dsquared37

That's what I would have done. With a side of ginger ale please.

I assume you are referring the pax and not yourself.

This seems like the crux of the 'problem'.

^

I don't know what the non-rev policy is though I'm sure it contains something in regards to the demeanor of the individual. However you say he didn't bother you other than the music so there's really nothing to this.


Or at least see if he'd share.

raehl311

I can't believe no one seems to have picked up on the real issue here. It has nothing to do with whether the PAX was non-rev or had been drinking before boarding.

FAs are required to refuse to serve alcohol to intoxicated passengers, and passengers are likewise not allowed to serve themselves. When the FA gives a passenger 4 drinks at once, especially 4 shots, they are failing to perform a federally-mandated function, allowing a passenger who could become intoxicated after the 1st, 2nd or 3rd drink to serve themselves the next one.

Fortunately this passenger just passed out with their headphones too loud, but the FA has no way of knowing in advance if an intoxicated passenger is going to be a problem or not, and far better for them to have had one shot too many than four.

Send a note. A FA should never give a passenger 4 drinks at once.

jkburns1

The real issues seems to be their really isn't one with one exception: Life is so much easier when we focus on ourselves and a lot less on the harmless actions of others.

Because policing FA's should be the #1 priority of every FT'er while in the skies?

How bout we all have a few drinks, smile, and enjoy our short time here on this planet rather then trying to make the life of an FA miserable by tattling over inconsequential nonsense.

DianeDakota

How do you know that he hadn't already paid for the drinks since he had obviously had contact with the flight attendants prior to them bringing him the drinks?

Off duty employees are not restricted from drinking as long as they are not in uniform and do not drink within 12 hours of their next duty.

iker

1) whether the man was drunk is in contention. it's pure speculation.
2) if you can't prove the passenger was intoxicated, you can't prove that there was any failure to comply with what you call a federally mandated function.
3) and why should they never do that? i was seated to an obese person (350 pounds) on a flight to Tokyo last month (thankfully not in coach). he drank two double-shots of gin and tonic one after another. he wasn't phased in the least. i had two sing-shot gin and tonics. i could feel the effects of alcohol. so by your measure, i ought to have reported the flight attendant because they weren't following some federal mandate?

raehl311

Whether he was drunk or not when he was served 4 drinks or not is irrelevant.

Giving a passenger 4 drinks at once is allowing the passenger to serve themselves. That's a failure.


Because when the FA serves passengers one drink at a time, it slows the pace of consumption and gives the FA the chance to evaluate the condition of the passenger before serving each drink. That's part of the federal requirements for serving alcohol on the plane - before a drink is served the FA should ascertain whether the passenger is too intoxicated to be served an alcoholic beverage. When the FA gives a passenger 4 drinks at once, they're failing to do so.

I'm sorry, did someone suggest somewhere any such thing?

It's not inconsequential. Intoxicated passengers can cause significant problems on a plane. That's why there's rules about not serving intoxicated passengers. The FA is compromising safety for convenience when handing out drinks 4 at a time and that's something that should be passed up the food chain.

It's a plane, not a college-town bar, and handing out 4 shots at a time is not appropriate.

cv11nyc

You know working for the airlines for the travel benefits used to be a big perk once upon a time. Reading threads like this heaps more dirt on the simple truth that non revving SUCKS these days.

iker

Two separate flight attendants delivered two bottles (in bags? a little strange) each to the passenger. So we have proof that each of the flight attendants knew about the actions of the other? Just as we have 'proof' that the passenger called on the flight attendants for drinks from his mobile because we all know that he couldn't have been talking to someone else? Proof that the person was a non-rev? If you're 200 pounds, the average weight of an american male, you can drink 200ML of alcohol and still have a BAC of less than .1,which would put you below the legal limit. At least that's what my calculations point to.

So if a flight attendant pours me a stiff drink or if a flight attendant pours me a second glass of champagne before take-off, I should document it and report it to his/her supervisors with the intention of getting fired? Is that what you're advocating? We'd have a shortage of flight attendants.

halls120

This is an appropriate question, and it is nice to see that at least one other UA employee sees that.


Really. So is the following "petty"?

I paid for an extra leg room seat on a recent AF TATL. Shortly before takeoff, a passenger asked a FA if he could move to the empty seat next to me without paying for it. FA said sure. I went to the FA back in the galley and asked if I could get a refund for the seat I paid extra for since they were obviously giving them away for free. I was moved up to Premium Voyageur immediately.

I don't care if the guy was a non-rev or not. If he was getting something for free that the FA's weren't passing out to everyone, the OP has a reason to be pissed.

Sykes

His seat was free too (if we accept the presumption that he was nonrev). Should UA be forced to give everyone else in economy a free seat as well?

There is a legitimate point in the discussion of possibly over-serving the passenger, but the rest of the argument is pretty ridiculous. I recently sat next to a couple of non-revs in economy who enjoyed a few free drinks themselves. Like the passenger in question, they were respectful of others and were just quietly enjoying themselves. I certainly have no problem with that. (And, in that situation, I struck up an enjoyable conversation with them and they treated me to a few drinks too.)

iker

Hals120,

Perhaps this is the real issue of the entire thread, as opposed to what was stated in ivoryboi's post, which asked: "Is it appropriate for the flight crew to give 6 bottles of liquor to someone they apparently know like this?" This discussion has nothing to do with the well-being of a passenger or of UA's alcohol policy, but with the explicit jealousy that frequent flyers (1Ks for both you and ivoryboi) have when they don't get the exact same thing another passenger gets. As a 1K, you've never been given a free bottle of wine? or drink vouchers? When I was 1K, I did. But I'm certain when you were comp'd, you didn't insist all the other passengers receive the same.

After reading ivoryboi's subsequent responses, it seems to be pure jealousy (that he wasn't offered free drinks) that precipitated his submitting the post. To illustrate:

Ivoryboi's first response (post 5) reads: "Liqour costs $$$ in economy - this gentleman was given 6 drinks for free in full view of other paying customers as he was apparently a friend of some kind of the FAs. Is that appropriate?"

His second response (post 8), after he establishes that the passenger must be a non-rev, reads: "and then to be given 6 drinks delivered 2 at a time within 30 minutes without charge..hmmmm."

His third response (post 11) reads: "Then it would be ok for me to ask for 6 bottles of liquor for free also? and all the other passengers in Y too?"

In ivoryboi's fourth response (post 34), the passenger in the middle seat, across the aisle is now a challenging seatmate. Ivoryboi also establishes that he had to buy 7 drinks. The post reads, in part, "Again I don't know whether he paid for his seat or not, but I know I did and I know I would also have had to pay for alcohol on this flight" and continues, "He got 5 hours sleep - I probably would too if it wouldn't have cost me $50!"

So what we have is a petty, over-entitled 1K who feels he deserves more than the guy next to him. And now he either seeks retribution or wants advice for how he can get an equal number of free drinks should he encounter a similar situation.

So pathetic.

lensman

Sounds like an inconvenience but not something that I would bother to report.

This is a key point and the reason other folks' complaints about the FA's allegedly overserving. IMHO, since he did not cause a disturbance, he was not overserved. I don't like seeing FAs put in the risky position of overserving a customer, though - especially if it is a non-rev (not saying it was).

I am not a UA employee but I don't have a problem with this. UA might, but I wouldn't mind if UA provided more in-flight perks for nonrevs. They are already underpaid and the spirit of the nonrev benefit is that they should be provided everything at marginal cost - which in the case of liquor is probably close enough to free for it to be not worth the paperwork.

I wouldn't. I suspect this is the reason that it isn't nonrev policy to ask for things for free that persons traveling in your class of service have to pay for. But the bottom line is that you are not entitled to free booze. You are also not entitled to non-rev travel either. It's an employee perk.

That is true. It's also the case that you're not supposed to identify yourself as an employee flying nonrev so as to not make anyone around you jealous. It's a good policy as is obvious from the fact that this thread got created.

I trust the FAs to do their job and use their judgement. If they make a mistake, that's on them. I don't do other people's jobs for them or tell them how to do their business. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback.

Semi-obviously, since the customer did not create a disturbance, the FAs judgement turned out to be good in this case. Were they good or lucky? At this point it doesn't matter.

OP: It's entirely up to you to do what you want to do. You're here asking for advice and my advice is to let it slide. I like to save up my ire for those truly deserving of it. I won't go for a "citizen's arrest" of someone failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, but I would call in to report someone who has just run someone over in a school zone.

halls120

The only free comp I've ever got was when I was 1P and used miles to UG and take MsHalls120 to Hawaii years ago. It was her first trip on UA in F, and the Purser quietly slipped us a full bottle of wine just before we landed. And that's the point. He did it in a manner that wasn't obvious to other passengers, and it didn't make me uncomfortable. For the OP, those perks were obvious, and simply bad form by the FA's on that flight. I'm not excusing the OP for being jealous, just pointing out that it can't be all that surprising.

It was much like what the AF FA's did when they gave away a seat for free. If no one had noticed it, no big deal. But we did notice it, and they had to make accommodations for showing favoritism.

So what if it was jealousy? Does that make what the FAs did right? You might consider it pathetic, but that's life.

weero

In the eyes of the UA apologists? Most certainly. It can be excused as "safety" thing as by anesthetizing him. they saved your from the rap music ... or something like that.
So writing in is ok - CO can then decide if it was a non-rev or not ... if not, no harm is done and if yes, they can cane him.
I doubt that is true and he was loud, after all.

ivoryboi

Haha - this post made me laugh - you decided you like me huh!?

I don't drink on flights. Period. Never have.

Sorry, English is not my first language so sometimes perhaps I don't make myself very clear.

My issue is with overserving - not with someone getting something for nothing - in my many years as 1K on UA and high tier elite on other airlines trust me I have had plenty of freebies and am not a jealous person in any aspect, I seem to have touched a nerve with some people here which I think is a shame - I just asked a simple question.

It seems I am not as much of a community member here as others - I don't seem to have the same level of pre-formed ideas and opinions about others that don't agree with my questions.

I'll just stick to other forums where everyone is not as touchy in future.