The internet is full of people ranting about their airline horror stories, though this one might just be in a league of its own (and if you’re not interested in reading about bizarre rants, please skip this post — I think the headline made it clear what this is about). The good news is that I have a constructive suggestion for the person ranting, to hopefully prevent this in the future…
Passenger accuses British Airways crew of attitude over water
A TikTok user who struggles with opening bottles went on a rant about what happened on a recent British Airways flight, saying she was “too stunned to speak.” She starts her three plus minute video by saying “not to be a Karen, but I had some attitude from a BA air hostess,” and she “kind of wants to get it off [her] chest.”
When flying short haul economy on British Airways, they hand out water bottles, “with like three drops of water in them,” and she finds these bottles “particularly hard to open.” She also acknowledges that she’s “actually really $hit at opening bottles,” and when she’s with others, she asks them to open bottles for her.
On a flight last year when she was handed the bottle, she asked the flight attendant “do you mind unscrewing the bottle please, like, they’re really difficult to open?” The flight attendant was kind, and offered to open it for her, acknowledging they’re difficult to open, and claiming that people ask for help all the time.
Fast forward to last week when she was on a flight to Switzerland, and she was in a window seat. She was handed the bottle, but the guy next to her was asleep, and since she “didn’t want to cause a commotion,” she had no way to drink the water. She ended up “giving [herself] a headache, because the rush leaving the airport, getting home, all of that, [she] didn’t drink enough water.”
So on the flight home, when she was handed the bottle, she said “would you mind unscrewing the bottle, please?” The flight attendant “gave a bit of an attitude,” and said “sorry, what?” So she repeated herself, and the flight attendant responded “is that hard?” The flight attendant also reportedly “spoke to [her] as if she was a child,” and “it was so condescending.”
The flight attendant ultimately unscrewed the bottle and said “it’s not that hard,” and she “just felt like there was no need for the attitude.” She then poses the question of “what if I had broken my wrist and was like doing rehab, and couldn’t use my wrist.”
By the way, credit to anti-influencer Daadi Snacks for flagging this. Goodness, you don’t want to be on the receiving end of his coverage.
My take on this British Airways water bottle situation
Okay, real talk, I have a few thoughts on this. First of all, Brits love their sarcasm and dry humor, so I’m not surprised to hear a British Airways flight attendant responding in this way, and it hardly sounds like her response was the most offensive thing on earth. I’ve certainly had British Airways flight attendants show much more attitude than that.
Second, based on the TikToker’s version of events, it sure seems like she should’ve done a better job explaining the situation. When the flight attendant happily helped the first time around, she explained that she has trouble opening the bottles, and that’s why she was asking for help. Meanwhile in the most recent situation (when the incident happened), it sounds like she just asked her to unscrew the bottle, with no explanation. It seems like some better communication would go a long way.
Now, I’m not sure what to make of her general issue with opening bottles. Does she actually some sort of problem that prevents her from opening bottles, or has she just become a diva, and thinks other people should always do it for her? It’s not clear…
Lastly, given her major issues with opening bottles, it seems like there’s a really easy solution, and she should take matters into her own hands a bit more. Why isn’t she traveling with a reusable bottle that doesn’t have a cap that needs to be unscrewed? Heathrow has plenty of water fountains with free water, and this seems like the easy solution, and minimizes her risk of dehydration.
Bottom line
A British Airways passenger who struggles to open bottles wasn’t happy with how she was spoken to by a flight attendant, after she asked her to open her water bottle. The request as such isn’t unreasonable, but it sounds like she should’ve done a better job explaining why she needed it.
For that matter, this seems to be a repeated problem for her that leads to dehydration. If she’s not capable of opening bottles, I really think she should invest in a reusable water bottle, which doesn’t have the same issue. After all, Heathrow has plenty of water fountains.
What do you make of this British Airways water bottle rant?
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