AS Flyer

In the situation described in the news article that this entire post is about it seems like a logical response to just land the plane - but I wasn't there, don't know the circumstances beyond what's in the news and I think the crews would do what was best at that moment. I would feel very uneasy being trapped in a plane with a bunch of people chanting and behaving erratically. In the situation that Seat 2A was responding to, I don't know what's expected of the FA. We have limited options in the air. If someone simply won't put their mask on it's not likely the Captain is going to (or even really, should) land the plane. Giving them the yellow card and having supervisors meet the plane is as much as a FA can do. I've had numerous discussions with people about mask compliance and a couple very direct conversations with people that wouldn't mask up - one was successful, another not. I provided the yellow card to the one that did not comply and followed up per policy. Beyond that, as much as I may want to, I can't restrain someone and put the mask on them myself. I always like to think that people will respond to reason and, when needed, I try to boil it down to simple terms and hope for understanding. It's not always the case these days that people will respond.

TravelingZoomer

Deep deep selfishness masqueraded as muh libertee

Seat 2A

Thanks for your response, AS Flyer. Perhaps I've misunderstood exactly what the Yellow Card is. If I understand the current protocol correctly, those people who refuse to comply with the mask policy and subsequent requests to wear masks are given a warning. I'm thinking that's your yellow card. The Warning. After that, if the FA has got to come back and deal with repeated offenses after a warning has been given, then the offending person will be advised that their name will be turned in to Alaska management where flight banning will be the recourse. The Red Card, if you will.

As described in the post I referenced, the FA said they'd given these people a few warnings or yellow cards and there was nothing more to be done. I'd like not to think of myself as some hard a$$ law and order type, but when it comes to these ignorant yahoos that have no regard for the safety and health of others around them, I'm all for throwing the book at them. Hard. No second or third chances - especially in a confined place with a lot of people onboard.

So what am I missing here? I've read about the card (Is it yellow?) but if someone continues to offend after having been carded, does anything else happen onboard the plane? I guess I was under the impression that offenders would be notified - onboard - something along the lines that upon landing their names would be turned in to Alaska management, etc. Are offenders notified - onboard - after having been warned and given a yellow card - that they've lost their flight privileges with Alaska?

Limiting the response to mere yellow carding - as I understood it to be - is at the gist of my complaint. From the scenario I originally referenced, nothing was happening beyond the yellow card. And while I recognize that nothing can be done inflight beyond advising these passengers who continue to offend that their names will now be turned over to management for further action (The equivalent of a Red Card, I assume), nobody ever mentioned anything like that ever happening. As a fellow passenger having witnessed this kind of misbehavior, I'd feel a lot more confident about Alaska's commitment to passenger safety if I heard a flight attendant actually notify a repeat offender of what will now happen upon arrival as a result their repeated misbehavior.

I look forward to hearing more on this. I've got a few flights coming up in February.

Finkface

Is this really what you think should happen? If these people don’t respond to repeated requests to mask up, which I assume would get more and more strongly worded with each request, or the yellow card, then they are likely complete a$$holes or worse. Do you really want to antagonize them further by telling them in the air that the plane will be met at the gate and/or they have lost their flight privileges? How do you think that is going to play out, especially with the group we are discussing here? Do you really think they are going to be ok with hearing that and sit there calmly after being told that? Or don’t you think it just might send them over the edge? What is the point of inflaming the situation any further at 35,000 feet? I could see real violence happening if they were told they had lost their flight privileges whilst in the air. Leave that to whomever meets them at the gate when the plane is safely on the ground, other pax are out of harms way and law enforcement is nearby if things get out of hand.

Seat 2A

I thought about this while typing this all out and upon not much further reflection I think you make a good point, Finkface. As much as I'd like to rub these losers faces in their misbehavior, I do agree that the potential for a situation like this to escalate into something uglier yet is definitely there. As such, I apologize to Alaska FA's for any offence understandably and undeservedly taken. I have a major league aversion to these jerks and this kind of behavior gets me more than a bit out of sorts. At my age I should know better than to comment before taking a bit more time to reflect.

I've never seen one of these yellow cards. Does it clearly state on the card the consequences of multiple warnings? Personally, I'd lobby for a lifetime ban.

Finkface

https://blog.alaskaair.com/coronavir...k-enforcement/

HeyItsMK

IME the closest I've ever experienced would probably be a "Final Verbal Warning" as I saw the FAs pull out the Yellow Card and have a meeting in the forward galley, but ultimately decide that they would not be issuing it to the passenger. The verbiage on the card can be read here and it says that a ban is only while the mask rule is in effect.

anteater

I wonder if there was a FAM on this flight. Given that a majority of their active duty cases are dealing with intoxicated passengers, I would love to know what they would have done in this situation.

AS Flyer

Hey there! SO, the procedure should look something like: guest is not complying with mask policy. FA asks them to comply. Guest complies - great. Often times they comply at the time then in no time at all the mask is off again. In that case, you ask again then tell them perhaps that the policy is very strict and non compliance results in the yellow card and what that could mean. Hopefully they comply. If so - great. If they comply at the time then the mask comes down again and you notice, you take the yellow card which gives them one final opportunity to comply. Non compliance may result in them being banned form all future flights. An airport Customer Service Manager should meet the flight and speak with the guest. In most cases when they do not comply it should result in removal from flights on that reservation, including any connecting flights. In all cases when a yellow card is given FA's are supposed to fill out appropriate online forms that go to management. If the guest does not comply their case is evaluated by a group of senior management who look at the information given and make a decision about whether to permanently ban someone (permanently, that is, until the mask policy is eliminated). If at any time onboard when asked to comply, should the refuse they should be given the yellow card. So basically, you skip step 2 and go to step 3. That's my approach - and the one that I think most people would use.

The yellow card is meant as a last step in the process and it basically says you have not complied to this point, we've asked multiple times, if you don't comply immediately there will be consequences. Hope that helps. It's not a perfect process but it's the one we have.

AS Flyer

I would just like to add that this latest little nugget added to our job duties is perhaps the one I've liked the least. It's miserable . It's like playing Whack-A-Mole with the mask issues. On any given flight multiple people will have their nose out or they wear it as a chin guard or don't wear it at all. You tell one person, they comply then someone else is sitting there with their mask on their chin. You tell them then see 4 kids sitting around with their masks off. It's exhausting. Exhausting. The conversations range from polite response to rolling eyes to sharing their non scientific theories on why they shouldn't be required to telling you that they have medical issues to being yelled at. It runs the gambit but it's just exhausting.

BOB W

This!!!! Not much more needed.

BOB W

Stock up on yellow cards and hand them out as needed

N830MH

Right! They cannot be divert to military airports. Due to security issues. Only where they go to commercial airports.

BOB W

Do the airlines shares their lists with the other airlines? If not, they should!!! What is to stop someone who is non-compliant on an AS flight from booking the next flight on another airline?

I was on a flight after Christmas that landed in SEA. I was connecting on. A Pax was sitting in the gate area with no mask. An AS Agent talked to him and told him he would not be flying AS that night due to his behavior at the gate and on a prior flight with another airline. He was not belligerent, just non-compliant. That is anecdotal that they do share. What is AS and other airlines policies on this?

BTW, he was ultimately allowed on the flight and I heard nothing more about him.

QT31415

I've been on two different AS flights with Costco bag popcorn eaters. Two different approaches - most recently, one FA went to stand right beside the culprit and eyed him directly while the other FA made a no-nonsense directive about quick on-off of mask for necessary eating and drinking only, and stated there would be no leisurely grazing on the flight. He never opened his popcorn bag. On the other flight, out of So Cal, the gal kept her mask off most of the flight, eating one kernel after the other, until the passengers around her asked her to keep her mask on. The FA on that flight did not get involved past the standard mask announcement.

I think a lot of these popcorn passengers are just testing their limits, similar to a toddler. It should be the FA's task to set the boundaries, and all in all AS has been very good about it, in part because I feel they are supported by their management.