Slightly OT, but as the two flights concerned were on BA, think this is the right place to post.

Had a quick trip up to Ecosse at the weekend, doing a duty visit to the rentals. Two flights with BA, and two onboard incidents....

After heading out to LGW (and accidentally leaving my rucksack on the train - but that's another story...), boarded off to GLA.

Cabin crew begin their safety demo, Purser taking the front few rows. Chap in the row behind me persists in talking to his mates, and is asked on three separate occasions to be quiet whilst the demo is being run. He refuses, to the point that the purser gets the demo paused whilst she has a chat with him. He's busy giving it the DYKWIA chat ("I'm a Gold cardholder and I fly three times a week"), and eventually agrees to shut up. However as the purser walks away, he audibly swears at her in a comment which would have Sheep blushing.

Purser has clearly heard this, as when we get over beside the runway, we come to a stop and out comes the Captain for a little chat... Matey behind is still in arsey mode - refuses to apologise etc. Eventually he gets up and goes up front for a chat with the Purser and Captain (presumably to apologise, if the conversation with the captain was anything to go by). And finally we're on our way...

Fairly pleasant 24 hours with the rentals, and I'm back at GLA to head to LHR... Take off and head up to cruising altitude, and just settling back to enjoy a quick kip when there's a fracas behind me (what is it about the row behind me???? ). Turns out chap in the row behind has reclined his seat, and the 6'1" guy behind him is less than happy. We have shouting, swearing, shaking of the seat etc etc etc. Cabin crew come along to calm things down, but we have a standoff - recliner refuses to sit back upright... Eventually things calm down a bit, but the aggreived pax spends the remainder of the flight audibly making comments about the pax in front and kneeing the back of the seat (the running commentary from the recliner's fellow pax was useful ).

Now I've done a fair bit of flying over the past few years, and have never experienced such behaviour like this - maybe I've been lucky, but are standards falling? The closest I've got was that "off" comment by a pax en route to LGW from BUD - co-incidentally this year as well.

So are standards falling? Do people really not have the common courtesy to behave themselves in flight and show some manners any more? Flying used to be a pleasure, but TBH, this game ain't that fun any more.

Yours,

Polite of Cla'aam