Why are passengers so rude to flight attendants?

[brianw999]

We are called safety professionals for a reason. Not only are we highly trained in aircraft emergency procedures, but we are also doctors, firemen and policemen.

Seems I outrank you in two out of those three then. One as a professional degree qualified paramedic and the other as an ex professional (but with current powers of arrest) police officer.

Talking of rudeness, the last episode I witnessed was where a desk agent and subsequently a cabin crew member had new assholes torn for them by a pair of ............ Wait for it ............ Ex cabin crew !!

[Jingogunner]

Taking It A Bit Too Far

I'll agree that some CC take it a bit too far, and forget that their role is a dual one... but by large, most cabin crew in this industry are very good at their jobs, and keep their passengers as happy as they can be.

If a passenger thinks he has had bad service because the cabin crew member insisted that he turn off his iPod (as per the regulations), then so be it. You'd be surprised how many times a passenger is rude because they don't like something that is just part of the flying experience. Most of it is stress related. You turn up to the airport early, you go through the stressful experience of check in, you get abruptly treated at security, you sit around for another few hours, and then you get on the aircraft grumpy and stressed. Add in an inbuilt nervousness about flying (which a LOT of passengers have), and the stress leads to a point where people often get very grumpy.

Some cabin crew don't help the situation though...

Hello Mr MCM,

You have listed accurately a number of important factors in the build-up to an Angry Incident. I have little experience of airline passengers but a vast experience of dealing with angry humans. The point at which a small but easily repressed irritation becomes a major incident is where the build up along the lines you have suggested intersects the individual's experience of early relationships. Where a flight attendant has an early history of balanced relationships, where their emotional and other needs were met well enough, they will be capable of maintaining their self control and balanced outlook in the present despite angry provocation. Where the link to their past is evoked more easily because of unstable and painful early experiences, their anger will overflow - and the same goes for both parties in any incident. I would not be surprised by how many times a passenger has been rude to cabin crew when compliance with quite reasonable rules is requested. Nor would I be surprised at how many times an individual whose job it is to manage the public in a service industry takes on the role of the Punishing Parent and allows their own anger to get the better of them.

Understanding of the psychological factors affecting the relationship between passengers and crew on an airliner is essential to maintain a relevant training programme. Relevant and effective training will reduce air rage incidents, or reduce their severity. Air rage and misbehavior on a passenger aircraft is a safety issue. I have some idea that airlines do not pay much attention to psychology - that is, the knowledge about what is actually going on between people on an aircraft. If they do have that understanding then it does not seem to affect the way they train their people; there are increasingly frequent media reports of Angry Incidents in the air.

[Jingogunner]

Are You Feeling Stressed, Mr DeltaCabinCrew?

I hope you will be able to open the doors & evacuate 200+ people when the time comes you are involved in an emergency. Too bad you only have a group of waiters & no certified safety professionals around.

I'll be flying to India later this year. If I do meet a Flight Attendant who is evidently cold, sullen and resentful, what is the best way to handle them? Smile a lot? Be very polite and friendly? Ask them a few easy questions to break the ice, show them some funny pictures of Flight Attendants gagging and handcuffing irritating passengers who actually ask for food, drinks etc? Why do you keep talking about an emergency? Are you stressed out by any chance, Mr DeltaCabinCrew?

[DeltaCabinCrew]

I'll be flying to India later this year. If I do meet a Flight Attendant who is evidently cold, sullen and resentful, what is the best way to handle them? Smile a lot? Be very polite and friendly? Ask them a few easy questions to break the ice, show them some funny pictures of Flight Attendants gagging and handcuffing irritating passengers who actually ask for food, drinks etc? Why do you keep talking about an emergency? Are you stressed out by any chance, Mr DeltaCabinCrew?

if you want to stay in our good books leave us alone unless you are dying....MAYBE then I will consider doing a beverage service

[Peter_K]

If I do meet a Flight Attendant who is evidently cold, sullen and resentful, what is the best way to handle them?

Offer him/her a cup of tea or a coffee.

[ZK-TUI]

This is all fun (but too much to read before going to bed after doing half a DE maths assignment)


Well... Flying is a service industry. It's purpose is to serve people by moving them from location to location.

True, a FA must be trained in evacuation. Their primary legal purpose is for that of passenger safety. Filling in the fact they are in a service industry, they must fill this criteria as well.
So you're saying flight attendents don't need to help customers? Ok, well you can wear a reflective vest and a jumpsuit for your uniform, and no high heels. Steel capped work boots only. Fair enough?

A fire warden in a building has a large priority in the case of an emergency of ensuring everyone's safety in their area. So therefore if they are employed at an office and are allocated fire warden, does that mean no spreadsheets or word doc's for them from now on?

Now, a pilot. Well, a good 75% of training involves dealing with emergencies.

"Oh crap we lost an engine, oh well..." (WRONG)
"Engine out, nose down, airspeed to height..." (RIGHT)

Does this mean all a pilot is concerned about is getting things right in an emergency? No they have schedules to stick to, they have to think about passenger comfort as they fly (737's can but don't turn onto finals at rate 2 turns, passengers would get sick). Above all, they have to actually fly the plane! (I mean you can sit there mentalising what you'd do in an emergency, but unless you do anything, you're gonna look like a twat sitting on the tarmac, eyes closed in a thinking pose)...

Hmmm I'm deviating here I think....

Wait I've got it!!!
PASSENGERS PAY YOUR WAGES. YOU'RE IN A SERVICE INDUSTRY.
You don't have a butcher with an open fridge saying serve yourself with the server's presence there just in case you stub a finger...


THIS IS FUN!!!!!! OMG TROLLS MADE THE INTERNET FUN AGAIN!!!!!
(hmmm may have gone overboard... sleep time I thinks)

[ZK-TUI]

Oh also I doubt many flight attendants are doctors.
Trained in first aid or paramedics yes, doctors no.

Becoming a doctor (either literal as in PhD or as in medical) is approximately 8-10 years of tertiary level study... You don't just study for 10 years then say, "changed my mind!" (Some do but very few - that's tossing away a high tertiary level qualification worth $100k)

[Evan]

Cheap as chips.

A Flight Attendant expression I assume.

They used to be free you know.

BTW, Would you bring me some of those... when you get a chance...?

[T.O.G.A.]

Baloney

I'm an aircraft mechanic. All flight attendants' safety are dependant on my skills and keen judgement. Why do I care if the coffee maker doesn't work? Why does the flight attendant even bother to write it up?

Hey Brian, as a recent guest on the Woo Woo wagon for a perceived heart attack (false alrm) I can assure you the second way to treat a guest on his way to the ER is the preferred method.

The original poster may feel the way she does but if she ever acted that way she would be written up. Even non rev pax in fc would not put up with that behavior.

[brianw999]

Oh also I doubt many flight attendants are doctors.
Trained in first aid or paramedics yes, doctors no.

Yup, they are trained in first aid...I know that, because I've trained some BA and Virgin cabin crew. Some are ex nurses....but even a nurse has to ask a doctor before they can do anything to a patient. I don't however have to ask as it was doctors who trained me in the first place.

But why am I being so serious here ? DeltaCabinCrew is obviously just trolling around for an argument. Hmmm ?....DeltaCabinCrew .... male or female ?
Doesn't really matter cos' either way there's a serious chance of them being a poof or a dyke, and we all know what happens when they throw their dolls out of the pram and have a tantrum ?

Let battle recommence

[Gabriel]

DeltaCabinCrew .... male or female ?

Male or female is not specific enough any longer, but this narrows the options:

I was sitting in my jump seat reading the new issue of Cosmo

[TeeVee]

We are called safety professionals for a reason. Not only are we highly trained in aircraft emergency procedures, but we are also doctors, firemen, & policemen.

i think Brian nailed it: you're a troll. or perhaps just an aging, disgruntled legacy carrier FA with an axe to grind because you chose such a stressful and pretty much thankless profession and you regret it every day of your probably miserable life. you probably shat yourself while your airline was in bankruptcy wondering if you were going to become an ex-aging, disgruntled legacy carrier FA.

but, i'm not surprised to hear you talk the way you do. the few times i've been on delta (if that's even who you work for), i met nothing but aging disgruntled FA's. and despite the smack that i spew here at times, i'm always nice to FA's because i realize how hard their jobs are. you of course are so obtuse you completely missed that in my initial responses.

[TeeVee]

Male or female is not specific enough any longer, but this narrows the options:

to what, female or gay male????

[TeeVee]

Yup, they are trained in first aid...I know that, because I've trained some BA and Virgin cabin crew. Some are ex nurses....but even a nurse has to ask a doctor before they can do anything to a patient. I don't however have to ask as it was doctors who trained me in the first place.

But why am I being so serious here ? DeltaCabinCrew is obviously just trolling around for an argument. Hmmm ?....DeltaCabinCrew .... male or female ?
Doesn't really matter cos' either way there's a serious chance of them being a poof or a dyke, and we all know what happens when they throw their dolls out of the pram and have a tantrum ?

Let battle recommence

i was talking to one of my FA friends about this a few years ago, when there was an article somewhere about some out of control passenger being injected with some unnamed drug that was in the medical kit onboard the aircraft. she told me that the crew has no idea what is in the kit and they are instructed that it is to be used only when a qualified medical personnel are available. i suspect this means an MD, but i have no clue.

honestly, i would be surprised if they are even cpr certified.

back in 2005, i represented a client who bit into a piece of salmon in his business class meal and found a nice chunk of glass which lacerated his tongue and gum. according to his testimony AND that of the flight and cabin crews, NO FIRST AID WAS RENDERED. he was only offered more napkins to soak up the blood. the incident reports filed by the flight crew and cabin crew reflected this. in the airline's defense, a medical crew (unnecessary) was waiting at the gate on arrival.

now granted, this was not a huge injury, but napkins? how about something a bit more sterile like gauze pads?

[brianw999]

Tee Vee said...

when there was an article somewhere about some out of control passenger being injected with some unnamed drug that was in the medical kit onboard the aircraft. she told me that the crew has no idea what is in the kit and they are instructed that it is to be used only when a qualified medical personnel are available. I suspect this means an MD, but i have no clue.

It very much depends on the airline when it comes to medical kit carried. Some carry oxygen, a full resuscitation drugs kit, intramuscular and intravenous anti-histamines for the allergic reaction casualties and broncho dilators for the asthmatics together with an automated defibrillator ....others carry as little as a basic first aid kit.
When it comes to drug administration, as I understand it FA's are not permitted to administer drugs. This must be done by a suitably qualified and currently registered medical practitioner such as an MD, registered nurse who has drug autonomy or a currently registered paramedic.
I have responded in the past to tannoy requests for medical help and administered drugs that fall within my license.

When it comes to using drugs to detain/subdue a passenger then whoever does it needs to be VERY sure of the legality of it. The possibility of a malpractice suit and assault claim is very open in such a case.

Some extracts from various papers on inflight medicine. A bit long but quite interesting....

Dowdall’s study showed that, on one airline, almost three-quarters of emergencies were handled by cabin crew alone. Most airlines now ensure that their cabin crew at induction are fully trained in firstaid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in the use of the AED, when carried. This training is updated annually, usually including CPR drills.

A number of worldwide providers offer on-line medical advice to airlines. Other airlines appoint their own medical staff to perform this task. One of the longest established providers in this field is MedAire, with a system known as MedLink (Tempe, AZ, USA). The MedLink call centre is based within the emergency department of the Level 1 Trauma Center at Banner Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. This provides access to advice for contracting airlines’ flight crew from nurses and an American Board of Emergency Medicine-certified emergency physician around the clock, through satellite phone link or aircraft VHF radio.
MedLink began operating in 1986 and now serves 88 commercial airlines worldwide (Heidi Giles, MedAire, pers. comm.). The organization also provides emergency-response training courses for cabin crew, and emergency medical equipment to some carriers.
MedLink handled more than 23 000 in-flight medical incidents in 2005 (more than 60 per day), with the most common diagnostic categories being neurological (35%), cardiac (27%), respiratory (11%) and gastrointestinal
(8%).

The equipment carried by different airlines varies and partly depends on which countries the airline flies into. Both the FAA and the JAA mandate minimum levels of provision in aircraft medical kits.27–30 All aircraft carry first-aid kits and survival equipment that are required by law to cover eventualities such as ditching of the aircraft in water, or an emergency landing. These
kits are considered ‘no-go’ items, and if they are opened, the aircraft cannot take off if stocks are reduced below a minimum provision. Medical kits intended for use by volunteers are separate and are usually more comprehensive. In a few countries such as the USA, these kits are also considered ‘no-go’ items and so may be duplicated on each aircraft. In others, they are not considered mandatory for aircraft departure, as long as the used contents are replaced within a reasonable time, with only one kit carried on each aircraft. The skills that these kits are designed to service are
not tailored to the emergency physician or anaesthetist wanting advanced airway management tools and a wide range of drugs. They must also be appropriate for a general practitioner or a psychiatrist. Some equipment
would be hazardous in the wrong hands, and following the doctrine of ‘Primum-non-nocere’, many airlines limit the sophistication of the equipment carried to that which will be useful to a doctor with only rudimentary
emergency training. There have been several studies in the USA that evaluated the use and suitability of the mandatory kits introduced on US airlines in 1996. These data assisted the FAA in ruling that all carriers operating through the USA must carry such kits, operative from
April 2001 onwards.

Table 1. Kit Specification – US Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) Final Rule FAA-2000-7119 from April 2001 – Emergency
Medical Kits
All aircraft operating with one or more flight attendants
must carry: A defibrillator
An i.v. kit with connectors and i.v. normal saline
Bag–valve–mask resuscitator and masks
Emergency drugs: antihistamine (oral), aspirin, atropine,
bronchodilator inhaler, lidocaine (lignocaine), non-narcotic
analgesic.
Basic instructions for equipment and drugs

Table 2. Kit Specification – European Joint Aviation Authorities
(JAA) Regulation: JAR-OPS 1.755 – Emergency Medical Kit
All aircraft with more than 30 seats must carry an emergency
medical kit, if any point on the planned route is more than
60 min flying time from an aerodrome where qualified medical
assistance could be expected to be available.
The commander shall ensure that drugs are not administered
other than by qualified doctors, nurses or similarly qualified
personnel.
Contents:
Sphygmomanometer
Syringes and needles
Oropharyngeal airways (two sizes)
Tourniquet
Disposable gloves
Needle disposal box
Urinary catheter
A list of contents in at least two languages (English and
one other)
Drugs: Adrenocortical steroid, antiemetic, antihistamine, antispasmodic,
atropine, bronchial dilator (inhalation and injectable
forms), coronary vasodilator, digoxin, diuretic, adrenaline
(epinephrine) 1:1000, major analgesic, medication for hypoglycaemia,
sedative/anticonvulsant, uterine contractant.

copyright: http://transportmedicine.org/sitebui...ephysician.pdf