My first disruptive flight
 

Made it all Covid w out any incidents at all.. I think this was the FA’s fault thought. Never seen anything like it but Captain was out , cart was blocking the galley and a man came up to use the lav. Being in row 1 I had perfect ears on this…. She told him go sit down! Go sit down now! Now the voice is getting louder.. Get back to your seat immediately and sit down and fasten your seat belt. She was yelling folks. And he said “why are you screaming at me?” She said some snide comment about putting him on a report list or something if he didn’t go sit down. And he did. There was no announcement the captain was using the lab nor was the seat belt sign on.

What happened next was near terrifying. Same FA makes an announcement for everyone to sit down and fasten seat belts. Like aggressively. Repeatedly! And those of us upfront having seen her treat the man so bad and now start going crazy on the speaker were quite alarmed. Lady next to me genuinely thought something was wrong w the plane.

Once we landed she got up from her seat and told the lady next to me “get off your phone now you can’t be on it yet”. I have never seen this. We were maybe 200 feet from the gate. And finally she then goes on the speaker and announces phones must be in airplane mode until you are out of customs… She said it’s an international flight and the rules are that phones must be off until you are out of customs or you can get in trouble! She then got up again and told 1C she will write her up if the phone isn’t off immediately.

What was a little troublesome is she wasn’t the type who knew she was being a bit crazy. I really sensed she believed her actions were completely normal.

Wow...just WOW! "Power Trip FA."

Really was yes. I couldn’t believe it and the older lady next to me was really terrified.

Just so I know there is no international rule that phones must remain in airplane mode until you clear customs?

Everyone is so needlessly afraid. Did you write in?

We all know what that cart means but someone who never flies may not. If that was the only incident, I’d let it pass, but the rest of it adds up to a FA on a power trip. You should write in, even though it won’t do much.

I would definitely write this in to AA with all the details. I'd be specific saying you aren't looking for any type of compensation, but someone in management to re-train this FA immediately before a worse incident happens.

Not specifically airplane mode, but when you get off the plane and make your way to immigration and customs, there are signs that say no cellphone use. Use meaning, keep them put away and out of your hands. But nothing about putting them in airplane mode.

pretty sure that's so that there aren't people taking pictures of a security checkpoint in order to get around it. Pictures of an airplane would be pretty unlikely to cause that. However I think making that argument to this FA would be unlikely to have worked out well.

Had something similar happen to me a year or so ago.

Cart was across the entry to the galley area and someone from the flight deck was in the lav. I was seated in like 3 or 4 C and got up to get something out of the overhead as I had done dozens of times before.

FA literally screamed at me to sit down. Twice. I got what I needed from my bag in the overhead and sat back down.

Power tripping FA's are the best!

I was head down on my phone once between immigration and customs. I was also enrolled in Global Entry. At the time, this was when you got a slip from the kiosk to then give the customs agent. He said "you're a global entry member, do you know that you are not to use your phone until clearing customs?" I apologized and he followed up by saying "that could get you removed from the program and potentially fined. Please don't do it again". I thanked him and went on my way.

Its also a crowd control measure. Keeps people moving, vs being distracted and blocking lines from moving.

the cart means that you cant go to the forward lav or thr galley, but not that you cant stand up and get to the overhead.

This was definitely someone who has a major power trip going and would have likely been fired eons ago, had they worked in any other industry.

Destination? How old was the FA?

30-35 maybe. LAX-MEX. On a turn around so LA based. She was the lead. I was hoping maybe the captain might say something to her or even another FA but no one did, at least prior ti my walking off.

I think this was not your typical FA on purposely being curt or hostile but rather she really seemed to have a screw or 2 loose and felt as if she was in the right.

... and definitely should not have a job dealing with the general public.

What about using the MPC App?