galley isn't working. We are hoping to get a maintenance person to look at it and hope to get you on your way soon."
Why did he have to get out his boarding pass when everyone knows that each person has too be accounted for? It doesn't matter if he is with someone, they have accountability.
dad, frazzled, then had to get the boarding pass on his phone.
The greeter isn't the gate agent. Everybody is accounted for when the BP is scanned and DOCS OK'd at the barcode reader at gate prior to entering the aircraft. The greeter's job is to get you to your seat, mostly by telling you (on a widebody) which side of the aircraft your seat is on.
More to the point, stop making excuses for rudeness, because there aren't any.
Not at all surprised that this happened on an AA flight. I’m almost surprised these days to get a good service from AA. But I live in the DFW Area, so I don’t have much of a choice.
FAA should change the laws around filming FAs. A couple of videos each day showing off this rude behaviour - across all airlines - and maybe the airlines would take notice.
I dunno, man, everybody already knows this rudeness is around. The laws that need to change are around union labor. INSTANT TERMINATION FOR CAUSE, no severance and no qualification for unemployment benefits, is the only approach.
There is no FAA role that prohibits it; you are referencing airline policy
Boarding an AA flight from EZE-JFK late at night in 2023, my mother entered behind me and greeted the FA in Spanish (in Argentina, how dare she!). The FA raised her voice and said, ''You're going to America, speak English!" I'm OW Emerald and wrote to AA. Never got a response.
Half of NYC residents were born outside the country - meaning they don't speak English as a first language. Does that FA ever order DoorDash or Uber Eats in NYC? One in 500 couriers speak English at all.
Sure Jan - seguro Jan. many crew also speak Spanish. BS
I was on a domestic AA flight within the past week, A320 family aircraft, and noticed a strange rhythmic vibration begin during cruise. When the FA doing drink service came around, I asked if she felt that too. Instead of validating my concern and saying something like - sure, this is typical for this plane, but I’ll let the pilots know when I get a chance - she instead proceeded to question me.
-...
I was on a domestic AA flight within the past week, A320 family aircraft, and noticed a strange rhythmic vibration begin during cruise. When the FA doing drink service came around, I asked if she felt that too. Instead of validating my concern and saying something like - sure, this is typical for this plane, but I’ll let the pilots know when I get a chance - she instead proceeded to question me.
- Are you a pilot?
- Actually I am.
- Are you a pilot for American?
I’m not (just a private pilot), but I’m sure if I had said yes, her next question would have been whether I’m qualified on this type, and then if I was, whether I’m the one sitting at the controls.
Her point was to win a ridiculous argument rather than be there “primarily for my safety”, as I’ve been told countless times.
Was she pre-menstrual? Bitches like her don’t deserve the perks of feminism.
"Was she pre-menstrual? Bitches like her don’t deserve the perks of feminism."
Be best, Arps.
I'm not disagreeing with most of the comments. However I'll add a little perspective. Since this is a transatlantic flight this flight attendant must have years of seniority. I wonder if any of the commentators would feel having flown thousands of flight involving tens of thousands of hours boarding process dealing with passengers, without being paid for any of that time.
Perhaps attitude would be better if the attendants were't being forced for work without...
I'm not disagreeing with most of the comments. However I'll add a little perspective. Since this is a transatlantic flight this flight attendant must have years of seniority. I wonder if any of the commentators would feel having flown thousands of flight involving tens of thousands of hours boarding process dealing with passengers, without being paid for any of that time.
Perhaps attitude would be better if the attendants were't being forced for work without compensation. With that business model, those greeters at Walmart would always be working for nothing.
It does not matter what specific time they are or are not paid for. What matters is annually, in total, is their compensation fair?
Attitude is a reflection of one's character and not about how much one is paid
Nobody is forced to work. FAs can find another job.
No one is forcing that flight attendant to stay on the job.
If you want to be paid when the doors are open, go to Delta.
I can understand your argument about lack of compensation for boarding time; however, it sometimes doesn't make a difference if it's beginning, middle or end of flight - some flight attendants are simply rude and miserable to the flying customer.
They’re working for a compensation package their Union negotiated with the airline. If they’re unhappy with that, it’s a matter to take up with the union, not the customers. If you’ve grown to hate dealing with customers, go find a job in a field other than customer service.
What a joke. They are paid a ridiculous premium for their in-flight time to compensate for the boarding time being “unpaid.” That’s what FA’s negotiated.
Ok. I will surely be flamed for that but it is what I think, and for a long time. 1) FA did a really good job at overating how hard and difficult it is. Every job has easy and hard parts. Their is alike. Everyone in contact with customers has to deal with difficult ones. 2) The problem arose 20 years ago or so when they where enpowered to transform any "service" issue (right or...
Ok. I will surely be flamed for that but it is what I think, and for a long time. 1) FA did a really good job at overating how hard and difficult it is. Every job has easy and hard parts. Their is alike. Everyone in contact with customers has to deal with difficult ones. 2) The problem arose 20 years ago or so when they where enpowered to transform any "service" issue (right or wrong) into a "safety and security threat". Now there are abusing if this power. As simple as that.
Investment banking analysts have entered the chat.
@Ben, you have a post talking about this about once every couple of months which is totally fine since it is your blog :)
Every time, you start the post explaining how you understand it is a hard job, they don't get paid well, they deal with rude passengers, etc. which to me is something I really can't understand. Most of these FA's are senior so they decided to stay on their job despite...
@Ben, you have a post talking about this about once every couple of months which is totally fine since it is your blog :)
Every time, you start the post explaining how you understand it is a hard job, they don't get paid well, they deal with rude passengers, etc. which to me is something I really can't understand. Most of these FA's are senior so they decided to stay on their job despite all of those "issues". If they are unhappy about their working conditions, they should get a different job. No excuse for bad behavior or not being professional. They like the perks that come with the job but not the job itself. Go do something else for the love of God!. Please stop making up excuses for them. Unhappy: quit. If you decide to stay, try to do the best you can. Don't make your life and the life of others miserable. You are in the service industry. Provide good service. Love your blog :)
I could not agree more. Not happy with your job, not happy with your pay, move on! FAs are entitled, they like the perks but keep complaining about everything else and use their "power" to treat customers badly. Nobody is forcing them to work as FAs. It is their choice.
Ben is doing a pro forma recognition of the vast majority of flight attendants that don't have these issues. He's not making excuses.
But I understand your sentiment. If I'm a victim of bad service I don't want to hear about how most service providers are good actually, I drew the short end of the stick. I want that bad service provider off the payroll.
As an FA, we are equally horrified when we see this behavior. We all have a list of people we avoid flying with because it ruins our day just as much as it ruins pax day. We wish there was more we could do.
What a lame excuse AA FA! I am SURE there IS more you could do!
And what would that be?
⁰Rene. You don't have a clue what you're talking about just keep your stupid comments to yourself
"Name them and shame them", comes to mind!
Reason number 999 why i am against unions.
Did you know that the flight attendants at EVA Air and China Airlines, two world class airlines in Taiwan are all unionised? Unlike their American counterparts, they’ve actually staged industrial actions, thanks to Taiwan’s stronger labour laws that protect workers.
Unions and customer service are not incompatible, as long as the contract is negotiated properly to allow management to document poor customer service and dismiss or otherwise penalize employees because of it - and to incentivize good customer service.
The problem here is equally likely to be that management doesn't care or doesn't have sufficient oversight, not that AA FAs are unionized.
I’ve been in a union in Europe for many years. Never had a strike. They help with pay increases way above what the company offered, increased annual leave, pension, private healthcare if required, working on weekends and public holidays, redundancy multiple times the government minimum.
Americans, or rather republicans, despise the idea of employment rights and universal healthcare
Fun fact: could be that they were flying to Hatethrow and are already dreading that airport and city. I mean, if I were headed to a destination that I would try to avoid, I would be in that mood too. Try other routes and see if that behavior changes. Just stop going to Hatethrow.
London is the greatest city in the world.
There are people not cut out for the job of flight attendant but they hang on because their skill levels wouldn't get them a job that pays any higher. Some of these people could probably be weeded out with a good interview process. This also goes to younger flight attendants that do the minimum and are very slow.
Not interviews - but performance reviews.
But how and by who? Flight attendants work with endless numbers of other employees. Their supervisors aren't on the job with them. The pilots are up front flying the plane.
AA does surveys but individually they are pretty useless, particularly for coach flight attendants. How many remember whether the flight attendant smiles at them?
At the end of the day it's about hiring the right person.
Have you ever noticed the new employees are generally great? it takes 6 months or so before they are infected with unionitis.
But how and by who? Flight attendants work with endless numbers of other employees. Their supervisors aren't on the job with them. The pilots are up front flying the plane.
AA does surveys but individually they are pretty useless, particularly for coach flight attendants. How many remember whether the flight attendant smiles at them?
At the end of the day it's about hiring the right person.
My only quibble is that this reads like someone who has never endured the horror of service on SAS. Not just American FAs!
My experience on SAS is the opposite. I have taken a significant amount of TATL flights in SAS Business over the last 10 years, and I found the vast majority of their cabin crew to be friendly and personable. More often than not I have commended specific cabin crew members towards SAS customer service. Sometimes you get a CC member who is a bit more reserved in a well-intentioned Nordic way, but never once have I witnessed rude behavior from SAS cabin crew.
I recently achieved silver status on Qatar. From the moment of check in I was welcomed. The purser came to speak to welcome me after the doors had closed and served my meal first although they did not have to. And this was not a one off. A few flights since, and it was the same. I looked around and wondered how many other customers with status were on board?
I've worked in the middle management of several airlines and I still work for a major global carrier.
If this took place as described, in any of the airlines I've worked for, this would have been a case for an immediate dismissal. There would not even be a debate about it.
Customers should come forward with a complaint in such a case, and any witnessing cabin crew member on the same flight should actually back...
I've worked in the middle management of several airlines and I still work for a major global carrier.
If this took place as described, in any of the airlines I've worked for, this would have been a case for an immediate dismissal. There would not even be a debate about it.
Customers should come forward with a complaint in such a case, and any witnessing cabin crew member on the same flight should actually back it up if they remember or cared about what their job stands for.
Instant dismissal, at least in Europe, is prohibited unless the company have followed a grievance procedure and there are also warnings of previous instances on record The only exception may be if the staff are on their probationary period, or have perhaps physically attacked a customer unless it was to protect themselves or colleagues, or in reaction to be attacked themselves.
We don’t have immediate dismissals in the US…sigh
Well, we all know ow that FAs are only there for our safety. :) Nothing else. BTW, I have noticed more and more on international flights from US carriers, the greeter wants to see the boarding pass. I have over 5MM miles of flying so I know where I am sited when boarding a plane but in the last year or so me saying where I was sitting was not enough and I had to show my boarding pass before I was let in. Weird!
Interesting. I have noticed the exact opposite. I just boarded a Lufthansa flight without any documentation as I simply stood in front of a camera at the gate.
Read my post again. I said US carriers. Lufthansa is not a US carrier. And yes, you board using your face BUT the issue is at the airplane door, not at the boarding. More and more the greeter wants to see the boarding pass instead of taking your word that you know where you are going.
Unrelated to the point made by Santastico, which dealt with a document check upon boarding
Flight Attendants are overwhelmingly pleasant and professional.
We just remember the bad experiences more than the good.
That is the way people are.
How many here have written in to an airline about someone’s good performance?
I don't disagree, but there's a degree of failure, such as the one being discussed here, that just isn't tolerable. In any profession, if you intentionally act counter to the interest of the business or blatantly harm its reputation, you're gone.
Regarding the latter part, personally I do commend outstanding service and I do share that with the respective company. I believe many others do so, too.
FA's can definitely be rude but now imagine the lowest tier of passengers and how insane/rude/clueless they can be and you'll understand how some FA's can get jaded quickly
No excuse for rudeness.
Full stop.
I’ve been a flight attendant for over 30 years. In my opinion there is no excuse for this behavior. You never know if you have a first time flyer somebody grieving or somebody celebrating. Starting out with negativity is not the way to go starting out on a positive. Note will leave passengers with a good experience..
If I boarded a flight and was not in a hurry to get to my destination, I'd simply disembark and tell the gate agent that I'm not comfortable trusting my safety to such a contemptuous, hostile flight attendant and that I'd take the next available flight, assuming something was available the same day in the whatever CoS I was travelling.
The hostility shown to the elderly gentleman is not acceptable in any scenario, and that...
If I boarded a flight and was not in a hurry to get to my destination, I'd simply disembark and tell the gate agent that I'm not comfortable trusting my safety to such a contemptuous, hostile flight attendant and that I'd take the next available flight, assuming something was available the same day in the whatever CoS I was travelling.
The hostility shown to the elderly gentleman is not acceptable in any scenario, and that FA should be summarily fired - and yes, I know that will never happen.
It's too bad that AA's culture seems to nurture this kind of sh!t attitude.
Sounds reasonable but I'd be worried about being put on some black list.
This. I dont trust someone that acts like that not to be so vindictive that they make up a story and try to get me banned. And maybe succeed.
I think much of the issue is that leadership at some airlines take a training/education approach to issues that are actually accountability issues and should be treated as such. You can’t train people to be nicer or follow the rules if they are simply choosing not to because they can and know they won’t be held accountable. I can’t tell you how many times rules are broken at my airline and we get a “just...
I think much of the issue is that leadership at some airlines take a training/education approach to issues that are actually accountability issues and should be treated as such. You can’t train people to be nicer or follow the rules if they are simply choosing not to because they can and know they won’t be held accountable. I can’t tell you how many times rules are broken at my airline and we get a “just a reminder” memo. Majority of staff don’t need a “reminder,” because they know the rules. They need actual accountability.
Can you imagine a Walmart greeter saying things like that to the folks who walk in the store?
I believe airlines are far too tolerant of rude cabin crew and poor service standards. I’ve noticed a significant deterioration in the attitude of Aer Lingus cabin crew since the recovery from the pandemic. I generally purchase cheap business class tickets but if I was paying thousands, I’d be absolutely disgusted.
I have witnessed so much shockingly rude or otherwise unprofessional behavior from flight attendants and other airline employees at this point that I don't bother getting irritated by it at this point. I just try to see the humor in the absurdity of customer service workers so brazenly trying to antagonize their customers and chuckle to myself.
I bet this interaction wouldn’t have occurred on a more premium US based carrier
Do we have any of those???
Do we have any of those??
I’ve experienced my fair share of rude, unfriendly and dismissive FAs on AA (my primary carrier domestically) . Sometimes it’s not even behavior exhibited toward me but fellow passengers. I have voted with my dollar and now when I take paid J trips quarterly for work overseas, I only use one world partner
Carriers, never AA metal. Typically I use JL, QR, CX or even BA, but not AA anymore after too many experiences...
I’ve experienced my fair share of rude, unfriendly and dismissive FAs on AA (my primary carrier domestically) . Sometimes it’s not even behavior exhibited toward me but fellow passengers. I have voted with my dollar and now when I take paid J trips quarterly for work overseas, I only use one world partner
Carriers, never AA metal. Typically I use JL, QR, CX or even BA, but not AA anymore after too many experiences of rude behavior by FAs. Im more than happy to direct my 40k a year J spend to others and direct my team travel the same way.
Well, JAL, ANA, EVA Air, and China Airlines all have unionised flight attendants and still manage to provide great service. So the real question is, why can’t some airlines get their employees to actually care about their jobs?
We need to normalize being loud about this issue until airlines stand up to their own employees. I don’t care what it costs, but the airline that tackles this head-on gets my loyalty.
Remember, “they are there for your safety”.
Best excuse to be terrible at your job and get away with it
Ask any experienced recent retiree, who is willing to be honest about the job they once did. “Safety” is in principle the reason airlines have cabin staff. Yes. However. In practice 99% of the work of a cabin attendant is customer service.
In my experience, you can always tell when a cabin attendant is unionized. And when they are not, like Delta crew, which is why I fly Delta whenever I can. The smiles...
Ask any experienced recent retiree, who is willing to be honest about the job they once did. “Safety” is in principle the reason airlines have cabin staff. Yes. However. In practice 99% of the work of a cabin attendant is customer service.
In my experience, you can always tell when a cabin attendant is unionized. And when they are not, like Delta crew, which is why I fly Delta whenever I can. The smiles you get from Delta cabin attendants are genuine, happy and infectious, which makes me always happy to fly with them and to invest in Delta.
This sounds very much like USA flight crews. Most other airlines provide superior service to passengers throughout the flight, as Safety is a primary responsibility for a very small proportion of the time. And their cabin crews are trained how to be efficient, courteous and available to all passengers.