Personally I have used the F/A call button a handful of times, typically when I am in the window and the passenger in the aisle is sleeping.

That being said, I have absolutely no issue with someone who uses it more, and whether or not one believes the call button should be used for a simple request or not, that in no way justifies the lack of response to it.

I think if you only need a drink and or your audio jack isn't working, raising your hand to grab their attention is more apropriate than hitting the call button.

I think of the call button as a 911 button but I think too many people OVER use it and some FA's have ignored it.

However I have seen some FAs rush to a call button when it rings.

Whenever I am flying true BE, I use the call button without hesitation to get a refill on my water of wine... premium pricing for BE should be accompanied by premium service IMHO... :cool:

-A

I don't understand why so many people think the call button is for emergencies only? I have never seen or heard any instruction about its use. I don't use the call button since I almost exclusively fly in BE, but if there is a FA call button on your armrest, why not use it? If I was stuck in a window seat in coach on a long flight, I would probably use it since the FAs seem to vanish during TPac flights, until breakfast service.

Along with what seems to be the forming conssensus, I have never touched the button deliberately.

To be truthful, though, I must add that the day this changes will be the day I have Deltalina on my flight. I suspect I will be unable to stop pushing the call button. She will have to explain (and I will then post for clarification, given all the above debate) when it should / should not be used. Hopefully she will wag her finger.

Mrs TATL knows where I stand on this. :rolleyes:

I tend to agree years ago it was actually for service. These days with such limited service I am not sure what it is for, since in an emergency, I am not waiting.

Oh brother – this is one sad thread. Rather than focusing on a discussion of exactly what a passenger might expect when pressing the call light we get a report of responders’ usage patterns garnished with attacks on the OP.

Let’s leave all that aside and get down to some actual questions. What is a realistic expectation for response time (obviously dependant on what else is going on--let's say it's that quiet time between cabin service runs)? If it is considered to be a 911 call, why doesn’t it produce someone immediately? etc. etc. etc.

FT FAs - please weigh in.

Almost 1M BIS for me, also never used the call button. I can usually wait a bit to request a drink, blanket, pillow, whatever.

Now, if I saw a genuine dangerous situation on board -- then I would alert the FA with some frantic ringing.

I find "having to grab their attention" to be difficult or even impossible sometimes. It would be useful if an FA could actual walk through the cabin periodically, slowly and making eye contact to see if someone needs something.

Until that happens, I will use the call button as needed. I expect the call button to be answered quickly and efficiently. I get a little annoyed when I can SEE the FA sitting in the jump seat reading a magazine, the seat belt sign is off, and a call button goes unanswered - and then an FA from the back walks by the lit call button, sees it, and keeps walking.

How often does this happen? Often enough to be noticed.

I think a FA on one of my US flights summed it up well. She said " press the button once, and we will come right over, press the button twice and we will be right over, press the button three times and it will eject your seat from the plane."

I have pressed the button maybe once in ten years..... Once was due to an unruly pax on CO, who decided to attack me, but that is yet another thread....

I think it is ok to press it if you have an issue, but is there any reason to press it the volume of times that the OP seems to be? Not to mention that it can be annoying to other pax on non BE flights, with the constant Ding, Ding, Ding.....

Very valid point on the respect to the other passengers part. I often try to catch a nap on flights - the last thing I need is someone constantly ringing the call button and interrupting said nap. An ideal flight is no announcements/dings/etc. from the time between going above 10k feet and when we're starting our descent.

DL's F standard is tray service. If i need something I'll hit the button. If the FA's don't want customers to hit the button then they need to be proactive in the execution of the service.

Furthermore, DL merged with an airline with a large Asian network. Culturally hitting the button for service is the norm.

+1

As to OP's question - barring accidental call button pushes, the two times I can recall legitimately using the call button, it took at least 5 minutes for the FA to show up. For what I needed, the 5 minutes was an acceptable response time.

Won't disagree about this, generally anyway. Think you have to cut some slack to the FA's if the seatbelt sign is on but generally, I would agree. Still, I have done 2 transcons already this year and umpteen last year and never felt the need to hit the button. But maybe that's just me.


[QUOTE=rncolon_2010;15714384In the past year or so the times I've pressed the call button MAYBE 2 - 10x were acknowledged by an FA. The other times I've had to flag the FA as they walk by me, after 1 or 2 have done so before them and it appears to be chore for them.[/QUOTE]

But this really begs the question... If 2-10 times you did get service, just how many times in the past year did you feel the need to press the button?

Personally, I have never used the call button on purpose... but IMHO, I believe the button should be used for things that you can't get/do yourself.

For instance, if I spilled my drink and I need napkins/towels. Sure, I could get up and head for the lav... but if it's a bad spill, I don't want to make it worse by getting up and having it run down my legs. *ding*

Or... I'm coughing... I can't stop. I need water. I'm not drinking lav water. *ding*

Or... I'm in the back of F. They brought me my meal. There's no fork and knife. The FA's just went behind the curtain into the land of Y.... *ding*

These aren't emergencies, per se... but I think they are legitimate reasons to hit the FA call button. I would expect a response within a couple of minutes in all of these cases.