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Baby Stroller Incident on AA591 SFO>DFW April 21st

Baby Stroller Incident on AA591 SFO>DFW April 21st

Old Apr 25, 2017, 9:13 pm
  #601  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
NO, telling the other FA that you want to make a complaint is likely to get you thrown off the flight. In fact, you can be kicked off by crew even if they think/believe/fear that you might file a complaint or if they remember you from some earlier flight where a complaint was made.

FAs tend to protect their own. They will not tell you their colleagues' (first) names when you ask, no matter how justified. GAs behave the same way even when they obviously think that their colleague is seriously wrong.
You may even get thrown out of the airport if you tell lost baggage you are going to file a complaint.

The ability to complain to customer service should be the encouraged route. You don't want arguing on the plane.

You have issues of free speech, retaliation for exercise of rights & whistle-blowing.
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Old Apr 25, 2017, 10:33 pm
  #602  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
NO, telling the other FA that you want to make a complaint is likely to get you thrown off the flight. In fact, you can be kicked off by crew even if they think/believe/fear that you might file a complaint or if they remember you from some earlier flight where a complaint was made.

FAs tend to protect their own. They will not tell you their colleagues' (first) names when you ask, no matter how justified. GAs behave the same way even when they obviously think that their colleague is seriously wrong.
This is where, as much as I'm not a big fan of it, Twitter it can be very useful both sending notes to AA about good and bad crews. In the past several months I've twice sent mid-flight DMs to AA on twitter to commend outstanding crews, one FA on JFK-LAX in F was particularly amazing and I had just got off an EY Apartments flight after spending a month in Asia so the bar was high! In the case of the good ones you typically have no issue getting their name as they tend to he announce it on the PA and actually wear a name tag. Once I used Twitter to complain about a crappy FA but in today's environment where bad FAs purposefully hide their badges its safe to assume that most crew members know when you ask for their name if you're doing so because you are planning on sending in a positive review or if you are doing so because you intend to complain (they cannot be so obtuse to not know when they are performing poorly). If its a bad FA asking before landing is probably not a good idea, but often one can give a reasonable description based on cabin, sex, race, hair color etc such that it would be possible to identify the FA without the confrontation - though if you do go for a name I'd do it on the way out the door and not a second sooner.
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Old Apr 25, 2017, 10:37 pm
  #603  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
OT, but I think you have the history wrong.
Slightly wrong, and it doesn't change the main point; but I edited my previous post just for you.
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Old Apr 26, 2017, 2:21 am
  #604  
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Originally Posted by Finkface
Oh for goodness sake, that is EXACTLY what he said. Did you even watch it? At 1:02 of the attached video, the female host asks him point blank "did she get hit by the stroller?" and Demetreo responds "She did not. She did not".
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...cident-n750081

I don't know how much more unequivocal he can possibly be. Her child did not get hit by the stroller. She did not get hit by the stroller. Period.
Did the mother get hit by something other than the stroller, including the FA's hand/fist?
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Old Apr 26, 2017, 2:22 am
  #605  
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Originally Posted by Segments
Perhaps PTSD resulting from AA failure to properly screen FA for anger management issues? I wouldn't fly with this FA, and I wasn't on the flight in question. (Yes, there are a few FAs on my personal "do not fly" list. I will off-load when they are crewed because I believe flying with them is unsafe)

The mother here may not be looking for a payout as much as altruistic resolution. Her objective could be to demonstrate that federal regulation is needed as her incident following the UA event shows a lack of customer service in the US airline industry to a level where the airlines are creating unsafe environments.
If you offload yourself because of a FA you believe to be unsafe, does AA rebook you without additional charges?
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Old Apr 26, 2017, 2:47 am
  #606  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
If you offload yourself because of a FA you believe to be unsafe, does AA rebook you without additional charges?
That seems like a loophole for abuse potentially.
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Old Apr 26, 2017, 9:28 am
  #607  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
If you offload yourself because of a FA you believe to be unsafe, does AA rebook you without additional charges?
I've only done it once, and yes, I was re-accommodated on the next flight. Not sure if there were no fees due to status or situation. Suspect it was handled under guidelines for a pax who misses flight due to illness. (i.e. placed on standby)

Technically I never boarded as I saw the FA in question in the gate area. Calmly and quietly explained situation to GA. Think she quickly realized this was a no win situation. If she presented the ultimatum of "board or lose ticket value", then I could easily force the Captain to request my offload and make the situation more visible to the other passengers.

Yes, I guess it could be abused, but it can be managed by only permitting at the gate (because how would you know the crew in advance anyway) and then handling as stand by with appropriate fee. I'm sure it can be tracked. Do it rarely - not a problem. Do it frequently and be told to take your business elsewhere. For me, I avoid booking one particular regional carrier whose staffing decisions I distrust.
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Old Apr 26, 2017, 4:42 pm
  #608  
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We know that many are passionate about this topic, but let's try to stay on-topic and leave 1st Amendment discussion for OMNI, please. Thanks. /Moderator
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Old Apr 26, 2017, 4:47 pm
  #609  
 
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Originally Posted by BF263533
You may even get thrown out of the airport if you tell lost baggage you are going to file a complaint.

The ability to complain to customer service should be the encouraged route. You don't want arguing on the plane.

You have issues of free speech, retaliation for exercise of rights & whistle-blowing.

I've never seen this get so bad with AA in all my life though. I had one really rude FA on a flight and made sure I got his name. Three times when flying with Air Canada I have resorted to taking their picture. One was a gate agent who really took offence and there was a big escalation. The police even showed up but I kept my photo and emailed it to AC. Not that AC did anything, they get tons of complaints due to rude employees.
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Old Apr 27, 2017, 3:55 am
  #610  
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Originally Posted by The smallest state
I've never seen this get so bad with AA in all my life though. I had one really rude FA on a flight and made sure I got his name. Three times when flying with Air Canada I have resorted to taking their picture. One was a gate agent who really took offence and there was a big escalation. The police even showed up but I kept my photo and emailed it to AC. Not that AC did anything, they get tons of complaints due to rude employees.

You have to wonder if they ever bother doing employee reviews at the end of each contract of employees and review complaints filed before renewing an employee's contract.

This is quite scary. They keep the bad on's and mix them with the good one's and what do you get.

A punjab tandoori chicken that is cooked with dhall, roti and aloo gobi.
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Old Apr 27, 2017, 10:18 am
  #611  
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Originally Posted by wolf72
You have to wonder if they ever bother doing employee reviews at the end of each contract of employees and review complaints filed before renewing an employee's contract.
AA doesn't have individual contracts with each employee. They have a contract with a union representing flight attendants, around 27,000 of them. If AA needs to discipline an employee, they would do it at the time of the offense, not at contract renewal. Imagine it would take a massive amount of employees to pull 27,000 files and review them at contract renewal time if they went that route.
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Old Apr 28, 2017, 5:35 pm
  #612  
 
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The woman should have been kicked off the plane because you do not bring an oversized twin stroller on a plane. The man should have been kicked off the plane, tased, charged with assaulting a member of the airplane crew and also banned from the airline for life. The flight attendant clearly over reacted and needs to attend a counselling session.

DON
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Old Apr 28, 2017, 6:06 pm
  #613  
 
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Cal me old Fashioned but...

You guys can all call me old fashioned but I, for one, would like the U.S. government take over regulation of the airlines again. Deregulation has caused immeasurable harm to the traveling public. The airline have merged to the point where there are no real choices any more and they restrict the seats and fill up the planes. Then, they act like storm troopers on the planes. They are getting away with murder. It has to stop. We need to get back to the basics which is for reasonable FAA regulation of routes, capacity, and other common sense rules.
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Old Apr 28, 2017, 8:38 pm
  #614  
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Originally Posted by tom911
AA doesn't have individual contracts with each employee. They have a contract with a union representing flight attendants, around 27,000 of them. If AA needs to discipline an employee, they would do it at the time of the offense, not at contract renewal. Imagine it would take a massive amount of employees to pull 27,000 files and review them at contract renewal time if they went that route.

That makes sense. Yes, completely forgot about the union but, this is where problems start. The airline has a contract with the union, not the individual in question. And this is probably part of the problem why problem cases don't get sacked or contracts are not renewed. They stay in the system and the problems never go away.

No matter how much re-training one does. If someone has an attitude problem or a fixed mind set, it's almost impossible to change.
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Old Apr 28, 2017, 8:44 pm
  #615  
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Originally Posted by donaldsc
The woman should have been kicked off the plane because you do not bring an oversized twin stroller on a plane. The man should have been kicked off the plane, tased, charged with assaulting a member of the airplane crew and also banned from the airline for life. The flight attendant clearly over reacted and needs to attend a counselling session.

DON
Isn't it the airline's responsibility to collect the stroller from her before she enter's the cabin? Why are you faulting her when it's not her job to do this.

And if you need to collect the stroller at the gate entrance, could no one have assisted her to get to her seat with the babies?

Come on..try to be a little bit human.
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