milesmuncher

We like to rant about "dragons" and the generally poor service received from UA employees in this forum - how it doesn't meet a "minimum standard", especially in premium cabins. I'm curious what everyone considers to be the "minimum standard" in the opposite direction - i.e. we as passengers, and how we act toward flight attendants, gate agents, lounge staff, other passengers, etc.

Reason I ask is because I observed 2 negative examples this past week from UA passengers (premium cabin passengers in both cases): one was people cutting in line during boarding, one was the surprising lack of "pleases and thank yous" from my seatmate during beverage service and meal service in domestic first. If you'd like to know more, you can read about them here: http://first2board.com/foodwineandmi...rind-my-gears/

I thought maybe my expectations were too high, but most people I've talked to seem to be of a similar mindset. I'm curious to hear how you typically carry yourself when traveling.

I'll go first, but bare in mind I'm Canadian and so probably go a bit too far in some respects : I admit that I'm likely a bit over the top with my pleases and especially my thank yous - I probably say "thank you" just about every time a FA brings me something or takes something away. I also feel a strange guilt with cutting lines, even when it's "allowed" (e.g. arrive late and use the empty Group 1 line). I'll do it if the other line is long (this applies to hotel check in as well), but if it's short, I usually just join that line rather than flex my "right" to jump past it.

How do you carry yourself when traveling, and what do you consider to be the bare minimum standard all people should adhere to?

demkr

I'd say I have my gripes with employees (especially boarding the plane and not even getting a "hello" from the galley, something that AS does almost robotically)--but yes, pax can be a pain too.

I'd say it does indeed lack manners if a passenger can't even say please and thank you, or acknowledge the FA in some way. I also don't think it's okay for a bulkhead aisle passenger to put his/her feet up on the bulkhead -- it's inconsiderate to people who need to use the lavatory.

Other pet peeves include when people put their ipad and newspaper on top of the SHARED space where our drinks are supposed to go in F. A little common sense/courtesy goes along way.

So I guess the basic minimum standard I have is for people to just get on the plane and respect others personal space, and not be rude.

AeroWesty

This is dripping in irony. Using FT to promote one's blog ... to discuss manners.

That said, I believe in the rules of hospitality when out in public. Be as good of a guest as you are a host, and leave it at that.

schley

Not UA specific and mods will move quickly.

Volga981

I am quite interested in the "thank you" part. Especially in premium cabin, I feel that my "thank you" should be less frequent. Indeed, a FA who is forced to say "you are welcome" for every piece of bread, for every napkin, for every water refill, might be happier if I just limit my "thank you" to once-twice per meal service or a favor in between. I wonder what others think.

milesmuncher

That's a good one - I've definitely had that happen to me as well.


So you're saying it's "bad manners" to include a link in this post? I included the relevant details, and left the full read as a link rather than subject everyone to it unnecessarily. If you don't want to read the full story, just don't. Is it EVER appropriate to include a link to a blog post?

That's fair - if there's a better place to have this discussion, MODS please move accordingly.

I hear you - my frequent thank yous might just be my Canadian-ness showing

AeroWesty

In my view, to begin a discussion to lead readers to a topic you've begun on your blog, with the intent to drive readership off FT and generate clicks for your own benefit, no. There's never an appropriate time to do that. It's bad manners.

mduell

+1

aindfan

Ever since my liberal use of please/thank you earned me a brownie from business class when I flew UA Y JFK-NRT at age 13, I've stuck with it ever since. The only time it seemed like I said the word thank you too many times was on my flights in LH F, as each little bit of food is placed on the table one at a time, yet I still found that I couldn't stop saying thank you for each item (and my F/A's reply "You are most welcome" probably got old for her too, but training/manners prevailed).

I am of the opinion that the better I treat airline employees as a passenger, the better they will treat me. This has worked out for me in all classes of service that I have flown.

Ocn Vw 1K

Although the OP's related incidents occurred on United, the topic is clearly not specific to United and therefore please follow the thread to TravelBuzz. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, United and TravelBuzz.

Ancien Maestro

Personally, I like travelling although its sometimes hard and seems to be a chore.. its a privilege to get on a plane and travel to a nice destination. I find it a privilege to take so much time off and head to a desirable place to spend valuable time with the family.

We do a travel day which is set up to enjoy the rigors of travel.

The whole point I'm making, is we try to keep a positive attitude and outlook.. and treat everyone with respect. If employees along the way is having a tough day, hopefully we can express appreciation for their services, grant thank you's as much as possible, and make the travel experience as pleasant as possible for everyone.

fnothaft

With regards to please and thank you, isn't it just common courtesy to say please when asking for something, or thank you when someone helps you?

milesmuncher

Emphasis mine.

That's your interpretation of my intent, and I can tell you it's wrong. My actual intent was to start a conversation among people who didn't engage in it the first time around (i.e. on my blog). The reason I posted the link, as I mentioned before, was to provide a "full read" for those who wanted more than the key highlights I provided in the post.

I like clicks as much as the next guy, but I'm really not worried about the fraction of a penny (that's not an exaggeration) that I might get from people clicking through.

^

One would think, but apparently it's not universal

AeroWesty

Honest question. If you didn't have a blog, would you have begun this thread? That's the only question which needs answering.

milesmuncher

Honest answer: yes

The one difference I can imagine is that I probably would've started it sooner (i.e. around the same time I wrote the post). The first place I tend to go to share a story / experience is my blog (or maybe Twitter), but sometimes I'll share the same story / experience / information on FT as well - if it feels like something the FT community might also be interested in.