I've been flying AS since 1986. I "only" have over 400K lifetime miles, but many of those are on shorter west coast hops. I know that the company has a culture of being "seat belt happy" and I know that occasionally a FA is hurt, and I understand that different airlines have different tolerances for when that chime goes on, and when FAs must be seated, but yesterday took the cake.

Prior to take off (SEA/OAK), the captain came on the PA and in a condescending tone, talked about potential turbulence, that he may ask the FAs to stay seated until 10000', and then went on about how you are REQUIRED to stay in your seat when the seatbelt light is fastened, and you are REQUIRED to stay in your seat with the seatbelt fastened during the flight unless you are using the lavatory. The tone was as if a class full of third graders had just cheated on a test.

He then went on about how they'd been flying up and down the west coast and described the turbulence. Now, I might had believed him had I not flown OAK/SEA/LAX/SEA and was headed back to OAK on that flight, all the same day. The only discernible chop all day (and it was light) was on the two SEA arrivals, shortly prior to landing.

After take off, we passed through FL100, FAs remained seated, and the first 30-some minutes of the flight was as smooth as a 734 could ever be. Finally, people needed to get up to use the lav, which was locked. The F FA begrudgingly unlocked it for the first desperate passenger. (The plane was mostly boarded 30 minutes prior to door closure, so this had been awhile.) Then, someone else got up. Then, I got up. FINALLY, the pilot decided that service could commence.

The entire flight had at most, a few minutes of occasional light chop. If that had been my first flight on AS, I'd have been so put off by the cockpit announcement's tone I'd really wonder what kind of airline this was. I had no idea that you couldn't perhaps stand up and talk to someone a row back, or whatever, or walk to avoid a DVT, as long as you didn't congregate by a lav or by the cockpit door. Live and learn.

I did eventually get a beverage nearly an hour after leaving SEA.

And yes, I know turbulence. I fly over the equator 8 times a year or so.