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Getting yelled at by FA "when seatbelt sign is on but need to get to bathroom"

Getting yelled at by FA "when seatbelt sign is on but need to get to bathroom"

Old May 8, 2015, 1:17 pm
  #1  
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Angry Getting yelled at by FA "when seatbelt sign is on but need to get to bathroom"

ORD-SFO 757 seat belt sign on, no chop condition. I see people getting up to go to bathrooms. When I get up, an FA comes in the aisle to collect trash, she's in my way so I stand in my seat to let her pass, she stops next to me and starts yelling for me to sit down and buckle up. I said that I have to go to the bathroom, she yells that she has to tell me that seat belt sign is on. I pointed at other people standing by the bathroom door, she yells again that she has to tell me to sit down and buckle up. I sit down and buckle up wait for another 15 min to the seat belt sign to turn off and then make a dash towards the bathroom.

I know she's required to do whatever she did, but cmon the attitude these days are uncalled for.

Last edited by tashi; May 8, 2015 at 1:26 pm Reason: typo
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Old May 8, 2015, 1:21 pm
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i will politely always ask a FA if i may use the restroom when the seat belt sign is on, i also wont get up to use the lav unless one is open when the seatbelt sign is on.
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Old May 8, 2015, 1:33 pm
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The way I go about it is to tell the FA, in a nice way, that I know she cannot condone me getting out of the seat to use the lav, but it is an emergency and I will be careful.

That has always done the trick, though it is very rare that I cannot hold it till the light goes off. I make it a point to always hit the loo in the lounge prior to boarding. Who likes a dirty smelly onboard lav anyway? It's not like we are talking about EK F...
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Old May 8, 2015, 1:38 pm
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Originally Posted by jasonp622
i will politely always ask a FA if i may use the restroom when the seat belt sign is on, i also wont get up to use the lav unless one is open when the seatbelt sign is on.
I don't put the FAs in an awkward position by asking. I just go if it's really necessary.
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Old May 8, 2015, 1:52 pm
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Yeah, as I understand it they are not allowed to say it's ok for you to get up when the sign is on. So, asking does no good. I try to wait, but if I really need to go, I just say "Sorry, I couldn't wait any longer."
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Old May 8, 2015, 1:58 pm
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Originally Posted by tashi
ORD-SFO 757 seat belt sign on, no chop condition. I see people getting up to go to bathrooms. When I get up, an FA comes in the aisle to collect trash, she's in my way so I stand in my seat to let her pass, she stops next to me and starts yelling for me to sit down and buckle up. I said that I have to go to the bathroom, she yells that she has to tell me that seat belt sign is on. I pointed at other people standing by the bathroom door, she yells again that she has to tell me to sit down and buckle up. I sit down and buckle up wait for another 15 min to the seat belt sign to turn off and then make a dash towards the bathroom.

I know she's required to do whatever she did, but cmon the attitude these days are uncalled for.
yelled....really?
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Old May 8, 2015, 2:20 pm
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how many people were already on line for the lav? (u mention u pointed to people standing around the bathrooms already)
can't understand the yelling portion of this thread, but perhaps she was frustrated that with seat-belt sign on, that people were queuing...i have seen them ask people to remain seated during potential turbulence instead of queuing for the fc lav
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Old May 8, 2015, 2:37 pm
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Getting yelled by FA

Get her name and sent UA an email. I hope the dinosaur gets canned.
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Old May 8, 2015, 2:39 pm
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Originally Posted by jasonp622
i will politely always ask a FA if i may use the restroom when the seat belt sign is on, i also wont get up to use the lav unless one is open when the seatbelt sign is on.
That is my sop as well and if I reach the f/a before they reach me, I tell them that I know the seatbelt sign is on "but I really have to go"
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Old May 8, 2015, 3:09 pm
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It really bothers me the way the UA attendants enforce the seat belt. Half the time the seatbelt sign is on when there are no bumps. Half the time it's 30 minutes on the runway, then 20 minutes after takeoff no sign of a beep for the seatbelt sign.
It gets ridiculous.

It's one thing to recommend people stay seated, it's another to admonish a passenger for going to the bathroom.

It's not quite like this, IME, on other carriers. FAs will often 'remind' pax of seatbelt sign, but not demand that they go back to their seat
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Old May 8, 2015, 3:27 pm
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Originally Posted by demkr
It really bothers me the way the UA attendants enforce the seat belt. Half the time the seatbelt sign is on when there are no bumps. Half the time it's 30 minutes on the runway, then 20 minutes after takeoff no sign of a beep for the seatbelt sign.
It gets ridiculous.

It's one thing to recommend people stay seated, it's another to admonish a passenger for going to the bathroom.

It's not quite like this, IME, on other carriers. FAs will often 'remind' pax of seatbelt sign, but not demand that they go back to their seat
I like foreign airlines who typically turn the seatbelt sign off shortly after 10K or so providing the weather and conditions allow.
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Old May 8, 2015, 3:45 pm
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I usually don't mind so much that the sign is on (although I'm sure we've all had a few flights where it felt like it was on for a very long time for no reason). But, there is a big difference between "I'm sorry, I have to remind you that the seatbelt sign is on and you shouldn't be up and about" and "Sit down and buckle up." It's all in the attitude.
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Old May 8, 2015, 3:52 pm
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Another option might be to ask the FA to ask the pilot if the sign is on for a reason or if he just forgot to turn it off. It really is a passenger inconvenience to have the sign on for no apparent reason, especially these days with people stacked in planes like cordwood (I especially liked this item by The Onion! ), so it should not be a problem for the FA to try to call the cockpit.
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Old May 8, 2015, 4:32 pm
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This can't be true. Isn't UA the Friendly airline?

I think a lot of it comes down to attitude and that is also the difference between a good and bad FA. I came of from a SFO-TPE flight in C very unhappy and a large part attributed to the flight attendants attitude and rush. UA is smart, friendliness is cheap and free but not measurable and not dished out consistently.
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Old May 8, 2015, 4:49 pm
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Originally Posted by tashi
ORD-SFO 757 seat belt sign on, no chop condition. I see people getting up to go to bathrooms. When I get up, an FA comes in the aisle to collect trash, she's in my way so I stand in my seat to let her pass, she stops next to me and starts yelling for me to sit down and buckle up. I said that I have to go to the bathroom, she yells that she has to tell me that seat belt sign is on. I pointed at other people standing by the bathroom door, she yells again that she has to tell me to sit down and buckle up. I sit down and buckle up wait for another 15 min to the seat belt sign to turn off and then make a dash towards the bathroom.

I know she's required to do whatever she did, but cmon the attitude these days are uncalled for.
Unless there was a loud noise at the time (like a PA announcement or the landing gear just dropped) I have never heard a FA yell at anyone.
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