- Introduction: Good Morning Milan, Goodnight Moon
- Emirates A380 First Class With Dad: So Fun That I Needed A Day To Recover
- My Furious Emirates First Class Seat Mate: Fair Feedback, Unfair Delivery
- Emirates First Class Menu & Food: Fine Dining, Or Just Fine?
- Review: Park Hyatt Milan, Italy (Stellar, Central Hotel, But Missing Desks)
- Drinking Buy On Board Espresso In Air Dolomiti Economy…
- Review: Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Unique!)
- Review: Villa Rothschild Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Cute!)
- Ugh: Misdirected Delay Frustration In The Lufthansa First Class Terminal
For the return portion of our Good Morning Milan, Goodnight Moon trip, my dad and I flew Lufthansa first class from Frankfurt (FRA) to Boston (BOS). Arguably the best part of the experience is being able to use the Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt (FCT), so that you can skip the main terminal altogether.
While in the FCT, we witnessed an interaction that couldn’t help but make me shake my head, particularly for a frequent flyer…
In this post:
Lufthansa passenger furious after learning about misconnect
The Lufthansa First Class Terminal has little seating “clusters,” and my dad and I were visiting mid-morning, when the lounge tends to be fullest. So we shared our little seating cluster with a German business traveler, who was a HON Circle member traveling in business class to Chicago (this is Lufthansa’s top tier status, and grants First Class Terminal access).
Each passenger in the lounge is assigned a PA, who looks after their travels, lets them know when it’s time to board, etc. This man’s PA came up while he was sitting there, and explained that unfortunately his flight to Chicago had just been delayed by two hours, so he’d miss his connection to Minneapolis.
The PA was prepared, and explained the three alternative connections he could be rebooked on to Minneapolis, with options on American, Delta, and United, along with specific times. I was impressed by the number of options she provided!
The guy basically lost it upon learning this information, claiming that he had a very important meeting that night, and there were 15 people waiting for him in Minneapolis. This conversation took place in German, and he was really angry, and went on and on and on.
He spoke to the PA in an aggressive tone with an elevated voice, saying how outrageous it is that the flight is delayed on such short notice, and how this was unacceptable, and they needed to find an alternative. The FCT is usually so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, which made his tone all the more surprising.
I just kind of looked down during this time, while my dad was a little bit less subtle, and was watching the commotion. The passenger then turned to my dad to get him to agree with him that it was ridiculous that the flight was delayed.
I felt really bad for the PA, since the conversation eventually ended with the passenger suggesting that the PA go off and find a better way to get him to Minneapolis sooner, even though I suspect options were limited to non-existent. Our flight was ready for boarding soon, so we didn’t see how this all concluded.
A few thoughts came to mind:
- I can certainly empathize with the passenger’s frustration, and disappointment in having his plans ruined
- If you have a very important meeting and 15 people waiting for you, and you absolutely can’t miss it, it probably makes sense to leave a buffer; that’s especially true when you’re relying on an international connection at O’Hare in winter, in order to make it there on time
- I was confused by his confusion over the flight being delayed at the last minute; often that’s when flights are delayed, as it’s when maintenance issues are discovered, or other operational considerations come into play
- No matter how frustrated you are, taking out your anger on frontline employees isn’t fair, because they’re not in any way at fault for what happened
I was just surprised to see such a reaction for an otherwise mild-mannered German business traveler, since it’s not necessarily the culture where you’d expect someone to respond so aggressively. Sadly it was the second time this trip I saw someone act out of line, as an Emirates first class passenger on my outbound flight also got really mad at the crew over something outside of their control.
I make a point not to act like this when traveling (or in general)
There’s no denying that it’s super frustrating when things aren’t working out as you had hoped while traveling. That being said, I think it’s always important to separate the frontline worker who is trying to help you, from the actual policy or situation that’s frustrating you.
When I encounter an issue while traveling, or if there’s something I’m not happy about, I make a point of being polite to the people who are trying to help me. If there is some frustration I want to express, I explicitly say “I know this isn’t your fault and you’re doing your best, but…”
Nobody likes to be yelled at, or feel like they’re being blamed for something that’s completely outside of their control. When I’m interacting with a frontline employee, I always try to consider what I’m hoping to accomplish, and go from there:
- If the goal is just to vent, then email someone in customer relations or a manager at the company to express your frustration, and explain how that situation may impact your purchase decisions in the future
- If the goal is simply to have the best outcome possible, then being polite but firm, and explaining the importance of something, should accomplish that goal
I’m reminded of a situation I witnessed some time back in the club lounge at the Renaissance London Heathrow Airport, where a guest was chewing out the club lounge attendant for how bad the beer selection was.
He was totally correct that the beer selection sucked (and the overall lounge food and drink selection wasn’t good). Then again:
- I can assure you that the lounge attendant has zero say in what is served
- If you do think it makes sense to share feedback with the attendant, you can do so politely
- Really you should be expressing your displeasure to a manager, or someone who can potentially do something with your feedback
- Then again, I doubt they care anyway, since this is a Marriott, and I suspect most guests are actually just getting free access on account of elite status
Bottom line
Unfortunately people letting out their frustration on frontline employees in the travel industry is nothing new, though it does always disappoint me. Frankly, I’m more understanding of the frustration from those who rarely fly than from those who are frequent flyers, and should anticipate these kinds of things.
It’s totally fair to be frustrated when things don’t go as planned, though I think it’s important not to misdirect that frustration. All too often, people can’t separate the employee trying to help them from their frustration with the actual issue.
What do you make of these kinds of interactions?
Need more context. You mentioned they offered three possible connections. Exactly how long after his initial arrival time would he be getting in via these connections. If he is only being delayed by 2-3 hours then this is on him for not leaving a buffer. If he won't get in until the following day and is going to have an extended wait for the connection then I can understand the anger. Also would be interested...
Need more context. You mentioned they offered three possible connections. Exactly how long after his initial arrival time would he be getting in via these connections. If he is only being delayed by 2-3 hours then this is on him for not leaving a buffer. If he won't get in until the following day and is going to have an extended wait for the connection then I can understand the anger. Also would be interested in knowing what the delay is for? Is it the airline or is it weather or some aviation authority not giving them the go ahead to takeoff? On a recent LAX-JFK flight American loaded the plane up and then announced that we will be sitting at the gate for an hour before takeoff because the FAA won't approve the departure due to weather at the destination. I was livid. There is simply no way they were not aware of the weather conditions immediately prior to boarding. The boarding time had already been pushed back but instead of allowing people to wait in the lounge they loaded us up like cattle and closed the door and then announced it will be an hour. I suspect its because the AA staff wanted to get paid, but it was ridiculous to have us sitting on the tarmac like that for an issue that didn't suddenly materialize out of thin air.
Mt take is this is how this person treats everyone. I am certain that his family, friends, business associates, ect all have seen this aggressive behavior before. Thank goodness this was just a random encounter in the airport and not someone you need to deal with regularly. I feel sorry for those who do.
I’m a flight attendant and I’ll say this. I understand frustration and anger. I’ll tolerate it. I’ll show understanding and empathy. But that cannot go on for longer than 2-3 minutes. Once you’ve got the frustration out, especially after I’ve lent a sympathetic ear, 90% of people accept the reality of the situation and make do, because life does not always go as planned and the world cannot conform to our desires because we are...
I’m a flight attendant and I’ll say this. I understand frustration and anger. I’ll tolerate it. I’ll show understanding and empathy. But that cannot go on for longer than 2-3 minutes. Once you’ve got the frustration out, especially after I’ve lent a sympathetic ear, 90% of people accept the reality of the situation and make do, because life does not always go as planned and the world cannot conform to our desires because we are one person among 8 billion, and there are things like weather which are out of our control. The 10% of people who keep shouting and throwing around insults are just big babies who cannot accept it when they cannot have exactly what they want exactly how they want it. These are people that will never be pleased and there is no point in trying, because in reality they have never grown up and are just spoilt babies at heart. And that’s ok. But I won’t waste my time or energy with those people.
Not much a FA can do about it. If your already on the plane it is what it is.
I have spent a lot of time travelling on LH, ICE trains and staying at airport hotels directly connected to FRA. I wont generalize but the noted behavior is not shocking in the more elite upper management circles in Germany.
I will guess that the PA was female as well as these complaining types will be more likely to verbally attack a young woman.
Somehow I feel that everyone in general is getting angrier and more impatient, worldwide...
Yes that's true and so much of that also stems from the very poor service these days offered or provided by the service industry eg hotels, airlines etc. How much does one tolerate when you have to pay a lot for the service and you get rubbish in return?
That person was probably under lots of stress because of a packed schedule as he did not use the otherwise obvious option of traveling a day earlier to an important meeting.
I would not read too much into that.
The writer of the article wouldn't know what has gone on prior to the passenger's trip and its very easy to be holier than thou as the writer comes across. The writer would not have been in any middle to senior management roles.
@Ben which option did he ultimately
Choose?
Ah, Lufthansa.
I suppose people get annoyed and aggressive when agents on the phone claim things which are clearly not true. Making your point with them gets you nowhere. Nobody wants to hear BS.
You don't always know the backstory. I was recently very visibly annoyed (although not quite irate) when a flight got cancelled due to a strike at the destination that had been communicated weeks in advance. I was basically bullied by the other passengers who were insisting it wasn't the fault of the airline- all other airlines had cancelled their flights days before the strike took place, I had called the airline three times in the...
You don't always know the backstory. I was recently very visibly annoyed (although not quite irate) when a flight got cancelled due to a strike at the destination that had been communicated weeks in advance. I was basically bullied by the other passengers who were insisting it wasn't the fault of the airline- all other airlines had cancelled their flights days before the strike took place, I had called the airline three times in the five days leading to the departure and there were options to another airport a couple of hundred miles away which was fully operational. As far as I was concerned, frontline staff were absolutely fair game for criticism as they'd told us to 'just go home and come back tomorrow'- no hotels or transport offered whatsoever.
Yea there are some things beyond the airlines control like sudden weather issues etc. When its things that are the result of the airline not building enough buffer for maintenance issues or not planning ahead for well known issues then that is completely on the airline and they absolutely should be taken to task for that.
HON Circle - Don’t You Know Who I Am??!!
I'm a HON and I don't act like that! Any point?!
The closer someone sits to the front of a jet, the more entitled and rude they are. I don’t care how much you paid for your seat, don’t be a dickhead.
Not necessarily. I read recently that premium economy passengers are considered “the worst” by many cabin crew, because a little tiny bit of extra comfort and service goes to their heads. Of course there may be assholes in any cabin, but the vast majority of people in biz and first travel like that all the time, and know exactly what the score is.
Personally I would have accepted Luftcaca’s offer to rebook me on...
Not necessarily. I read recently that premium economy passengers are considered “the worst” by many cabin crew, because a little tiny bit of extra comfort and service goes to their heads. Of course there may be assholes in any cabin, but the vast majority of people in biz and first travel like that all the time, and know exactly what the score is.
Personally I would have accepted Luftcaca’s offer to rebook me on the Delta nonstop to MSP, and avoided the stop in Chicago. A nonstop is always preferable to a transfer. Punkt.
Maybe I missed it but I don't know that the offer was a direct flight on Delta. I thought they were just offering different connecting flights once he got to Chicago.
I always sit in the front of the A/C and I was never more entitled and rude! Not everyone is equal!
One finds it necessary to thank Ben, for bringing to the attention of the readers, yet another reason for not choosing to fly LH. The sixty four thousand dollar question is …. will Ben, remember these reasons NOT to trust LH with his future travel arrangements?
When I was a flight attendant I usually worked First or Clipper due to my language skills, despite being quite senior. Our F class ladies and gentlemen where generally pleasant; they knew what they wanted and knew that we would take care of them. Clipper a different story. My de-escalation line was " Sir/Madam, I am trying to help you..." It usually allowed them to focus a bit more.
I haven’t heard Clipper in a while. I’d like to say passengers were better behaved back in the Pan Am days, but they weren’t.
Yes and look at the PanAm training videos from the 80s - which make your point. "I'm a WORLD PASS member!!"
Please restate it as " I don't care how much somebody else paid for you seat.."
oh please we have seen countless economy passengers getting into altercations.