Was looking this up online without success after an incident on an international flight and was wondering if you guys had any more information. I was in business class and my husband was in coach (another issue that I won't delve into) and I went back there after we were in the air to give him sleeping medications for the 10+ hour flight--was very rudely told by coach cabin flight attendant that I was a security risk and was not allowed to move between cabins. I asked why and she just kept repeating security risk angrily and I went back to my seat and asked the flight attendant in the business class cabin who said it was fine to go to the coach cabin but that he can't come up (which I understand). Is there a set rule that I can see online (and reasoning) because I'm quite confused.

Of course finding a source is difficult.

A flight attendant friend explained that his airline's policy was inline with TSA policy:

On international flights operated by US carriers destined for the United States (even from Mexico), passengers cannot go from an aft cabin to the forward cabin. They're a two-class carrier, so I couldn't say if that mean moving forward at all or just to the forward-most cabin.

I walk from to back ever international trip, I do not mingle with passengers,mbut I do use the bathroom in the back..

You are suppose to stay in your own cabin, but I have never been stopped..

They do look at me when I pass J, but most of the FA know me by that time.

Next time go to the back bathroom and talk with him in the return up front,

Frankly, I can't see why passing through cabins is a security breach.
Another stupidity from TSA ?!?

Whenever I travel, I always have a walk around to easy my blood circulation.
On EK A380, I wouldn't be able to go to the aft bar, if I didn't change cabin ...

Anyway, be careful : on US carriers, FA are always right ...

Was it a U.S. Carrier flight?

Those carriers are known to be particularly strict about this even if you are a higher paying customer (business and First class) and want to stretch your legs on a long flight or want to talk with a friend/family member. The suspicion is even worse if you appear Middle Eastern or of ambiguous racial appearance....sad, but true.

Which is why I fly international carriers since most have galleys wherever passengers can get up and help themselves with water or juice anytime on a long flight. Coach passengers cannot go to business or first (unless the flight attendant finds a reasonable reason to let them in for a short amount of time, at least) and going near the cockpit door is obviously a big no no.

Sounds reasonable, unlike the U.S. Carriers who hawk at me about getting up from my seat and stretching my legs !!!!

It has nothing to do with U.S. vs. Foreign carriers. U.S. regulations mandate that U.S. bound international flights abide by the "stay in your ticketed cabin" protocol. I've been admonished of the same when visiting my partner in J from the F cabin on CX. I think they are particularly fussy when FAMs are on board. It's fatuously arbitrary, though I'm sure there's was mindless bureaucrat somewhere at some point who thought it was a great idea -- much like the mesh curtains that flood the F cabins full of galley light on our domestic carriers.

I think it's that it's easier to say "security" than "airline rules".

CX is cathaway pacific, right? The Hong Kong flag carrier?

I know that certain Asian airports do this in hopes of receiving visa waiver or the condition on obtaining visa waiver to the United States, Hong Kong and South Korea, respectively.

While Japan is not as stringent since it obtained visa waiver status back in 1989. Unlike Hong Kong and South Korea, Japanese carriers in general do not make you rid of liquids bought post security on US bound flights, unless it a U.S. Carrier.

The crew were not as strict on JAL as long as you do not stay in the cabins you are not part of for too long since they know it is a long flight and let people walk around for exercise. Although, this could very well change if more American FAMs come aboard foreign airlines bound for the U.S. Even though some of those rules are ridiculous !

Air France was somewhat stricter than JAL, but still provided galleys were passengers can stand and help themselves to drinks so long as they do not block the aisle nor block the lavatory doors.

I am presuming that you were on an international flight destined for the US. In that case, DHS (not TSA, although DHS is TSA's "parent" agency) prohibit passenger movement between cabins. Movement does not make you a "security risk," it simply is a violation with all that potentially entails.

I am surprised that you were not told this as part of the pre-flight announcements.

The better practice would have been to have asked the FA whether you may move between cabins and to simply accept the FA's response which is usually "yes" particularly when it is from front-to-back.,

Given how jittery crews are these days with recent security-related diversions, I would not rely on the way it's always been.

So I did ask the FA in business class who said I can walk back to coach but he cannot come
up. The FA in coach was the one yelling security in my face. Thus my confusion.

There seems to be two kinds of flight attendants, radically different. Those who genuinely want you to have a pleasant flight, love their jobs, and are incredible pleasant to customers. And, then there are those who are the biggest power-tripping, homophobic, rude, arrogant, f***ed-up .......s on the planet.

There's very little in-between. My advice, if you don't want the second kind, avoid Star Alliance. Lufthansa was the worst experience I ever had, by far. The other members aren't a ton better.

On DL international flights, I've been told not to go up and down the stairs on the 747, between the upper and lower decks. This would be movement totally within business class.

I had an Air Canada flight attendant YYZ-LHR get a little huffy when I went back and forth between Y and J. When she warned me to stop doing it I showed her two boarding passes in my name for seats in both classes.

Thinking back about this whole moving between classes on aircraft my recollection is that on domestic flights the FAs will sometimes, maybe even usually, try to keep passengers from coach entering the business/first class section. I've seen just about every variation from aggressive blocking to paying no attention. Again just my recollection but it's only been on International flights where I recall an actual announcement that moving from class to class was prohibited. As a couple we've never flown separate classes on the same flight so that's never been an issue for us.

Just out of curiosity, how is it possible to have two BP ? Were you upgraded (thus the Y BP was obsolete) ?


This is absolutely normal. Not for "security" reason, but simply because F pax pay F rate to fly undisturbed.