FA on a "power trip"?
Feb 26, 2018, 4:57 pm
#16
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: AA - Plat, HHonors - Diamond, IHG - Plat, Marriott - Gold, National - Exec, Amtrak - Select, NEXUS
Posts: 1,075
On a previous flight, there were some guys obviously traveling together who were seated on an exit row. They did not pay attention to the safety talk. They had their headphones on the entire time. When the flight attendant came to them to ask them if they were willing and able to handle the responsibilities of their seats, they refused to remove their headphones and ignored her. At that point, she told them that if they could not communicate with her she would have them reseated or removed.
They removed their headphones and responded to her questions at that point.
They removed their headphones and responded to her questions at that point.
FAA requires that anyone seated in an emergency exit seat get an additional briefing and verbally respond to the question about being willing and able to perform the additional responsibilities of those seats in an emergency. Failure to do so means that the pax must be reseated before departure.
Ignoring the standard safety demo is normal, typical, and any FA needs to be used to it (although they don't have to like it). Threatening to offload pax that aren't paying attention would happen on 100% of all flights if that was the policy - which it isn't.
I've been on enough AA flights that I know to don my oxygen mask before assisting my child with theirs, that my seatbelt closes with a *click* and opens by pulling on the release, that the nearest exit may not be in front of me, the floor has lighting that will illuminate during an evacuation, that my seat cushion is a flotation device, and my inflatable vest (only to be inflated after leaving the aircraft) is under my seat. Oh, and we can't smoke anywhere on the airplane and the lavs have smoke detectors installed and I have to properly stow my carry-on under the seat in front of me.
Even when I sit in an emergency exit seat, I am tuned out for the standard demo but always take my headphones off for the exit seat briefing (which occurs before the standard briefing).
Feb 26, 2018, 5:44 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: none
Posts: 1,668
On a previous flight, there were some guys obviously traveling together who were seated on an exit row. They did not pay attention to the safety talk. They had their headphones on the entire time. When the flight attendant came to them to ask them if they were willing and able to handle the responsibilities of their seats, they refused to remove their headphones and ignored her. At that point, she told them that if they could not communicate with her she would have them reseated or removed.
They removed their headphones and responded to her questions at that point.
They removed their headphones and responded to her questions at that point.
Feb 26, 2018, 5:55 pm
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 557
I was flying (on a 321 with NO overhead monitors) from LAS to CLT in FC. A pax was next to me in an aisle seat was not giving rapt attention to the FA giving the safety demo before take off, she briefly spoke with her husband in the seat across the aisle. The FA came up to her seat: "do you want the flight to return to the gate?" Prior to departure she order AA "champagne" as her PDB. After the safety demo was completed that FA took drink orders for after t/o, she asked for more champagne--he refused her request..."no more champagne for YOU".
I had an FA who came up to me in F as I was looking out the window and pointed at me to pay attention - I've been on flights where people have been talking loudly on their phones during the briefing and the FAs did nothing. Definitely sounds like a power tripping FA -- although I find 98% of the time the FAs give the demonstration and without calling anyone out unless they are being egregious in whatever they are doing.
Feb 27, 2018, 6:14 am
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
Wait...they serve champagne on LAS-CLT? Was the woman at all beligerant, rude or otherwise did something besides not pay attention to the safety demo? Did she exhibit any signs of drunkenness that the FA decided to cut her off? After all, it was a flight originating in LAS so .... anything's possible.
Feb 28, 2018, 7:48 am
#20
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: AA Gold, Enterprise PLT, Marriott Gold
Posts: 604
Oh boy not the safety demo! I jest, but honestly as long as you are not disrupting it for others, who cares? I and many of you have sat and heard those things so many times I could recite it in my sleep. In fact, one day playfully with the FA who nicely scolded me for not listening, I actually recited it for her in a friendly banter. She told me she'd give me a job! Fortunately she was nice about it and not on a power trip.
One of the best flights I had recently was CLT-PHL where I sat next to a commuting FA. She was very talkative to me and we talked the whole flight about FA life. So many FA's get just as annoyed with the snarky/power hungry one's as we do. She said often times you learn the ones who are like that and they avoid bidding a trip with them.
One of the best flights I had recently was CLT-PHL where I sat next to a commuting FA. She was very talkative to me and we talked the whole flight about FA life. So many FA's get just as annoyed with the snarky/power hungry one's as we do. She said often times you learn the ones who are like that and they avoid bidding a trip with them.
Mar 1, 2018, 8:17 pm
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,755
One of the best flights I had recently was CLT-PHL where I sat next to a commuting FA. She was very talkative to me and we talked the whole flight about FA life. So many FA's get just as annoyed with the snarky/power hungry one's as we do. She said often times you learn the ones who are like that and they avoid bidding a trip with them.