porciuscato

I Have faulted UAL service a lot in this forum. However, I am also struck sometimes about the lack of common manners and civility among the highest echelon UAL flyers.

In the LHR GFL lounge just today, for example, I saw several flyers address the staff in a gruff and dismissive manner, that bordered on insulting. "Nah I don't want anything right now...." says one as he turns his back on the server. Is it really that hard to turn and look at someone and say "No thank you?" I just watched as one of the nicest servers said "good bye" and the flyer just ignored her and turned away.

Last week in the SFO GFL, I was amazed to see several men wearing slouching in with grubby jeans and v-neck t-shirts. I don't think anyone enjoyed the view of the hair on their solar plexi. Manners to go with the outfits of course.

Perhaps manners, decency, and decorum have gone away forever..... sigh.

TonyBurr

More than one Flight Attendant has told me that 1K's can be the most rude passengers. Nt call for it at all.

MBS MillionMiler

I tend to chat up the F/As on long-hauls in the galley on occasion...Usually in Business Class. I've heard more than once, "Thank you for being so polite" then lamenting about how rude some pax can be...They don't bring me even an extra napkin without me saying "thanks".

I've even become friendly with a few of the janitorial/clean-up staff at the ORD F Club...a dish doesn't get picked up without me thanking them. I watch others--very, very, very few people even have the 'audacity' to make eye contact with them, let alone mumble a 'thank you'. It's a shame.

nyr2299

In most service businesses I have utilized, I tend to find that a smile and being pleasant goes a long way. However, when it comes to airlines, this is significantly magnified. With IRROPS, or whatever, the GA's are getting slammed by angry pax. I try to be as pleasant as possible as it would suck to be in their shoes, but it also results in them bending a little bit more to help me out.

Now, there are times when I am swamped, lots of things going on my head or sending emails that I come across as dismissive. Not saying that happened here, but it could have been the case.

But, bottom line, treat people how you want to be treated if the roles were reversed. As for me, I seesaw between GS and 1K...

dank0014

I don't think it's a matter of if you are an elite flyer or not, it is rather just one's personality. I'm sure that those very same passengers do that at other places they probably only frequent once a year as well. It's just how they are raised and more along the lines of they are on a pedestal in our lovely world.

I personally am very calm and always saying thank you, no thank you, hello, goodbye, thanks for a good flight, see you next time, etc. It's just called respect, and my momma taught me well

Also, don't forget OP, others in that GFL could have just bought a one time ticket with United in GF. It could very well be those people too who feel the world revolved around them (not saying all rich people are like that!)

altbg

UA called me last week because one of my flights was oversold (aircraft swap over night from a 739 to 738). The agent explained the situation and asked me if I would be willing to take an earlier flight. I had absolutely no problem with this. She apologized and thanked me multiple times and mentioned how rude and inconsiderate other people can be in this kind of situation and how she appreciates me not yelling at her. I guess I don't want to know what some of these agents have to listen to on the phone.

awu25

I hope you got some kind of e-cert out of it?

I agree with most of OP's comments except the part about clothes. I frequently travel in casual clothes yet I am thanking FAs and gate agents left and right.

RandomBaritone

I'll never forget one of my first flights in UA F, a CPU SFO>BOS. When the FA asked me which entrée I preferred, I smiled and said "whichever you have more of is fine." She looked at me as if I'd just rescued a drowning puppy. She seemed genuinely stunned to encounter even a modest gesture of goodwill.

I found out later in the flight that they had been miscatered, and she had given me her crew meal (!) without a word of mention. Apparently I had spared her a difficult conversation with another passenger. So, yay.

This portion of the OP's comment is off base. I honestly find that the more overdressed the passenger, the bigger the chip on his/her shoulder.

transportbiz

I think 1K pax are also the most frustrated with United. They go to the airport feeling unappreciated and abused, there's till not excuse for a chip on one's shoulder, but I can see some justification for how it got there.

Chiro1979

I was brought up to always say please and thank you and every interaction I have with a staff member always starts with a smile and a good morning/afternoon/evening, how is your day going today? I can't believe how many times they have stopped doing what they're doing, and tell me that I was the first person who asked them that today. I also cringe at the club when I see the cleaning staff remove someone's trash, and the person simply ignores them. I've always smiled and said thank you. I've had several interactions with agents who initially were grumpy and borderline rude (especially at EWR) but by the end of the interaction were all smiles. I honestly think a little politeness goes a very long way.

On an unrelated to UA brief tangent, once in an IRROPS situation in YYZ for my AC flight, while waiting for my flight next to the podium, I witnessed a gate agent who was subjected to insult after insult from various passengers. I understand everyone was frustrated but it was totally out of their control and some people were really getting carried away with their screaming. I honestly felt so bad for her, that I went to Tim Hortons and got her a coffee. I stood in line at the podium, and when I got there she didn't even look up from the screen and asked what I wanted. I said I didn't have question, I just thought you could use a break so I bought you this coffee. She looked like she was going to cry and must have thanked me a dozen times. Well a while later when they were processing Op-Ups to make room for the stand by passengers from other flights and I was shocked that they called my name up and had upgraded me. I had no status with AC - she just handed me my boarding pass, winked at me and said thank you for making my day.

simmang

For a morning flight I was once asked which meal I prefer. I said whichever you have left over. Later in the flight when I went up to the front to use the lav, she thanked me for being so flexible and told me how rude people are to her when their choice isn't available.

I usually chat up the FAs when I'm in FC, and this is a consistent complaint among them how nasty people can be about meal choice. While I am disappointed that pax do get nasty, I also blame United for putting FAs in this uncomfortable situation by not stocking sufficient selection -- especially for people who paid for FC and don't get their first choice.

wanderingkev

I always make an effort to be polite and engaging ,but I will be honest sometimes I have had it knocked out of me.
walked into premium galleys for a stretch and been completely ignored by some one with their head in a magazine,the lack of a simple "have you finished" before snatching a tray from you.My personal major irritant is the reverse glass snatch (irrespective of its former contents) when an FA walks past you in other direction and picks it up and all you see is the back of a hand and an ....
I think we all need to take a breadth some times and give each other a little more recognition.

MostlyUA

Frequently, I will bring a little something for the flight attendant. Whether that is kimbap on the ICN-SFO flights, chocolates on Easter, Valentines Day or Christmas, or a little something I picked up because I was in a good mood. The FA pay is really dismal and I sometimes brighten their day.

zombietooth

Truth, brother!

A business associate and mentor of mine, who had 5 million miles on UA back in 1998 and has only recently died, was a real estate investor that owned blocks of commercial real estate around the Moscone Center in SF. He was incredibly wealthy, but dressed like a taxi driver. Whenever he would take me to lunch when I visited him in SF, he knew the names of every one of the wait staff, bartenders, and managers-no matter which restaurant he took me to. Not only that, he knew many of their life stories as well. People would often shout out to him as we walked together on the streets of SF near the Moscone Center. I gathered, from my many outings with him, that the people that he dealt with on a daily basis loved him.

He was always giving me business advice and seemed to genuinely want me to to succeed. One of things that I remember very well was his admonishment to, "Never trust a man wearing a thousand dollar suit".

limey1K

I actually thought that the title was addressing the lack of civility between premium flyers. I find the BG1 line for boarding to be where some people disregard all prior notions of politeness. My pet peeve regarding rudeness is when the BG 1 line CLEARLY has an end and people that show up late decide to stand off to one side and just push in when boarding starts. Petty maybe but it annoys the heck out of me.