CurbedEnthusiasm

Hello all. Longtime lurker, infrequent poster here. I fly US twice a week, but flew UA last week for the first time since '99. Last night I got stuck in an ORD disaster. Was headed to DCA for a 6:00pm departure, got pushed back to 6:30, then we boarded and couldn't take off in time for the DCA 10pm curfew, then the FA crew was past their limit for the day, then the replacement FA crew went over their time limit, and we finally left for IAD and arrived around 1am (we were supposed to land in DCA at 9pm). What a night. At least they had a courtesy shuttle to DCA.

Anyways, the reason for my post is because of flight attendant who mouthed off to a pax next to me. This happened with our first FA crew when we thought we might be departing (a false alarm).

FA: "Please turn off your phone." (Pax is sending a text to tell her pick-up ride that her flight is delayed).
FA: "Like now" (about 2 seconds have passed since she asked pax to comply - and said with major attitude)
Pax turns to the FA and slides her finger on her Iphone to show that its turned off, gives a little smirk.
FA: "We're all adults here. You don't have to act like a child." FA walks away.

At this point, pax is p-o'd at the rudeness, especially since she hasn't said anything to the FA to warrant this. Tells me her brother is 1K and she wants to file a complaint. So FA comes back to give water to the waiting pax.

Pax: "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
FA: "I don't give out my name." And she walks away.

This just made pax even more irritated. I later asked another FA for her name and found out that it was "Heather."

Question at the end of all this - is it UA policy or FA discretion to not give out their names when asked by a pax? I realize that being a FA is difficult these days - bad management, bad pay, and many bad pax to deal with. But IMHO this FA was way out of line and gave bad attitude that was not warranted to this pax, so if this pax feels the need to lodge a formal complaint, she should be within her right to do so and to find out the FA's name. Are FA's allowed to withhold their names if they want?

On a totally separate note, I went up to another FA from the same crew as our girl Heather, and asked her when the captain's next update would be because I forgot what time he said it would be at. She said, "Oh I'm not really paying any attention because I'm going home soon." I know that most UA flight crews are very good, but to me, these interactions are so letter-perfect of what people complain about with UA these days: indifferent flight crews, out of date cabins, excessive delays (UA had something like 3x as many delays out of ORD yesterday as AA). I guess there's good reason why I fly UA about once a decade. Say what you will about Useless Air, but they really seem a cut above UA these days. How times have changed.

aacharya

I see no issues, except with the pax who "had" to get that last text in, and shut the phone off like a teenager would.

6rugrats

Well, in my book, "giving a little smirk" is childish behavior.

Well, again, giving a smirk is being rude, and I don't know what her brother's status has to do with anything. This does not mean the FA should not have remained professional and ignored the rudeness, but sounds as if it was a difficult day for all.


No idea what the official policy is, but I note many FAs now do not wear name badges, but I've always been told their name when I asked.

jamos

In complete disagreement...

irfan23

I disagree with aacharya.

OP: I have no idea what UA SOP is regarding their FAs giving their name out, but I would complain regardless. Just report the facts and avoid any color commentary.

CurbedEnthusiasm

Not saying I disagree with you, but a mouthy comment from the FA was not warranted at this pax. That's not professionalism in my book.

reddirt14

First off, being 1K means nothing to UA. So the mere fact her brother was a 1K means any less. She seemed to be really yanking the FA's chain on that one. And asking for her name seems like a further yank to me. I never can understand what the issue is with shutting off phones and computers. Everyone has to be plugged in until the last second. You are sitting on a plane, you know you are departing. Okay so the plane is delayed...how about this approach - I'll text you if we are delayed otherwise expect me there. Or take a cab when you get there and let the poor sap on the other end go to bed.

I'd say just get over it. There are bigger problems to deal with and this seems more a passenger problem than the FAs.

Tizzette

Even if the passenger did smirk, FAs are supposed maintain professional courtesy in the face of rudeness because it is a customer service job.

CurbedEnthusiasm

Yanking the FA's chain? Wow, UA pax must be very well behaved. I've seen and heard obnoxious pax give far more than a smirk to a FA, yet the FA has still managed to maintain professional behavior. I'm sure most FAs have dealt with far worse than a smirk. Not unreasonable to want to send a last minute text to your ride that the captain has just announced a new hour-plus delay.

axl

You would really complain about something that you were not involved in? Seriously -- where does that path take us?

CurbedEnthusiasm

I never said I was complaining about anything. This did not happen to me. Point of my post was wondering if FA's are allowed to not give their name if asked by a pax. I thought this pax was within her rights to find out her name if she want to file a complaint, and FA would not divulge her name. Was wondering if that's a policy or just a FA's personal practice. I've never really needed to know a FA's name before so I was not sure what the policy was.

USFdonWill

OP: Can you clarify when initial interaction happened? Was the main cabin door closed?

Baze

And had they already been asked to turn off the phone?

GBadger

That post was not aimed at you, but at irfan23 who suggested that you should complain.

In my opinion you have two people acting childishly. A passenger who is on their phone when they shouldn't be and subsequently puts salt in the wound by making a spectacle out of turning off their phone... And a FA who decides that they need to elevate things further with a comment rather than just walking away and shaking their head 2 rows further.

I'm not sure that FAs are required to give out their name if asked. In this situation it seems as though it was not necessary to ask for it.

CurbedEnthusiasm

Door had just been shut. And before you say it, yes she should have shut off her phone at that moment per regulations. But she didn't, as have scores of pax before her. Rarely these days does a flight go by that I don't see a FA telling a pax to shut down an electronic device because the door is shut. FA's request of the pax was totally appropriate - it's the FA's bad attitude that was not, especially since pax did not say a single word to the FA. But honestly, even if a pax isn't being cooperative, there's a way of dealing with pax firmly but politely. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a pax go into a near meltdown because he couldn't understand he had to power-down his Kindle for take-off. That FA still managed to deal with him professionally and politely, as she should have, even though that pax was being difficult. I like to think that dealing with various pax situations is part of basic FA training.