Bad passengers / adventure on 441 LAX to PDX, great FA!
 

Was on the last leg of PVG-LAX-PDX on 441.

Was booked economy but upgraded, looked in the ap and moved myself into an empty row.

Arrived at gate and heard they were 100% full. No problem got on in the first few waves, stowed all my stuff and got comfortable. At the very end 3 very loud and obnoxious foreign passengers boarded and proceeded to take 3 center seats, one next to me. They proceed to try and convince myself and another aisle passenger to switch so they could all be together. I kindly declined as, sorry, I wanted my aisle for a little more space.

No sooner had the door closed they started swapped food, finishing their purchased food, swapped phones, talked more than loud, invaded my personal space multiple times without a care for their neighbors. The one sitting next to me decided during taxing to make a video phone call, after takeoff my neighbor started chanting while he played solitaire... It was getting more interesting by the minute. Passengers beside and around were also starting to give them the eye... After reaching altitude they wasted no time in trying to convince us all to re-seat and when we all declined two decide to standup and chat before they had to sit down to make room for service. Long story short finally another aisle passenger decided to relocate next to me. Later during service purchased beer and proceeded to pour them self self bought adult addition drinks. They never stopped being how should I say loud even after nice repeated request from the FA.

Till landing they seemed to have no care or clue to being in confined space on a fully filled flight and partied their merry selfish way.

Oh, we also had a medical emergency, they were lucky none of us neighbors made the three, three additional medical emergencies too :D

In the end while we waited for paramedics to cart off our medical emergency struck up a conversation with one of the obnoxious foreigners and he claimed this was their first visit to the US, first trips by plane and that they usual travel by bus/train with cattle and people.. don't really believe his BS, but anyways that was that. Now if he was referring us to cattle or not too, lucky that was at the end of the flight.

Our FA did well, and a couple of us got offer for $50 or 2K miles for being good samaritan. I could see how having people like that could easily escalate out of control. A big challenge for FA and passengers when you get people with out clue or who simply don't care about others what do you do.

But kudo's to AS and the crew for handling them well....

Oh one last thought does AS put standby into premium economy at the very end? I'd think they should bump any mileage customer into premium and stick these kind of passengers in basic economy :D

Sounds like they were already partially drunk when they boarded. The fact that they appeared to be "foreigners" is less relevant than their sobriety.

When you said you were "upgraded" I always assume people mean F....until you mentioned something about a middle seat. Yes, unsold premium economy seats (especially middles) are going to go to passengers without seat assignments which is how E+ seating works over at UA too....if you don't mind a middle seat, it's sometimes best not to select a middle in the back because you could be one of the passengers that gets "filled-in" to premium economy.

Yeah, the fact that they seemed to be foreign was an unnecessary detail to the story.

Well I would say that their behavior had more to do with them being of another ethnic group that I would say was consistent with having no experience or care for how one should behave on a multi-hour flight squeezed in and norms of behavior in a western cultural on a flight. Of course if the person was accurate and they often travel on transportation with farm animals how they behaved both in their drinking and behavior might be fully okay in their home country... No way any of the western cultural traveled would behave like they did :D

Wow, long time since I have seen anything so bigoted, and very clearly if you read newpapers, untrue !! Many people would say this type of over entitled behaviour is much more common "western" travellers !!

FWIW last to be so bigoted but fine if that is the conclusion you'd like to make of me fine. Would it have been more obtuse to instead say.
"On came 3 folks who had no clue to the nuances and right behavior in western culture of what is proper behavior.... and ...."

In some cultures using hands instead of utensils is accepted as is taking of shoes and socks and clipping nails etc. etc... Not that they did that. As I noted the FA and my new seatmate had a good conversation about our 3 late arrivals. I guess if they sat me for 12 hours to PVG that would have been even more interesting wouldn't it.

Foreign is simply foreign and not educated in the ways of western, is that bigoted.. I don't think so.

BTW I asked nicely several times to not speak so loudly as did the FA, but if you have something to grind go for it :D

In the end the Alaska FA were great in handling the situation and rather sympathetic to several of us as well.. Interested, what would you have done, or how would you suggest I characterize them? Did I hit a hot button or something ;)

Just a friendly reminder to discuss the passengers' actions, not their ethnicity, culture or national origin.

dayone, AS/VX Moderator.

This thread has run its course and is now closed.

Ryandc99 Moderator Alaska Airlines