An OMAAT reader shared an unpleasant experience he recently had with a seat mate on a Qatar Airways flight, and asked for my take on the situation. I figured I’d write about it here, as I’m curious how others would’ve dealt with this situation.
In this post:
Qatar Airways business class passenger lacks basic manners
This story involves a recent Qatar Airways business class flight that someone took from Phnom Penh (PNH) to Doha (DOH). Let me just quote the main part of what the reader shared:
I’m seated in 1A on a 77W (2-2-2 configuration). The gentleman in 1B, however, decided to stretch his left foot — thankfully, in socks — onto the console between our seats. I found this pretty off-putting, so I pressed the call button, hoping the flight attendant would notice and ask him to move his foot. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. So instead, I asked for a sparkling water and hoped for a second chance.
When he came to serve it, he had to carefully work around his foot, but no action was taken to address the situation. I was honestly pretty shocked. Does the flight attendant really think this behavior is normal and acceptable?
Later on, this gentleman seemed to have trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi. Another flight attendant came over to assist him with his phone, and again, his foot was resting on the console the entire time — still no intervention.
Below is a picture of what this situation looked like (he provided more pictures and videos to show this was a consistent problem, but I think everyone gets the point, hopefully). 😉 To be abundantly clear, this console is the same place where the crew often places food and drinks, so it’s not intended as a foot rest.
What’s the correct way to handle this situation?
Okay, I suspect some people are probably yelling at their computers right now, saying “you should’ve just confronted the passenger directly,” since that seems like the obvious solution. I’m a bit conflicted about that approach, personally:
- Someone who positions their feet like this probably doesn’t have much respect for how their decisions impact others, and therefore may also not be great at taking feedback when confronted
- You don’t want to get into a situation on a plane where something escalates, especially if you’re stuck sitting next to this person
- This is a weakness of mine, but I go great lengths to avoid awkward social interactions, so… 😉
How would I have handled this? Personally I would have gotten up as if I’m going to the bathroom, and would have stepped into the galley to discreetly mention this to a flight attendant, so that they can hopefully resolve it.
I know some people might think it’s weak to snitch on someone rather than confronting them directly, but people can act weird on planes, and you don’t want something to escalate.
So, why did the crew not proactively intervene when they saw where this man placed his feet? At most Gulf carriers, customer complaints are taken seriously, especially from premium cabin passengers. So I imagine crews would often rather avoid a confrontation out of fear of the customer complaining, rather than doing the right thing.
After all, they’re probably more scared of a complaint regarding what they did do, rather than a complaint about what they didn’t do. I’m of course not saying that’s right or how it should be, but I can understand culturally why this would happen. I imagine many flight attendants at US airlines would have joyfully told the man to remove his feet from the center console, without even being asked.
Bottom line
It’s sad (but not surprising) how little respect so many travelers show to their fellow passengers when it comes to etiquette. A Qatar Airways business class passenger recently thought the shared console between seats was an appropriate place to rest his feet.
I don’t think there’s one right or wrong answer as to how you should handle an occurrence like this, as it all depends on the person’s vibe, the crew, etc. However, it is disappointing when the crew seems something like this but doesn’t act.
How would you have handled this situation?
I am somewhat perplexed by this - so, it is OK to allow young and unpredictably behaved young kids to travel premium and spoil the ambiance in the whole cabin but it is not OK for an adult to relax and put his feet up in this way?
“Get your foot off my armrest bro!” - simple and effective.
I understand being conflict averse, that's just the way of some personality types it tends to also be people who overthink consequences of speaking up. In all likelihood the transgressing feet offender is on the other end of the scale, quite oblivious to the inconvenience they were causing and wouldn't have given a second thought to being promoted to keep to their own space.
If you won't even mention it to the crew then they...
I understand being conflict averse, that's just the way of some personality types it tends to also be people who overthink consequences of speaking up. In all likelihood the transgressing feet offender is on the other end of the scale, quite oblivious to the inconvenience they were causing and wouldn't have given a second thought to being promoted to keep to their own space.
If you won't even mention it to the crew then they will assume the situation isn't bothering you and certainly won't go looking for additional problems beyond their existing duties. I've flown QR several times in premium cabins and I have seen the crew be assertive when needed, they are well trained and will deal with this for you if you ask them.
Ice cold water first time. Scalding hot coffee if it happens again. Stupid should hurt.
Tickle until he puts it down :D
Just ask the passenger to move the feet. If it does not work, in this case just pull out the IFE monitor it would have forced the guy to move the feet, and not really have left him space to keep his feet stretched in that direction.
Probably thought you were travelling together.
Ask the attendant to please clean up the seat area. "Passenger next to you has 'mistakenly?' placed their feet up on the food surface". The surface needs to be hygienically cleaned".
That should sort it out, when attendant comes to the seat with gloves and wipes and spray and proceeds to wipe it all down.
Those grubby legs should stay down after that.
Yes, it's sad to see how, more and more in my opinion, people just don't care about the impact of their action on others. We all feel a bit more entitled to do things that our parents wouldn't have done. But... are we in a primary school and really need the headmaster's intervention to solve a problem? What about just politely address the problem yourself in first instance, and then, if necessary, talk to the FA as an escalation point?
1. I am unamused by the absurd passive-aggressive 'solutions' some readers suggest here. Would they do that? Of course not!
2. The guy (he's no 'gentleman' as some refer to him) should have been told by his seatmate that they don't want his feet on a surface where drinks and snacks are served, and would he use his seatwell if he wants to stretch out. People like this oaf continue to do anti-social things...
1. I am unamused by the absurd passive-aggressive 'solutions' some readers suggest here. Would they do that? Of course not!
2. The guy (he's no 'gentleman' as some refer to him) should have been told by his seatmate that they don't want his feet on a surface where drinks and snacks are served, and would he use his seatwell if he wants to stretch out. People like this oaf continue to do anti-social things like this (or worse) if they go unchallenged.
2. If no results,speak to a FA, and suggest that they ask the cabin manager to deal with the situation if they can't.
3. In the unlikely event none of this works, get the names of the crew you spoke to, and send a written complaint to Qatar. Let them know what you propose, and things may suddenly take a turn for the better.
4. Ask them to clean the area with an antiseptic wipe before the champagne (which they'd previously said wasn't on board) is placed there, along with some warmed nuts.
thank you.
I said this in the first post.
Have the nerve to deal w/ real issues - and not say you will engage in passive aggressive behavior that probably would never happen.
Social media doesn't cut it.
Using a polite tone and speaking out will work for 99% of Americans. The crew can deal w/ the 1%
No, he had already drawn the matter to the attention of the FA.
No, he never told the F.A.
change his seat and put him on the last row of the business class
where no one is inconvenienced by his intentional misbehavior
if he does not agree to change of seat then book with law enforcement officers on arrival at the next port and black list him for future travels
Why last row put him in cargohold
I find the Qatar flight attendants are reluctant to correct any behavior.
On my last Qsuites flight, a woman was playing her iPad so loudly without headphones, that you could hear it throughout the cabin (and I was opposite her in a pod). The flight attendants stopped by many times with food and drink and didn't say a thing, despite many other passengers getting up to look for the loud noise.
I simply stood up...
I find the Qatar flight attendants are reluctant to correct any behavior.
On my last Qsuites flight, a woman was playing her iPad so loudly without headphones, that you could hear it throughout the cabin (and I was opposite her in a pod). The flight attendants stopped by many times with food and drink and didn't say a thing, despite many other passengers getting up to look for the loud noise.
I simply stood up and said "Excuse me, I'm trying to sleep, can you please turn that down." And she did. I think it's more respectful to politely confront someone directly than going to the FA. Either deal with it internally or ask them yourself.
Unfortunately most asian and ME airlines female crew are extremely reluctant to be in the slightest confrontational. This is an inbuilt cultural thing, but since they have received training in conflict resolution prior to setting foot in a cabin, there is no excuse for not dealing with issues of this sort.
Even more so for a cabin manager.
Pretty sure it was Thai Air Asia where I watched female Thai crew bring the hammer down on multiple Indians during a flight. Not putting up laptops, trying to poach exit row seats, changing seats while on the runway etc. Total shit show. Clearly they were annoyed with the behavior, seemed to have experience how to deal with it and weren't tolerating it.
Well since it’s shared space I would put my feet on top of his
Honestly, this probably would have fixed it immediately
We all know you wouldn't, Marcus.
Great, let's solve inappropriate behaviour by more inappropriate behaviour. What happened with the art of a frank, direct but polite conversation? You know... something like words before actions?
QR staff are notoriously afraid to confront bad behavior - more so it seems if the passenger seems to be a local from the ME region or from the west for some reason. Recently in CMB some tourists in shorts and t shirt were being upgraded at the check in desk, and had clearly been told to change into trousers. One just took off his shorts and exposed his speedo type underwear while then changing...
QR staff are notoriously afraid to confront bad behavior - more so it seems if the passenger seems to be a local from the ME region or from the west for some reason. Recently in CMB some tourists in shorts and t shirt were being upgraded at the check in desk, and had clearly been told to change into trousers. One just took off his shorts and exposed his speedo type underwear while then changing into trousers. A comment to the staff that the changing would be more appropriate in a bathroom was met with the response that they didn't want the offending passengers to complain about the STAFF! :)
Guess the whole "your rights, my choice" movement have broken the gender boundaries now as well why the looks of it.
I would've ordered a coffee, then accidentally spill the hot coffee on him, then do it again even when his feets are down to show how "clumsy" I am.
When I was a child, I was flying emirates business class, and a lady seated behind had her foot coming through into my seat through the armrests.
I poured a glass of water on her foot, she did not move it. I poked it with a toothpick a few times, she still did not move it. I can only assume she was sleeping because nor did she move her foot, nor did she confront me.
I gave up. Really strange, but 20 years later I still remember it.
My elbow would have swiped his legs away as I said “excuse me” within 7 tenths of a second when the incursion occurred. Depends what the age of the OP is. Maybe we were all timid when we were younger in our 20s early 30s.
Sorry Mason, lad. I think you have me confused with someone else.
How hard is it to say “excuse me, but this is a shared space. Please remove your feet. thank you.”
Snitch? Are we in third grade? This is a self entitled jerk putting their feet in an area meant for both of you to use. The gross factor aside, the guy obviously doesn’t have any manners so trying to speak about it in a civilized manner is worthless. Your approach is absolutely correct.
Bunch of wimps and weirdos in this thread. Just ask the guy politely to remove his feet from the shared area. “Quietly ask the FA in the galley to help me and also keep it on the low-down….” Harden up pussies.
@UncleRonnie
So you've finally decided to stop being an SJW?
Because I'm sure that you've thrown a massive tantrum and called them sexist, racist, Trumpist, etc, if anyone else said that.
Simple solution, don't fly on an airline that charges J prices and expects you not to have a window seat with aisle access.
@Dave W.
Then you'll almost have no airline to fly.
Even ANA and JAL, the OMAAT's most beloved carriers, have such seats on their planes. Their neighbor airline Korean Air even has 2-3-2 config.
Let's not even talk about narrowbodies.
I'm not sure it's starting to be the norm of people putting their feet where they don't belong on planes. I would have nugged his leg, he'd get the message.
Whoops! Must have been the turbulence. I’m sorry I just spilled my hot tea on your feet!
Thanks for sharing details. Obviously the crew didn’t act here pro-actively just bc it might call a problem. And now you shared the details, incl. the route. Now QR gonna investigate - pull all videos of passengers from recent Vietnam flights arriving at Doha, compare the jeans/socks, and, probably flight C-class crew and manager.
It is not so difficult to hide that details;
- Instead if route, just say “7+ hrs flight”;
...
Thanks for sharing details. Obviously the crew didn’t act here pro-actively just bc it might call a problem. And now you shared the details, incl. the route. Now QR gonna investigate - pull all videos of passengers from recent Vietnam flights arriving at Doha, compare the jeans/socks, and, probably flight C-class crew and manager.
It is not so difficult to hide that details;
- Instead if route, just say “7+ hrs flight”;
- Post it with lag.
You are voting for democrats, but act like a republican.
What a ramble and this flight didnt depart from Vietnam.
Many people lack social sensibilities. It's a part of everyday life. Beyond this situation, a person needs to assess how one will address ill manners in any scenario.
And this is why 2-2-2 business classes are the bane of my existence.
The whole point of flying up front is for the privacy, so you don't have to deal with this nonsense.
I'm sorry - the passenger just expected the FA to read his/her mind?
You need to say something to the FA....
I agree with Ben, a direct confrontation would probably be beyond me. I'd approach the FA and ask "please would you confront my seatmate about his feet on the table? But it's important he doesn't know I complained. Please don't tell him"
Your comments are always measured and I respect your opinion. But this is a bit too much for me. I'm not sure why people have such squeamishness with being direct these days, especially if they know they're in the right.
I would immediately say, "hey man, I know it's a long flight but I'd appreciate it if you could keep your feet off this shared space." If he has a problem, then we call...
Your comments are always measured and I respect your opinion. But this is a bit too much for me. I'm not sure why people have such squeamishness with being direct these days, especially if they know they're in the right.
I would immediately say, "hey man, I know it's a long flight but I'd appreciate it if you could keep your feet off this shared space." If he has a problem, then we call the FA and let them sort it out.
I mean what is he gonna do? It's not like driving in traffic in the US where I'm not going to engage with a road rage driver because I don't wanna get shot.
I actually think this is such an egregiously antisocial thing to do to a stranger that the FA may have simply concluded they were close friends or partners flying together.
No, he had already drawn the matter to the attention of the FA.
Actually, he never told the Favian.
Never told the Flight Attendant
I would have TOTALLY Played footies with the guy until he moved his feet.
Rude, simply rude.
As mentioned by Ztravel, there was no need to do so as the seat foot rest would have done the job.
This is also infringing the person seated in 1a's space as the consol is shared but in that case was hijacked.
So many ways to annoy your seat mate.
Poke him and ask are we there yet? Do it every few minutes.
A lot of it depends on the culture and background… I would have probably tried to put the drink as he did first and if that doesn’t work, I would recline my seat to “demonstrate” that it’s actually more comfortable to sit that way… if neither of these work, I would ask the FA to move me… and if there are no seats, will it’s their problem now to confront the guy!
I think there are varying degrees of being inconsiderate, which should be taken into account when dealing with the situation. Someone who puts their feet up on the hand rest / drink area is pretty far up on the inconsiderate scale and I’d let the FA deal with them.
I remember a situation in LH J where I had put my foot in my neighbours foot well without realising it (If you’ve flown LH J...
I think there are varying degrees of being inconsiderate, which should be taken into account when dealing with the situation. Someone who puts their feet up on the hand rest / drink area is pretty far up on the inconsiderate scale and I’d let the FA deal with them.
I remember a situation in LH J where I had put my foot in my neighbours foot well without realising it (If you’ve flown LH J 2-2-2 in one of the middle seats, you might understand why). My neighbour put his feet up in a way that indicated I was encroaching. I realised it right away and apologised.
I would have “accidentally” pour some orange juice on his feet.
Or just farting throughout the flight. Or snoring loudly.
This foot position says the following:
“yeah I’m a cool guy, cooler than any other guys on this plane. I can do whatever I want, I’m sitting in row one, because I had $50 more than the people behind me, in fact if this plane had a first class, I would sit...
I would have “accidentally” pour some orange juice on his feet.
Or just farting throughout the flight. Or snoring loudly.
This foot position says the following:
“yeah I’m a cool guy, cooler than any other guys on this plane. I can do whatever I want, I’m sitting in row one, because I had $50 more than the people behind me, in fact if this plane had a first class, I would sit up front. Because I am (actually my father) that rich that I could afford that. Oh also, I regurarly fly private, where this is my favourite position, but now my gulfstream is at service, and they couldn’t provide a replacement, so I have to fly with the plebs on commercial jets. Oh and that guy next to me in 1A is very lucky for being able to observe my precious, cool, and rich feet. My life is perfect. Altough I can’t figure it out why do women only have sex with me if I pay. Nevermind. I have the cash (my father has the cash) for that. Did I mention that I’m a cool guy?”
There is only one solution: Take your shoes off (maybe socks too), put your own legs/feet up there, and contest the space!
Best solution yet. Better yet no socks and smear melted chocolate on your toes, then a bit of toilet paper stuck to the smeared chocolate.
Most of these readers and thus commentary are obviously from U.S. and seems to be mostly women at that.
Personal space is only a U.S. cultural phenomenon. Outside of the U.S. this is a foreign concept.
I would have woke his ass up and said this is shared...
Best solution yet. Better yet no socks and smear melted chocolate on your toes, then a bit of toilet paper stuck to the smeared chocolate.
Most of these readers and thus commentary are obviously from U.S. and seems to be mostly women at that.
Personal space is only a U.S. cultural phenomenon. Outside of the U.S. this is a foreign concept.
I would have woke his ass up and said this is shared space if you want to use more space than you paid for you need to give me some money as I cant use my half of the drink space.
first, suck it up.
Airlines worldwide are common carriers which means they don't get to pick and choose customers based on behavior. You get the good and the bad.
Second, choose an airline or aircraft that does not have pairs of business class seats. or has a divider that you can close.
Thank you Tim, for sharing your great thoughts! I'm sure none of this happens on your glorious Delta!
sure it does.
Delta is also a common carrier and has to put up w/ bad passenger behavior.
When you carry over 100 million passengers on any airline, you get bad apples.
Even American just revised its policies to say that FAs can't throw someone off the plane because of reasons other than safety and security - and the process has to be done by 2 FAs and involve a remote ground staff with approval...
sure it does.
Delta is also a common carrier and has to put up w/ bad passenger behavior.
When you carry over 100 million passengers on any airline, you get bad apples.
Even American just revised its policies to say that FAs can't throw someone off the plane because of reasons other than safety and security - and the process has to be done by 2 FAs and involve a remote ground staff with approval of the captain and filing of paperwork regardless of who does the "eviction" The notion that airline employees can pick and choose the customers that they or other passengers want on their plane is fatally flawed and AA realizes some of their crew have a distorted view of being in a service industry.
And the bizarre part of this story is the lack of any evidence the offended passenger did anything to confront the offender. Have we reached a point in society that people can't communicate with each other so they turn to social media hoping that will resolve situations?
I was at a concert last night and someone kept kicking the back of my seat. There were two women in the row behind me with the seat directly behind me empty but those two women (in different parties) on either side of that empty seat.
After about 3 times, I turned my head to my right rear, nothing changed, it happened a couple more times, a turned my head to the left rear, saw the woman with her long legs tightly crossed - but voila, the kicking stopped.
Most people are not confrontational or animals but they don't realize what they are doing to others until you gently make it apparent to them.
Just ask the guy if he would be so kind as to put his feet on the floor or in the space directly in front of him.
"they don't realize what they are doing to others until you gently make it apparent to them.
Just ask the guy if he would be so kind as to put his feet on the floor or in the space directly in front of him."
@Tim Dunn Let's try and see if it actually works in real life.
'Tim if you would be so kind as to stop with posting all the Delta fluff.'
there isn't a thing Delta centric in what I wrote.
It is basic human relations.
If it doesn't work, then ask the FA - or do it first.
Posting something on social media after the fact accomplished absolutely nothing - right in line w/ your ridiculous comment.
@Tim Dunn
So I shouldn't choose Delta, because of their ex-Latam A350s?
... which are being modded w/ the first one in right now...
and, yeah, if two seat business class doesn't work, then don't fly the ex-Latam A350s.... hint, hint, though. They have about 7 more months in the schedule anyway
@Tim...
Wow. Yes, I don't always agree with your selective analysis, but I see your value.
Regarding these posts.. you have not reflected your best wisdom. Stick to your best capable of data analysis...or just quit the web.