17 Things Your Flight Attendant Won't Tell You

[CurlyJo224]

Originally Posted by fly girl

Yes, we are people. People who do get treated very poorly at times. I will NOT be sworn at or threatened. Yes, it happens. Realize we are seeing on average 800 people a day -- you get the good and bad. We do have bad days and can reach our limits. It doesn't mean we hate our job.

I am sure everyone who has worked has had a bad day. Sometimes we wear our emotions on our sleeves. We aren't perfect.






OK, I read the article again and yes some of those are beyond what a normal flight attendant thinks. But seriously, some of those are pretty basic.

6. Taking your laptop or magazine in the lav. Yeah, it's gross. Just do your business and exit. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE wear your shoes!! That isn't just water on the floor. Seriously, guys can't hit the toilet in their own home what makes you think they can in a turbulent airplane? Just sayin'...

9. Jiggling the glass with ice. Like I said before, it is demeaning.

11. Screaming "huh" with headphones on does get old. You usually see us coming down the aisle with the cart. Pause whatever you are doing for a minute, take of the headphones, and converse with us without the screaming. I'm not going to just throw a Coke in your face, that's just as rude, but it is common courtesy to take the headphones off.

14. Making general assumptions about groups of people is stereotyping. That is a stereotype that is definitely not true. I know several male flight attendants that aren't gay. I still don't get how this is construed as being a cranky f/a?

16. Poking is just wrong! Period.


I really don't think those are bad. It is just common courtesy. I will tell you what goes very well with us -- Please and Thank You. Sadly, they aren't used much anymore.

Whoa, I'm on your side, here. I was defending the article. Believe me, there are stories I could tell from retail, and these people go away after a few minutes. I'd go nuts dealing with some of these people in an enclosed space for hours.

[fly girl]

Originally Posted by CurlyJo224

Whoa, I'm on your side, here. I was defending the article. Believe me, there are stories I could tell from retail, and these people go away after a few minutes. I'd go nuts dealing with some of these people in an enclosed space for hours.

Please don't get my post wrong, I knew you understood where we were coming from. :hugs: I knew you got it!

I was just backing up your post on that people who work with the public have to deal with many personalities -- some good, some not so good. And being human beings, we can't be 100% perfect all the time.



The second portion of my post was to defend some of those items in the article. I really didn't see those as "cranky flight attendants" rather as showing common courtesy to the crew and fellow passengers. Granted, it is reciprocal. We are all in the flying tube together!

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Originally Posted by nealymouse

Hello it's been such a long time since I have been here.

I am a flight attendant now with a major airline. We do not get paid until we close the door and the brake is released. We are required to show up one hr before our flight unpaid from our base and 45 mins before our flights away from base all unpaid. But we are guaranteed a min pay and most times we arrive earlier then stated on our trips.

I love my job, really best job ever but I still get frustrated with passengers. When I asked someone to move their belongings all the way under the seat in front of them it's not because I want them to have more leg room it's because the FAA required the aisle in front of you clear for takeoff and landing for your safety its my job to enforce it. If not I AM FINED yes me personally not my airline

If I ask you to shut off your phone again it's a FAA regulation I have to enforce.

It's so frustrating having passengers get mad at me, swear at me, turn their heads like they don't hear me, ignore me for doing my job to keep them safe

Flight attendants don't go to school to learn how to serve you a coke we go to learn how to save your life in any situation that could happen to you on our aircraft. We also can evacuated an entire plane in 90 seconds we have to again FAA regulations. If you can't pass the tests you don't become a FA

I adore my passengers I have met amazing people, famous people, kids I want to stow away in my roller board because they were so darn cute I have cried with passengers going home to a sick family member, laughed till I had tears in my eyes with passengers.

Air travel is hard today we know we do it everyday. The stress is hard and once on board how I wish you would not take it out on me.

We do get upset with parents. I can't begin to tell you how many arrive with nothing for their children to do and expect us to entertain them. No diapers, no food, no toys. I could go on and on. I once had a man get so mad at me because I would not get his baby milk as soon as he boarded and then yelled at me for 2 mins telling me I didn't care that his baby was hungry. I have seen a parent let their kids destroy a seat and TV with markers. Yes go ahead and draw all over a brand new leather seat and TV. This cost my company 10k to replace because we could not get the ink out. I only wish I had seen it being done. Yes they were reported.

Asking for a drink to take a pill is no problem. Asking for a drink while we are boarding and I ask you to wait please don't yell at me or get all pissed because i didnt run and get you water. You may think I am just standing there saying hello to you but I am doing checks and can't by FAA rules leave my door. Again I will be fined and its not a little amount. I can be fined up to $1500 per leg ( I could have 4 legs a day) for not doing what the FAA requires me to do at the very moment I am doing it. So please when I ask you to wait please wait.

Also I can't put your bags in the overhead bin unless your disabled. If you can't lift it then why do you think I can hahahaha we have a saying " you packed it you stack it" if it's to heavy then check it.

Again I want to say being a FA is an amazing job. For everyone who is mean and rotten there are 25 more who are kind and sweet and they make up for the rotten self absorbed jerks who for what ever reason think I am their personal servant the min they board LOL

He should worry about feeding his daughter so you can worry about the rest of the passengers