Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > TravelBuzz
Reload this Page >

why do flight attendants in North American carriers have such a bad attitude

why do flight attendants in North American carriers have such a bad attitude

Old Jun 15, 2015, 11:19 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
I can understand their attitude serving a bunch of lards all day, boarded up in a metal tube,
satman40 is offline  
Old Jun 15, 2015, 11:37 pm
  #17  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,691
Cool

Originally Posted by satman40
I can understand their attitude serving a bunch of lards all day, boarded up in a metal tube,
It's spelled "lords."

Doc Savage is offline  
Old Jun 15, 2015, 11:45 pm
  #18  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: FSD
Programs: BAEC, Delta SkyPesos, VS FC, SQ KF, AA, HHonors
Posts: 1,884
I see it as a perfect storm of pressures.

Working conditions:
-Steady decline in quantity/quality of compensation& benefits
-Hostile worker-HQ/exec relationship
-Longer hours, constant pressure to cut costs

Environment:
-Massive competitive pressure
-Aging planes, atrophying product: I would be dispirited to pass around Wal-Mart grade snack bags when in the past I offered decent roast dinners. Never mind the piano bars or the "MGM flights" with Paul Newman working the bar.*

Passengers:
1) Stressed from security
2) Feel squeezed by the fares (irrational with historic perspective; but flying a family of 4 at $400/pp return on the average American income would feel expensive)
3) Wonder where the full meal is. PanAm served one in F in 1982!
3a) Some genuinely awful arrangements (East Coast-Hawaii coach on UA)
4) Ill-behaved, tiresome, inexperienced, demanding, etc pax.


*One of my grandfather's favourite travel stories
Amelorn is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 12:39 am
  #19  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 88
Originally Posted by Amelorn
I see it as a perfect storm of pressures.

Working conditions:
-Steady decline in quantity/quality of compensation& benefits
-Hostile worker-HQ/exec relationship
-Longer hours, constant pressure to cut costs

Environment:
-Massive competitive pressure
-Aging planes, atrophying product: I would be dispirited to pass around Wal-Mart grade snack bags when in the past I offered decent roast dinners. Never mind the piano bars or the "MGM flights" with Paul Newman working the bar.*

Passengers:
1) Stressed from security
2) Feel squeezed by the fares (irrational with historic perspective; but flying a family of 4 at $400/pp return on the average American income would feel expensive)
3) Wonder where the full meal is. PanAm served one in F in 1982!
3a) Some genuinely awful arrangements (East Coast-Hawaii coach on UA)
4) Ill-behaved, tiresome, inexperienced, demanding, etc pax.


*One of my grandfather's favourite travel stories
Is it still that much if you add in economy comfort cost, plus checked lugage and food fee (for domestic flights) vs. the 80s and early 90s adjusted for inflation? So whose fault is it after 1978? I blame the passengers for constantly demanding a dumbed down product like NYC to LAX for 300 dollars or I'll walk.

Last edited by ren0312; Jun 16, 2015 at 12:44 am
ren0312 is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 12:51 am
  #20  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bangkok or San Francisco
Programs: United 1k, Marriott Lifetime PE, Former DL Gold, Former SQ Solitaire, HH Gold
Posts: 11,886
Originally Posted by ren0312
Is it still that much if you add in economy comfort cost, plus checked lugage and food fee (for domestic flights) vs. the 80s and early 90s adjusted for inflation? So whose fault is it after 1978? I blame the passengers for constantly demanding a dumbed down product like NYC to LAX for 300 dollars or I'll walk.
And you would be completely right. The airlines are supplying what the majority of passengers asked them to supply.
Tchiowa is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 12:59 am
  #21  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 88
Originally Posted by Tchiowa
And you would be completely right. The airlines are supplying what the majority of passengers asked them to supply.
I guess as an Asian I come to expect food, free checked luggage, and nicish flight attendants for my flights in legacy carriers, the 31 inch seat pitch really does not bother me personally as a 5'8 person.
ren0312 is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 1:11 am
  #22  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,691
Cool

Originally Posted by ren0312
I guess as an Asian I come to expect food, free checked luggage, and nicish flight attendants for my flights in legacy carriers, the 31 inch seat pitch really does not bother me personally as a 5'8 person.
You get food on TATL or TPAC on all airlines.
Doc Savage is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 1:13 am
  #23  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 88
If you are a FA on JAL or ANA flying the domestic routes you probably do not have to worry about obnoxious or unruly passengers, compared to an FA on UAL or Spirit.
ren0312 is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 1:17 am
  #24  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,691
Cool

Originally Posted by ren0312
If you are a FA on JAL or ANA flying the domestic routes you probably do not have to worry about obnoxious or unruly passengers, compared to an FA on UAL or Spirit.
Yeah, those Japanese business men never drink and get rowdy.

Dude, you are straying into dangerous territory. Best not start a war.
Doc Savage is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 1:17 am
  #25  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 88
Originally Posted by Doc Savage
You get food on TATL or TPAC on all airlines.
Lufhansa, BA, Air France, and Aeroflot serve better food on economy than Air Canada or the US carriers. I remember having smoked salmon for my salad on Aeroflot economy on a Beijing-Moscow flight in 2010.

Originally Posted by Doc Savage
Yeah, those Japanese business men never drink and get rowdy.

Dude, you are straying into dangerous territory. Best not start a war.
Well I know all about what happened in Nanking and the Pacific POW camps so no need to tell me about that.

Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jun 16, 2015 at 8:25 am Reason: Combine consecutive posts of same member.
ren0312 is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 3:16 am
  #26  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,215
I agree with the OP - it's extraordinary just how bad the FAs are on American carriers. Years of flying UA has inured me to the awfulness but, as my wife says, even the grumpiest crew on BA or VS are charm personified compared to the best UA crews - and I'm reasonably confident that the same comment would apply to AA or DL ones. The best UA crews are competent and force a smile, but are charmless. The worst are like prison wardens.

But why? Blaming the unions is not the reason as so many other airlines are also unionised. Age is certainly an issue but perhaps tenure is more the culprit here - years of doing the same job in deteriorating surroundings will take its toll, but other airlines face similar issues.

Certainly relentless pay and benefit cuts must be significant. I remember flying UA some years ago during the BA FA strike over pay. The UA FA told me that the BA FAs were, pre-strike, earning over double the UA London-based crew. If you go into a job in your early 20s that is high status and well paid and, 30 or 40 years later it's the opposite - and you are still doing the same thing - it must be demoralising.

But essentially I think it's a management issue. Management does tend to get the staff it deserves.
lhrsfo is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 4:03 am
  #27  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,438
I wonder how any of them can maintain their enthusiasm for the position after so many years of putting up with everything. In my opinion it's just a position that ideally should be rotated, even if it means giving each tenured FA a promotional assignment somewhere else in the company with the same level of benefits or better.
VivoPerLei is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 4:25 am
  #28  
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
Originally Posted by Doc Savage
You get food on TATL or TPAC on all airlines.
Not any more...

http://www.norwegian.com/uk/travel-i...rica-and-asia/
stut is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 4:53 am
  #29  
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: SEA once more (previously CDG and NRT)
Programs: Former DL DM and UA 1k, now a J class free agent (UA Gold, AS MVP Gold)
Posts: 2,450
Originally Posted by Doc Savage
You get food on TATL or TPAC on all airlines.
Not on IcelandAir.
SEA-Flyer is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2015, 5:23 am
  #30  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Monaco
Posts: 317
why do flight attendants in North American carriers have such a bad attitude


It's a cultural thing.

For a North American, the uniform (incl. flight attendants, police, military), and the assumption of power, is the immediate opportunity to drop his fake friendliness, his superficial socialising, his frustration about his wasted "dream".
LuxuryRogue is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.