MM983

The United States auto industry ring a bell?


If a FA makes a comment saying "Oh... that's just Helen," that strongly indicates that there is a well known issue with this person and that something/someone is blocking the proper course of action to deal with her.

aspex

I saw an AE FA lose it on an ATL->ORD flight. They are people and sometimes people just lose it.

PDX-PLT

But union contracts usually do. There are exceptions; e.g., the entertainment industry unions (actors, pro sports). They allow merit-based compensation. For most unions, though, key goal is to protect mediocracy: compensation is contractually based soley on seniority, no matter how well or how poorly one does their job. "Performance standards" in most cases are only for the most basic characteristics, like whether or not an employee shows up on time.

If a Union Sister was disciplined for cr#pping all over a customer, her union would run to her defense to protect her right to express her precious feelings.

stupidhead

There is a reason the job of an FA is described as a customer service job instead of safety warden. They're there to SERVE THE CUSTOMER.

This woman needs to be fired. I want her head on a platter. I don't care if the customer was holding her by the neck threatening to strangle her, she needs to deal with it in a calm and reasonable manner. Yelling at the customer and marching up to the captain and interrupting his job flying the plane for an orange juice request, no matter how arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, or rude, is neither calm nor reasonable. Losing your temper like that in a CUSTOMER SERVICE job, to a CUSTOMER, is not only reprehensible, but totally unforgivable. If I saw that, I'd have fired her ... so fast it would have made her head spin. Oh, and the pilots too. By issuing that warning without full knowledge of the situation, they were complicit in her power trip. If I were the pilot, I'd tell her to shove her complaint where the sun doesn't shine and leave me alone so I can concentrate on not crashing the plane.

If she was trying to intimidate witnesses, then maybe the US Attorneys need to press charges against her for that. I'm pretty sure that's a crime carrying a very long sentence in prison.

LoneStarMike

The first article was written by a witness to (part) of the event. Now, the passenger who actually ordered the OJ has responded.

First Class Orange Juice Passenger Responds

If you read the entire account, not only did AA apologize profusely to the man who ordered the OJ, but to all the other witnesses as well.

lin821

Does it mean AA is firing that Helen soon?

LoneStarMike

It's unlikely we'll ever know since this would be a private matter between AA and the employee.

n3farious

IMO, she's a huge liability for AA if they choose to do otherwise.

NYC96

thank you for justifying physical ABUSE on woman.

And, bother way, not all "customers" can be dealt with in a reasonable and calm manner. Maybe, that's why handcuffs exist onboard, maybe.

stupidhead

That's what people who are incompetent at customer service say. The fact that "Helen" can't deal with him calmly or reasonably is a mark of "Helen"'s gross incompetence and that would be grounds for termination anywhere. If the man was physically abusing her, she should have punched him in the face or somehow defended herself, not gone to the captain for a note. She was clearly abusing her power and should be fired with extreme prejudice.

Since there was no physical harm alleged by anyone here, I'm guessing he wasn't holding her by the neck and threatening to strangle her. And as far as I can tell, I'm the paying customer; I'm always right. Your company answers to me when it fails to satisfactorily deliver the service it agrees to deliver. I didn't agree to be abused by a flight attendant, I deserve compensation. Substitute I with "OJ Man" and Your Company with "AA".

If I were managing a company and an employee of mine blew up on a client like that, especially a customer service employee, I don't care what the circumstances are, the employee would be fired so fast he/she wouldn't even get to clean out her desk.

inyourvillages

Your leap to multiple conclusions is not justified.

NYC96

You're comment borders on both ignorance and arrogance. Interesting enough most F/A's blend the two. Now, that's their job.
Here's a few that have performed their "customer service" job with excellence:

Sandy Purl. Survived a Southern Airways Crash in New Hope, Georgia in the 70's. She survived the crash only to help out the rescue people who survived. Searching for survivors and refused to get into an ambulance until every passenger left before her.

Kelly Duncan. Survived the crash of Air Forida in 1982 in the Potomac River. When Helicopters finally arrived and dropped a survivor rope to the few that survived this crash, she passed the rope to other passengers.
Hypothemia was setting in for all who waited to be rescued that snowy day.

Uli Derickson. Lets not forget this Brave Flight Attendant who negotiated with Terrorist on her flight to release woman and children. She braved many days not knowing if it would be her last. She is to be credited for saving many lives and being a translator between the terrorist and negotiators.

Richard Demay. He survived a crash in Charlotte, North Carolina. He crawled back into the burning aircraft and saved several lives before emergency vehicles arrived on the scene. A true Hero.

And, of course, the many flight attendants on one of the most saddest days in aviation history:
09-11-01. Who relied important information to company headquarters while being hijacked. And, the brave F/A's on each aircraft who did what they could to survive.

stupidhead

Resorting to the "we're here for your safety" line . I expected better from FT. I'm sorry, but that line is a load of crap. They are there for the safety and COMFORT of the customers. Since the plane was safely in the air and not depressurizing and fully functional, the FA's job shifts to the comfort part. If I worked for AA and was in charge of FAs any FA with the "we're there for your safety" attitude would be fired. Most are 105 and will have to be helped out of the plane anyway

If the FA can't perform both jobs at the same time, that again is a mark of their true gross incompetence and should be fired. Helen should be fired. Period. No exception. There is nothing you can say or do that makes her anything less than someone that should clearly be fired. Her actions were despicable and indefensible. And COMPLETELY unforgivable. If I encountered an FA like that on United, you'd be sure my next ticket would be on another star member and I'd be sure to give Glenn Tilton and every executive at United a piece of my mind on my way out.

PFKMan23

Unfortunately with legacy carriers at this point, from where I stand it is way too hit or miss. Yes, there are "very bad apples", but at the same time there are also too many surly, unpleasant or indifferent flight attendants to say it is out of the ordinary. And unfortunately there seems to be little incentive for them to improve as they have job security. From where I stand, Helen should get fired or put on a very thin leash. The comments in reference to her attitude from her coworkers are too ominous to ignore.

NYC96

[QUOTE=stupidhead;12978155]

Since there was no physical harm alleged by anyone here, I'm guessing he wasn't holding her by the neck and threatening to strangle her. And as far as I can tell, I'm the paying customer; I'm always right.


Originally Posted by stupidhead
I don't care if the customer was holding her by the neck threatening to strangle her, she needs to deal with it in a calm and reasonable manner. .
QUOTE]

You're contradicting yourself. First, you condone abuse. And then you state this article didnt come to that. NICE TRY at covering your remarks.

And, NO. the customer is NOT always right. YOU'RE TICKET DIDNT INCLUDE THE RIGHT TO STEAL from the liquor kit. Or the passenger who had their hands in my tote bag. Or the "customer" who tries to sneak into an empty F seats, which in my book is stealing. Stealing F/A bags. Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh, the customer never lies to GET OVER on an airline policy.