yo.mo.gu

I was on a flight last night and apparently took a little long to put my baggage in the overhead bin.

An apparently angry American Airlines attendant stated the following: "You stinky doe-doe head, please be courteous to the other passengers." She was not smiling or laughing at all.

I was shocked that she would use such strange language. Later during drinks service as she was serving me water she apologized for calling me a doe-doe head. But then she said "I should have called you a noodlebrain," laughed hysterically and walked away. The flight attendant serving drinks with her didn't even react.

This was just an odd thing to be told. I am not sure whether to be offended, disturbed or to laugh. But I'm also wondering if she may be mentally unstable and should be complained about. I don't think it is appropriate to call people doe doe head or noodlebrain.

brp

Assuming that this happened as reported, I would definitely let AA know. I'm not sure I would go so far as to be offended, but this is certainly not appropriate behavior. From the way the report is written, it does sound more like an instability than an aggressive behavior. If so, that's probably more a cause for concern, and something AA would definitely want to know about.

Cheers.

lobo411

Sounds like you took a little too long to put your baggage in the overhead bin. Next time you'll remember the experience and be a little more courteous to your fellow passengers. If anything, I think you owe the FA a note of thanks.

JDiver

Was that hebephrenic laughter? I agree with brp - this might be an indication of instability or medication mismanagement, and therefore impaired fitness to fly. I think maybe a note to AA would be in order here; there are many more effective ways of encouraging passengers to hurry their baggage stowage.

cynicAAl

If I was an FA, I'd have lots of names to call pax that take too long to place a bag in an overhead, but "stinky dodo head/noodlebrain" would not be one of them.

TR7_DFW

A cattle prod would be effective also.

JDiver

Well, only if they wanted to be doe doe heads about it.

But it is frustrating to be bottlenecked by someone who feels they must do a Martha Stewart stowage in the overhead compartment. (In "the old days" only a hat or slim purse would fit in the overhead... seating was faster, but of course aircraft did not carry passengers in the hundreds, either.)

lobo411

Probably much more effective than a simple talking-to. Most people have the mentality of a pack animal...you can explain things to them in the calmest, most rational manner possible, but all they really understand is a bit of stronger language or a pointy prod in the backside!

SOBE ER DOC

In defense of the OP, this is NOT appropriate behavior, joking or not. This is AA, not WN.

As for folks complaining about how long it takes people to stow bag, we can't have it both ways folks. The "Martha Stewart" approach to stowage makes sure pax can get as many bags in the bins as possible. Just throwing a bag up there means someone will have to come along eventually and rearrange the bags to cram more stuff up there.

brp

Disagree with this. I can stow both my and mrs. brp's size-appropriate rollaboards lengthways, wheels or handle first depending upon the profile of the bin in about 20-30 seconds. There's not a lot of arranging to do.

Cheers.

peachfront

One day you will be older and slower, and when that day comes, I hope you will be treated with EXACTLY the same kindness and courtesy you wish to be shown to others. The FA, assuming she is really calling names at people for being a little slow, needs to be removed from a position where she works with the public, because there is something wrong with her. Mentally healthy people who want to keep their job don't call customers names in public. For that matter, there is something wrong with anyone who supports name-calling of strangers and customers in public places.

Seriously, you advocate name-calling and "a note of thanks" to the name-caller and the bully? What's wrong with you? No one who moves slowly has ever been sped up by name-calling and hateful insults. If anything, name-calling and bullying slow a person down further by creating greater anxiety. I would ask you to look into your own heart to figure out why you would advocate and support name-calling of passengers. It's just wrong. If you still don't understand why it's wrong, ask your mother, your grandmother, or some other respected family member who has good and gracious manners about why it generally works better to be kind rather than cruel.

JDiver

Frequent flyers take mere moments to stow a bag properly, as they know the bag they are toting will fit better wheels in, wheels out, port or starboard side of the MD-80, etc.

But I have seen those with more than one carry-on and shopping bags, etc. who are not frequent flyers look like they are decorating, not arranging. With am MD-80 with 140 seats and a late-boarding aircraft (or a 737 with 150+), the single aisle is already a bottleneck and when we take a lot of time it impedes on-time departure - which may mean releasing a ground control slot and waiting for another to be issued for takeoff.

But, I agree: the FA was exhibiting some quirky behaviour, perhaps even for WN, and is in apparent need of the EAP or some retraining, IMO. That's unlikely to happen with a mere discussion on FlyerTalk.

scnzzz

+1. That said, there are some folks (the elderly come to mind, as do single parents with small children) who often need a little more time - for whom exceptions ought be made.

What reallly frosts my cupcake is the folks who don't even try to put their rollaboards in wheels-first (or out) - they simply dump them in sideways, stuff a backpack next to it and their coats in front and then as often as not carry on down the aisle to sit half a dozen rows back. I mean - really?

peachfront

Oh, so all righty then. Everybody should be at the same standard of physical fitness, even those of us who were born with physical challenges? And even those who are getting older? Seriously, what's the matter with you people?

The name-calling is weird. The use of weirdo names usually only heard from free-associating paranoid schizophrenic street people in the course of the name calling is TRULY weird. A guy being a little slow to put a bag in the bin is NOT weird. One of these people is probably starting to crack around the edges and it isn't the guy with the bag.

I agree with the "medication" comment. The last time I heard similar names, the guy later had a full blown attack of psychosis and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. At the time we just thought he was a little...off. But it was a warning sign. Packing a bag slowly is harmless. But weird name-calling for no real reason is probably a warning sign that something is seriously going wrong somewhere. Maybe not mental illness but a mini stroke or something. It's just too...weird and inappropriate.

It needs to be reported. If the guy is SURE he heard this type of language, I think he is morally obligated to report this. The FA needs a full medical work-up.

Thumper

No one feels this was simply an ill choice of words from someone who might possibly be stressed out?

This has been an exceptionally stressful week for many.