Do flight attendants really hate us?
 

Came across an article on a travel website under that title. The author mentioned the fact that 5 out of the 10 worst-performing companies on the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index are airlines. He also gave a couple of examples where flight attendants ignored passengers who might need medical attention or a wheel chair.

Many flight attendants posted comments telling the other side of the story. The article struck a nerve as I had a couple of unpleasant experiences in recent travels. I realize the majority of them are nice people and provide a good service. At the same time, it sure feels like rude behavior by flight attendants are becoming more of a common occurrence.

It'd be interesting to hear from other FTers if you feel that this is true in general. Or maybe it was just a string of bad luck?

FAs are regular people too
 

Flight attendants don't hate us, but they have bad days too. I have a few friends that are FAs and have heard some stories. Think of it like this: Imagine the worst plane trip you have ever been on. Kid screaming 3 rows back, smelly guy 2 seats over, flight is 30 mins late, whatever. And then multiply it by 5 and imagine if that was your life EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY! Flying and trips are so much fun for most of us, but for FAs it is just a job. And like any employee, they get tired and frustrated and burnt out. My FA friends say when they have a few days off in a row, they love to stay at home and do absolutely nothing. It is a tough job and most who do it really enjoy it, but it is just like any other job. I always try to be super nice and kiss a** to any FA when possible, especially on flights late in the day or the week, just because I know they are probably worn out. And usually it works to my benefit such as a comped drink or headphones, which is not the point. Anyway, they don't hate us, they are just regular people.

Think about the daily life of a doctor. One person after another coming in basically unhappy, feeling bad, complaining about one thing after another. People don't go to the doctor when they feel good (usually). Sometimes you can help, often you can't, and sometimes you even have to tell them something pretty awful. Does that mean the doctor should be rude, impolite, or unhelpful? Many jobs in the service industry fall into that category. I do not think that is the basis for why flight attendants behave badly sometimes.

My experience with business is that employees who are treated well by the company treat customers well and employees who are not, do not. Of course, there are exceptions, but if you study corporate culture, the companies with the best customer service are those companies that treat their employees well.

Most airlines treat their employees like s---. There are a few exceptions, such as Southwest, and that is probably why flyers rate Southwest high in customer service.

Short Answer: Sometimes
 

Usually get great service. But sometimes.. Currently in F DTW-LAX, there has been no drink service offered since lunch. The snack basket was just brought around, but don't want to eat w/o something to drink. I can only imagine what it's like back in Y! On the upside, one FA is making great progress on sudoku!

I shouldn't complain, I got UG at the gate. But I figure SOMEONE up here paid for it;)

PS: Water was just brought around. .42oz pretzels here I come!

I think some FAs just don't care, whether due to burnout, bad day, making a statement, or whatever. Regardless of the reason(s), it certainly reflects poorly on the airlines and dampens the customer experience.

You bring it, you sling it!:D

You may not notice it in the 20 minutes you actually spend with your doctor in the course of a visit, but I would argue that the bedside manner of many doctors is going to change depending on how hard of a day they've had as well. A doctor, in the course of a day is going to deal with 20 patients? An F/A is going to deal with 500. And how many of those are going to be having bad days as well and be rude, impolite, and unhelpful.

I think what employees in the service industry need to realize (and I had to come to this realization as a receptionist) is that they are not on their own time. They are literaly being paid to be there while the customer is paying to be there. With the exception of any kind of abuse (which no one should have to put up with) they are there to provide a service and do it pleasantly. If at any time the job gets so annoyning or stressful that they can't pull themsleves out of a sour mood long enough to provide excellent service, then find a new line of work. As somone who's had to cater to incredibly demanding and oftentimes illogical people, I have no care to hear the excuses. You're on someone else's time, you're getting a paycheck, do the work.

A good friend is a GA with CO. She loves her job, but tells stories about how people treat her and her co-workers like crap.

As an aside, she is just amazed at my tails of MRs and the routings I take, like BOS-LAX-ORD-FRA.

I would imagine a significant % of complaints about airlines are not about FA's... but are the result of unrealistic (and therefore unmet) expectations.

Folks book the cheapest flight they can find anywhere.. then complain that:

.the seating is cramped

.I can't change the dates for free

.I got charged for my 250kg of baggage

etc, etc....

My cynicism is showing......again.

Unfortunately GAs and FAs are the only live human representatives of companies that strategize against their customer base all the time, lying and misleading and taking advantage of customers, so of course they catch a lot of crap. I think many FAs just hate their whole no-win situation and take it out on passengers.

A certain percentage of FAs advance from that position, though, to really hating passengers and blaming pax for their own misery. I've heard FAs blame passengers for refusing to buy higher-priced tickets, etc. And most of us have seen FAs explode at passengers for no good reason, throw pax off (or try) for trivial or made-up transgressions, invent fake FAA rules to control pax behavior, refuse to do inflight service they don't feel like doing, etc.

I would say a good 25 to 30 percent of FAs do hate passengers, and 10 percent are sociopathic or otherwise mentally ill.

My experiences are that most FAs are really good. Some are tired or burnt out and shirk work, but will serve an insistent, polite customer. I think customer attitudes and expectations shape the interactions for better or worse.

Last time I looked a doctor earned a lot more than a FA. Hardly a realistic comparison.

(I seem to have read that among professions dentists are often the unhappiest--not sure if that is true or not)

I got a chuckle out of the last sentence. ( I'm gonna have to get my kid to show me how to box these messages ) 30 percent hate Pax and 10 % are sociopathic.

So, I'm wondering, what is the general rate of sociopath ism in the Country?

BTW I have a lot of friends/ coworkers ( at least 300 on a first name basis ) who are FA's . They have a tough job!

The FAA says they are there for reasons other than serving drinks to drunks and withholding peanuts to Delta Y pax on CRJ 200s. Some stewardesses I mean FA's agree on their own bumper stickers. :D