It is my opinion, that being pleasant is infectious to the people you come in contact with. Being arrogent and stupid only makes them want to avoid you, and to return the attitude.

Surprising the tone of the replies to this string. I would have expected better from this enlightened group.

I have only the upmost respect for FA's when I am in their territory, and try to help make their flight a pleasant one as well. It doesn't cost extra to be nice to people doing a difficult job with the hoards of travelers these days.

EA/AA/FA: If you are reading this, would you be so kind as to drop me an e-mail? Thanks. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

FewMiles..

In catching up with the rest of the comments on this thread since tuning out because of some offensive comments mid-way down, I am dismayed that the tone of comments have continued to deteriorate (and it seems that I have been thinking this about other threads more frequently nowadays).

Could we try to be less negative and less offensive? I am certainly guilty of this on occasion (especially in 2000), but lately I've been able to ignore the one poster that upsets me the most.

And as much as I would like to see EA/AA/FA come back because we need more good people in this community, I don't know if I would blame her/him if she/he didn't.

In the past year, I have seen so many more cases of rude passengers than of rude airline employees. Believe it or not, there are some real jerks out there. They stand in front of me at the checkin counter, they are at the RCC, they are at the taxi line, and they are on this board as well.

For the record, I think that the pax on the HP flight got what he deserved. And I know that I am definitely in the minority, but I think it is about time that airlines stopped serving/selling alcohol on flights as well, or at least put in place a drink limit.

EA/AA/FA has decided to stay, thankfully:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum71/HTML/002299.html

And if I may add: Most F-A's do their job and do it well. There are always a few bad ones in every job and every community.

EA: I have NOT had the privilage of coming to you for assistance or questions on American, I don't fly the airline, but I have heard wonderful things about what you do for us.

You didn't have to do it. You did it on your own time. and We thank you.

Remember, you are part of the F-T family.

FYI: the title of the post may have been inappropriate IMHO. Maybe saying "Beware of angry F-A's."


[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 01-16-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 01-16-2001).]

Although I am probably one of the people considered offensive, let me say just a few more things on this subject:

First, I am not a rude passenger. I sit quietly during the safety demonstration, because I know that some people need it, and it doesn't hurt me to be quiet for a while (or even for a long time!).

Having said that, let me try to prove logically that flight attendants' primary function is not safety. Consider the extra FAs in the First Class and Business Class cabins. Are they there because the First and Business Class passengers need to be extra safe? Or are these passengers especially helpless (being very old and fat, maybe)? Of course not! The extra FAs are there to provide better service, plain and simple. The safety role, if any, comes into play very, very rarely.

I fly all the time and have for years, and I can't remember a flight attendant EVER providing safety-related assistance to me. Once in a great while, I see one get on the PA and ask if a doctor is on board to help an ill passenger, but I could do that (use the PA, that is)!

I have nothing against FAs, and I treat them just as nicely as I treat everyone else, but I refuse to be brow-beaten into "admitting" that they are there to protect me from danger. That's just another example of political correctness, coupled with a desire to make FAs feel good about their jobs (that is, to make them feel that they are more than just service people in the sky).

Incidentally, I do not believe that my views are those of a minority. Most people are just reluctant to say things that others will attack them for. I don't enjoy it, either, but some things need to be said.

Bruce

Originally posted by bdschobel:
...let me try to prove logically that flight attendants' primary function is not safety.

Bruce, I understand your logic to be as follows:

I believe your logic is flawed, because I think it's a fallacy to equate amount of time spent with the importance or primacy of that task. Firefighters, for example, might well spend more of their time playing checkers or shining their fire engines than they spend fighting actual fires or rescuing people from burning buildings. However, it seems indisputable to me that their most important (i.e., primary) function is the latter set of chores.

Wideman

Wideman,

I see your point, but it's not exactly the same situation with firemen. Firemen have to maintain their equipment, while FAs basically do not. Firemen may play checkers, etc., but at such times they are waiting to be called to fires, not performing a job responsibility. FAs are not waiting for an emergency while they serve meals, are they?

I have trouble understanding how something that is done at most 1 percent of the time can be described as a "primary" responsibility. I continue to credit the talented engineers at the aircraft manufacturing companies with keepong me safe on board airplanes, not flight attendants.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. To those who consider me an idiot, maybe you're right! And maybe one day a flight attendant will save my life, but somehow I doubt it.

Bruce

In my travels, I encounter a lot of great interesting people.

Some are passengers, who have interesting travel stories. Some are flight crew who are doing more than simply "collecting a paycheck".

Others include Ticket counter personnel and Gate Agents, who are courteous and creative to assist passengers.

And when I encounter these people, I give them a FlyerTalk business card. Nothing fancy, just something I printed up and hand out.

Because while we as a community know a lot about the industry, a few insiders in our midst can't hurt.

These people are likely to lurk - after all, who wants to tip their hand and be besieged by strangers?

While certainly everyone has the right to complain/advise about bad service, when it gets into a food fight, how many potentially valuable "insiders" decide they don't want to waste their time here?

Just a thought.

------------------
"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

Yes, flight attendants (fortunately) spend only a small portion of their on duty time actually providing safety-related tasks. Would we really prefer it any other way?

I appreciate good service from the cabin crew when flying. I also appreciate the higher crew to passenger ratios when flying business or first. Agreed, this higher ratio is not a safety issue, but one more of airline competition.

However, at the end of the day, I really don't care that much about the in-flight service (if no airlines provided meal service, there would be no competitive advantage and I'd bring my own). I want the flight attendants to be there in the unusual situations, when it really matters.

Years ago I was on a red-eye from LAX to DFW. A short time into the flight there was the smell of smoke, which turned into a slight haze. I was concerned, but some of the other passengers, many who I assume were infrequent flyers, were terrified.

The pilot, while not declaring an emergency, took us back toward LAX while the cabin crew provided safety instructions and prepared the cabin.

By the time we reached LAX the smoke had pretty well be cleared, we landed almost normally and didn't evacuate (although it looked like LAX was prepared for it).

I'd like to think that if things had turned out differently I would have been able to keep my wits about me. But I'm not sure about many of the other passengers. The flight crew helped keep them calm and prepare for landing.

I've been on well over a thousand flights over the years, and this has been my only "emergency" experience. I'm grateful for that.

But I'm also grateful for the flight crews. Hopefully they won't need to use their emergency training too often. But that doesn't diminish their importance during the relatively few occassions they are called upon to do so.

Even if the safety announcement infreases chances of survival just 0.1 per cent it's worth it.

No sympathy for the passenger!

Even if the safety announcement increases chances of survival just 0.1 per cent it's worth it.

No sympathy for the passenger!

Other than the topic title, I see nothing offensive here. In this "tastes great, less filling debate"...I'd prefer better service, please give me "tastes great."

It seems EA/AA/FA sums it up best:
"Being a Flight Attendant is not as it use to be. Somewhere along the way, we have lost compassion and respect for another human being."

That works both ways...

Wow, endless opportunities to get into arguments!

The notion that tiny improvements in "safety" justify any cost are what led the U.S. to enact the ill-fated 55-mph national speed limit. Taking this sort of logic to an extreme, maybe we shouldn't fly at all -- we'd really be safe then! Cars are proven to be more dangerous than planes, but people don't have to listen to pre-programmed safety announcements on their radios before starting the engine (thank goodness!).

The "safety" announcements provide the illusion of safety, just like the "security" questions provide the illusion of security. If anyone wants to buy what they are selling, I have a bridge you may be interested in.

Bruce

I am considdering giving up flying, in fact, I am considdering moving to a farm where my biggest problem is that a sheep is in a bad mood. If it happens to often, I will feed it airline food until it decides to behave.

Maybe if we had FA's in cars people wouldn't do so many stupid things on the road and the highways would be as safe as flying.