[SimonRowberry]

Folks,

Just back from BEI on LX.

I was in 7K and my colleague in 9K, BEI – ZRH.

I went to the galley early on the ask for another packet of their wonderful mustard flavoured crisps (chips in the US). The staff were clearly much pissed off and I asked why. They told me that virtually the entire Business Cabin was upgraded and there were very few of us who were on J tickets. Apparently, this upgraded lot were putting pressure on the crew to get as much benefit out of the flight as possible.

This POd my colleague and I, for the simple reason that we’d not been able to pre-book the wider single A seats (we still had single seats, albeit it with less personal space) – now they were occupied by people who were upgraded.

The guy in 8K had the table manners of a pig. I sat there for 9 hours listening to him slurp, gob, fart, hawk, sniffle etc. I said nothing as I know Chinese culture and table etiquette is different, and all power to multiculturalism. Anyway, the last straw was when he performed an uber-gobbing into somewhere (I didn’t look) about an hour out from ZRH. I asked him to please stop doing that (very politely), with my colleague also supporting my request.

He then went berserk and starting shouting in very loud Chinese, waking up the last few passengers who were sleeping. He ended his tirade by telling us all to “F Off.”

The Chef de Cabine had strong words with him (through the Chinese FA) and told us he would write a report on the flight and email us, as he felt there had been a lot of unacceptable behaviour from other passengers.

So, not the most pompous passenger I’ve come across, but certainly the most piggish.

Cheers, Simon

[azidane]

I was in Premium Economy on a VS flight from DXB-LHR and had a window seat, next to me I had some guy and in the seat on the other side of the aisle was his boyfriend. The guy next to me said “im scared of flying, would you mind swapping seats with my boyfriend, which I politely declined as I do not like sitting in the aisle seats, at which the guy got quiet peeved off. He then went and asked a member of cabin crew to come and ask me, and I politely informed her that unless she is willing to upgrade me (PE was full) then unfortunately I am not willing to move.

The guy next to me preceeded to be as awkward as possible during the flight, knocking into me on numerous occasions, talking quiet loudly and giving me snide looks when I wanted to use the WC. In the end I went to speak to member of the flight crew and was duly informed that the guy next to me was actually off duty cabin crew and that she would have a word with him and make a note in her post flight report. When I returned to my seat the guy was very peed off and started huffing and puffing when I wanted to get into my seat at which point I said to him “as a off duty member of Virgin staff flying on Virgin, he should do a better job of behaving himself as its not projecting a good image to which his response was” I do what the bloody hell I want when I am off duty” and as this was my second flight in a row with Virgin when I have had issues with members of crew (the other one resulted in me being escorted off by armed police at LHR, but thats another story and not as bad as it sounds, ha ha) I vowed never to fly Virgin again, and as I was doing DXB-LHR twice a month generally in upper classI did fly them regularly, and I have not set foot on a VS aircraft since 😉

[ZKSmith]

Flight from AKL – LAX a couple of years ago.
Intending to sleep on this night flight, I had already changed into a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms in the lounge. When queueing, the passenger in front of me took one look at me and shouted ”it’s only business class boarding just now, not economy yet”, loud enough for the entire gate to hear, and when I produced a business class boarding pass he snorted and huffed.
Once onboard FA had to ask this passenger several times to end his phone call and turn his phone off. He eventually did but said that she should not interrupt his important business conversations – irritating considering his phone call had delayed push back.
Once airborne he complained loud enough for the entire cabin to hear, about how the dinner service wasn’t good enough, and how it was outrageous they didn’t have the juice he wanted, that he was having to wait so long for his main course. A similar routine followed during the breakfast service, with complaints about how he couldn’t have three smoothies (not getting one fair enough, but three!?), not having the correct bread, the right jam, the slow service (I found the service perfectly fine), and even taking it upon himself to complain with the lead FA about the turbulence during the flight, and how the pilots should avoid it.
After landing, once the engines had shut down he immediately jumped out his seat, clearly desperate to be first off the plane – and fell to the floor from the jolt when the tug began pulling us onto our gate. Other passengers jeering his fall clearly didn’t amuse him either. Despite the seatbelt sign still being on, and the pilot telling us about how we would be pulled onto our gate, it was of course the crews fault he had fallen over.
Definitely the most annoying passenger I have ever encountered.

[MartynSinclair]

Simon – I cant imagine you had a particulaly pleasant flight with the the Asia snorter. I remember being told by my Asia business partner not to complain too loudly in a taxi from PNH into the city when the driver was continually snorting and gobbing out of the window. I drew the line though when it came back through the window.

However disguting it was, there is absolutely nothing you can do in that situation. However, in a aeroplane, I think Swiss need to review the flight report and find a way to “restore your faith”!

Speak soon

[canucklad]

Surely passengers should respect the culture of the flag carrier they choose…..An ex-driver of mine refused to travel Iran Air when he flew back to visit relatives purely because he wanted one last indulgement of his favorite vino before landing in Teheran.

BA got his custom instead…..

In the case of the chinese gentleman gobbing, i find this quite strange as I always thought gobbing was frowned on especially after bird flu etc…never see it in HK

Swiss shoild have declined him travel on the way back to the land of the dragon.

[Ricjackal]

Stuck Middle seat between two rather smelly German Merchant Seamen ( showers broken on der ship….) coming off their Vessel in Singapore and on the flight from hell to Frankfurt ……. several yrs ago ……………………..Made a Promise to myself that id Always fly Business class thereafter ……………..!!! ( And do whenever i fly even European )

[canucklad]

That’s just odouress behaviour…. sat in front of 2 french women -one who smelled particully urinalish … not pleasant..all the way back from HKG… the people in the middle row opposite them rreally struggled..if they had noticed at the gate i’m sure travel would have been denied!

Have now remembered an in-flight moment…coming back from Madrid on Easyjet .. I managed to get an aisle seat right behinfd my girlfriends row…she was sat in the middle seat …we pretty much were the last to board the Easyjet scrum

I politely asked the gent in front of me if he would mind swapping , so we could be together… a curt spanish “no” with an indignant wave of the hand and i was rebuked.

For the remainder of the flight this gentleman–girlfriend reckoned he was a doctor loudly engaged with and passed documents with his travelling companion in the window seat…My lass was not amused at their arrogance ….fortunately for them she just sat there and drunk her wine and read her magazine..at one point her table was used as a resting place for so said documents… the man in seat D stiil doesn’t know how close he came to tongue lashing that a velaptosaurus would be proud of.

Thinking about it now I should have followed other posters lead (G&T) and stood in the aisle and started a particularly embarissing conversation with her whilst he eaves dropped

[millionsofmiles]

Early Nineties. KX (Dragonair) flight from HKG-NKG. At that time these flight were charter flights since no scheduled services existed to NKG from HKG.
I was fortunate to catch a seat 1C, beside me across the aisle on 1D was an elderly Chinese gentleman.
After dinner, he took his cotton napkin, unfolded it, and started to snuffle and snort and then spit a huge glob of green phlegm onto said napkin. He examined it thoroughly, then pressed the napkin together and unfolded again: Oh miracle, the phlegm piece had doubled in size! while he mumbled somehting, he repeated this folding and pressing routine a few times, before he laid down the napkin, neatly folded.
I was mesmerized, I couldnt take my eyes off off him.
And then he repeated the whole procedure short before landing, at the end grunting in a satisfied tone.
Just delicious!

[Bucksnet]

I think the most pompous passenger I’ve sat next too was probably VK. He certainly fitted my image of him.

[VintageKrug]

Sad.

—
Bucksnet – 23/08/2012 19:16 GMT

I think the most pompous passenger I’ve sat next too was probably VK. He certainly fitted my image of him.

—

But at least you can spell pompous.

[rodders]

Thanks for starting a light-hearted thread G&T. I think my worst experience in recent times was last year on a CX flight from Beijing to HK. There was a couple (he was from the US, she was Chinese) complaining bitterly that they had not been informed that the flight was operated by CX directly and not Dragonair (I was sure when I booked it was listed as a CX777!), and as such they did not have the Dragonair business seats (a 3hr flight come on!), and how could CX not have informed them, to make matters worse the orange juice was long life and not freshly squeezed. All of this was done in loud, boorish voices, and the poor CSD kept apologizing profusely. Just the sort of people who give certain nationalities a bad name!!!

[VintageKrug]

Ha!

Indeed. 😉

Though I feel sure you’d be in F where you’d have to shout to me in 2K.

[Papillion53]

I was enjoying this light-hearted thread until I came to Bucksnet’s comment- all I can say is Bucksnet you have shamefully spoilt this and one can only wonder why?????? 🙁

As African said – come on guys (actually one guy in this case African – Bucksnet!!!!)

VK – I too would be delighted to share the F cabin with you but only if you let me have your choccie fondant!!!! LOL!

[canucklad]

I’m intrigued now Bucksnet…

Pompous behaviour can be so many things…demonstrated by the following characters

1) Pompous as in Frasier Crane / Sideshow Bob
2) Pompous as in Sir Humphrey
3) Pompous as in Boris Johnson
4) Pompous as in Clement Freud
5) Pompous as in Alex Salmond
6) Pompous as in Christiano Ronaldo

When my pomposity appears i’m probably more Frasier Crane than anybody else….my friday curiosity asks you all to describe yourself in the same manner?

Even more interesting how will Bucksnet describe VK !.

[FaroFlyer]

Many years ago I was on CX to HKG from LHR, and sitting in the aisle seat (remember those?) at the exit row, upper deck. A few rows ahead a pompous Brit was complaining to the young Chinese FA that there was a passenger sitting in the seat next to him. He told her that “Cathay know I always have the seat next to me empty”. He demanded to see the CSD to have the situation resolved. The CSD came upstairs and loudly apologised for the seat next to him being occupied, and offered to sell him another seat so that he could have an empty one next to him. Passenger declined.

Then champagne was handed out and pompous passenger complained to the FA that there weren’t enough bubbles in his champagne. The FA took his glass and returned with another, which seemed to be acceptable.

As she walked past me I gave her a sympathetic smile and she smiled back and said sweetly, whilst swizzling her finger like a stirrer stick: “Would you like some more bubbles in your champagne, sir?”

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