What do you do when the cabin-crew has a bad day?
 

Just flew into LAX from HKG on CX880 in J-class, and was pondering this question on the way. From the point of boarding to the point of landing, the crew seemed to be constantly off-balance:
1. They took my coat,but not the boarding pass and took no note of my seat number. So upon landing they were holding my coat out to any passer-by who fancied it.
2. Simple requests, such as for a teaspoon, a cup of how water, etc., had to be repeated three times before action was taken.
3. A bottle of water was set aside for me, and promptly given to someone else.
4. There was a lot of running/swift walking back and forth in the cabin which of course drove a lot of interference with us passengers when they had to step into "our" space to let trolleys roll by.

Granted, one by one these are all small gripes. But when these little things start accumulating on the same flight, what do others do? Do you have a chat with the in-flight manager? Do you grin and bear it? Have others experienced flights where the crew seems in disarray?

As other posts from me show, I am in general a big CX fan, so I don't yet (:D) consider myself a grumpy guy in general. This flight, service-wise, was a disappointment.

Is the FLT served by LAX-based crew? From my experience I found the LAX-based group not on par with the usual CX standard. Last time when I took a LAX-based crew-served FLT, there were also many little things that they just didn't do well.

How many FA's were there in J-class on your flight ? What was the FA: PAX ratio in J on your flight ?

I have recently been alarmed at the FA to pax ratio on CX flights, esp. for a 5* airline. I'm taking approx 40 CX/KA flights/year and I am amazed at how hard the cabin crew work. There's v.little let up for these guys, esp. in Y class. They are constantly working hard to provide even the minimum of service expected, and then they always get the 'special requests' which seem to take up an inordinate amount of time.

I don't know anything about their roster/schedules, but I am always so impressed that they retain their smile, welcome and attention under such a schedule, which I suspect is grueling in many aspects.

A one off maybe?
 

Flight yesterday from LAX to HKG did not suffer from any of the earlier mentioned maladies at all. Again a crew oozing with friendliness, courtesy and a keen passenger-focus. :D