Someone at the country’s biggest flight attendant union has maybe been watching a little too much RuPaul’s Drag Race, because this sass is quite something…
Endeavor Air union tells flight attendants not to argue
PYOK reports how the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) has issued a memo to Endeavor Air flight attendants, regarding how they handle disputes with passengers onboard aircraft.
For reference, Endeavor Air is Delta’s wholly owned regional subsidiary, where flight attendants are paid significantly less than their mainline (non-unionized) counterparts, and also don’t get to take part in Delta’s profit sharing perk.
The union can negotiate a new contract in 2027, and is hoping for significant wage increases. The union is emphasizing the importance of flight attendants not being disciplined over their conduct and onboard behavior, ahead of these negotiations (which… seems a little random… but okay).
The union reminded flight attendants that their job is to inform passengers of the rules, and not to enforce them:
“The primary focus on all of the rules and regulations that we ask passengers to follow is to inform, not enforce.”
So if a flight attendant notices a passenger not following rules related to safety, the flight attendant should just remind the passenger of the rules. If the passenger refuses to cooperate, flight attendants are told not to argue with passengers, and to instead inform the captain and file a report. If the plane is still on the ground, the gate agent should be informed as well, so that the issue can be addressed before the door closes.
The memo reportedly continued with these rather strange points:
“We do not get paid to argue. Just stop. There’s absolutely no need to be extra. This is not within your job scope. Act your wage. You’re a Flight Attendant, not a Red Coat.”
For those curious, red coats are Delta’s senior customer service agents on the ground (who wear red coats, hence the name), so they’d typically deal with difficult passengers.
The union is right, but what a way to express that…
The Endeavor Air flight attendant union is absolutely correct with its advice. In the United States, some flight attendants aren’t very good at deescalating situations, and that rarely has a positive outcome for any party.
I commend the union for expressing that, and explaining that flight attendants have the duty of informing passengers of the rules, rather than somehow trying to take matters into their own hands.
Now, telling flight attendants that “there’s absolutely no need to be extra” and “just stop” is certainly a unique approach to communicating, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before from a union.
What I don’t understand is how this is essentially turned into something regarding the wage battle, and telling flight attendants to “act your wage.” Is the argument really that Endeavor Air flight attendants aren’t paid enough to argue? Deescalation and flight attendants not taking matters into their own hands is a best practice, regardless of whether flight attendants have the best or worst contracts of any airline, no?
Like, if Delta mainline flight attendants are “acting their wage” and are paid more, does that mean they should argue with passengers?
Bottom line
The union representing flight attendants at Delta’s wholly owned subsidiary, Endeavor Air, has issued an interesting memo. Flight attendants are being reminded not to argue with passengers, and that their job is to inform, and not to enforce, even regarding safety related things.
That’s good advice and accurate, but what doesn’t make sense to me is how this is being tied into a wage battle, with flight attendants being told to “act [their] wage.” Regardless of how much flight attendants are paid, deescalation is always the best option.
What do you make of this memo for Endeavor Air flight attendants?
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