Without regard to the actual request the OP made....and in support of his follow up comment....I think his real issue here wasn't the "No", but rather the fake answer the FA gave in order to say No. Many of us have certainly been in those situations where an AA person (FA specifically) comes up with some dumb answer that we *both* know is basically a lie in order to not do something.

Despite dropping the EXP and most people taking this as a DYKWIA, I'd rather think of this as a "HIANAM" (Hello, I am not a moron) kind of response by the OP....essentially saying 'Let's cut the BS, we both know you just told me a lie"