[LuganoPirate]

You couldn’t be more wrong Flyerboy. I rarely complain about anything. I just put up with it. I doubt in close to 5,000 postings if I’ve complained on this forum more than a handful of times. I’m always cheerful, helpful and usually just put my head down and put up with whatever comes since in today’s world the customer is rarely right and even if he is the hassle to get something back is really not worth the effort.

If i treated my clients the way airlines treat me I’d have lost them all and instead of writing this from a beautiful Lugano apartment enjoying tea, cake and a cigar, I’d be flogging my guts out working for someone instead!

Mine was a simple observation of the way we are so often treated, despite being paying customers, and have little if any recourse!

[LuganoPirate]

thanks Flyerboy. No problem. I just think it’s symptomatic of the way things are today and yes, I’ve had many good experiences with wonderful crew and ground staff, not only in Premium Cabins but also in Economy and it is a shame when one or two aspects let the whole experience down. Overall I’d say 1 flight in 20 is a let down, and only 1 security check in 20 is pleasant!

[MrMichael]

I think Flyerboy you are right, you will get the odd bad apple in any box of crew. The issue I have is less with the bad apple, they are naturally unhappy in their jobs and lives, it is the good crew who put up with the bad apple and often feel a misguided obligation to back them up, even when it is abundantly clear they are in the wrong. That really hacks me off. It ends up making everybody miserable except the bad apple who goes home happy having pissed everybody off.

[IanFromHKG]

I am reminded of an incident on a BA long-haul flight some years ago. The memsahib and I were in the centre section, adjacent seats (aisle and centre) of Club World. One of the FAs was just appalling, in an absolutely foul mood. On the rare occasions she had to speak she snarled, never said “excuse me”, “sir” or “madam”, it would just be “Tea?! Coffee?!”. Everything she handed out (except liquids, to be fair) was dropped on to the tray table, not placed there. The other FAs were clearly terrified of her. It was obvious that several passengers – us included – were getting upset but because she was spreading her unpleasantness so liberally rather than directing it at one particular passenger no-one seemed inclined to trigger a scene. Then one passenger, who had been trying to get past her to get back to his seat and had said “excuse me” several times, and was ignored every time, politely tapped her on the shoulder. She immediately whipped around, snarling, and accused him of assaulting her. Nothing, of course, could have been further from the truth.

Everyone was horrified.

I did offer to back him up if he wanted to make a complaint but he just wanted the whole thing to die down.

As noted above, there are bad apples in every barrel, but there was no apparent attempt by any other crew member to moderate her behaviour or attitude.

Shame really…. It shows up the other crew members almost as much as the bad apples.

Which, of course, is not to say that passengers don’t often behave far worse. I have a great deal of sympathy with crew members who have to deal with unacceptable behaviour from passengers. When HK recently changed its laws on sexual harrassment so that employees are protected from customers as well as fellow workers, it was apparently with flight attendants in mind. And quite right too.

Crew members – most of you have my sympathies. But only when you stand up against the bad apples in support of customers. Solidarity with fellow workers is one thing, failing to deal with someone as unpleasant as this one is really unacceptable.

[canucklad]

LP you’re 100% right…..
Sadly, and more noticeable in our western society than elsewhere in the world,for reasons only eminent sociologists would know the answer too the trend seems to be that ,we the customer should be thankful to receive an average level of service…..
Never mind a decent or exceptional level of service for a remuneration.
It’s almost as if regressed back to the 70s and brings to mind the scene from Fawlty Towers when Basil loses the plot with his guests, proclaiming

https://m.youtube.com/?gl=GB#/watch?v=TFMpySg_UrM

Now factor in the stresses that the aviation industry has imposed on us and itself and it’s no wonder these incidents are on the rise. Loss of personal control freaks and egotistical jobs worth employees just causes all the rest of us to have more of a miserable time more often….

[MrMichael]

I guess the answer Canucklad is to let everyone have a smoko.

[canucklad]

Maybe MrMichael, maybe…….
Fortunately for me it’s a vice I don’t indulge in…..I’ll settle for alcohol and neurotic women anytime. …Although I’m not sure the neurotic women causes the alcohol or the alcohol leads to the neurotic women. : )

Now a neurotic stewardess that likes a belt, what a night that would be….

[Author]

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