What is wrong with people?
May 1, 2019, 8:56 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Gold
Posts: 84
What is wrong with people?
I fly trans-atlantic a few times a year with BA for work, but recently I had the first dedicated holiday in a while, returning from PHX on BA288 on 30th April and was staggered at the attitude of some passengers. My work flights are usually via ORD or PHL and go perfectly smoothly, but the aggro on display returning from PHX was something else. Is it the heat? Leisure travellers that can't behave?
The first incident related to a couple I initially spotted in the semi-makeshift Club lounge at PHX. The pair just somehow caught my eye for the way they were dressed and conducted themselves, he was large and somewhat pompous, she looked like she had a bit too much work done, both were tanned and dripping in jewellery. They left the lounge early and I found them later near the head of the priority queue as boarding approached. The setup at PHX was odd, with a single sign for groups 1-3 which resulted in a huge long queue. A huge long pointless queue, since they would be boarding group 1s first. Seeing little point in queuing behind group 2s & 3s, I loitered near the head of the line and observed. The pair of them were like meerkats, with the wife trying to position herself to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to get past (even legitimately, such as gate staff or pre-boarders), and both rubber-necking at anyone who walked past in case they were about to step in front of them. One guy came and blatantly took the mickey by standing at the head of the queue, and immediately got told (by everyone) where the back of the queue was, with Pompous Man and his wife leading the cries of injustice.
Shortly after, they called group 1s forward into a tensa-barrier area to try and reduce congestion around the gate, and it was here I spotted that the Pompous Man and his wife were first class according to their boarding passes. They again asked group 1 people to move forward to fill the area. Nobody in the first few pairs moved forward so a Bearded Casual Guy (who I think was German) followed their instructions and walked forward to the tensa-barriers, going past the Pompous Man and his wife, which resulted in the Pompous Man barking at him to get back in line. Bearded Casual Guy quite rightly refused (he was the one following the instructions of the gate staff), and played it perfectly with his nonchalance and indifference to their objections, which simply wound up the Pompous Man even more. Pompous Man even lectured him about rudeness and how long he'd stood at the gate (well that was his choice to leave the lounge so early?!).
When the tensa-barrier was opened for us to walk towrds to the boarding lanes, I was astonished to see the Pompous Man literally side-swipe the Bearded Casual Guy to get into his lane and keep in front of him. What on earth possesses someone to act in such an immature, twattish manner? If they have the wealth to travel first class, what massive insecurities must they have to react in such a way to anyone boarding ahead of them?
The second incident occurred after boarding. We were in 64 J & K, and were one of the first upstairs so we got sorted and I put the bags and cases up in the overheads. Due to the shallow bins upstairs on the 747 I could only get one in each bin sideways, which meant I had put a case in the bin above 63J/K. You guessed it, an Arrogant Man and Woman in 63 arrived quite a bit later on (must have been end of group 2) and promptly removed my case and placed it further away, thinking that the bins above their seats were for their exclusive use.
There was no shortage of bin space in the upstairs cabin, about 50% of them were empty - but they took it upon themselves to empty the bins directly above their seats, even in lieu of just stowing their stuff directly opposite them. I intervened and moved my case back to where I had originally put it - it's one thing for cabin crew to move luggage around, but another entirely for other passengers to take it upon themselves to needlessly relocate other people's luggage. As soon as my back was turned, they moved my case out again at which point I asked the cabin crew to intervene.
They tried to pacify the situation which led to my case being left where the 63 couple put it and they tried to stow things in way which kept the bins above 63 J/K free, which wasn't possible otherwise I would have done it myself in the first place. The cabin crew completely sympathised with me and agreed that it was first come first served, and the attitude of 63 was awful, but ultimately didn't enforce anything. To make matters worse, the Arrogant Man in the 63 window seat then made a distinct point of kicking my feet/ankles instead of stepping over them when returning to his seat before takeoff.
After takeoff I spoke further with the same cabin crew member who attempted to intervene initially, who admitted that she had also been pushed out the way by the Arrogant Man. I was quite stunned to hear this - kicking a fellow passenger's feet is one thing, but manhandling/shoving/disobeying cabin crew is another. The CSM was already aware and I asked to speak with the CSM myself after take-off once they'd got their safety duties out the way. So I duly spoke with the CSM who re-iterated what the cabin crew member had said, I also re-iterated that 63's behaviour was not acceptable, and then the CSM spoke with the couple of 63. That conversation went on for some time and appeared to start out quite amicably but got increasingly stern/decisive. The CSM then disappeared for about two minutes before re-appearing on the upper deck and going straight to the flight deck where he spent quite some time. I'm wondering, but not sure, whether the report from the cabin crew about being pushed around warranted a report to the flight deck. But whatever the CSM said to 63 must have been effective because after that they didn't dare make eye contact with us or have anything to do with us, in contrast to their initial arrogance and attitude.
I'm curious, does anyone know what happens in such situations with minor transgressions against cabin crew or other passengers that don't lead to anything? Does the flight deck get notified or anything logged about it?
And why is there so much aggro out of PHX on my flight compared to my usual TATL destinations where everyone just gets along and gets on with it?!?
The first incident related to a couple I initially spotted in the semi-makeshift Club lounge at PHX. The pair just somehow caught my eye for the way they were dressed and conducted themselves, he was large and somewhat pompous, she looked like she had a bit too much work done, both were tanned and dripping in jewellery. They left the lounge early and I found them later near the head of the priority queue as boarding approached. The setup at PHX was odd, with a single sign for groups 1-3 which resulted in a huge long queue. A huge long pointless queue, since they would be boarding group 1s first. Seeing little point in queuing behind group 2s & 3s, I loitered near the head of the line and observed. The pair of them were like meerkats, with the wife trying to position herself to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to get past (even legitimately, such as gate staff or pre-boarders), and both rubber-necking at anyone who walked past in case they were about to step in front of them. One guy came and blatantly took the mickey by standing at the head of the queue, and immediately got told (by everyone) where the back of the queue was, with Pompous Man and his wife leading the cries of injustice.
Shortly after, they called group 1s forward into a tensa-barrier area to try and reduce congestion around the gate, and it was here I spotted that the Pompous Man and his wife were first class according to their boarding passes. They again asked group 1 people to move forward to fill the area. Nobody in the first few pairs moved forward so a Bearded Casual Guy (who I think was German) followed their instructions and walked forward to the tensa-barriers, going past the Pompous Man and his wife, which resulted in the Pompous Man barking at him to get back in line. Bearded Casual Guy quite rightly refused (he was the one following the instructions of the gate staff), and played it perfectly with his nonchalance and indifference to their objections, which simply wound up the Pompous Man even more. Pompous Man even lectured him about rudeness and how long he'd stood at the gate (well that was his choice to leave the lounge so early?!).
When the tensa-barrier was opened for us to walk towrds to the boarding lanes, I was astonished to see the Pompous Man literally side-swipe the Bearded Casual Guy to get into his lane and keep in front of him. What on earth possesses someone to act in such an immature, twattish manner? If they have the wealth to travel first class, what massive insecurities must they have to react in such a way to anyone boarding ahead of them?
The second incident occurred after boarding. We were in 64 J & K, and were one of the first upstairs so we got sorted and I put the bags and cases up in the overheads. Due to the shallow bins upstairs on the 747 I could only get one in each bin sideways, which meant I had put a case in the bin above 63J/K. You guessed it, an Arrogant Man and Woman in 63 arrived quite a bit later on (must have been end of group 2) and promptly removed my case and placed it further away, thinking that the bins above their seats were for their exclusive use.
There was no shortage of bin space in the upstairs cabin, about 50% of them were empty - but they took it upon themselves to empty the bins directly above their seats, even in lieu of just stowing their stuff directly opposite them. I intervened and moved my case back to where I had originally put it - it's one thing for cabin crew to move luggage around, but another entirely for other passengers to take it upon themselves to needlessly relocate other people's luggage. As soon as my back was turned, they moved my case out again at which point I asked the cabin crew to intervene.
They tried to pacify the situation which led to my case being left where the 63 couple put it and they tried to stow things in way which kept the bins above 63 J/K free, which wasn't possible otherwise I would have done it myself in the first place. The cabin crew completely sympathised with me and agreed that it was first come first served, and the attitude of 63 was awful, but ultimately didn't enforce anything. To make matters worse, the Arrogant Man in the 63 window seat then made a distinct point of kicking my feet/ankles instead of stepping over them when returning to his seat before takeoff.
After takeoff I spoke further with the same cabin crew member who attempted to intervene initially, who admitted that she had also been pushed out the way by the Arrogant Man. I was quite stunned to hear this - kicking a fellow passenger's feet is one thing, but manhandling/shoving/disobeying cabin crew is another. The CSM was already aware and I asked to speak with the CSM myself after take-off once they'd got their safety duties out the way. So I duly spoke with the CSM who re-iterated what the cabin crew member had said, I also re-iterated that 63's behaviour was not acceptable, and then the CSM spoke with the couple of 63. That conversation went on for some time and appeared to start out quite amicably but got increasingly stern/decisive. The CSM then disappeared for about two minutes before re-appearing on the upper deck and going straight to the flight deck where he spent quite some time. I'm wondering, but not sure, whether the report from the cabin crew about being pushed around warranted a report to the flight deck. But whatever the CSM said to 63 must have been effective because after that they didn't dare make eye contact with us or have anything to do with us, in contrast to their initial arrogance and attitude.
I'm curious, does anyone know what happens in such situations with minor transgressions against cabin crew or other passengers that don't lead to anything? Does the flight deck get notified or anything logged about it?
And why is there so much aggro out of PHX on my flight compared to my usual TATL destinations where everyone just gets along and gets on with it?!?
Last edited by TownCar; May 2, 2019 at 5:43 am
May 1, 2019, 9:48 pm
#2
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
I hate to do this to people, but could you please break some of the paragraphs into smaller chunks, as it's rather hard to follow with tired eyes?
I am finding what you wrote interesting but my will to read is getting a little defeated with large paragraphs as reminds me too much of my work where too many people feel it is completely OK to write a 200-word sentence (that's not a mistake for a paragraph, I really mean some people happily write a 200-word sentence)...
I am finding what you wrote interesting but my will to read is getting a little defeated with large paragraphs as reminds me too much of my work where too many people feel it is completely OK to write a 200-word sentence (that's not a mistake for a paragraph, I really mean some people happily write a 200-word sentence)...
May 1, 2019, 10:49 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: BAEC OW Gold/Emerald
Posts: 539
"What is wrong with people?".... in my clinical opinion some people are just "pillocks". Not even BA staff can rectify this condition when passengers have been living with it for years. I try my best, in all areas of life, to avoid being one.
May 1, 2019, 11:21 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,163
The BA system of queueing groups 1 to 3 together does not work. It is between passengers of these groups that boarding incidents often arise. This is not just in PHX but at many other airports, including LHR. Invariably group 2 and 3 passengers block out the queue and gate area when group 1’s are called. One reason for this is perhaps that group 2 and 3 passengers often succeed in boarding together with group 1. Either this is not policed or the call for group 2 is also quite rapid and while group 1’s are still wondering how to get through the crowd and to the gate.
If travelling F, there is really no need for early boarding as there will hardly ever be a space problem in the overhead bins. In this case though, I would love to trundle down to the gate during the later part of general boarding, use a dedicated priority boarding lane to bypass the crowds and access the aircraft.
As for some of the people you encountered on your trip. Well, while these kinds of people do seem to appear more regularly. Thankfully it has still not reached epidemic proportions, but I do sympathise because it can ruin your journey if you let it get under your skin. I find a friendly and insincere smile followed by a sip from my G&T often helps restore inner peace.
If travelling F, there is really no need for early boarding as there will hardly ever be a space problem in the overhead bins. In this case though, I would love to trundle down to the gate during the later part of general boarding, use a dedicated priority boarding lane to bypass the crowds and access the aircraft.
As for some of the people you encountered on your trip. Well, while these kinds of people do seem to appear more regularly. Thankfully it has still not reached epidemic proportions, but I do sympathise because it can ruin your journey if you let it get under your skin. I find a friendly and insincere smile followed by a sip from my G&T often helps restore inner peace.
May 2, 2019, 12:33 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
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and it was here I spotted that the Pompous Man and his wife were first class according to their boarding passes.
<confused>
May 2, 2019, 12:43 am
#7
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK.
Programs: Nowt of note.
Posts: 1,628
May 2, 2019, 12:48 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 576
May 2, 2019, 1:02 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
The second incident occurred after boarding. We were in 64 J & K, and were one of the first upstairs so we got sorted and I put the bags and cases up in the overheads. Due to the shallow bins upstairs on the 747 I could only get one in each bin sideways, which meant I had put a case in the bin above 63J/K. You guessed it, an Arrogant Man and Woman in 63 arrived quite a bit later on (must have been end of group 2) and promptly removed my case and placed it further away, thinking that the bins above their seats were for their exclusive use. There was no shortage of bin space in the upstairs cabin, about 50% of them were empty - but they took it upon themselves to empty the bins directly above their seats, even in lieu of just stowing their stuff directly opposite them. I intervened and moved my case back to where I had originally put it - it's one thing for cabin crew to move luggage around, but another entirely for other passengers to take it upon themselves to needlessly relocate other people's luggage. As soon as my back was turned, they moved my case out again at which point I asked the cabin crew to intervene. They tried to pacify the situation which led to my case being left where the 63 couple put it and they tried to stow things in way which kept the bins above 63 J/K free, which wasn't possible otherwise I would have done it myself in the first place. The cabin crew completely sympathised with me and agreed that it was first come first served, and the attitude of 63 was awful, but ultimately didn't enforce anything. To make matters worse, the Arrogant Man in the 63 window seat then made a distinct point of kicking my feet/ankles instead of stepping over them when returning to his seat before takeoff.
I would have done the same thing as the other couple. I dont think what they did was arrogant at all and, to be honest, think that they had every right to move your bag, especially when everyone on this board, especially in J, is always going on about the importance of having their bag above their head.
May 2, 2019, 1:10 am
#11
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
The part I don't understand is if the second lot moved your bag rather than use space opposite, why didn't you put your bag there? It would have been the same distance away from you. Yes, it's annoying when people move your bags but to then move your bag back to the contentious spot when there's an equivalent space available seems like point scoring.
I also think that cabin crew are good at mollifying all but extreme behaviour. Their sympathising with you about another passengers behaviour doesn't necessarily mean they agree with your point of view.
I also think that cabin crew are good at mollifying all but extreme behaviour. Their sympathising with you about another passengers behaviour doesn't necessarily mean they agree with your point of view.
May 2, 2019, 1:20 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: South Yorkshire, UK
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Posts: 2,364
I hate to sound like a self appointed life coach here, but why are you dwelling on this? These people have no clue about how their actions made other people feel so holding a grudge against them is like poisoning their tea and then slowly drinking it yourself. In the words of Queen Elsa, let it go.
May 2, 2019, 1:31 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Midwest USA
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Posts: 1,969
IMHO the issue is that some children are spoiled rotten and never learn manners or consequences.
These children grow up to be adults like the ones you have described.
These children grow up to be adults like the ones you have described.