Nihon_Ni

When I was in a customer service job in college, we always just used "sir" or "ma'am." Nowadays, you never know if addressing a person with two different chromosomes as "sir" will cause such a fuss that the server will loose his/her/its job. Perhaps just using someone's first name is a way to side step that little landmine. Plus, I assume it's far easier to butcher surnames than given names.

sexykitten7

I'd love it! I can't remember the last time anyone called me by my name in F! But hey, as long as they don't forget the PDBs, I'm happy.

Miles Ahead

BA used to have a bewildering selection of titles to choose from, since pared down to a dozen or so. I wanted to pick "Most Holy". "I'm sorry, Most Holy, but we ran out of peanuts".

I was amused by "you'll never see the FA again". That's a sign you're not traveling enough!

enviroian

Ya think??

This isn't 1965 formal years when everyone says "Hello Mr or Ms so and so". I would never think of calling a customer by a first name. I don't expect a customer to extend their hand to me and say "hi Ian, I'm Mr Hand". Who does that? Everyone uses first names. Unless you live at Buckingham Palace I don't see this is an issue not even worth posting about.

Next...

Eujeanie

I prefer not to have my last name bandied about in public - an airplane is not as bad as a hotel front desk, of course, but for me it's a privacy issue.

seenitall

I grew up in an age and culture where you called people by their last names unless:

• they were a kid; or
• you knew them well; or
• they invited you to call them by their first name.

I find it jarring when someone who I do not know addresses me by my first name -- especially because I would not think to do the reverse unless one of the the above three conditions held. Titles (e.g., Mr,, Mrs, Dr, etc.) are accepted in most cultures as indications of respect. I am sure that UA's training for customer-facing personnel instructs their use. And for those of you who state that you are quite fine with being called by your first name, I would assume that you are also fine with dispensing with traditional, but not specified as entitled to you in UA's CoC, items of respect like giving 1K's first choice of meals or letting GS board before others -- after all, we're all equal aren't we? Why should UA FAs be so stuffy?

LimeyFlyer

Personally, I don't consider that as invasive as when I order a coffee at Sbux and they ask me my name.

Still, at that point, I give them a made up name :-)

prestonh

In these parts this behavior fits in the diva subculture. I know many of them.

jgreen1024

That poor flight attendant probably got berated once for calling someone by their non-preferred gender pronoun/title and was accused of being transphobic [moderator edit]. To avoid that in the future, she (I'm making an assumption here about the FA's preferred pronoun!) now calls people by their first name.

venomtrilogy

I never really thought about this before. Even with an oft-mispronounced last name, in the US most people still default to my last name but make it clear with upspeak that they're not sure they're correct. However, elsewhere I'm almost always referred to by my first name. And considering how formal Japanese can be, I've always been called by my first name on ANA.

txpenny

Overreacting, IMO.

First name or last name fine. Sir or Ma'am is fine as well. My pet peeve is being greeted as "boss" or "chief".

Eujeanie

But does anyone else here think it's strange to call your own in-laws Mr. & Mrs Last Name? They are your family now...do you also call your own parents Mr & Mrs. Last Name?

Exleftseat

Agree one hundred percent. I am certainly not pretentious, but that's how I grew up as well in Europe and being in my eighties now, I am really offended when I am
called by my first name at a doctor's office or anywhere else as a matter of fact. First name in Europe only within family, friends or drinking buddy.

Never, never ever have I been addressed by any other than my last name ( plus sometimes title ) by NH or JL in flight or ground staff. As a matter of fact never ever in Japan, per se. Or the rest of
Asia for that matter.

Starman

As a Californian I certainly prefer informality for most things. But consider if the tables were turned. If I heard another pax address the FA as Mary or Sue, I'd be offended. The FAs are professionals doing an often tough job, and using first names with a stranger I would view as demeaning and patronizing at least in this context.

Once or twice when I've flown the identical trip every week for months with the same FA, they've volunteered "call me Sue" and I've responded the same. But I can tell the difference between those circumstances and a first time meeting.

bballdad175

I could care less if they call me by first, last, middle, or someone elses name entirely. I only care that I arrive safely, and have reasonable comfort during the trip, and the staff are pleasant.

For reference, I'm a Californian in the 45+ age bracket...