How Honestly Would You Review This Flight?

How Honestly Would You Review This Flight?

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I have a (let’s call it theoretical) question I’d love to get feedback on from OMAAT readers…

I do what I can to review flights honestly

I’ve been reviewing airlines for well over a decade, and I go great lengths to try to be as transparent and thorough as possible about my flight experiences. For example, unless I otherwise explicitly disclose it, I don’t let an airline know I’ll be reviewing a flight, I don’t ask for early boarding to get pictures (since that would give away what I’m doing), etc. Rather I just try to have the same experience as everyone else, as much as that’s possible.

I also recognize that what I write carries some weight (sometimes), and I know in some cases actions have been taken against employees based on what I’ve written. While I don’t want to negatively impact someone’s life, I also think that it’s only fair to be honest if someone isn’t doing their job, because nothing will improve without feedback.

But that brings me to a situation I’m conflicted about…

What level of detail would you share here?

Here’s where I’m conflicted. Say, theoretically:

  • You had an amazing flight in first class on a very well regarded airline
  • The crew (or at least part of the crew) was really fun, and in many ways their laid back attitude contributed to a great experience
  • But let’s say that you’re familiar with the service standards on said airline, and they failed to meet so many of them, and the airline would most definitely want to know if someone was acting this way, and would probably take action against them
  • Let’s say there was nothing truly scandalous here (it’s not like the crew was drinking on the job or disappeared from the cabin for hours), but there were multiple violations that were significantly more serious than not addressing someone by their last name, or something of that sort

What would you do in this situation if you were to review the flight?

  • Would you share everything, even though you loved your flight and actually found the person to be really fun and entertaining, but also totally ridiculous?
  • Would you just not talk about service?
  • Would you leave out some details?
  • Have I shared too much already? 😉

It’s my job to be honest, objective, and thorough, though I’m still conflicted:

  • It seems silly to get someone in trouble if you really still enjoyed your experience
  • I also feel like all passengers can provide feedback directly with the airline, and if multiple first class passengers reported this kind of service, I imagine the employee would have been reprimanded; so that makes me wonder if this was an isolated incident, or what
  • At the same time, as long as I’m being honest, I shouldn’t really hide anything, right?

Bottom line

I do everything in my power to review my flight experiences honestly. If service is great, I love to give that person credit, in hopes that they’re recognized by management. If service is bad, I hope that it can lead to improvements and retraining at the airline.

But what happens if service is (theoretically) the most unprofessional you’ve seen on that airline, yet oddly fun, and you still have a great flight?

I’m curious to hear what OMAAT readers think?

Conversations (144)
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  1. Dale Douglas Guest

    I would be totally honest yet convey it in a way that softens the blow in your description. Maybe "a twist on conventional norms, by this 'not-business-as-usual
    crew, but what they did and how they pulled it off created a fun experience, making this leg of one that will always be remembered."

  2. Ollie Guest

    If it was an issue you should have raised it at the time, with the person involved. I think it would be easy to say you're reviewing a flight so want to be treated as if you were an airline's 'mystery flyer', for all intents and purposes.

  3. Dan Guest

    If their behavior didn't negatively impact you or other passengers and their behavior was not dangerous and wasn't putting anyone at risk and you actually enjoyed whatever happened I'd focus on this positives and not pick up on the "thins they didn't do"

    Tbh your details are too vague to offer any real advice because we can't really tell how you feel about the flight in question, you seem to have enjoyed it in a...

    If their behavior didn't negatively impact you or other passengers and their behavior was not dangerous and wasn't putting anyone at risk and you actually enjoyed whatever happened I'd focus on this positives and not pick up on the "thins they didn't do"

    Tbh your details are too vague to offer any real advice because we can't really tell how you feel about the flight in question, you seem to have enjoyed it in a way that was different to normal but it wasn't up to a "standard" so what do you want in your travel experience?

    I'd let it slide unless you frequently fly with the airline and it was something you experienced more than once and it was clearly in violation of some rules, puts you and other passengers at risk or it is annoying.

  4. Nick Guest

    Well Lucky, since you enjoyed the flight, i think that matter most than airline service procedures, and management should know that (I know, it's Emirates and they are really strict, but still...)
    If what the crew did was a safety or security concern would be one thing, but from what i can see, these deviations made your expirence more enjoyable, so that would'nt be negative
    Also, there is one really important matter to...

    Well Lucky, since you enjoyed the flight, i think that matter most than airline service procedures, and management should know that (I know, it's Emirates and they are really strict, but still...)
    If what the crew did was a safety or security concern would be one thing, but from what i can see, these deviations made your expirence more enjoyable, so that would'nt be negative
    Also, there is one really important matter to be addressed: the crew probably knew what they were doing providing you the service they did.
    Let's say. If you weren't a frequent flier and if you hadn't been in so many Emirates flights would you be able to tell the diference?
    If it weren't you and Ford on the flight, and in your places were other coustumers, would the crew have acted the same?
    Airline crew tend to be excelent in reading their passengers, and sometimes they can tell pretty well how they would like to be treated, of course, keeping a balance between that and how they should be treated.
    That said, i think that there would be no harm in sharing your whole experience, giving it was that enjoyable, and given that the airline already is aware something has happened. Just tell them that this "something" was great

  5. Karl Guest

    I think you should be objective and factual.
    I was fortunate to fly in first class to Sydney with a Middle East airline and also familiar with the advertising and standards. Their service was below the usual standard and felt it deserved a complaint but didn’t even receive a response to acknowledge or try to justify the level of service

  6. Robert Guest

    The term familiarity breeds contempt - If you were enjoying this relaxed style of cabin management and banter and befriended the crew then you cannot write an unbiased appraisal when things go sideways - If safety was honestly jeapordised then speak out - If behaviour was inappropriate put it down to your personal interactions and say nothing

  7. tuotuo Gold

    If this person 1 didn't say something bad in front of your face 2 didn't show unrespect of LGBT 3 didn't show support of Russia's invasion then don't do it

  8. Dave @ Horrocks Guest

    I think you are torn between your Germanic need for compliance, order and systematic behaviour, and American free spirit and anything goes character! Am looking forward to the review. Well done.

  9. Marco Guest

    "But what happens if service is (theoretically) the most unprofessional you’ve seen on that airline, yet oddly fun, and you still have a great flight?"

    So far from Ben's own comments

    It's just one FA,

    Iit happened immediately upon onboarding

    This particular FA may have done something thinking it was fun, but clearly turned out to be unprofessional in nature.

    That's enough info for Emirates to identify who it was. In addition others...

    "But what happens if service is (theoretically) the most unprofessional you’ve seen on that airline, yet oddly fun, and you still have a great flight?"

    So far from Ben's own comments

    It's just one FA,

    Iit happened immediately upon onboarding

    This particular FA may have done something thinking it was fun, but clearly turned out to be unprofessional in nature.

    That's enough info for Emirates to identify who it was. In addition others have pointed out the Flight number, flight date, Cabin, First Class crew member and with just you two it's easily to nail things down. What remains is what happened. Every flight gets written up on, so I am sure there's something in there for Emirates to look at.

    Emirates can clearly be a bag of mixed nuts and quite frankly just because you were in First and that too the best First out there, it didn't change the fact there always will be a bag of mixed nuts on Emirates

  10. snic Guest

    In my view, if you had a great time on the flight even though the crew bent some of their employer's rules and seemed informal, then you shouldn't criticize them for breaking the rules. It might hurt you professionally ever so slightly to simply not write a review, but I suggest that the cost to you is low and therefore that is what you should do. But in the future, if you find yourself in...

    In my view, if you had a great time on the flight even though the crew bent some of their employer's rules and seemed informal, then you shouldn't criticize them for breaking the rules. It might hurt you professionally ever so slightly to simply not write a review, but I suggest that the cost to you is low and therefore that is what you should do. But in the future, if you find yourself in a similar circumstance, I suggest you also exercise the option of silence without posting publically about it first.

  11. John Guest

    To me this article by Ben is just clickbait it's the 10:00 news telling you at 6:00 oh there's this great story blah blah blah blah blah blah turn it at 10:00 and find out it's the same thing here either tell us what happened or don't say anything. Also ben why can't you take a trip a foreign trip to Asia and Coach class I mean my goodness you can't even take an hour...

    To me this article by Ben is just clickbait it's the 10:00 news telling you at 6:00 oh there's this great story blah blah blah blah blah blah turn it at 10:00 and find out it's the same thing here either tell us what happened or don't say anything. Also ben why can't you take a trip a foreign trip to Asia and Coach class I mean my goodness you can't even take an hour and a half flight in coach class do you have something against coach class you would survive I'm willing to bet Amy amount of money that I have which isn't much that you would survive coach class from Los Angeles to anywhere in Asia Southeast Asia or Tokyo etc etc etc why can't you do it just once thank you

  12. David_H New Member

    @Ben. As long as I've been reading you, you've always been honest about the flights and your interactions. I don't see a reason to stop now.

  13. Maryland Guest

    Get real here. You loved your experience (did you not say you wished it to be even longer?) If it was a safety violation speak up. If if was simply the crew having a bit of fun ( in a nearly empty cabin and you were not annoyed by it then as to speak up) then leave it to them to read their customers as to their conduct. Or more simply rat each other out later. My assessment is any misbehavior probably involved both the customer and crew!

    1. Ian Guest

      If the FA’s job is at risk and if he or she did not do anything that is a source of grave concern, then I don’t think you should post about it.
      As much as we would love to know what happened now that our curiosity has been aroused, the consequences for the FA might just be too high.

  14. Doug Guest

    In your actual review of the flight, you celebrated the interactions you had with the staff, yet here you through out poorly veiled references that send a very poor mixed message. If the service actually impacted the impression, safety or service of the flight, then it should have been noted in the review, not in a schoolyard gossip post. This is not professional at all, and I would expect better of you. Very disappointed.

    1. Leigh Diamond

      Jee whiz...such an arrogant and condescending attitude re Ben. It's a freaking blog, not the NY Times, so get your head on straight, and perhaps don't read his blog at all if you think you're so much better than the writer.

  15. Windswd Guest

    I would - absolutely - write about ALL of it including what may (or may not) get a particular employee in trouble. We read your reviews in order to understand, appreciate and look forward to certain experiences. To not share the negative with the positive does a dis-service to all of us who loyally follow your posts.

  16. Andy 11235 Guest

    Obvious many have already given their two cents, but here are my thoughts. At this point, it's trivial for the airline to figure out the flight, and a few more questions would likely get them to the who and what. So to that extent, I think it may be a bit overly optimistic to think that the hints you've made wouldn't lead to adverse actions; we aren't exactly talking about an airline with policies which...

    Obvious many have already given their two cents, but here are my thoughts. At this point, it's trivial for the airline to figure out the flight, and a few more questions would likely get them to the who and what. So to that extent, I think it may be a bit overly optimistic to think that the hints you've made wouldn't lead to adverse actions; we aren't exactly talking about an airline with policies which protect due process of its staff. That said, it's also hard to give an answer without really knowing what sort of service lapses happened. Safety stuff should obviously be reported. It sounds like there were a number of "first world" issues, but it's not clear quite the extent of the service problems. My bottom line is this: as an introvert, I know it can be very difficult to speak up, but at the same time it would also be unfair to go through 12+ hours of service that didn't meet your standards without trying a polite way of asking that it be corrected ("we're having a fun flight, but I'm familiar with the airline's service standards and I'm worried that other's in F might complain and I don't want you to get in trouble. Do you mind doing x, y, z"). Then the review can be about the recovery, not the issue(s).

    1. Nigel Dawbney-Fisher Guest

      If the crew felt you were a more relaxed customer, and you did not object to the relaxed level of service, then why complain now?

  17. Creditcrunch Diamond

    We crave consistency and grateful for initiative and going the extra mile. The problem then is we expect the high bar rather than the “normal” service delivery so when we don’t receive stellar + service we feel annoyed. If you are going to write a review on your experience you should do so keeping in mind what is normally expected.

  18. Dave @ Horrocks Guest

    It sounds as though you enjoyed the banter, but a bit hard to say if it was inappropriate or not. If it was flirtatious, or sexual, clearly would not be right. But if having fun in an empty cabin why not?

    Think you need to go with your gut feel and enjoy the diversity of the human condition. I would just explain the experience at a high level.

  19. Endre Guest

    If there were a string of incidents involving poor service, I would first inform the purser before providing feedback to the airline. Even though all the Karens and Donnas out there constantly lecture us that cabin crew members aren't there to serve passengers, we still paid for our flights, and it is the airline that promotes certain service standards for their flights. I don't mind if cabin crew members are having a bad day or...

    If there were a string of incidents involving poor service, I would first inform the purser before providing feedback to the airline. Even though all the Karens and Donnas out there constantly lecture us that cabin crew members aren't there to serve passengers, we still paid for our flights, and it is the airline that promotes certain service standards for their flights. I don't mind if cabin crew members are having a bad day or aren't particularly chatty, but that doesn't excuse poor service / absence of service.

  20. vlcnc Guest

    I think you should just be honest about the experience - including what you found positive about it. There are learnings for both parties, the cabin crew and the airline in itself in terms of service style. Also whilst I will always back workers, at the end of the day it is quite a privileged job and lots of people want to do it and if someone can't do it to a certain standard, they need to be held to account because there are lots of other people who could.

  21. Jesse Gold

    I think you are the best travel blogger on the net, and that's why I've been a reader for almost a decade. However, this post comes across as a bit unprofessional. Either write the review with all the details, or leave out the bits you think will get someone in trouble. Via this half-witted post, the airline in question can easily ascertain which flight it was, and may independently launch an investigation, up to reaching...

    I think you are the best travel blogger on the net, and that's why I've been a reader for almost a decade. However, this post comes across as a bit unprofessional. Either write the review with all the details, or leave out the bits you think will get someone in trouble. Via this half-witted post, the airline in question can easily ascertain which flight it was, and may independently launch an investigation, up to reaching out to you for the details. If you had fun, then what is there to complain about? Knowing how strict some airlines are, why would you risk destroying someone's dream career just for clicks? I've been on flights with almost empty premium cabins and the crews bent the normal service procedures and went above and beyond to entertain me, and those are the best flights I've ever had. The cabin crews cued off of my epic sense of humour and friendliness, and seemed genuinely pleased to have an atypical flight, and I didn't begrudge them that.

  22. Lukas Guest

    Be honest and share the entire experience :) If you're a professional reviewer (almost a "mystery shopper"), you shouldn't take into account what might happen to the staff. Also, I don't think that Emirates would fire an entire crew just because some service mishaps, and certainly not if you mention that you had a great time (if true), and so forth.

  23. Boise Guest

    If I would have to guess it might have something to do I with being a gay couple. I had an experience in quatar q suites which I might use similar adjectives

  24. John Guest

    @eskimoo

    Hole to eskimoo,
    Hole to eskimoo: STOP DIGGING.

  25. henare Diamond

    You said: "It seems silly to get someone in trouble if you really still enjoyed your experience"

    so don't do this.

    what is so difficult?

    the answer, of course, is that you *do* want to report something derogatory here, so either do it or don't.

  26. Conrad Guest

    Feedback is a gift. Use it and give it wisely

  27. Tandy | Lavender and Lime Guest

    Be honest all the time about everything, otherwise you compromise your integrity.

  28. Steve Guest

    If the crew member didn’t offend you and you appreciated their service then I wouldn’t say anything else. It will almost certainly have a negative impact on their career. If you think thank their behavior was unacceptable and needs correcting then I’d consider saying something. I personally like it when flight attendants are more friendly and less “professional” as long as they take good care of me and are kind.

  29. Malc Diamond

    Your conflicted feelings are understandable. I always tell my students, err on the side of honesty – it's (ultimately) easier to live with yourself that way.

  30. Tcdtcd Guest

    Your post is like a junior high girl the night after the dance. “I wanna tell ya, but I can’t tell ya. Should I tell ya??”

  31. AJ Guest

    I think you should share your honest and transparent opinion Ben. That's been the hallmark of your site all these years and it shouldn't change (and one reason I've been a regular reader for many years since I first stumbled upon one of your reviews)
    I also don't think you should feel the need to omit details just because you received relatively good service - in the end you're reviewing the product in its...

    I think you should share your honest and transparent opinion Ben. That's been the hallmark of your site all these years and it shouldn't change (and one reason I've been a regular reader for many years since I first stumbled upon one of your reviews)
    I also don't think you should feel the need to omit details just because you received relatively good service - in the end you're reviewing the product in its entirety.
    On a separate note, as a long time EQ loyalist - their service has been on a steep decline, to the point I feel like I'm going to switch to another airline. (I regularly fly J/F). Please share so they can improve it.

  32. Sean Guest

    Just be honest. Don’t need to name them. If the airlines reads your article and digs to figure who it was, not your problem.

    1. Vancouver - Char Diamond

      yes, I agree with Sean - be honest yet no need to mention specific names; I value the honesty of your One Mile at a Time blog so, please keep this honesty

  33. Miles ahead Guest

    All instagrammers should dis0lay such self reflective scrutiny. L9l
    Idk, Ben trust your gut, but a one off experience or employee's unfiltered behavior really detract from the brandvexperience that much? Only you can know that. I think it's your "job" as a reviewer to separate the one-offs from the truly common and that is where your judgment and discretion comes in.

  34. Tommy F Guest

    What does Ford think about this "issue"? did he also notice this "issue" or is it only you? if he did, what is his thought? did you ask him the same question you asked in this blog and did he suggest you write as honestly as possible? or is it because he suggested you let it go that you wrote this post so that you could "hypothetically" say to Ford that your readers disagree with him?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Tommy F -- We feel identically about this. We noticed the same things, and he's also conflicted about what I should do.

  35. JetSetGo Guest

    Do what Bethenny said to Ramona “mention it all! Mention it ALL!”

  36. Morgan Diamond

    Ben this is a interesting situation but as others have said your job is to review flights objectively and honestly and then we as readers can deduce what we want out of the review but we can't do that if you don't present all the facts and be 100% transparent. So I say just tell us what happened.

    Additionally you have already told us (and anyone who wants to know) it was a recent flight...

    Ben this is a interesting situation but as others have said your job is to review flights objectively and honestly and then we as readers can deduce what we want out of the review but we can't do that if you don't present all the facts and be 100% transparent. So I say just tell us what happened.

    Additionally you have already told us (and anyone who wants to know) it was a recent flight (past few days) in Emirates new first class on the 777 from Washington to Dubai and you had the cabin to yourself (and Ford?) and they obviously can just search up your name. If Emirates truly were intent on taking action from this they are probably already investigating.

    Also I think if you tell us we as readers can tell you what we think about the situation and that way you can see what other people think so if something similar happens again you either look at it from a different perspective or do something about it.

  37. Matthew Guest

    You single-handedly just greased the skids of termination for the entire flight crew. Just how much Dom Perignon did you consume on the ground and in the air? Shame on you!

  38. Mh Diamond

    Service standards are/should be there to make sure someone has a good experience, so they set minimum requirements. But the goal should be about good service, not confirmity, if that's not required.

    Thus, if the service was delivering what the customer wanted, even if it is off-script, but not doing anything 'wrong' I wouldn't be elaborating on it if it should get someone in trouble. Is the goal just to have everything conformant rather than...

    Service standards are/should be there to make sure someone has a good experience, so they set minimum requirements. But the goal should be about good service, not confirmity, if that's not required.

    Thus, if the service was delivering what the customer wanted, even if it is off-script, but not doing anything 'wrong' I wouldn't be elaborating on it if it should get someone in trouble. Is the goal just to have everything conformant rather than good?

    And yes I think you probably already shared a bit much.

  39. Peking Duck Guest

    Ben, for future reference: next time you face this dilemma, don't hint about it in the first post, then go straight at it in the second asking for feedback from the whole world. So now everyone knows what you're talking about, except no one knows the details. The cat's totally out of the bag, and whatever decision you make now, you can't win. Instead, next time keep it to yourself, ask a few trusted friends...

    Ben, for future reference: next time you face this dilemma, don't hint about it in the first post, then go straight at it in the second asking for feedback from the whole world. So now everyone knows what you're talking about, except no one knows the details. The cat's totally out of the bag, and whatever decision you make now, you can't win. Instead, next time keep it to yourself, ask a few trusted friends for their feedback, and go with your gut. We won't know any better, and we don't need to know any better. You're making editorial decisions all the time, and 99% of the time they don't, and shouldn't, need our feedback. This is one of those times.

  40. Aniljak Guest

    You have already identified it was an Emirates flight by posting picture of their logo on the engine!
    Emirates simply have to search their records to see what recent flight you were on!
    Every staff member on that flight is now under suspicion.
    You have no choice now but to detail exactly what happened so that the innocent are cleared as soon as possible.

  41. AR Guest

    Please tell us! I value your honesty and knowing what's a good value/good experience, etc.

  42. Marty Guest

    I'd stay quiet Ben. I have a restaurant and if I fired everyone for breaking the rules they'd be out of a job and I'd be out of business. I suggest you write a review in a few months (without being too specific) when it has all blown over. Love OMAAT, keep up the excellent work. Marty.

  43. Donna Diamond

    Anyone who has read your reviews for any length of time is aware of your standards and biases. I apply my own filters and then decide if your review, whether positive or negative, would influence whether I’d either select a product or decline it. In most cases, it’s the negative stuff which turns me off to a product, while the glowing reviews are good information, the value to me is in the negative stuff. Better...

    Anyone who has read your reviews for any length of time is aware of your standards and biases. I apply my own filters and then decide if your review, whether positive or negative, would influence whether I’d either select a product or decline it. In most cases, it’s the negative stuff which turns me off to a product, while the glowing reviews are good information, the value to me is in the negative stuff. Better Ben take one for the team, instead of the rest of us! I’d like to know what went down on the flight but I wouldn’t want to see someone lose their job over a small oversight or perceived slight. If it was something significant, then go for it. If not, I’d pass.

  44. Bill Walker Guest

    I would do nothing. If you make a report someone is going to get fired - did the situation warrant that?

  45. Eric Guest

    Review at as you see fit… If it is a dif standard but exceeds your expectations, maybe the airline can adjust!!

  46. Emily Kristiansen Guest

    I wouldn't name names unless there was something truly bad (safety-related or illegal), but I would communicate with the airline. Ultimately, it doesn't matter who did it... the airline had a problem with not meeting service standards and you pointed it out. It's up to the airline, and in turn its managers, to ensure that the standards are met. They know your date/flight number... they can look up who was the Purser and see how...

    I wouldn't name names unless there was something truly bad (safety-related or illegal), but I would communicate with the airline. Ultimately, it doesn't matter who did it... the airline had a problem with not meeting service standards and you pointed it out. It's up to the airline, and in turn its managers, to ensure that the standards are met. They know your date/flight number... they can look up who was the Purser and see how they may or may not have dropped the ball. But ultimately these things are more systemic than one person, which makes names unnecessary in almost all cases.

    1. Vancouver - Char Diamond

      Good point - I agree - no need to mention names unless it is truly bad such as safety protocols etc yet honesty wins over the long-term

  47. Ray Guest

    I think you owe it to your readers to be honest with your reviews. But if you’re concerned about potential consequences that might befall certain crew members, you can try phrasing your words carefully. Note the highs as well as you do the shortcomings, and offer feedback.

    Having said that, there’s a reason why I stopped flying ME carriers when I can. No matter how fancy their hard product, the soft product just can’t compete...

    I think you owe it to your readers to be honest with your reviews. But if you’re concerned about potential consequences that might befall certain crew members, you can try phrasing your words carefully. Note the highs as well as you do the shortcomings, and offer feedback.

    Having said that, there’s a reason why I stopped flying ME carriers when I can. No matter how fancy their hard product, the soft product just can’t compete with Singapore/Cathay/Garuda/Japan. Thank goodness for competition.

  48. Old Flight Engineer (OFE) Guest

    Years ago (early to mid 2000's) I was flying a lot for my job and primarily used UA because they had the best schedules in and out of DEN.
    I firmly believe that the primary job of the cabin crew is safety, safety and safety. UA was having a lot of problems with reliability, service and attitude but the reason I dropped them was being on 3 flights in the space of 60 days...

    Years ago (early to mid 2000's) I was flying a lot for my job and primarily used UA because they had the best schedules in and out of DEN.
    I firmly believe that the primary job of the cabin crew is safety, safety and safety. UA was having a lot of problems with reliability, service and attitude but the reason I dropped them was being on 3 flights in the space of 60 days where the cabin crew failed to perform their safety duties properly. These were not simple errors, doors were not cross checked, passengers were not reminded to wear their seat belts, cabin checks were missed pre-takeoff and pre-landing, briefings were incorrect and there was a considerable lack of coordination between the crew.
    I wrote a careful letter to the then president and got no response so moved to different carriers.
    If there are no serious safety issues then I do not get too concerned but I do appreciate your perspective on service as that is an indicator of other potential problems.

  49. Laz Guest

    I'm a crew member. I think you're being unfair. I take my que from the passengers. It sounded to me that you were having a great time. The issue is that you were flying for the purpose of writing a review. Did you mention this to the crew member?

    You were the only one in the cabin. I'm assuming they didn't do their job because they felt that you didn't care or expect the...

    I'm a crew member. I think you're being unfair. I take my que from the passengers. It sounded to me that you were having a great time. The issue is that you were flying for the purpose of writing a review. Did you mention this to the crew member?

    You were the only one in the cabin. I'm assuming they didn't do their job because they felt that you didn't care or expect the standard services. It's been my experience that passengers who drink bottles of champagne during a flight aren't concerned unless they're writing a review.

    It's also very shady to review part of the flight and then write another article about not being sure of what to do. You have already reported them to the airline. Shady... Very shady.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Laz -- I hear you. A couple of things to note. First of all, this wasn't a case of us setting the tone, and had nothing to do with alcohol. It started the second we boarded. Nope, I don't let any crew know that I'm reviewing flights. And while I understand what you're saying about letting the cat out of the bag, I think it's vague enough that there's not much any airline can do based on this information, since it doesn't mention the person or what happened.

    2. Leigh Guest

      Laz - your comments are incredibly defensive, without full knowledge, and represent your profession poorly.

      I think of the hundreds if not thousands of fantastic crew I’ve been fortunate to fly with over the decades…and NONE OF THEM would have written the comments you did, as they represent the profession proudly and responsibly.

    3. Endre Guest

      To use your tone: Woah, I can’t imagine how you must be treating your passenger.

  50. Andy Guest

    You're giving your experience on the flight as well as giving an insight into what your readers may experience on the flights. We read your blog because we trust that you write the good, bad, ugly and humorous on all your flights - not pick and choose based upon what a flight attendant wants to hear.

    1. Vancouver - Char Diamond

      As Andy notes, I chime in that we trust the good, bad and ugly of your insights:)

  51. Mary S Guest

    IMHO - If you want to be a real reviewer, you review. The good. The bad. The ugly.

    How can we take your positive reviews at face value if you don't call out where they missed the mark?

    We rely on you to talk about your experience. If they missed something, call it out. It is not your responsibility to try and sugar coat it. Be honest and don't hold back on both the good and bad.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Mary S -- Well hopefully you can take my positive reviews at face value because you can see that for the first time in this many years I'm struggling with a decision about what to write. But yes, you're right.

  52. Jay Guest

    This is a crummy post Ben. Now Singapore and Emirates are going after their crew on the day you flew to roll heads. You’re becoming more of an entitled jackwad than Gary Leff which is saying a lot,

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Jay -- Well I've reviewed my Singapore Airlines flight, so I don't think there's anything happening there. And I'm not sure what exactly Emirates would do with this post, as it doesn't name a person or the behavior?

    2. Baz Guest

      @ Ben -- clearly it is very easy for the airline to identify the crew members based on your identity. Please be mindful here, if you feel that the crew behaved in an inappropriate way -- that's one thing, but otherwise maybe save the fun story for your friends and family.

    3. snic Guest

      Um, the logo in the picture accompanying the post... Isn't that Emirates'? Whether it is or not, it's a clue to someone more versed in airline logos than me.

    4. Leigh Diamond

      You come across as a "entitled jackwad" commentator, the type that sit behind the laptop using whatever language and "so-called" judgement to make "crummy" ad hominem attacks.

      The comment "you're becoming" implies that you are no longer satisfied reading this blog, so do yourself, and us, a favor, and stop reading it if that's what you really think about Ben.

  53. Matthew Guest

    I vote for be honest. The important thing is you had a good experience. You can preface it by saying you want nothing bad to happen, but my guess is if they aren’t meeting standards on other flights, they may not keep their job long term anyway.

  54. RF Diamond

    I would share the things that were great and things that need improvement. That's how things get better.

  55. Steven Guest

    Write it out as you normally would.

    Sit on it for a bit.

    Post it with any indicators left out (flight date, airline specifics, route, and use aliases for flight staff names).

    No reason why you can't meet half way by posting about it, but keeping everyone out of any trouble.

    1. Gerard Guest

      Uhh, this won't work as the airline has Ben's name.

    2. Steven Guest

      Gerard, my thought initially was that it won't matter; if he delays the review by some time to obfuscate the when of it all, and not mention the airline, he'd be in the clear.

      But this is a moot point, as I read his Emirates review right after this article...so it's pretty obvious which airline this is, and your point stands as logical.

  56. Skedguy Guest

    If they were funny and entertaining I would take that and not sweat the petty stuff

  57. Andrew Diamond

    I was on a non-rev fare and asked to pay up for EK F (which at the counter would have been $5k / ticket.) The ticket counter helpfully recommended that I ask on board because the price may be less - asked the head F attendant. She just snapped I wouldn't get the F meal, committed to get me the pricing and details and didn't even bother to do so.

    I clearly didn't push the...

    I was on a non-rev fare and asked to pay up for EK F (which at the counter would have been $5k / ticket.) The ticket counter helpfully recommended that I ask on board because the price may be less - asked the head F attendant. She just snapped I wouldn't get the F meal, committed to get me the pricing and details and didn't even bother to do so.

    I clearly didn't push the issue. If that was the service I was going to get for dropping $10k on some upgraded seats, I was fine with non-rev J.

  58. Mike Guest

    Ben

    I’m not sure we can respond to hypotheticals, only the specifics of a situation.

    If you are referring to the emirates flight there is one specific that we know for certain. You state you drank as much as you could of the dozen bottles of champagne available and you are still recovering. I do not recall you making a comment like this before regarding your consumption.
    Alcohol impacts judgement, perception, emotions, behaviour and...

    Ben

    I’m not sure we can respond to hypotheticals, only the specifics of a situation.

    If you are referring to the emirates flight there is one specific that we know for certain. You state you drank as much as you could of the dozen bottles of champagne available and you are still recovering. I do not recall you making a comment like this before regarding your consumption.
    Alcohol impacts judgement, perception, emotions, behaviour and memory; because that’s what alcohol does.

    Perhaps you should reflect on your reliability as a witness on this occasion. Before you dash to the keyboard. Especially as the consequences for the individual may be adverse and dramatic.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Mike -- This had nothing to do with alcohol, or impaired judgment from drinking. The situation started at boarding, before I had a single drink.

  59. David Bauer Guest

    Report it all......that's why we read your reviews. I can personally like someone but point out the parts where they did not do the job.

  60. AVGeekHNL Member

    @Ben Stick with your style of writing and your gut. Many who read OMAAT know you writing style and content. If we didn't like how and what your report, we would have long departed for another blog.
    I don't think your review would be the sole reason for someone getting into trouble. Companies have a process for reviewing employees and most FA's are union members so employers can't just fire someone because one person gave a bad review.
    Keep up the good work.

  61. miamiorbust Guest

    Unless you are still in 2nd grade, you should have concluded that changing your behavior or values to avoid someone else "getting in trouble" is moronic. You're not 7 years old. So are you a functional adult or an adult with moronic tendencies? Guess we'll find out.

  62. Ricardo Guest

    Squealing on a hapless employee in a public web blog is inappropriate and unprofessional. Feedback option is to go to 1st line management.
    If safety or health was compromised that is a more consequential issue.

    1. miamiorbust Guest

      I am curious why you believe it is inappropriate and unprofessional? Are you making a statement about blogging standards and journalism in the most general sense or a values comment about perceptions of fairness - it's not like the airline employee has a comparable platform to respond? I don't care about this specific example in a click-bait blog post but I am interest in other points of view on what is perceived to be appropriate.

  63. D3kingg Guest

    @Ben

    Go with your gut instinct Ben. Be honest and report an employee if they gave you poor service.

    The laziest service I ever received was on an empty business class American flight from Beijing to Chicago several years ago . The load was 5 of 29 or something. Knowing at the time I was a non rev an FA force changed me seat assignments and I was nearly rushed through the entire meal...

    @Ben

    Go with your gut instinct Ben. Be honest and report an employee if they gave you poor service.

    The laziest service I ever received was on an empty business class American flight from Beijing to Chicago several years ago . The load was 5 of 29 or something. Knowing at the time I was a non rev an FA force changed me seat assignments and I was nearly rushed through the entire meal service of a 13 hr flight on a single tray only to find out later the reason the FA made me switch seats was so she could take her inflight break in the mini business class cabin. I had no recourse of action being on a buddy pass.

    I now have elite status and spend a lot of money every year with delAAyed. Go figure.

  64. dkf New Member

    While I can see both sides (and would err on the side of not reviewing service), you've already hinted at it twice in posts that name the carrier, one of which identifies the specific route you were on. Isn't the cat about 90% out of the bag at this point?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ dkf -- Perhaps. But without naming the person or what went wrong, I'm not sure there's much the airline can do. At least that's how I view it, and why I posed this question first.

  65. MikeFlyCX Guest

    I've been fortunate to fly EK in F many times. Most of the times it is the 'normal' superlative service one expects in EK F. A few times the crew has "read the room' so to speak and acted accordingly. This made the flight that much more enjoyable for me and the people I was traveling with. I would never write in to compliment them on what they did specifically. I just say they went...

    I've been fortunate to fly EK in F many times. Most of the times it is the 'normal' superlative service one expects in EK F. A few times the crew has "read the room' so to speak and acted accordingly. This made the flight that much more enjoyable for me and the people I was traveling with. I would never write in to compliment them on what they did specifically. I just say they went above and beyond the normal excellent service and I appreciated the crew working my particular flight. I personally would not take the risk of mentioning a specific, knowing there is a better than even chance it would violate a rule and trigger repercussions. Just my $.02 worth.

  66. jcil Guest

    If it was something safety related or very lacking I would let the airline know. If it was along the lines of your Champaign was not served at the correct temperature, or the pampering was insufficient, just let it go.

    Maybe you need to go to work for one of the top airlines and be in charge of the first class service training and execution to make sure it is up to standards.

  67. mdande7 Diamond

    Good God Eskimo did you really just compare Ben's first class experience to the holocaust.

    1. Eskimo Guest

      And yet you learn very little about history. Just take what you want to hear.
      While the holocausts have popularized this verse, it wasn't all about the holocausts. Many non-Jews died in concentration camps. They came for the Communists first if you even know the verse.
      It's about not letting a person or a party going too far on abusing power or strength.

      The modern verse would be used by DHS and isn't...

      And yet you learn very little about history. Just take what you want to hear.
      While the holocausts have popularized this verse, it wasn't all about the holocausts. Many non-Jews died in concentration camps. They came for the Communists first if you even know the verse.
      It's about not letting a person or a party going too far on abusing power or strength.

      The modern verse would be used by DHS and isn't related to the holocaust.
      It's called "If You See Something, Say Something"

  68. Sam Guest

    Well, now you are going to have to tell us about it after all this buildup!

  69. Daniel from Finland Guest

    I've sometimes received inflight service that is sure to break airline policies, but to my benefit. I would never make the mistake of mentioning any details about these cases because that could lead to problems for FAs that have served me more than well.

    There are ways to handle these cases, eg instead of saying "the FA did X, Y and Z which made me happy" you can rephrase and say "the FA had excellent situational awareness" etc.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Daniel from Finland -- And I've certainly had this as well, but for what it's worth, that's not really what was going on here. This was perhaps a case where part of the crew was fun, but separately was very unprofessional (unrelated to being fun).

  70. applesa Guest

    Nuance is often missed in print form and easy to misquote someones intention. Cancel culture.

    1. Joe Guest

      There is a saying in my family. Never complain, never explain.
      If you feel to express yourself, say directly or nothing at all. IF you need to expose what you feel is not a great First Class worthy service with EK than say it and write it to the customer service. Sorry to say, I hate ppl who have no spine! If you want a situation solve than be ready to make yourself dirty....

      There is a saying in my family. Never complain, never explain.
      If you feel to express yourself, say directly or nothing at all. IF you need to expose what you feel is not a great First Class worthy service with EK than say it and write it to the customer service. Sorry to say, I hate ppl who have no spine! If you want a situation solve than be ready to make yourself dirty. No hidding behind anything. If the EK First crew did not fulfill your exepectation than call them for it. They would not know they were wrong and will probably do it again to other paxs, if they are not told to improve it.

  71. Mt Guest

    Really, either write it or don't but don't create this whole extra mystery about it that builds something up to be even bigger than it is.

    You already admit it could affect someone's livelihood and thus their life, don't dramatize it for your own benifit.

    I would suggest this article is many things you complain about here, not befitting of the blog / website and the standards you suggest you report by and very self...

    Really, either write it or don't but don't create this whole extra mystery about it that builds something up to be even bigger than it is.

    You already admit it could affect someone's livelihood and thus their life, don't dramatize it for your own benifit.

    I would suggest this article is many things you complain about here, not befitting of the blog / website and the standards you suggest you report by and very self indulgent. Maybe give that some thought while you make your decision, but this article cheapens the site considerably.

    1. RR Guest

      Dude’s just asking a question — it’s his blog, why not just let him ask open ended questions that engage his users? He’s having a hard time figuring out what to do, and so if he’s reaching out to us for help, just let him.

      If he’s conflicted about something and asking for advice, that’s great! If he wants to know what we’d do in the same situation, that’s great!

  72. Super VC10 Guest

    It's interesting to me that despite all the incredible aspects of your once-in-a-lifetime flight, you weren't entirely satisfied. That has been my experience when flying Emirates. I've always been seated in Business Class - never First - and while the hard product and the inflight catering have impressed me, there has always been at least one flight attendant on each of my Emirates flights who has treated me with indifference, if not down-right rudeness. On...

    It's interesting to me that despite all the incredible aspects of your once-in-a-lifetime flight, you weren't entirely satisfied. That has been my experience when flying Emirates. I've always been seated in Business Class - never First - and while the hard product and the inflight catering have impressed me, there has always been at least one flight attendant on each of my Emirates flights who has treated me with indifference, if not down-right rudeness. On each occasion my otherwise pleasant flight on Emirates was slightly spoiled by the way I was treated by one or more members of the crew.

    As someone who for 30 years was both a flight attendant and a flight attendant supervisor, I'll admit to closely watching individual cabin crewmembers, and cabin crews as a whole. From experience I can tell when a crew 'gels' and enjoys working together, and that is something I seldom see on Emirates. While some of the flight attendants are fantastic, others seem to just be doing their own thing, and are as oblivious to their working partners as they are to their passengers.

    Perhaps I've noticed service problems on Emirates because I normally fly Air France, where the cabin crews tend to be far more professional.

  73. Adam Guest

    What an interesting question.

    I think if I were an employee and I could sense the 'vibes' of a passenger and give them a great time, that would be a tremendous plus and greatly appreciated by the airline.

    If it were against the rules of the airline, it is basically wrong of the employee to take that stance. They are doing something they should not be doing and they could get in trouble for it,...

    What an interesting question.

    I think if I were an employee and I could sense the 'vibes' of a passenger and give them a great time, that would be a tremendous plus and greatly appreciated by the airline.

    If it were against the rules of the airline, it is basically wrong of the employee to take that stance. They are doing something they should not be doing and they could get in trouble for it, including losing their job.

    If you know for a fact that the airline would disapprove of the behavior, I would not mentions details as you honestly helped to encourage the bad behavior by responding positively to it. You have a hand in the badness of the employee.

    If you think the airline would look on it as a positive, thinking outside the box, going above and beyond sort of approach, you can mention that the employee was a real joy to be around, and mention that the airline is flexible enough to encourage people being 'real'.

    If it has a chance to get an employee fired, I would not share that information.

    As for the blog, making money at others expense, is not justification enough for me (everyone is different of course).

  74. Stuart Guest

    If it's not egregious (safety abuse etc) just let it be when dealing with an airline like Emirates (especially all the ME carriers) as they will absolutely fire the employees if they deem it embarrassing. For U.S. carriers I say let er rip. It's doubtful they will get fired given Unions etc, but they will at least get warnings and management has an opportunity to address it through policy changes etc.

  75. BA from BWI Guest

    I had a somewhat similar experience on the same route a couple months ago. There might've been a few service misses but the FA had a charismatic personality that overshadowed everything else. I was treated like a friend, learned a lot about emirates, life at emirates campus, and various employee-led initiatives. I left the flight with a smile, which is definitely more important than a few service misses.
    If you think this diluted your...

    I had a somewhat similar experience on the same route a couple months ago. There might've been a few service misses but the FA had a charismatic personality that overshadowed everything else. I was treated like a friend, learned a lot about emirates, life at emirates campus, and various employee-led initiatives. I left the flight with a smile, which is definitely more important than a few service misses.
    If you think this diluted your inflight experience, you should've mentioned something to the FA during the flight so that service can be adjusted according to your expectations - I'm sure they're fully trained to deliver the standard emirates service. If there were some serious violations, I'd definitely report it but if it is just slight deviation from emirates' standards, there's no point in putting an FA at risk of termination whose only fault could be to deliver a more personalized service as the load was low.

    1. Erica T Member

      I completely agree with BA. Since there were no other passengers maybe the FA thought it would be more special to personalize your service. You did say you loved your flight and that in many ways their laid-back attitude contributed to a great experience. Maybe they were reading you and therefore deviated from some of the standards. But, your post is vague and we weren't there so I am only guessing.

  76. EJ Guest

    I think you tell it as it is, which is what you do best. You don't have to mention names at all, but the integrity of your blog is a reason I (and surely so many others) are loyal and enjoy what you write. If you are honest about all the positives, hopefully the airline takes that into consideration when also working on training to correct other issues.

  77. Weymar Osborne Diamond

    I would hope that you would publish it but I feel even making this post was a mistake. Streisand effect will probably bring a lot more attention to the issue and Emirates management will almost certainly hear about it. If you had just published the review and put in a line or two about the service it may have just flown under the radar.

  78. Desperado Guest

    Don’t name and shame - as much as I’d like to hear the details, if you had a good experience let it fly.

    But in the comments please tell if they have an accommodating m!le h!gh club policy… traveling with my wife on this route in a few weeks…

  79. Mike Coffey Guest

    Given the unique circumstances of the Emirates flight in question, I would err on the side of caution. You have no way of knowing if the staff would have behaved differently given a full allocation of passengers in their section.

  80. UGC Guest

    Ben
    I go straight to the point: I believe you should always do what you’ve done, in the same way you’ve done…
    It’s not only what you say, but how…it really makes the difference and you should stick to yourself ;-)
    Keep going!

  81. pbmchenry Member

    I say leave it out. If the crew was tailoring the experience to your benefit and especially if they were acting based on your cues as to what was acceptable to you, let what happens at 30,000 feet stay at 30,000 feet.

  82. CJS Guest

    This is a very interesting situation and not an easy answer. On a somewhat similar note, I've been wanting to bring up a topic that's been on my mind for literally years now. Lucky, I don't think you fully understand the "preferential" treatment you get on airlines, hotels, etc. I don't think you give enough credit to the fact that airlines and hotels know who you are before ever boarding or stepping foot into a...

    This is a very interesting situation and not an easy answer. On a somewhat similar note, I've been wanting to bring up a topic that's been on my mind for literally years now. Lucky, I don't think you fully understand the "preferential" treatment you get on airlines, hotels, etc. I don't think you give enough credit to the fact that airlines and hotels know who you are before ever boarding or stepping foot into a hotel - all based on who you are - meaning I think the treatment you get (not all the time) is different from an average Joe such as myself.

    I can honestly say that I truly try to be the nicest, most courteous and appreciative customer whether it be at a hotel or on a flight. I know you've talked about being too passive sometimes when things aren't completely as they should be. I feel as if I'm the same way - to a fault sometimes. I've flown many of the airlines you've flown (in either F or Biz), I've stayed at may of the hotels that you've stayed - all over the globe. Very consistently, I NEVER get the level of service or treatment that you seem to get. For example, I've flown Qatar on at least 4 ultra long-haul segments in Q Suites. Yes, it was great but the personal level of service that you describe was not there. This is just 1 example. So many times, you state at the end that you "bid farewell to the nice and lovely crew". I just never seem to have those warm and fuzzy connections that you seem to get/receive. No, I'm not saying that all of your flights or hotel stays are without issues or complaints. My point is that I think you underestimate so many times that the treatment you get can be (not always) different simply based on who you are and the fact that you write a travel blog. I hope you take that into consideration when trying to be unbiased and truthful in your reviews. Consider yourself "lucky" that overall, you get really good treatment!

    1. Mike Coffey Guest

      I concur with CJS. Not that it's a bad thing, but given that you seemingly publish under your own (rather unique) name, it would be nothing but a thing for the crew to see you name on the manifest and realize they need to go above and beyond.

    2. Brian-EWA New Member

      Crew doesn't even have to pay attention to the flight manifest names. Any airline or hotel company with the marketing dollars of an Emirates, or a Marriott, has all this information about Ben AND Ford on their backend CMS. Unless they're flying under bogus passports and secret identities, it is never a surprise when they show up on a flight.

    3. Eskimo Guest

      Yes airlines probably know who these bloggers/influencers are beforehand and give them special treatment.

      But there is a difference of asking for special treatment in return of publicity and giving special treatment without expecting positive propaganda.

      Look no further than John and Sebastian who seem to get (well) compensated from any minute or questionable issues. Every similar service mishap I get an apology or have to suck it up, those guys get a free stay...

      Yes airlines probably know who these bloggers/influencers are beforehand and give them special treatment.

      But there is a difference of asking for special treatment in return of publicity and giving special treatment without expecting positive propaganda.

      Look no further than John and Sebastian who seem to get (well) compensated from any minute or questionable issues. Every similar service mishap I get an apology or have to suck it up, those guys get a free stay and generous extra points.

      So if @Lucky complains that the Champagne is too warm, he will get 10,000 miles.
      If we complain, we get the look on the face and nothing happens.

      But that's why my expectation of @Lucky is much different that John and Sebastian.
      OMAAT post will want me to think what went wrong and why.
      Reading John and Sebastian will want me to think will a broken coffee maker earn them a free night or how many miles would they get for a half-reclining chair complain.

  83. TA Guest

    This is a fun one and doesn't even include any labyrinth guards.

    I would absolutely not share further details given that it seems the deviations from standard were positive ones. If the FA is providing an enjoyable experience I wouldn't want to take any actions that lead to them losing their job.

  84. George Romey Guest

    The only thing I can say that if you're in coach it's going to suck no matter what airline, what route. The only exception would be the rare empty flight in which you get a row to yourself. Or if you on a 321 ceo, in the exit row and have the middle seat empty.

    If it's domestic first, business class or (true) first class it will be anything from "ok" (narrow body plane) to...

    The only thing I can say that if you're in coach it's going to suck no matter what airline, what route. The only exception would be the rare empty flight in which you get a row to yourself. Or if you on a 321 ceo, in the exit row and have the middle seat empty.

    If it's domestic first, business class or (true) first class it will be anything from "ok" (narrow body plane) to "good" to "great." Airline food doesn't do much for me and while I like my premium seat drink, time of day appropriate, I have desire to drink like I'm back in college just because it's free. Otherwise, a flat bed and no seat mate to contend with.

  85. George Romey Guest

    The only thing I can say that if you're in coach it's going to suck no matter what airline, what route. The only exception would be the rare empty flight in which you get a row to yourself. Or if you on a 321 ceo, in the exit row and have the middle seat empty.

    If it's domestic first, business class or (true) first class it will be anything from "ok" (narrow body plane) to...

    The only thing I can say that if you're in coach it's going to suck no matter what airline, what route. The only exception would be the rare empty flight in which you get a row to yourself. Or if you on a 321 ceo, in the exit row and have the middle seat empty.

    If it's domestic first, business class or (true) first class it will be anything from "ok" (narrow body plane) to "good" to "great." Airline food doesn't do much for me and while I like my premium seat drink, time of day appropriate, I have desire to drink like I'm back in college just because it's free. Otherwise, a flat bed and no seat mate to contend with.

  86. Kurt Guest

    The better part of valor is discretion. Perhaps the crew on this mysterious unspecified flight (which none of your readers could possibly identify through inference) thought they had established a bond with the few passengers in their mostly-empty cabin and could let their hair down a little. Humans aren't robots and personally I appreciate seeing the human side of customer service as long as it doesn't materially detract from the delivery.

    So maybe a flight...

    The better part of valor is discretion. Perhaps the crew on this mysterious unspecified flight (which none of your readers could possibly identify through inference) thought they had established a bond with the few passengers in their mostly-empty cabin and could let their hair down a little. Humans aren't robots and personally I appreciate seeing the human side of customer service as long as it doesn't materially detract from the delivery.

    So maybe a flight attendant took a nap in an unoccupied First seat? Or slipped you an unopened bottle of Champagne to take home? With your large readership, sharing that type of... deviation could have consequences.

  87. Rainer Guest

    Well, interaction with flight attendants is a two-way thing, and I think it might well be that you showed your appreciation to some of their “ridiculous behavior” and that you were enjoying yourself, thereby giving them feedback to go even further with whatever they were doing.

    In short, as I might have been at least partly the cause of nonstandard behavior, I’d let them get away with it.

  88. Khatl Diamond

    Only takes one or a few interactions to ruin the experience of an entire company (in this case airline).

    Look at it from the other side too. If you were the airline responsible for delivering a certain standard of service, wouldn't you be concerned and want to know if a crew didn't meet customer expectations?

    1. Jonathan Gold

      Sounds like an Emirates Mixed-Fleet crew ;)

  89. Jerry Diamond

    The real problem here is Emirates' inability to handle your feedback professionally. A written warning, or perhaps retraining, seems like all that is necessary, but judging by what we know about how EK treats their employees, it could mean termination for this employee.

  90. Brian Guest

    Say exactly how it was. That’s what we come here for. If somebody is not not performing in their job, I’m pretty sure they understand that they might suffer consequences and it’s not your job to protect them from these. Transparency is what leads to improvement. You want the crew to think they can continue to disappoint people like this? You may not value the flight as much as a couple on their honeymoon etc....

    Say exactly how it was. That’s what we come here for. If somebody is not not performing in their job, I’m pretty sure they understand that they might suffer consequences and it’s not your job to protect them from these. Transparency is what leads to improvement. You want the crew to think they can continue to disappoint people like this? You may not value the flight as much as a couple on their honeymoon etc. on a once in a lifetime splurge. They would likely be very unhappy after paying with their savings to fly this “well respected” product and then be let down because of some problem staff. Absolutely be open and let’s hope SQ is listening! No need to name people but be clear about what happened and if purser involved.

  91. brotther Guest

    Brother, you must let it go. Unless it were some safety issue that I assume you would not ask about, it is not worth the karma potentially coming back for you.

  92. DenB Diamond

    I hope you'll decide that your primary loyalty is to us.

  93. AA70 Diamond

    If you didn't want management to find out about whatever happened, you would not have written about this. I'm sure people at Emirates are aware of this site, and while they may not directly send a follow up email to you proactively, they definitely are doing something about this. Mention the hiccups in the review, but in your conclusion share what impact that ultimately had on your flight.

  94. Clem Diamond

    It's a tough one because selfishly, now I want to know all the juicy details :D !

    But how about you write a separate post about service, without ever naming the airline or flight you took? I don't know if the airline could retaliate on those employees if you don't name it exactly? I think most of us would know what you are talking about but as long as it's not explicit it should...

    It's a tough one because selfishly, now I want to know all the juicy details :D !

    But how about you write a separate post about service, without ever naming the airline or flight you took? I don't know if the airline could retaliate on those employees if you don't name it exactly? I think most of us would know what you are talking about but as long as it's not explicit it should not constitute proof... I have no idea but I guess that's how I'd go about it so you can review it thoroughly but not get them in too much trouble.

  95. Jimmy’s Travel Report Diamond

    I would never specifically name or indirectly name anyone if it’s going to harm their ability to make a living, Just not worth all the “review integrity” in the world. There are plenty of creative ways to convey this information while not indicting someone. I would say your mission is to inform your audience, not to act as QC for inflight customer experience.

    1. Steve Diamond

      The name is irrelevant unfortunately. Emirates knows which flight Ben and Ford were on, it would take management less than two seconds to look this up and see which crew were in 1st class. So obviously Ben isnt going to name specific people if something were bad but that doesnt mean the airline wont already know. I would imagine that they have already looked into this just based on this blog post alone which hints...

      The name is irrelevant unfortunately. Emirates knows which flight Ben and Ford were on, it would take management less than two seconds to look this up and see which crew were in 1st class. So obviously Ben isnt going to name specific people if something were bad but that doesnt mean the airline wont already know. I would imagine that they have already looked into this just based on this blog post alone which hints at some amazing, albeit unprofessional service. So thats why i would let us know what happened because the cat is already out of the bag, if he didnt want Emirates management to know about the flight, its too late.

  96. Alex Z Guest

    It all depends on what the situation is. Was it one of those "first world problems" kind of thing or was it a serious issue? It doesn't sound anything too egregious based on your non-story lol

  97. Not hard to guess Guest

    Since we know by now which flight you are referring to (Emirates, IAD-DXB on Saturday, 4/16) this post makes it impossible for you to not tell the entire story. At this stage the airline (and us) are likely thinking of much worse things than whatever really happened so the best thing for the flight attendants is that you actually write what really happened.

  98. Steve Diamond

    Well you already just let Emirates management know 2 things you loved the flight and the service was not standard (for better or worse). They already know when you flew and who the crew were that day, and are probably looking into it already so you might as well tell us what happened.

    1. Eskimo Guest

      @Steve

      As far as all of us know, it could be Emirates, or could be @Lucky trying to throw us off the trail with Emirates.

      You probably work in Law Enforcement. Your tactics are very clear (and dirty).

      You are trying to get the suspect to admit guilt.
      You have absolutely nothing to build you case. You try to make circumstantial evidence up from nothing. You are cornering a witness to believe in what...

      @Steve

      As far as all of us know, it could be Emirates, or could be @Lucky trying to throw us off the trail with Emirates.

      You probably work in Law Enforcement. Your tactics are very clear (and dirty).

      You are trying to get the suspect to admit guilt.
      You have absolutely nothing to build you case. You try to make circumstantial evidence up from nothing. You are cornering a witness to believe in what you think. And you have the ability to persuade the jury (helpful?).

      And when someone exposes you, you run right into your collective organization to get protection.

    2. Steve Diamond

      Calm down there buddy. My point is that it would take Emirates less than two seconds to find the names of the crew for that flight, unless Lucky flew this route multiple times. Lucky wouldnt write a post asking if he should do a full review if everything was on the up and up. It doesnt mean something bad happened it just means something unusual happened and Ben is contemplating what to say. You dont...

      Calm down there buddy. My point is that it would take Emirates less than two seconds to find the names of the crew for that flight, unless Lucky flew this route multiple times. Lucky wouldnt write a post asking if he should do a full review if everything was on the up and up. It doesnt mean something bad happened it just means something unusual happened and Ben is contemplating what to say. You dont contemplate anything that has negative implications so its common sense to imply something happned that management wouldnt be too pleased about.

    3. AC Guest

      A little paranoid and judgemental aren't you? Ben reviewed first on Emirates and coupled this article with it (while showing their logo). It is logical to assume it is the same flight. Also, so the crew didn't fully adhere to the standard process. They were the only 2 in first (per his other article) so the crew may have "let their hair down" and didn't strictly follow the procedures. No big deal and I wouldn't...

      A little paranoid and judgemental aren't you? Ben reviewed first on Emirates and coupled this article with it (while showing their logo). It is logical to assume it is the same flight. Also, so the crew didn't fully adhere to the standard process. They were the only 2 in first (per his other article) so the crew may have "let their hair down" and didn't strictly follow the procedures. No big deal and I wouldn't make it such.

      BTW - what is wrong with being in law enforcement? Are you a "defund the police" person? Your response was way more problematic than anything law enforcement would do - after all they are there to provide protection for us - what is your excuse?

    4. Eskimo Guest

      @AC

      There are good cops and bad cops.
      We have seen historically that many are wrongfully convicted. Like every human, law enforcement is free from confirmation bias. You see what you want to see. You set the tone for the witness, you draw circumstantial conviction for the suspect. You bait lower punishment for a confession.
      Heck even traffic citations follow this. Admit violation and pay a fine in 7 days. Fine goes up...

      @AC

      There are good cops and bad cops.
      We have seen historically that many are wrongfully convicted. Like every human, law enforcement is free from confirmation bias. You see what you want to see. You set the tone for the witness, you draw circumstantial conviction for the suspect. You bait lower punishment for a confession.
      Heck even traffic citations follow this. Admit violation and pay a fine in 7 days. Fine goes up every week. Or see a judge and risk paying maximum fine.
      Yet we can't write citations for cops parking in front of a hydrant to get coffee.

      "It is logical to assume it is the same flight."
      Yes logical, yet most have already drawn conclusion based on circumstantial logic. What do you think started #BLM?

      BTW- I am not "defund the police" person. I would say more transparency, accountability, higher standards, less mind games police. You can go to ACLU and talk about all these exploits all day. Even if I disagree with ACLU on the defunding they still see what's wrong with bad cops. (Maybe for them all cops)

      Defunding doesn't solve this problem. Same stupid logic like, if we want to reduce bad cops, we reduce all cops. Yes it circumstantially reduce bad cops. But at the cost of good cops too. This is where I see defunding wrong.

      I respect law enforcement, I admire and appreciate their sacrifices. I just hope there are less of the unreasonable ones.

  99. SamB Diamond

    This is an interesting ethical question, and a good one. I appreciate how sensitively you're thinking about it. A question that comes to mind is: if a pax doesn't know about these standards, would these oversights/deviations negatively affect their experience? Like an FA may provide service in an unconventional way but, if the pax has a great time and feels taken care of, does it really matter?

    One potential suggestion if you encounter this in...

    This is an interesting ethical question, and a good one. I appreciate how sensitively you're thinking about it. A question that comes to mind is: if a pax doesn't know about these standards, would these oversights/deviations negatively affect their experience? Like an FA may provide service in an unconventional way but, if the pax has a great time and feels taken care of, does it really matter?

    One potential suggestion if you encounter this in the future, although this is really awkward if you're polite/shy, is to mention it to the crew before deboarding, if you have a chance. Sometimes I think it can help to have a wake up call that, hey, if even your clients like you, if you're not doing something the proper way, someone might notice and you could get in trouble. I think the nicest way to present this, and least likely for them to face negative repercussions, is to say it directly and not post publicly (in an identifiable way) or go to mgmt. Of course, if you feel mistreated or disrespected, or there's a safety lapse/concern, then it's totally appropriate to take the other routes.

    1. Giovanna Member

      I agree with this! Was service good enough for first class or was it so lousy that even economy passengers would have grumbled?
      Of course if the problem is in any way related to safety, that's something different and should be told.

  100. Kevin Guest

    Write your review, focus on the product, and do what you've already done and say it was enjoyable but that there were some service misses. It's not necessary to put every single piece of information in a review, and you're acknowledging that service standards weren't met.

    If you feel compelled to, bring those to the attention of the airline directly.

    Ask yourself how you would want this handled if you were the employee, or the...

    Write your review, focus on the product, and do what you've already done and say it was enjoyable but that there were some service misses. It's not necessary to put every single piece of information in a review, and you're acknowledging that service standards weren't met.

    If you feel compelled to, bring those to the attention of the airline directly.

    Ask yourself how you would want this handled if you were the employee, or the airline? Would you want a customer to write about it to a large readership, where the negative press is so intense that the only way out is to let the employee go? Or would you prefer a customer to tell management, so that you can be counseled and have an opportunity to improve?

  101. Kate Guest

    You enjoyed the experience! So whatever the person did was ultimately successful. I absolutely wouldn’t write anything to get this person in trouble. But sounds like a dilemma…how do you write a review of the flight and leave this all out? I’m assuming you are in the financial position to be compassionate, even if it means just not writing the review, so I’d err on the side of compassion and kindness.

  102. Omar Guest

    If it's balanced and the truth, then share it.

  103. Reyyan Diamond

    If the flight was still enioyable and the person didn't mess up on purpose then just leave it out :)

  104. Italia-Chris Guest

    Way to vague-post, Ben! :-)
    I think it's all about perspective. It's fair to say what behaviors or service elements did or didn't conform to your expectations... and it's fair to then add in what way this--positively or negatively--affected your experience. It sounds like there was nothing offensive or illegal here. It also sounds like there was no severe dereliction of service duties. So, me thinks: share away! Spill the beans already! :-)

  105. Miro Guest

    If you truly loved your flight and service, then just leave out the embarrassing details that could get this person(s) into trouble.

  106. Patrick Guest

    "It’s my job to be honest, objective, and thorough."
    This is what you said, now follow through as your readers what the entire truth.

    1. Beachfan Guest

      agree 100%. It’s too late Ben, now it’s your credibility at stake.

      Would you report it if you didn’t have a fun time? If they didn’t give you all the Dom and caviar? It seems like they bought your silence.

      You had fun, would someone else ? Or are you confident anyone would have found it fun.

      As I said, your credibility is at stake. No need to name names.

    2. Beachfan Guest

      Also, we are now assuming the worst.

      I’m guessing the crew treated it line one big playtime, having card games, being loud, etc. Maybe playing spin the bottle.

      If it’s service standards like how many napkins, another story. But then you wouldn’t be in a dilemma.

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mdande7 Diamond

Good God Eskimo did you really just compare Ben's first class experience to the holocaust.

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Peking Duck Guest

Ben, for future reference: next time you face this dilemma, don't hint about it in the first post, then go straight at it in the second asking for feedback from the whole world. So now everyone knows what you're talking about, except no one knows the details. The cat's totally out of the bag, and whatever decision you make now, you can't win. Instead, next time keep it to yourself, ask a few trusted friends for their feedback, and go with your gut. We won't know any better, and we don't need to know any better. You're making editorial decisions all the time, and 99% of the time they don't, and shouldn't, need our feedback. This is one of those times.

6
Steve Diamond

Well you already just let Emirates management know 2 things you loved the flight and the service was not standard (for better or worse). They already know when you flew and who the crew were that day, and are probably looking into it already so you might as well tell us what happened.

6
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