Ringing the call button to get a drink
 

here is the scenario. Food and drinks have already been served. Flight is quiet and people are reading or watching the IFE. Flight attendants are 'behind the curtains' or not visible.

Do you think it is rude to ring the call button to ask for something to drink? 9/10 times on a US domestic flight they don't seem to happy to get the request.

No, thats what its there for.

I agree. However, I can never bring myself to use the call button. :(

That's my point. They make you feel like you are doing something wrong or bothering them.

Interesting question indeed :)

Generally my experience is that non-US FA tend be be more willing to respond to you pressing the call button (at least in the premium cabins), whereas US FA tend to be of the opinion that the call button is there for emergenies only (we all know the silly explanation "We´re primarly here for your safety etc." aka "don´t bother us while we are chatting in the galley or reading a magazine")

Anyhow, in most cases I just went to the galley and politely asked for another drink or whatever I needed.
When I don´t get to see the FA providing any service for more than an hour (on a day-time flight) I don´t really mind what they might think of me when I go to the galley to ask for a drink etc.

Is this in first or in coach? I've not considered ringing the call bell in coach...I assume they have their drink service and that is the time to get the drink...not whenever I want it. If in first, I have no problem ringing it but they usually are attentive.

lets say coach for this discussion.

Dingo. I agree... In Y, I will only ring the call button if I need something, not if I want something. On long flights in C/F I prefer to walk back/front and stretch my legs. If it means disturbing somebody next to me, i'll ring the call button as well.

Just can you can use it, doesn't mean you should be obnoxious about it =).

I bring a big cow bell and ring it loudly.

Just kidding. I get up and go to the galley. It also gives me a chance to use the lav or stretch my legs.

another trick to help reduce a bad attitude is to ask for a drink to take medicine. Kind of hard when you order a beer though :p

Seriously? 9-10 times on a flight? If I had that many drinks of anything, I'd be in the lav for the entire flight.

If it was soda or water, next time ask for the can or bottle and save them the trip.

:D

Ya think that might have meant "9 out of 10 times on a US domestic flight"...

Earlier quote:
Originally Posted by dingo
Is this in first or in coach? I've not considered ringing the call bell in coach...I assume they have their drink service and that is the time to get the drink...not whenever I want it. If in first, I have no problem ringing it but they usually are attentive.

On any US airline in which I traveled in recent years, ringing the call button in Economy for a drink refill is an exercise in which expectations - any at all - are likely to far outweigh results - likely to be none.

Drinks come with the rare and infrequent passing of the beverage carts ciculated about as slowly as carts placarded "Bring Out Your Dead' rolled through the streets of European cities during manifestations of the Black Death. The expression you may see on the FA's face when you ask for a drink will probably be like those of the "Dead Cart's" driver.

9 out of 10 times....

Anyway this brings up another interesting point.. Dirty looks when you ask for a can or they say 'sorry, we don't have enough to give you a can'

Absolutely. I never have the slightest qualms about using the call button for this and, indeed, if it is not answered in a reasonable time (5-10 minutes), I'll re-set it and ring it again.

I also have no qualms about using my call button.

Hmm, this reminds me of me sitting row 56 or something like that on SQ, 3am, can't sleep because it's Y and I'm 6', so I push the call button. 30 seconds later: 'How can I help you'. 'I would like a Singapore Sling please'. 60 seconds after that 'Here you go sir'.

^^^^

And of course their premium cabins are fully booked - unlike some airlines, they don't feel they need to treat their Y pax like dirt in order to upsell to J/F.

Only ever done it once, on Qantas, and even got a smile ... from a male FA! Wow.

Another time on QF i went to the galley to get a drink and found i felt like a giant intrusion as the crew were busily doing things. Approaching an EK galley anywhere within 4 hours of a meal service is a nightmare, anyway i generally regard those pax that hang out in the galley as a supreme annoyance, as they are in everyone's way.

On the *A MegaDo we all pressed our call buttons immediately upon hitting cruising altitude and nothing happened. :p (It was kinda neat seeing an entire 757 with call lights on though.)

On a regular flight I don't hit the button. I just get up and go to the galley - it's a good excuse to walk around a bit.

I thought the call button was used as another 'music' option. :D

I just flew OZ (Asiana) upstairs on a 747. Every time I rang the call button, I started counting 1 2 3 4 5... The highest number that I counted to was 8 (seconds). :eek:
I did this multiple times on 2 flights between Seoul and JFK return. I never had a chance to count to 10 on both flights.

d

I will use it, but always with lots of pleases and thank-yous. Never had a problem.

9 out of 10 times still presumes that one has rung the call button at least 10 times while flying. whereas i've maybe used it 3 times in my whole life.

If I were regularly thirsty enough that I couldn't go an hour or two between drink services, I'd probably make sure I brought something onboard with me. In fact, I usually always have an iced tea from Starbucks when I board.

If I'd tried counting on a recent Iberia flight I'd have lost count.....and that was in business! Within Europe I find BA are pretty good, Iberia good when they can be bothered and LH too scary to even think about ringing in the first place!

I have never used my call button for anything. I usually just walk to the galley and submit my request there.

If you were in a window seat in coach and thirsty (even for water), isn't hitting the call button less disruptive than asking the middle and aisle seats to get up or wake up in order to go the galley? Or, if the seat belt light has been on for 2-3 hours, and you really need something to drink, what else would be an option?

Feel free to use the call button, that is what it is there for.

+1
Most of the time I am in an aisle seat, so I have no qualms about getting up and going to the galley. However, if I'm in the middle of doing work (have my laptop out, etc) or in the middle or window seat, I have no problems whatsoever dinging that button. As also mentioned, if no response is rendered within a few minutes, I will reset and ding again.

You're there primarily for my safety, but you are there for food & beverage service as well. If you don't want to do that, your good-for-nothing union should get the airline to eliminate that amenity. :rolleyes:@:-)
As well, we always hear that flight attendants are always paid while they are in the air...well, if you're getting paid, you're there to work - not socialize or read.

If I haven't seen an FA for awhile, I'll ring the call button. Doesn't matter if I'm in coach, biz or first. That's what it's there for.

The button clearly shows an FA with a drink tray. Yet, on United, use of the button often gets no response or a "what's your emergency" type comment.

I agree, you can't compare SQ with a US based airline

I always take an aisle seat so I can get up, stretch a little, and walk to the galley to politely make my request and perhaps engage in a little conversation before returning to my sardine seat.

I have no problem ringing the call button for drinks, peanuts, anything

YOu just ask the FA nicely that's all. Don't be a demanding jack a*s*s

Never had any problems

On LCC AirAsia they arrived at the ultimate solution to the economy class call button service issue. It is a LCC with dirt cheap fares so food and drink items are for sale (at reasonable prices). The FA's earn commissions on all in cabin sales. Consequently they request that you "please press your call button if you would like anything at any time during the flight" when they make their service announcement and they respond instantly and with a smile when you do. It's a good system.

I believe Virgin America operate a more sophisticated version of the same concept. Makes sense to me.

It is not rude. It's fine. However, I agree that many FAs don't seem to like being "called." I judge by the situation. In some seats, if there is no turbulence, it's better to just go to the galley and ask for it there, so you minimize the amount of walking the FA has to do. I'm not getting up and getting my own hot coffee though. I'll just have to apologize and thank them a lot for bringing me the needed caffeine. Believe me, they don't want me tromping up and down those narrow aisles with a coffee cup. Same for red wine, but after observing several of my fellow pax enjoy "interesting" accidents, I no longer order red wine on airplanes, so I don't have to worry about that one.

I don't think it is rude at all as long as you make the request politely.

I still can't seem to bring myself to do it though.

I probably ring it on less than 10% of flights, but I have rung it for drink service, especially when I'm not on the aisle. I have seen cases where it went unanswered for >10 minutes, even with a re-ring. The typical response (on UA) is gracious.

I've rang the thing all of twice.

1) BA A320, during the safety demo, the fold down monitor near my head didn't stop folding down, going back up, back down, etc. That just needed to stop right then before the motor burned out.

2) AA 767 DFW-LHR. Stuck in middle seat after misconnecting, can't sleep. Both aisles snoring with me thirsty. Sorry but the FA can bring me a drink without waking anyone up- I can't say the same thing about getting out of the row. (Perhaps that I remember this says how strongly I work to stay in aisles at all times?)

I always feel like a bother when I consider using it, though, even in F.

Only done it once, and that was by accident.

Was getting seated in an Economy Extra seat on a SAS Airbus A340, where the button is on the small remote that stowed in a small "pocket" on the inside of the armrest. I simply pressed the button with my thigh while sitting down, and not before my a** was planted in the seat, a female FA came to ask what the matter was.. "Oh, did I press the button? Sorry, that was an accident, I'm really sorry". "Oh, not a problem at all", she smiled :)

For the rest of that flight, drink services were to frequent for me to ever need to push it again.

With the wonderful new attitude and service on AA lately I wouldn't hesitate if I REALLY needed something. Once in the past I had an FA just about bite my head off when I asked if they had any extra warm nuts floating around the galley, so I never had the courage to ever ring the call button again.