Are you irritated when a f/a concentrates service/attn to certain pax?
 

A while ago, I flew first class ORD-HNL. Across the aisle from me, were an upper middle age couple who talked very loudly, and subsequently I (and everyone in earshot) learned it was their 40th wedding anniversary, and were flying to Hawaii to celebrate.

Upon boarding, they seemed to be asking the pursar for lots of things, and one of them was a newspaper, which aren't provided as HNL is domestic. The man spotted my Sunday NY Times, and asked to read it, and I shared part of it, hoping it might shut them up for a while, which unfortunately didn't. They were so loud you could hear them even with headphones on.

Loudness aside, they appeared to be a nice couple, albeit extremely chatty, but not discreet as they broadcast personal details of their trip, their children, grandchildren, who was meeting them, how successful their kids were...you get the picture.

Anyway, the pursar was attending to our aisle in this widebody, and very much seemed to hit it off with these folks, as she was about their age, and probably a grandmother herself. When serving down our aisle, she stopped for quite a while and chatted with them, and seemingly spent break time at their seats, and periodically the couple got up and walked up to the galley and chatted her and other f/a's there.

My irritation in this situation is that these anniversary folks seemingly never had to ask for a drink refill -- she was always offering, extra bread was offered to them without their asking, desserts, etc. Meanwhile, across the same aisle, I had to ask for refills, if I could get another piece of bread, etc. In fact, during the meal service, I was drinking the same wine as them, and the f/a walked directly to them, poured refills, and went back to the galley while my glass was nearly empty.

When I asked, I was cheerfully served, but sort of felt these two folks were receiving some sort of Premium International Service while the rest of the pax in her section were in a lower type of domestic first class service, which basically are the Hawaii flights nowadays.

To top it off, prior to landing, these folks were presented with a bag of probably 3 or 4 bottles of wine! In the past, I've certainly bonded with a few f/a's, and received a complimentary bottle here and there, but honestly don't recall those f/a's ignoring the other pax in my section.

I didn't make an issue of those pax' loud voices as they might have been hard of hearing, or what I felt was a discrepancy of the level of service received in flight. Being that the f/a was simply doing a good deed and recognizing a couple's milestone anniversary en route to Hawaii, I did not complain to the airline. Lodging a complaint might come across that perhaps I was jealous and petty, so I just let it go.

Nonetheless, I just wanted to vent here. Anyone else has been in a similar situation?

Would you have felt underserved if their seats were empty? Be honest.

unless they got married in their teens, this would qualify them as an elderly couple.

Are you irritated when a f/a concentrates service/attn to certain pax?
Not when it's me :p

Had a flight like that last week. My row mate in the aisle was a GORGEOUS redhead. She was dressed to the nines and had a canary diamond that was the width of her ring finger on her hand. I assumed she was someone flying into ABQ to do a guest shot on one of the TV shows filmed there.

The male FA was VERY attentive to the woman. He made sure her two glasses were always filled and even did the whole squat-chat thing that seems to be reserved for the very few. Not that that I'm really blaming the guy.

And, I'll admit, I ignored the woman for nearly the entire flight. I don't like bothering celebs, which I assumed she was, and, as attractive as she was, my week had been tough and my eyelids were even more enticing to me.

That was my loss. As we came over the Sandias on approach, we started to chat. I found out that she had grown up in Southern New Mexico, owned a business in Abq, and was returning from a quick trip to DC. She actually turned out to be a very nice woman.

I will admit that I have been the reciever of gifts from FA's and a little more attention from certain FA's than other passengers while sitting in F/J/Y. I tend to break off conversation and be aware of other passengers around me and let the FA go and do their job.

I'm with Ginger K, I love it when we get special attention. :)

We have to think up a new description for folks in their 60s Since we all stand a good chance of living to be 100, I don't plan on being elderly until I am 90. Well, maybe 95. ;)

60's isn't elderly...maybe 80's. Punki is way away from either. ;)

I can't imagine how you'd phrase such a complaint. It's either "The service for some passengers was too good..." or "The FA was nice, but wasn't nice enough to me." Either way, it sounds a little silly, doesn't it? Even if it's justified.

I've certainly seen this situation many times, up in the pointy end and down the back, and in my experience it falls into three categories:

** FAs who spend too much duty time with friends who are deadheading or just flying as paying pax. I was once on an AS flight sitting in midcabin when one of our three FAs recognized a buddy sitting across the aisle from me. She rushed through her bit of the rest of the beverage service, then returned, sat on the armrest, ignored the rest of the plane and her share of the remaining service duties, and chatted her friend up until we were nearly over the landing threshold. I don't know why this bothered me as there wasn't anything I particularly wanted from her, but it did.

** FAs who flirt with pax, or respond to their flirting, and focus an undue level of attention on said pax. This happens most often on longer flights, and in the case of gay FAs + gay pax, it can be crashingly obvious. Suddenly one guy is getting long, intense conversations, food from first class and comped drinks or free wine bottles and the rest of us can't get arrested.

** Starstruck FAs who, faced with a celeb in their cabin, go nuts, speak too loudly, ask too many service questions, ask for autographs, etc. I always think this is a big disservice to everyone in the cabin, because most of the celebs I have known, neurotic though they may be, basically just want to be left alone -- and the rest of us would like our peanut packet please.

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary when they were 61 and 63, and while they'd be the first to admit they're no spring chickens, I don't think they quite qualify as elderly. They're both extremely fit and active, although now that they're both over 65, they're more than happy to whip out their driver's license to get the senior citizen discount whenever possible. ;)

As far as 'elderly' -- I suspect that the average age of people who got married in 1967 was probably 20-22. So far from elderly today.

Steve

That's right. I'm with you. I stopped aging and refused to go any further when I hit 22.

Okay, 23.

thats all? Im still 25!

I find it irritating when they concentrate so much attention on a particular passenger that they forget about me. I;ve only ran into this situation in first class. Recently, one FA in first class rushed through drink service so she could chat with one of the passengers; this person was taken care of while the rest of us in first class were ignored. The kicker was that someone in economy class complained about this, as I later heard the FA say.

Yes,

Human nature to feel bias against. Unless you are in such a happy mood to not to notice.:)