ItsACrewLife

Some of the comments on this thread are incredulous.

I really wouldn't dream of walking into your office on my first day, or depending on how high up in the organisation you are, ever, and tell you how I think you should do your job or dare to not comply with instructions from someone who I really should perceive to be more authorative than me on the subject. On my flights, if you don't comply or tut, or roll your eyes or not follow my crew's instructions then you will get a visit from me regardless of your status, socially or otherwise and then you'll get a visit from the Captain. This isn't about customer service, it's about making you comply with something that will possibly save your life and possibly those around you. The selfishness of some people is beyond belief.

Furthermore, the very last part of our evacuation training, before we leave the aircraft is to grab an emergency torch and possibly a smokehood and play the hero, i.e. go back into that smoke-filled cabin or crushed up wreck of a plane to make sure you've all left it successfully. Don't put my life in further danger by making me go back for someone who's not had their seat or hand baggage where it should be or failed to follow mine or my crew's instructions.

Unbelievable!

710 77345

That's terrific if you are someone who is doing their job correctly, but I will escalate and challenge when I see something dangerous - like the crew member not bothering to make a passenger put their table up for landing (trapping the rest of us in the row) or dashing away from their door after landing & not bothering to cross-check doors.

I would urge anyone to challenge me if I was doing something dangerous when working, no matter your 'standing' - intervening is something that isn't usually pleasant but it is preferable to being injured. ItsACrewLife - please reconsider being more open, even if it means listening politely whilst someone who isn't aware of all the rules challenges you when you're doing something that is quite correct - listening is a really important part of a successful safety culture and I (at least) find myself in dangerous situations inadvertently from time to time.

Can I help you

Safety is everyone's business and I would expect to be challenged by any customer or fellow crewmember who was concerned, likewise I will challenge and enforce all safety related requirements.

Cris L

On my sole Vueling flight seat aisle, last row, I accidentally forgot to do my seatbelt. Very unlike me, and I didn't realise until landing.

No member of crew spotted this, which should have been instantly visible as belt was hanging in aisle.

Made me very uncomfortable to be flying them, and will not fly again!

Can I help you

I wouldn't judge and airline on one mistake.

Waterhorse

No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes or omissions. No- one is above being challenged where safety is concerned.

However, it is not for passengers to try to start arguments about safety procedures when on an aircraft. The law is quite clear in this respect - the person responsible for safety, security and regularity of the flight is the captain, no-one else, and oddly that means that the captain's commands (delegated to the crew) become the law on the aircraft. If you want to start an argument regarding safety procedures onboard an aircraft you are risking being arrested and, at best, being significantly inconvenienced.

By all means question safety procedures to the company from the calm and quiet of your study, by letter or e-mail, but not ever onboard, it will not matter whether subsequent events prove that you have a valid point or not.

Can I help you

I agree with the majority of what you say Waterhorse, I disagree that a concerned customer shouldn't question the crew in a calm way onboard.

Littlegirl

I agree with 'can I help you'.

If a passenger is worried about any safety related issue, I would encourage them to ask the crew, who will either explain, rectify or pass their concerns on to the Captain.

Waterhorse

I'm obviously not explaining what I mean very well. I totally agree with you, there is nothing wrong with a calm query - as I said we all make mistakes. But there is no place for a debate onboard, query things by all means.

It's just that there is no place to go if you, as a passenger, don't agree with the response you get. Onboard the aircraft it is not a democracy - the rule of law still applies, it's just that the arbiter of that law is the captain. So, like it or it, we must all obey their instructions onboard. The place for a debate about procedures etc is on the ground and it is held with the company, not the crew on the day

Can I help you

Much clearer Waterhorse, make the crew aware of your concerns calmly and if they are in any doubt they will check with the Captain who has will decide if there is any cause for concern.

710 77345

But what if the answer you get is wrong?

I had a crew member tell me that I couldn't take a photograph of the meal served to me for security reasons. I told her I was fairly sure I could, and would appreciate if she could double check.

She came back to me later and repeated that I wasn't allowed to do it and must cease.

I escalated to the CSD who was great, and of course was aware of the correct rules. But if I'd accepted what I'd been told with no debate then it wouldn't have been properly resolved.


Another example was when a crew member went against the printed instructions on a cabin divider, putting it in to a different position to that stated for take-off.
She said it was fine, but I hope you don't think I was being unreasonable by extending the debate by checking this later with the CSM (who said the printed signs on the cabin dividers were just wrong, and they were indeed different to other sister aircraft in the fleet).

I would hope it's possible to politely challenge and escalate without causing an unacceptable scene, even if the passenger is totally in the wrong.

Can I help you

Commanders are authorised to stop any filming or photography, authorised or not, if it compromises: • Safety or security;
• The comfort and wellbeing of other passengers.
The circumstances of unauthorised filming which the Commander orders to be stopped should be reported in an ASR.

Calchas

Another example is the passenger who tried to report the fuel leak during the cowl engine fire to be told it was water or a hydraulic fluid leaking. I guess no one wants to admit that there is a fuel leak when there's a sputtering engine fire beneath it, but in the passenger's shoes I would have sought an assurance that the "water" leak might be mentioned to the flight crew.

South London Bon Viveur

Spot on- I think it's perfectly acceptable to politely ask questions and challenge. However, pending resolution/determination of the issue the instruction (whatever it is) should be complied with. So if someone asks me to put a blind up or down, take headphone off, not take pictures etc. my first response is to do as I am asked. If I feel that the instruction is unreasonable or I am confused etc. then having complied I may then want to raise a polite query.

An example would be if someone were to tell me not to take pictures of food for security reasons, as per the above poster. I must say that this sounds like a very odd request, and one that I would challenge too. I do not understand how CC could possibly consider this a security risk, albeit I may be missing some important context.

710 77345

To be fair, my cremated steak could have been pretty easily forged in to some sort of club-type weapon