13+ Things Your Flight Attendant Won’t Tell You

A good read. I am relieved to find that I never make these mistakes. I appreciate the excellent service most attendants give, especially because I see such rudeness by too many passengers. My hat is off to all you flight attendants, EXCEPT the few American attendants who chew gum (and I am American) and many of  the British attendants who are arrogant and sarcastic (a cultural characteristic they can not help but show).

Oh my god !  What crybabies !  When one asks me how I am doing I answer “I’m alive” .. they don’t care & I don’t care if they care.

I don’t fly that much these days since my job pretty much requires that I be available to come into work – even while on vacation. That said, in my younger days when I did travel more frequently, I always made it a point to be polite to flight attendants, even the rude one (the last word being singular by intent).

1. This person sounds like they have a bit of an attitude. If you’re going to be dealing with the public you have to have a thick skin.

2. As mentioned, I can’t help that I snore. And I’m always tired on flights because I did twice the work to be able to take time off like everyone else.

I haven’t flown a whole lot compared to some, but I’ve flown enough to recognize the differences in attitude between airlines.  That said, I’ll fly Southwest anytime, anywhere they go.  As far as Delta and American are concerned, I’d rather drive or take a slow boat than put up with their attitudes.

I once had an American Airlines attendant ask me to feel the muscles on her inner thigh–VERY attentive.

Sympathetic to all but #10 and #12.  For #10, there are situations I would be more than happy to address on my own (if I am in the right), but poorly-mannered people tend to respond even LESS civilly to a random schmoe than they do a professional flight attendant.  It IS the job of the flight attendants to help maintain order.  As for #12 – sure, some people could wait for the bathroom, but many people don’t get up and wrestle the cart unless they have an urgent need.  Unless you like it messy, you might want to allow for the occasional weak bladder or Crohn’s sufferer.

Granted there are lots of rude people that fly on airplanes.  Unfortunately, some of the rudest are the flight attendants and gate agents.  I fly frequently on business and am always taken aback when an airline employee goes out of his/her way to be rude, nasty or just deliberately irritating.  Much of it is passive/aggressive behavior – for example, I was scheduled to fly from Charlotte to Baltimore on an 8:05 AM flight last week, when I got to the gate, the gate display showed a departure time of 4:20 PM.  Naturally, I asked the agent “is this the right gate for the 8:05 AM flight?”  She replied, “this is flight 1234, sir”, as if that were answer enough.  I asked again, “is this the right gate for the 8:05 AM flight, the board shows the flight takes off at 4:20 PM?”.  She replied “sir, this is flight 1234 and I just made the announcement that the display is showing the wrong time.”  By this time it was obvious she was simply enjoying herself and taking out her aggression on me.  I asked no more questions, took out my pen, looked at her name badge and let her watch me write it down, then walked away.  She was clearly rattled (becuase she knew she had behaved poorly) and quickly made a nervous announcement about the signage being incorrect.  I never reported her because I didn’t want to take the chance of getting her fired.

When I say Hello, or Goodbye, Have a nice Day or Evening; They always make it a point to studiously ignore me. But, that doesn’t stop me from being a Human Being. . .Btw, I’m a Frequent Flier.

I travel 200 days a year. I have seen bad passengers and equally bad flight attendants. Both need to realize that the flight experience of 10 to 20 years ago is gone. Respect each other and move out of my way so I can get seated.

Most of these make a lot of sense, but some is just whining.  For # 4, perhaps people should know you are asking if they want cream and sugar, but it is equally obvious that if people regularly can’t hear you, you are talking too quietly.  #8, You say “snore with wild abandon.”  Really? Does that make any sense.  I’ve never heard of anyone who is able to control their snoring.  I guess on flights with whiny flight attendants, passengers who snore don’t get to sleep.

#11 is an absolute untruth.

Several years, my children and I had travelled around or ON Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve/Day.  I always made sure to look my attendants and pilots (as well as any airport ground employees) in the eye and thank tham for working on a holiday so we were able to visit with family.  From this single mom on a budget who otherwise may not have had the chance to spend time with her parents, I thank every one of you for the work you do, the troublesome passengers you put up with, and for giving up holidays/birthdays/etc with YOUR loved ones so I could be with mine!  Bless you!

Stop the whining! Sh** comes with every job. I think passengers pay more than enough for their cramped little seats while they try to eat the food they had to bring themselves. Just do your job like the rest of the employed. Your lucky you’re among them.

I have said hello to people passing me in the park while walking and they will not answer. so I whisper to myself,  YOU SNOT!

If you hate your job so much quit. There are many people who would love to have it. I’m very polite and try to be as low maintenance on a plane and there are some real jerks out there but you know what you were getting into when you signed up.I work at a five star hotel and I know how much being supper polite takes out of you but I knew that going in. 

 Passengers are always coming up to me and tattling on each other.
‘Can you tell him to put his seat up?’ ‘She won’t share the armrest.’ What am I, a preschool teacher?
What would you have us do when two passengers are at a crossroads and a compromise (or other solution) cannot be reached? Fisticuffs? In this case, you are being asked for your AUTHORITY, not necessarily your wisdom. Don’t get bugged by this, Michelle. Just add it to your list of duties.

I HATE having to listen to people popping their chewing gum.

It’s very possible I can’t wait the 90 seconds (I’ve never seen one go this fast). Sometimes, my bladder IS in charge.

comment # 3.  COUGARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MEOW!

The airlines go into bankrucy and steal your pension and everything you worked for and you are suppsed to be happy.Think not

someone get this person some cheese to go with their whine

True…I feel sorry for flight attendants.   How about a list now of some comments we frequent travelers would like to make?

I wanted to THANK Michelle Crouch for writing this story!  I expected it to be a very serious piece with revelations like, “Forget all the safety instructions we’ve just taught you because, if this plane crashes, there’s a 99.999999999975% chance that we’re all gonna die!” and, “In the hour prior to take-off, 25% of pilots have taken some medication or had an alcoholic beverage which may impair their ability to operate this aircraft!”  To my delight, the story was much more ‘tongue-in-cheek’ and humorous than I ever expected!

To be sure, I often feel sorry for Flight Attendants, what passengers put them through and expect of them.  In essence, they are both ‘preschool teachers’ who must referee passenger disputes, maintain the flight schedule, and make sure all the students depart the plane with the same coats, galoshes, and luggage they brought on with them, AS WELL AS being the very people tasked with saving the lives of passengers, in the event that there is a true emergency!  For all this responsibility, most of them probably earn less than a first year preschool teacher!

I got a kick out of reading their complaints about passengers and I understand how dealing with the same issues, day after day after day, might become frustrating for them.  However, I do take particular exception to #12 – that 250 lb. food cart spends a heck of a lot more than 90 seconds in the aisle between me and the bathroom!  By the time it gets to my end of the plane, the people who were served first have already begun ‘elimination mode’ and started queuing up for bathroom time.  When you’ve gotta to, you’ve gotta go, and there isn’t much logic or reasoning you can apply to the issue.

Personally, I’ve both benefited from incredible acts of kindness and professionalism from flight crews, and I’ve been treated rudely by overly tired, overworked ones.  I’m sure the same can be said of any person who’s spent much time on planes.  A lot of frustration could be eliminated, on ‘both sides of the fence,’ if everyone just acknowledged that we’re all tired, harried, frustrated, forgetful, and are dealing with our own personal problems away from that plane. Show the same respect for other people that you want for yourself and TRY to overlook the minor incidences of rudeness that we ALL sometimes inflict on other people (simply because we’re tired, frustrated……..).

Mostly, I just wanted to thank everyone – Michelle Crouch and all who’ve taken the time to comment – for giving me a chance to laugh really hard today.  If these are the worst issues we have to complain about, I thank God for creating Flight Attendants and passengers – and for endowing me with the sense of humor to appreciate the folly of their ways!

West Palm Beach is not Beverly Hills, Ca. There are a few wealthy people who live in a small strip of land between the ocean and the inter-coastal. The rest of West Palm Beach is more like a mixture of Harlem, Havana, and Tijuana. 

Some passengers, in fact, cannot wait 90 seconds for you to pass.  After having cancer surgery, if I think I have to pee, I have to do it very soon.  If I don’t, my clothing will be wet and I’ll smell like a litter box.

Oh come on.  First of all I can’t help it if I fall asleep and snore so get over yourself.  2nd, I bet if I tried to bring my inhaler or a syringe I would be handcuffed.  Third, it’s just possible that while you are blocking the aisle with your bloody cart someone has a big intestinal problem due to anxiety or your airline food so yes they  might need to get by immediately.  Yes, sometimes we have to tattle.  We’ve had seat mates who fondled each other while chugging vodka they brought on the plane.  Hardly appropriate in front of our children and also we don’t want them throwing up on us.  Don’t try to harrass us into taking all kinds of crap we shouldn’t have to deal with.  Just ask us to be reasonably considerate. 

re: “Do you really have to go to the bathroom right now, while we’re wrestling a 250-pound food cart down the aisle?”  While I also admit I’ve seen many people behave incredibly ignorantly in this regard (and many other regards), the attendants are typically not just in the aisle for 90 seconds.  They are there often for 20 minutes. Consider that we have probably been waiting a long time to go between delays and confusion at the airport and on prior flights and waiting for the fasten seat belt signs to go off.  We can only hold is so long.  : P

A couple of things…..a passenger really can’t control how loud he/she is snoring because he/she is asleep so I’m a little confused about that complaint…..and I have flown to Vail at least 15 times and have never seen people in mink coats…the times that I have been on those flights, they were exactly like flights to Atlanta, Chicago, etc and people for the most part were polite…….that being said, flight attendants definitely help make or break a flight to anywhere, and their services should be appreciated by everyone.

Boom!

This article had to be written by a flight attendant. It is spot on. I am a flight attendant (have been one for 24 years) and am 44 years old. It felt like being at work when I read this list. Too funny!

# 8 is the best. You are NOT the only person on the plane. Please stop acting like you are!

If the door is so easy… SIGNAGE is JUST as EASY… Put a sticker on there that says “PUSH”.
Really that needy for a hello/goodbye? Want a pat on the back too? 
I try to be quiet and undemanding, no trouble… but if you don’t speak up fast enough, an attendant will make a surly remark that you didn’t JUMP to respond. Thanks

More like “13 complaints of Flight Attendants”

I know it muist be hard for stewardesses. I mean they see you with the cart and they see you asking others fish or steak and they get to you and you can’t decide. I always take the fish or seafood. Or they ask you what you would like to drink. I always know in advance. I know it must be difficult to wait on people hand and foot.

Some people on planes are pure arseholes, but for the most part they know what to do. I wish the stewardesses were not as attractive, because they turn me on with those uniforms and it would be nice to get a room and have her lying naked th you in the sack.

Some people on planes are pure arseholes, but for the most part they know what to do. I wish the stewardesses were not as attractive, because they turn me on with those uniforms and it would be nice to get a room and have her lying naked th you in the sack.

So, this is less an information piece and more of a 13 things flight attendants want to gripe about, but can’t to your face and expect to keep their jobs.

I’ve encountered a couple of flight attendants who were belligerent from the get-go, almost as if they wanted me to respond in a way so they could say I was disruptive.  I’m very polite to flight attendants — always have been — so that was a rude disappointment.

some people get a severe case of hearing loss due to cabin pressure differences, especially people who do not fly much, lets give the passengers a little credit, maybe they are foreigners who dont speak english, or just ears numbed due to pressure.

American FAs are not rude, but can become so if pushed even the slightest….just like US cops.

Here’s a thought. Don’t like your job, try unemployment. 

Most of these make sense, but NO I can not wait the 40 minutes it takes for you to serve every passenger on the plane a coke.  Yes, I realize the cart fills the aisle, but it does not take ’90 seconds’ .

A lot of these things they don’t tell us are things they shouldn’t think. We go through godforsaken uncomfortable and invasive treatment before we get on the plane. 

If we need to go the bathroom and you are taking the cart down the isle you think we should have to wait ten of fifteen minutes?

We do pay to fly, you know.

 a very stressful job walking miles in the air…one had heavy periods from gravity so she had to retire early…more crazy people out there than years ago. I would not want to be on a flight with
my 4 1/2 year old neighbor who makes noise on 3rd floor and felt and heard on 1st floor. He was outside ramming the building with his toy car he sits in and building noise was like an earthquake.
Same parents let kid tear napkins and empty sugar in a restaurant.
I am old and times have changed.

You are right. We always appreciate people who have the courtesy to respect their position and ours. The ME FIRST BECAUSE I’M SPECIAL attitude abounds everywhere; especially in a silver tube at 30,000 ft.

If the cheap airlines didn’t have a vendetta against their own baggage people there would be no overhead bins, no cheating flyers, no lazy stews and no problem! 

No boyfriend in every city? How about every other city? You skank.
Bring syringes? And a special note from the TSA and my doctor?

I’ve been incredibly nice to you for three hours. Why are you treating me like this?

Um. Excuse me, but you have been incredibly rude to everyone, including that old lady three seats up, and the twin children two seats back for three hours, plus you keep telling me to close my window shade when you can clearly see that I am reading a novel… I don’t really care if other people are watching the idiot box tv, I paid for a window seat and need light to read by… So piss off.

Don’t snore? Absolutely. I will make sure that I don’t snore when I’m awake. and as part of the deal, how about you don’t wake me up (again) when I’m sleeping? How about that? I’ve been traveling for 16 hours and working 12 hour days for the last week, so how about you let a sleeping dog alone?

And just because the woman behind me takes two hours to eat doesn’t mean I’m going to put my seat up so it’s not in her way. If you don’t want the seats to go back, then change them. If I don’t want a seat to go back (and mess up my back for four hours) I’ll sit in a freaking exit row. Deal?

If you hate your job… quit.

Do you really think you serve food in 90 seconds? You must live in some wierd quatum time anomolly.

I say hello and goodbye on everyflight, and sometimes I say good riddance too!

This is informative but now that I know the flight attendent will think I’m a jerk to begin with, (this writer is very jaded), I will be very careful not to say anything stupid around them. I work in the medical field and know that when people are nervous and scared, they can leave their brain at the door and we are trained to be very, very patient. If this article is the view of all flight attendants, maybe they need more training in that area.

Flight attendants, almost always, are extremely professional and helpful. Unfortunately, there is a significant proportion of passengers who should only travel in the cargo hold with the other critters. I always say thank you when leaving the plane, and I always try to ignore the behavior of the (very infrequently encountered) flight attendant who really should change careers.

This started out as a nice teaser, but fell short quick. Here’s what your flight attendant won’t tell you (and it ought to be the briefing every passenger gets):
Good morning passengers, and thanks for choosing to fly in a giant thermos bottle. In the event of  a decompression, you’ll hear a loud bang, and the air in the cabin will immediately crystalize. It will clear quickly, and you’ll see oxygen masks dangling in front of you. Stop staring. At 35,000 feet you have about 15 seconds to don masks, or you’ll be hypoxic as a loon and shortly pass out. The airplane driver is trained to immediately dive to 10,000 feet, where you can breathe. Its a hell of a ride. Don’t panic. In the event of a crash landing, forget the doors and windows. They are going to be wedged shut from impact. Find the nearest gaping hole in the fuselage, get out, and if you touch the overhead bins for your carry on, I’ll personally shoot you. Once out of what’s left of the aircraft, run in the same direction the plane was landing. If you run back to where we were coming from, you’ll be diving into a field of debris and fuel. Now sit back, enjoy the flight, and have a little faith in our mechanics.

(This, by the way, was the actual briefing I got from a trusty veteran crew chief on an Air Force KC-135. The only exception was he didn’t refer to overhead bins, but rather to “all that important crap you brought on my airplane”. Your oxygen bottle was in a bag slung over your shoulder. There are no auto deploying masks on the KC-135. I love those old gray haired crew chiefs who are approaching 60 years of age, and have seen it all. I’m purposely not going to mention which Air Guard unit owned the airplane.)

Oh it must be soooo hard to be a flight attendant. Every job has a bunch of jackass customers and  scenarios to deal with. Get over it.

The Airline Industry can stow their advice.Most of the actual problems mentioned should be
solved with common sense.Everything else , the petty slights, etc. seem rather subjective.
P.S. When i’ve just been bumped on an overbooked (and overcharged) flight, I’m not really
concerned about who or who doesn’t “have a boyfriend in every city”. Save the advice and
just charge us more. You’ll get around to doing that sooner or later anyway.

Most of those are great, #12 is absolute bollocks.  “90 seconds” to pass with the drink cart?  On what plane is that happening?

Wow, you interviewed some real whiners for this one, they should each be shot in the head, and their jobs should be given to people who deserve them.

The real secret is that airlines have reconfigured their seating so that you need to remove your feet and legs to fit in the space.  I haven’t flown in about 5 years and the last time a few weeks ago was traumatic.    See picture #2.  The aisles were just wide enough for my 14 inch wide carry on to bump down the aisle while touching the sides.  My 9 inch deep luggage would barely fit between the front of a seat and the back of the next in front.   The ceiling on this Airbus was very low.  No more!!!!!!!  Amtrak may take 3 days for a 1 day air trip, but they will have my business in the future.  First class???? It was only a little better with the seats being a little wider but not much more leg room, if any.  

Gee, can’t even count how many times I have been very nice to my flight attendants only to get a horrible attitude in return. I work in healthcare for many years and you know what I have realized? people suck, in general. People are rude, mean, and disrespectful. Deal with it.
I do. Every day of my life. I love these fake fantasy pics as if that’s what flying in a plane these days is like. It’s not. It’s dirty, it’s smelly, it’s cramped and we get every penny pinched with fees.You want us customers to treat you like it’s 1965? you and your employers should
do the same
for us…

Maybe time for a new job.

#1: Too hard to remove the luggage and send it back as checked luggage?
#2. You mean.. Nice like ignoring requests for 3 hours?
#3. 44.. I can understand the grumpiness – time for a final trip to Florida
#4. What about “Do you want some cream and sugar”?
#5. Oh.. They still work? Last time I saw one coming was in.. 1986..
#6. Give it a shot. Push in the middle. It won’t open. It’s science. You have to push it in a certain way.
#10. So, if the other passenger refuses, can I use lethal force because you’re not a preschool teacher?
#12. Fair enough. Cleaning a big business or a big leak on the seat is way more entertaining than pushing a food cart, especially now food are no longer provided in domestic flights
#13. Funny. Nobody replied to my goodbyes. Upset that good looking guys do not reply to your goodbyes?
#14. How really want to touch a 44+ woman?
#18. What about your cart blocking the path?
#19. it used to..
#21. Cool! Next time, I won’t try to clean up…
#22. The airline choses a city and is an airport’s customer. The airline, as a customer, can complain to the airport. The airline chose not to treat this as a priority.

yes.. time to find a new job or to move to Florida.

Flying is not usually a daily experience for the customer.  Understanding a wide variety of life’s situations and varying your own methods might be helpful to the job and priorities of the attendant as well as to the service needs of the customer. 

Sarcasm and customer service do not make good companions, even for a brief flight of fancy such as an article that starts with mentioning that it will make it a better experience for all. Flying is a stressful experience for many, especially those who do not engage in it often and face different rules, methods, and levels of service each time we foray into an airport. The day can be daunting with anxieties regarding the journey, flying in general, the reason for the flight, etc. I’ll start with the first on the list of tips. I am disabled, have pain, cannot lift or carry items and have difficulty walking long distances. The first time I asked an attendant to stow my carry on  was because no below seat room remained, I was met with a firm “no” and nothing to aide my difficulty, such as an explanation or “I’m sorry I can’t help you, perhaps another passenger might be willing to help or move their item”. Instead, my luggage had to be checked – which I knew would cause difficulties at the destination airport. It did. I spent my “vacation” packed in ice and unable to  move around when I arrived at my destination.
One more as an example- re the “cream and sugar” question… it can be hard to hear onboard the aircraft and, no, not everyone expects it. Once someone hands me a cup of coffee, unless I’m paying for it, the transaction is over. I forget that others use dairy and sugar. 

 Instead of repeating the same misunderstood question, you can vary it, or show the objects you are offering. Some people can’t hear, others don’t speak the same language as the flight attendant and if you’re me, you’ve been drinking coffee black and making it yourself for so long  it takes a bit before you realize what’s being said. Now factor in that maybe the person is en route to a funeral, generally anxious due to flying or extremely tired due to traveling and you get myriad reasons why people’s minds are elsewhere.

If you don’t want to take my soggy kleenex, what am I supposed to do with it?  I don’t recall ever seeing any kind of waste receptacle at an airline seat.  If I put it into the seatback pocket, then you may have to wait while I fish it out; I am not going to sit there all day with this junk in my hand until you come past with a bag.  Can I count on the between-flight crew to remove all that stuff from the pocket or wherever the previous diseased occupant dropped or stuffed it, and to disinfect? 

Subcontracting wheelchair service out does not relieve the airline from responsibility for it. Or should passengers have to arrange for their own and make crews and other passengers wait for it?

 I realize that attendents did not plan these situations, but do not blame the passengers for them.

i despise flying. it’s filthy and uncomfortable and the air stinks. all you serve are drinks and nuts. is it that difficult? 

What a horribly snarky article. If you don’t like your job, find another. I pay a pretty penny to fly and have had to adjust to a growing level of condescension, rudeness and nastiness by flight staff. YOU are the industry professionals, you need to treat your passengers with kindness and respect and maybe they will then treat you the same way.

Number ten is crap as well.  It IS the flight attendants job to prevent conflict.  Asking a flight attendant to be the go between in a possible conflict is the correct thing to do.

when leaving plane we need to make sure not tripping on some idiot ahead
thats why we dont say  good bye!

BooHoo!  Find a new job if your have so many trivial issues with the one you have!!!

When I fly South West, they set the mood right off, happy, happy, happy. I have heard a attendant on United scream on the micro phone” people, shut up and take your seats now! We are not here to serve you”. Now, how would you feel after hearing this? Not to mention she looked like a over used bar whore. Some airlines have a ‘don’t give me any crap’ attititude as you board the plane. What ever happened to pride in your job????? They look like the plane ran them over, never smile, and look at you like your a pain in the butt if you ask a question. And given the recent flight attendant crazies on the news, there seems to be a problem and it’s not the people causing it, it’s your crappy unions.

if flight attendants don’t like their high paying job, give it up. i’m sure in this economy of high unemployment, there’s a dozen people that will jump at the chance without whining about the drama of everyday public interaction. you’re not special even though you think you are.

Why can’t you have 200 pens on hand?  And I could care less if you have a boyfriend in every city.

lady, you ain’t nothin but a waitress in the sky

My wife and mother of my children is a flight attendant.  How about treating her with the same respect I’d give to yours?

The 90 second wait for food cart to pass is bogus. A full walk down the isle is a LOT longer. And there is absolutely no walk around the cart.

Oh puhleese.  You knew the job details when you signed up!  No whining about doing your job!  I’ll be nice if you will be nice.

I  have a bathroom problem and sometimes I have to go at inconvenient times.  No, I can’t wait.  By the time I request extra service, I have already tried to wait out my need and can’t wait any longer.  Yes, I did go last minute before I boarded the plane.  I try very hard to not be a nuisance, but the only other option is for me to quit flying altogether. 

I think you all forget you are in a customer service role.  If you can’t stand take what happens get out of the business.  I’ve been in retail for years.  People can be rude and say obnoxious things but they are the customers.  Figure it out…no customers…no job.

Seems to me from these “helpful hints” and from the comment/responses that both parties are guilty of boorish bad behavior and attitude. I guess the answer for both passengers and attendants is just not to be part of the problem.

When I was young, my cousin — a runner-up in Miss New Jersey — became a TWA or Pan Am stewardess and had a ball dating the captains and flying all over the world. A girlfriend became a stewardess for Braniff, the only commercial airline to fly into Vietnam during the war. They would land with bullet holes in the fuselage. She married a naval aviator from Annapolis that she met in Saigon. Very romantic.

At 5 feet 10 and a half, I was way too tall, or I would have done it too. Stewardesses were trained to be gracious princesses (at my modeling school they would run classes of stewardesses through to learn how to put on makeup properly and walk with poise etc.) And yes, some gross men and haughty women abused these young women and made their lives miserable on some flights; plus, the constant takeoffs and landings played hob with their female functions, I heard. But they didn’t see it as a career of more than a few years; it was a stopgap until they got married or went to college. I think I would be burned out and miserable, bored stiff etc. if I were 44 years old and still doing that. 

The last time I flew I was in first class when I got to my seat there was someone in it. I said to the person that is was my seat 4A and the person said oh ya I would like to sit here next to my friend would you take my seat I said no he said why not ? I told him that is the seat that I paid for and also if we were to crash and burn they would think he is me and I would not want that. The flight attendent said that was true and it was against FAA regs for him to be in my seat at takeoff but we could trade later. I said well I’ll keep my seat and I thought he was going to have a kanipshin. Fly by the rules or do not fly.

Wah, wah, wah. Everyone’s job sucks. You picked the job. Deal with it.

OR..the flight attendants can be happy that they are employed and remember that they are in the Service Industry and stop complaining about the people that buy tickets so that the airline can pay them to do their jobs.  They aren’t digging ditches or cleaning out sewers or other hard labor, and they arent performing brain surgery. These are mostly petty complaints..for instance, you are asking the passengers to clean the plane of garbage FOR you, yet complain because they take too long searching to be sure they did a good job?   It seems as though you no longer enjoy your job and it sounds like you have great distain for the general public-so being in the Service Industry is just making your attitude worse, and the passengers that aren’t “bugging” you receive the same condecending attitude.  That is a shame. When passengers are treated poorly they stop buying tickets on that carrier-you are a representative of that company and your attitude is a reflection on them, and if the airline loses business and money because their flight attendants are unpleasant, people lose jobs-

For those of us with ulcerative colitis, the answer to #12 can really be “No!”

Little Miss Thang who wrote this seems to be somewhat disgruntled and really dislike her job! I travel quite frequently for work and it seems to me the rudest people on most planes are the flight attendants, not the passengers. I am always struck by how many flight attendants are so unkempt and robotic, rarely smiling. When I fly, I don’t expect a flight attendant to be my personal butler, but c’mon…at least have some pride in your work and be a little personable. And stop expecting us to know your airline’s or the FAA’s policies verbatim. Some of us, especially non-frequent travelers, just quite simply might not be familiar with protocol. We spend so much money to fly nowadays and are accosted by so many extra and hidden costs, it would be nice to get on a plane and be treated with dignity and respect by those who represent the airline. Perhaps it’s time for Ms. Michelle Crouch to look for a new profession.

FA’s should grow a thick skin or try another line of work….they get paid to do their job, and I have flown plenty of foreign airlines and the US FA’s are among the worst. They will not go the slightest bit out of line to be helpful, I cant say all of them are like this, but the vast majority are tired, overworked, unhappy, underpaid and overage.

On the routes I fly the median age is closer to 54.  Seniority rules the air. 

What proof/documentation is requires to bring ‘Syringes” onto a air flight???
Do you have to proof they are Not filled with ‘poison’ or ‘Nitroglycerne’?

Thanks,
Holoka’i   ( it is my Hawai’ian naming.. )

I dated a few flight attendants over the years.  They were fun during layovers but more than a couple of days….no way.  They always thought they were so much better that the “idiots” in coach.  They are the idiots and this story reinforces that in general they think that the world revolves around them.  What happened to service from people in a service jobs?

Really??? Doing your job is such a hardship? I have been treated so rudely by flight attendants in the past years that I not surprised by this article. This is exactly the attitude that I have found, that as passengers, we are there to work hard to make the flight attendants trip a pleasure not the other way around. This is why they pay you to go on the flight. Do your job and stop complaining because a passenger can’t hear you over the roar of the airplane. 

Sorry but usually the flight attendants are the rudest, most culturally insensitive and least intelligent people on a plane. Don’t tell me how to act. Learn how to do your job.
 

I would also add, if your child is old enough to walk and/or talk, buy him his own seat. Don’t sit him on your lap and then stand in the aisle for half the flight because both of you are uncomfortable.

Cream or Sugar?  What….. Cream or sugar.. What?   I use to say what until the flight attendant actually looked at me while asking the question.   I’ve flown hundreds of thousands of miles, and I can tell you that a great deal of the root cause of animosity between passengers and FAs is do to the fact a significant percent of FAs – not all, but more than a few – often behave toward passengers as if they are but baggage!  If you are a professional, train yourself to look at people when you speak to them! 

Airplanes should carry sufficient pens for all people on board.   This is common sense, and to expect a novice traveler to know anything about needing a pen is not only arrogance, its shows how lame Airlines are in trying to cut their own costs.  

90 seconds for the food cart to pass?   No.  Try waiting 20 minutes when you’re blocking the only path to the bathroom… How about you move a little faster?

I have had my ups and downs with flight attendants, but most are sincere, hard-working people. I am a writer, and last February I wrote a poem from the point of view of an attendant after haveing flown with  one who seemed stressed out.

I have had my ups and downs with flight attendants, but most are sincere, hard-working people. I am a writer, and last February I wrote a poem from the point of view of an attendant after haveing flown with  one who seemed stressed out.

This really just confirms that flight attendants are grumpy and upset about everything, which is how they act during flights.

“If you’re diabetic, bring syringes.” I did, but the TSA confiscated them. Something about terrorism and never being too careful. Same for the diapers. I guess someone somewhere once maybe made a bomb out them, so the rest of us have to suffer.

–Our rules really say we aren’t allowed to lift your luggage into the overhead bin for you, though we can “assist.”

Really?  Those aren’t real rules.  They’re something your union cooked up while blackmailing your employer.  Stop being lazy!

I don’t understand, every bit of this is plain commen sense and common courtesy to me, sadly you don’t see much of that anymore.  The only thing I was surprised by is the attitude expressed about those in wheelchairs.  If the wheelchair service is subcontracted by the airlines or even that particular airport and their service below standards only sign contracts wherein both the airline and the customer can jointly hold them accountable for holding up the works.  I’m very certain in a time where there are so many unemployed people there is somone out there that what enjoy help people in wheelchairs feel respected just like all the other paying customers.

All I can hear  is snivil snivel Flt attendants complaining. Give me a break! I was a flt attendant and I can tell you this.
Most are lazy and now pretty fat and sloppy which coincides with their new crappy attitudes towards passengers.
Most are drunk and actually steal from the passengers!
They block the isle for control and NO that is not a requirement to keep the isle blocked with the cart.
They’ve been known to lock the lavatory doors so passengers cant use them in the back of the plane- because they don’t want you back there and looking into the galley to see what they are doing- like eating (grazing) and reading vulgar mags and YES- getting ‘some’.

This was very interesting to read but extremely upsetting to hear the NUMEROUS ways that some people are quite simply: rude and inconsiderate.  I feel embarrassed for the flight attendants that have to put up with crap like this.  I have only flown a few times in my life and I would LOVE to fly again tho now I can’t afford to, but if I could I would be very polite!

GET READY TO MEET ‘KING JESUS’, SINCE YOU’RE CLOSER THAN THE REST OF US AT THE MOMENT!

GET READY TO MEET ‘KING JESUS’, SINCE YOU’RE CLOSER THAN THE REST OF US AT THE MOMENT!

wow! I’m in the service industry as well. Yes, some people are more difficult to serve than others. That’s not an issue for people who enjoy what they’re doing. Your “rules” come across as whining. Get a job you enjoy.

About number 4:  Since most of us don’t make our living flying in jets, our ears are not accustomed to the engine roar. When I’m in the window seat, and the volume of your voice is less than half the volume of the engine that’s sometimes right next to me, guess what? I won’t hear you. If you’re saying anything other than “cream or sugar” or “crackers or pretzels,” I’m gonna say “What?” until you get that I can’t hear you.

I all I can say is there is a lot of morons flying! Makes you wonder how these people make it on the ground! I do feel for the flight attendants!

There is a lot to go around that a passenger won’t tell THEM (the attendants)  eiter. Like when these flight attendants move through the aisle like an elephant and manage to bump their fat a$$es (yes, I you don’t have to tell ME your average age is 44) time and time again into my shoulders, to the point where I came THIS close informing her that if she would hit my shoulder ONCE more with her fat a$$, I would PERSONALLY kick it into shape. And NO, I can’t lean away from the aisle because I’m already feeling more than intimate enough with the guy next to me, considering the way we are packed into these lousy flying aluminum tubes these days.
This article proves once again that they are nothing more than nasty sourpusses with mad cow disease, all of them. And NO, I am NOT one of these guys they describe here. I sit quietly for the whole flight, try to be as less as a burden as I can be, endure the same obnouxious behavior from my fellow passengers and their offspring as what this flight attendant describes here, and yes, I DO greet them when I leave the airplane. To be ignored by them in their responses when doing so for 60% of the time. You wanna piece of me? Then keep writing this kind of nonsense on these blogs. Just do your %^&&%^@ job, the same way it is expected from the rest of us day in and day out.

Asking the flight attendant to have another passenger put his seat back up is not an imposition, it’s a safety issue.  And if you had been doing your job, you would have noticed. 

#10 is absurd.  Really, flight attendants?  It’s not your job to make your passengers comfortable? They PURCHASED those tickets because your AIRLINE PROMISED to provide them a safe, comfortable, “serviced” flight.  Passengers should NOT have to “police” other passenger’s behaviors.  It is the job of the flight attendant to ensure passengers are behaving themselves.  I had a drunk passenger behind me, who was LOUD, obnoxious, and out of his seat when the seat-belt-light was on, and passengers were told to be seated.  Did the attendant do anything? NO.  In fact, when the seat belt light went off, the attendant brought the drunk passenger 2 more drinks before the flight was over.  He was unruly and out of control – and it was not the passenger’s duty to tell him to “sit down”, “shut up”, and get control of himself!  On another flight, I had a woman ask if her obnoxious, bored children could sit in the 2 empty seats next to me.  All I could say was, “Well, if it’s all right with the flight attendants.”  She never asked them – she just sent her kids over to me so SHE COULD SLEEP!!!  I was appalled!  Her children were left unsupervised and unattended.  Did the flight attendants say anything?  Of course not.  Meanwhile, I have legos being poured over my feet, my armrest taken over, and kids asking me if I can help them get their seat belts on.  >:o

This article is great and funny, but I really feel for the flight attendants. They have to endure so many things. One thing I can say is that I always remember to say hello and goodbye whether I hop on a plane or   a bus, it’s simple good manners.

hmm..very little sympathy here.  Allow me to give flight attendants a top five list of things we’d like you to know:
1.  Cramming the high number of seats into a little airplane that provides NO leg room and NO buffer between the lady holding a baby on one side and the fat guy on the other side does wonders for my attitude towards your airline and towards you as that airlines representative
2.  Delaying my flight in 20 minute intervals & providing me little details on why/when or what happens next means I miss my connection and makes me very less enthusiastic about your cheery attitude as it sounds likeshallow lip service.  If you really cared for me you would try and help.  (even 1 free bar drink says you empathise vs. your cliche apology which I’ve heard a million times from your co workers already
3. Yes I am travelling economy class because I’m under water in my mortgage, I’m struggling to make ends meet and this is the first vacation I’ve had in 5 years.  Just because I didn’t pay your ‘pound of flesh’ price for first class doesn’t mean I should be treated like cattle.  A little respect and a little personal service, even in economy, should be the norm.  I’m still paying you significant money so that you have a job.
4. you now charge me to check luggage-more of my hard earned money out the window…..that’s why I am bringing over sized bags onto the plane and trying to cram them into those little cubby holes you call overhead bins.  I resent this too.
5.  I will ring the bell to get your attention, multiple times too, especially when I see you sitting at the back of the plane for the duration of the flight catching up on your weekend with your other flt attendant pals.  Again,  I’m tired, crammed into a little seat, the lady next to me is now sneezing on me and you took away my carry on luggage (scolding me at the time too) to ‘sky check’ it because you allowed all the first class passengers and VIP passengers to get on first and use up all the bins.  The least you can do is work the flight and provide me a glass of water as I believe that’s the only thing you provide for free anymore…
signed a veteran, abused, flyer

This slideshow is far more telling (unintentionally) about the author than her subject. 

The author’s lack of self-awareness describes the severe decline in the quality of service and increasing disregard passengers have for air travel. 

I click on 13 Things Your Principal Won’t Tell You. How did I end up here?

I saw the link and thought perhaps I’d learn something…but it was simply revisiting ‘Duhhh’sville.

I wasn’t aware they spoke more than,”fasten you seatbelt, put your tray up right; their smiles could be more warmer for sure.

Sounds to me like you hate your job!!! Service is service!

And you and the airlines quit treating customers like ****!

” The passengers all think they’re in first class even if they’re not”

Yep, because we are all just “coach scum” to you.

“Yes, passengers are incredibly rude…” 
WRONG! A FEW passengers are incredibly rude. Most are not.
The writer of this needs to understand that the customer today has to endure more stress, discomfort and demeaning treatment than ever before. Those who remember the pre-TSA days wonder what we all go through now. People are treated very poorly by the airlines. You cannot bring liquids into the airport, then you are given no food on the flight. 

Flying used to be pleasant. Now it is an irksome experience. It’s not bad if you go on a 3 hour flight, but cross country or international? Painful! 

At least American airports all have water fountains. In Europe you cannot even get water!

I flew for over 20 years….each and every secret….true, true, true!

bitter bitter.

Pul-lease!  This is the most inane set of “complaints” I have ever seen!  These problems are created by the company you chose to work for, companies that choose to deny their practical and legal status as regulated public entities.  Their execs choose to see themselves as “shipping companies” that see the passenger as packages of flesh that should be relegated to “containers” that should remain bound during flight.  They have reduced the spaces for those containers movement, chosen to reduce services, chosen to reduce service personnel, failed to maintain the bathrooms, and then threaten “unruly” packages with arrest and handcuffs (this actually occurred to me when I asked why the sink in the bathroom had no running water).  You chose to work for these scum so don’t complain when your are treated like the Nazi brown shirts you are.

um no I can’t wait sinceyou insist on serving drinks as soon as we reach ” safe” altitude.

Don’t snore while sleeping? Ah that’s kind of hard to do if one is  unconscious. 

Don’t snore while sleeping? Ah that’s kind of hard to do if one is  unconscious. 

I agree with these statements with the exception of going to the bathroom. I would like to know how you move the food cart down the aisle in 90 seconds. Yes, I do have to go to the bathroom when I need to go. And there is a good chance that turbulents or something else will come up and the seat belt light comes on and then you can’t go until landing. Painful!!

#22 Not true PBIA  the Wheel chair Skycaps are hired and Maintained by the Airlines!

What about the 30 ways the airlines have made it unbearable to fly!  As some posters will say then don’t fly… I say…. Suck it up flight  attendants. think i like your cart smashing my leg, everyone packing carry-on’s to avoid baggage fee’s…. don’t like it quit.

What a bunch of petty complaints. This article wasn’t at all helpful, except to help me understand that flight attendants all have chips on their shoulders. I’m tired of them treating me as luggage.

Written by true union hags!  

Fly foreign airlines.  You will understand immediately…

 She wrote, “You would never grab a waitress if you wanted ketchup or a fork, would you?”  Actually, I have a feeling that anyone who’d poke a flight attendant to get his/her attention would also be the type who’d poke a waitress.

all true, i fly alot and most times it a generally unpleasant experience. I wonder if my experience ( the customer ) would be improved if the the stewards were younger, more patient, more tolerant and courteous of there paying costumers.

Im not saying that they are ALL old, intolerant and burned out, but most are………..

And the point of this story….is totally absent.

I know a few flight attendants and fly a lot.  These people love to complain and can be pretty snotty sometimes.  They seem to forget we pay anywhere from 400 to 1200 for these flights because they can fly anywhere in the world on standby for free.  Not a bad perk for a glorified babysitter.

Seems like the author is like … 8 years old.

What a whiny post! We all have parts of our jobs that are annoying, just do it and quit complaining

Being a Former Flight Attendant, this is so true what happens…. Thank you for bringing this up.

Wow, they sound like people who love their jobs.  Maybe they want a little whine with that cheese?

Most of what you’ve said here is based on totally legitimate expectations, except for
10. Passengers are always coming up to me and tattling on each other.‘Can you tell him to put his seat up?’ ‘She won’t share the armrest.’ What am I, a preschool teacher?
In fact, yes,  this IS your responsibility.  You carry authority in the aircraft, and it is far better for you to convey a message of this sort (if it’s appropriate) than to risk passengers getting into altercations.  
I also think point 11 about the self-entitled mink coat wearers is kind of out line.  They’re your customers.  They may not be pleasant  but, hey, we all have pains in the neck to deal with at work. 
Now from a passenger’s perspective: on one of the most unpleasant flights I’ve ever had, I was  in a back row on a United flight, where I endured hours of an attendant’s very loud oration about how much he hates passengers.  Music and noise-suppressing earphones were ineffective iat blocking out this man’s endless diatribe.  I asked another attendant if she could ask him to speak more quietly, and perhaps cut the passenger-bashing.  She told me he was the purser, and outranked her.  On the way off the flight I said something to him, and wish I could remember the venom this guy spewed at me.  Of course I sent United a complaint, but never received an answer.  
I know your job is tough, but this creep was only the most egregious of many examples of being in earshot of flight attendants complaining about their jobs.  It’s REALLY, REALLY unprofessional.  That kind of talk belongs outside of the aircraft or the airport.  I work in a difficult service industry as well, with a very tempestuous client base. If I ever caught any of my employees belly-aching about work in front of a customer, there’d be a serious reprimand or termination.  

Everything in there is reasonable except pens. When I am on a 10 hour international flight where legal paperwork is required, would it hurt you guys to have a box of bic pens? And do you have to act like I took a dump on the food cart when I ask to borrow one? Newsflash, people do not use pens as much as they used to because of technology. This may be irritating to flight attendants but it’s a fact. Oh and you don’t nee to point out your median age is 44, we can often tell that from the barrel shaped post menopausal misery that sometimes creates half the poblems described above.

This is a boring article. Everything is so obvious. Couldn’t they have come up with more interesting things to write about? How about guys who munch on chewing tobacco and spit into a pouch?  How about people who ask U to switch seats with them before the plane has taken off so they can sit next to their friend – but then you find out the seats they gave you weren’t even theirs. Their real seats were much worse than the ones they gave you? How about people who move and squish your bags in the overhead bin so they can squeeze theirs in?  

Here’s ONE THING  PASSENGERS SHOULD TELL YOU =  You can call yourself whatever you want, BUT you’re a glorified waiter/waitress. You provide a service to the people who PAY YOUR SALARY, just like the waiter at TGI Fridays.  Where do you get off taking a high and mighty stand?  No one is making you do your job. If you don’t like being in a service industry, then quit.

As a side note, you’re right… “The only place you are allowed to pee on the airplane is in the lavatory….” that is unless I have to wait for you to get that dam beverage cart down the aisle, then I’m going to pee, and then it’s your problem.

I’VE BEEN ON AN AIRLINE WHERE THE STEWARDESS WAS VERY RUDE I JUST TOOK IT IN STRIDE & REPORTED HER TO THE AIRLINE WHEN I GO TO MY DESTINATION. THEY REPRIMANDED HER FOR THIS , AND THE NEXT TIME I FLEW ,SHE WAS ON THAT FLIGHT, SHE WAS VERY APOLOGETIC & I TOLD HER IF SHE HAD PERSONAL PROBLEMS TO KEEP THEM @ HOME  & NOT @ THE WORKPLACE. P.S. I’M DISABLED. THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH @ TIMES SO DO WHAT IDID & REPORT THEM NEXT TIME , DON’T ARGUE WITH THEM , IT JUST SHOWS YOUR DEGREE OF INTELLIGENCE.

I don’t understand how some of these pity me women are getting through the gate with carry -ons that must have a body in them they’re so heavy . Some smart-a author asked me to  help her lift her carry-on into the overhead on a flight out of St. Pete last month, and I know it weighed over 100 pounds. She bragged about her importance all the way to Missouri- She’s a legend in her own mind.

Except for JetBlue, which has their own wheelchairs and offers this free service on all flights.  Just call JetBlue prior to your flight and let them know you need a wheelchair.  They will have it waiting for you at the counter when you check in, and will push you to your plane.  They will also have one waiting at the gate when you arrive at your destination.

This isn’t about passengers having a more pleasant trip. It’s about the attendants having one. Not a problem, just mislabeled. And when does 13 = 23? I also saw little that wouldn’t be covered by be reasonable, polite, and just plain nice.

It is indeed about passengers who cannot follow instructions.  The size and weight of baggage is posted, and also can be found on web pages from the airlines.  If one cannot live by them, don’t fly.  None of us like many of the newer regulations about food (none supplied) , or baggage (pay out the nose), but its up to us if the airline continues their stupid rules.   Stop flying with them.   Many have gone to Northwest (or is it Southwest?) which doesn’t charge for baggage. I haven’t heard, but bet that is just one bag, and with a set size and weight – at that.  I personally have not flown since the idiots started charging for baggage.  I feel that when I fly, I have a right to have extra clothing , etc, with me, and if they don’t, they can fly a kite. 

These sound like tips to make the FA’s experience better. Didn’t read a danm thing to make my experience any better.

“the overhead bins are full of their mink coats” on flights to West Palm Beach.  When was this article written, in 1972?

B R A V O !!!
Ivan

Given the type of hinges, and the need for doors in small spaces to open out, telling someone to just “push” is got to be a real knee slapper… 

Actually, YES, you ARE a preschool teacher.  Passengers are expected to “tattle” instead of “taking the law in their own hands.”

YOU chose to do the job, so start DOING the job and stop WHINING about it.  If you don’t like the fact that 200 men and women can’t magically get along without some outside help, there are two doors in the front and two doors in the aft and two over the wings.  USE THEM.

How condescending, which is typical of most flight attendants today. If you don’t like your job, find another one.

B.S. on this question #12.   First, the carts are on wheels, and it’s not difficult to move, just awkward.  Secondly, the amount of time and snarkiness of being able to get to the bathroom based on alerts, warnings, takeoffs, turbulence, and other passengers makes it problematic.  It would be far better if they simply removed more seats to put in a few extra bathrooms, or additional carts to allow for easier access, rather than one long walk to the bathroom.  Blame the passengers though, easy to do…

yah, actually, I take issue with some of these. Yes, when a fellow passneger is being obnoxious you _are_ the pre-school teacher because if we try to sort it out ourselves you’ll cite us for being unruly and we get into hot water; no, it doesn’t take you 90-seconds to pass with that cart, it usually takes you ten minutes – and the pilot has kept the seatbelt sign on way after reaching cruising altitude so now we’re in dire need of the bathroom; we don’t reach out and ‘poke’ you for fun, we do it because you’re ignoring our pleading looks and/or don’t seem to be able to hear us calling out to you – what do you expect us to do, mind meld with you?! People ask to use the bathroom on the gound because for decades airlines said you weren’t allowed to, so give people a break, the airlines constantly make new ‘rules’ that seem to be pointless to us, but you yell at us when we don’t know them or disagree with them and so they get stuck in peoples’ heads  for years after.

#12 is a crock. I’ve actually timed cart maneuvers on many flights (when you’re bored, anything will pass as entertainment), and a front-to-back trip with the cart typically takes 20 minutes. Oftentimes a lot more. I don’t know where she got 90 seconds from, but it’s impossible to take everyone’s orders, fill their drinks and move on to the next row even on smaller planes in 90 seconds. Forget about it on longer cross-country trips.

When you have to go, you have to go.

I do not espouse senseless behavior on anyone’s part, but articles like these too frequently illustrate the key problem with airlines’ plummeting customer satisfaction: employees that really honestly do believe that we are there at their convenience, not the other way around. We are paying them for their service. If that service is based on a “me first, customer second” attitude, then what do they expect will be the outcome?

Golden Rule, people, duh. But a little common sense on BOTH sides, please.

I think it’s time to start looking for a new job. Yes, you have a crappy job. That’s why you should be looking for a new one instead of complaining about passengers. Yes, passengers behave badly, and that’s why you need to learn how to deal with it or get a new job.

When the job was “stewardess” the employees seemed much happier.

This isn’t in the genre

Both airport and flight staff have tough jobs that require a lot of legwork and thinking fast on their feet in the face of so many different regulations and personalities. Airline prices and services may be going down the tubes but these folks still care for us pretty well in the skys and on the tarmac.

A simple please and thank you can make all the difference. I have the occasional beef with TSA but if you are polite with these folks and just listen you have the opportunity to help everyones day go a little better.

I had to stop after #10. Sounds like an awful job and it is something I used to want to do. Back when it was glamorous and only wealthy people with class were able to travel. However, I wasn’t yet born then.

They got boyfriends in every city are you kidding me? I would never get involved with a flight attendant unless they were much older. Younger ones are not to be trusted.

I don’t think “retarded” is a politically correct term these days. 

This can’t happen enough….

“Well dressed” is relative.  I don’t notice much unless it’s some clown with sagging pants hanging down when they feel a need to call attention to themselves by showing their boxers and holding their nether region.

Why does this passenger hating screed stay so prominently featured? Yes, there are people who are jerks, but the vast majority who fly quietly accept the infinite indignities to which they are constantly subjected.

This just sounds like a bunch of whining and crying by stewardesses.

i like boys

I was a flight attendant back in ’67-69 at 21 yrs of age & made a few mistakes with the intercom up in 1st class when we had turbulence. I’m sure the people in the tourist cabin wondered what I meant when I said “fasten your seat belts , pick up your drinks & hold on to your nuts!! Tho it was clearly a faux pas for both cabins; the 1st class at least received a bags of almonds, but the folk in tourist never did & laughed loud & long!! I wanted to hideout in the coatrack!!  But, those were the great, wonderful yrs when flying was fun, easy, stress-free all while offering tasty food, drink & free carry-ons!  

Do not mess with the flight attendants especially with the older femnazis ones — let them mistreat you — stay calm and patient. Tell yourself - it’s temporary confinement. It will be over soon.

“And our median age these days is 44.”

Yeah, we’ve noticed.   :-(

Oversize carry-on. Your airline staff at the gate let it on the aircraft.

Personally, I recommend you DON’T let me sort out disputes with people in nearby seats. I have a VERY direct & abrupt personality and it can be a shock to people who are not used to it. I only hold people to the same standards I apply to myself. But apparently, those are higher standards than some people recognize.

This sounds like a lot of whining!  Yes, I am sure that it is difficult having to deal with the general public and many people today seem to have forgotten or never learned how to be polite, but geez, if you don’t like dealing with the public, don’t get a job like this.  Maybe the flight attendants should be forced to sit on these same planes and suffer through the forced smiles (if you are lucky) or wait “90 seconds” for the flight attendants to finish serving drinks.  90 seconds?  Really? 

On the other hand, I flew Virgin America last summer and was amazed by how the flight attendants were friendly and helpful.   Completely different experience, almost like the old days when the flight attendants greeted you by name.  Maybe the flight attendants of other airlines should fly Virgin and compare how they treat customers versus their own airlines. 

I agree that no one should poke or otherwise touch a flight attendant. The other 12 seem to be the crabby flight attendant attitude we have all come to expect. Now we have to read those crabby complaints, as well as experience it.

Wow what a poor flight attendant. If you have this much to complain about maybe you should change jobs. Be advised though, your poor attitude comes with you so most likely you will hate that job also.