Newsstand - (NYTimes Blog) Rude flight attendants on AA... Unbelievable if true!

"A flight attendant stood in front of that section of the aircraft and announced that, “no one in this section will be served meals unless the passenger who left the overhead bin door open admits it.” "

This is a comment on an AA flight attendant from a NYTimes reader responding to Pico Iyer's blog about surly service on US airlines (see http://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/the-friendliest-country-and-the-unfriendliest-skies/#comments ). While I have my own thoughts on Pico's article itself and do not necesarily agree with all his points (especially when he claims service in the US in general is better than in other parts of the world), this reader's comments on the surly service he received on AA (other examples also provided in reader comment #59 to the article) represents a new low in my eyes... Truly unbelievable if true.

Sankaps.

This can't be true.. AA does not serve meals on their flights anymore...

Edited to add: Now if only we could lump all the rest of the uncorroborated and erroneous stuff into another thread. :)

We have. It's called the FlyerTalk AA Forum, Occasionally someone will subvert the project by posting something accurate and factual. Fortunately, such transgressions are few and far between :)

Cheers.

You know what also would be unbelievable if it were true? If an AA FA walked up and down the aisles yelling obscenities at all of the passengers. And instead of the normal beverage service, they just announced over the PA, "You'll get nothing and like it." Then they maced everyone.

I don't know if anything like this has ever happened, but it would be unbelievable if it did.

This can't be true.. AA does not serve meals on their flights anymore...

Just to give them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it was a intl flight in which they do serve food.

Just playing the Devil's advocate :D

I, for one, believe it's true especially if it was a NY based FA whom I encountered recently on a LHR-JFK flight in J.

As usually happens, a sweater fell off someone's seat without realizing it and was laying in the aisle when the FA - the Purser I might add - came walking down the aisle. The FA stopped short with the sweater right in front of the FA's feet and announced to all those around her loud enough for the whole J cabin to hear (I was 3 rows back): "Who's is this on the floor?". Her body language reminded me of my grammer school principal - a nun (if you've ever been to a Catholic grammer school I need not say more). The FA just stood there, hands on hips (the FA wasn't holding anything) and just looked around with a smug look on the FA's face waiting for someone to answer. The four people nearest to it look at her, then the floor, and one of them realized it was hers. The FA didn't say a word, just stood there with the sweater at the FA's feet glaring down at the pax with disdain as the pax picked it up so the FA could pass. My colleague who I was flying with, who is not a FFer, just shook his head in disbelief.

And, FWIW, at the end of the flight when we hit the gate, two cops came on board and the same FA escorted them into coach where they pulled someone off the plane before everyone else de-planed.

I guess the unbelievable but true stories only happen to the few usual suspects........

It's unbelivable that the ones that actually fly AA regularly never experience this so called rudness.....(occasional indifference, laziness, yes! rude? I don't think I ever had the pleasure)

What are the odds?

:rolleyes:

at the end of the flight when we hit the gate, two cops came on board and the same FA escorted them into coach where they pulled someone off the plane before everyone else de-planed.

Well at least they didn't let felons in F. (hey wait a minute I'm usually in the back/general population.... ;-) )

I, .

And, FWIW, at the end of the flight when we hit the gate, two cops came on board and the same FA escorted them into coach where they pulled someone off the plane before everyone else de-planed.

So am I right in my understanding that this was somehow related to the first
part of your anecdote? Or was that added just for the sake of embellishment? :(

mike

So am I right in my understanding that this was somehow related to the first
part of your anecdote? Or was that added just for the sake of embellishment? :(

mike

Let's just call it "where there's smoke there's usually fire".

The third part of this particular FA's "show" for us was as we were just starting to prepare to land (20+ minutes out) and the person in one of J bulkhead seats was trying to stow her bag in the overhead. As she was attempting to do this, the same FA walking down the other aisle stops in the aisle and yells across to the pax (while the pax was trying to stow the bag): "That bag has to be stowed for landing!". The pax with an even voice says: "Yes, that's what I'm doing." The FA then shoots back: "Well, it better be stowed and you better do it now".

I guess that would be the embellishment. ;)

I stopped flying AA altogether after too much of this type of attitude.

You know what also would be unbelievable if it were true? If an AA FA walked up and down the aisles yelling obscenities at all of the passengers.
Or even swear at the passengers.

I note that the article has generated a huge number of comments, almost all of which agree with the assessment of the U.S. airlines flying experience.

Or even swear at the passengers.

Or took a dump on the beverage cart.

Oh wait a minute, its AA pax who do that.