This is an awkward topic that I don't discuss with people in real life, but it's been bothering me a lot recently:
As an Asian passenger, why do UA FAs and pilots almost
never proactively say goodbye to me when I'm getting off the plane, which from my observation differs from the standard etiquette between the UA FAs and non-Asian passengers around me?
I've been flying at least 80 UA segments every year since 2016, and this has been true 9/10 times especially on short-haul domestic flights. Nowadays, I'd be surprised whenever the crew would proactively look at me and say "Thank you" or a simple "Bye" when I walk off the plane. Most commonly, the FA standing at the door would "conveniently" look away when I'm the one walking towards them and then off the plane. I always make sure to say thanks and goodbye, and it's a 50/50 chance they'd turn their head and respond.
This only stands out when I'm deplaning. I don't feel that I'm treated differently by the ground agents when boarding or FAs in-flight. My experiences on long-haul international flights are also very consistent, with FAs always thanking me when deplaning.
I moved to the U.S. in 2011 and have been flying UA regularly. I actually got an op-up on my very first CO flight from PEK to EWR. Now, I understand with its strong network to East Asia, UA crews probably run into many Asian passengers who don't speak much English. However in my experience, DL FAs (I did 70 DTW-BOS segments in 2018) would always thank and say goodbye to me. Also in my opinion, assuming the passenger doesn't speak English is not a very good reason to ignore them.
This is really a small thing, but with how frequently I get ignored it's been bothering me a lot recently. Putting ethnicity aside, I don't think I look intimidating enough (I'm 6'1 and probably bigger than an average guy from Asia, and honestly I'd rather have this be the actual reason I'm being ignored
) for almost all FAs to look away when I deplane, so I wonder for other Asian passengers if this has been your experience as well?
Edit: I'd like to appreciate everyone's replies here, as this is a topic I never have the courage to discuss in real life and it really isn't a huge deal to me on a personal level. Based on people's input, I conclude that -
1. Not everyone gets a goodbye at the end of a UA flight, regardless of ethnicity. This makes sense and does not indicate bad service
at all, although my speculation is that, in comparison, DL may have specifically trained their crew to include a "friendly goodbye" for everyone, which when I fly a lot I do start to notice and appreciate DL's approach. Also, I forgot to mention originally - I do usually get a "Hello" (if I'm not the one who first smile & greet the FAs) on a UA flight when boarding if the FA is not busy, which partially sparked the confusion after being frequently ignored when deplaning in comparison to travelers around me.
2. On a broader-level, some fellow travelers of Asian background
do notice subtle inconsistencies in services received by the UA staff. I wouldn't call this racism (or sexism as some replies mentioned) in a sense that the UA staff is intentionally providing bad service to Asians, but based on anecdotes (including mine), being treated differently outside of the standard services routine on a UA flight does seem to be potentially driven by ethnicity (or gender) bias. E.g., Asian face means most likely a traveler from Asia who doesn't speak English, so why bother saying "thank you" or repeat the question. There is no way to confirm this, and of course there could be many other factors, but I think the best I can do is to always assume the best intention and proactively respond with the same level of politeness.
I'd also like to again clarify that when flying in the U.S., I make my best effort to treat all staff with respect that aligns with my understanding of American etiquette (proactively smile, make eye contact & say thank you - in fact people usually assume I'm American until to be told otherwise). I do feel that I generally receive good service from UA whenever I get to properly communicate with the FAs and staff, however at this point it's very hard for me to believe that almost always being ignored when deplaning has absolutely nothing to do with some sort of bias based on my appearance and/or characteristics. However, being constantly ignored would not change how I behave when interacting with the UA staff at all. I will continue to respond to good service with my best self and hopefully change this subconscious bias, if there is any.
By the way, if there's anyone YVR-based: Are there any UA frequent fliers? I'm so excited to be moving to your fine city next year!!