cbn42

I would also have been quite annoyed if this happened to me. I have difficulty falling asleep, and if I'm woken up it might take an hour for me to fall asleep again, especially on an airplane. The FA would not know what my preferred temperature is for sleeping (maybe I'm wearing thermal underwear?) and I have no idea how someone would "look chilly". I also don't like the idea of a stranger putting anything on me while I'm sleeping.

I'm sure the FA had good intentions, but I would have told her or the purser on the way out that this bothered me and she should be more considerate in the future.

Carolina2Cali

I'll apologize for my post then... I do feel you are being sincere. To answer your question, two things, A - your post was edited, not sure if you changed any wording and B - the word inappropriate, while semantics only, felt... off. Especially in today's woke day and age. Most of us can hardly get an FA to pour us a drink or unwrap a sandwich from plastic wrap, so probably a bit of anger and jealousy towards you receiving legitimate service, albeit unwanted. I actually do think all of the airlines should have a blanket, blanket policy (lol !!!) and either do it if it seems right, or forbid it. It definitely would have raised my own eyebrow, but then I suppose I would smile and snuggle up with the blanket, lol.

If an FA were to physically tuck someone in, as someone recently above says has actually happened, this could EASILY provide an avenue for a groping and then call it an accident.

villox

Better than being awoken by them removing a blanket.

Imstevek

why anyone would become a FA these days is beyond me. Or better yet, question why some develop a “dragon” mentality after being in the job.

narvik

First off; is OP sure this was United???
Secondly, I am curious how young/old the FA was.

Judging by the reaction of some in this thread, it seems such a gesture by this FA might be a little naïve, and most likely -over time- will happen less and less, until we end up with a version of a UA FA we all know: this thread gives a glimpse into how an FA could go from a caring, kind and compassionate human being to the uncaring, robot-like, and lazy versions we are all to familiar with.

If nothing else, this all gives me a new found appreciation of United's flight attendants: maybe they really did start off nice; but time and too much "general public" just jaded & depressed them...

FLYMSY

Sheesh, again! With some of the passengers on board these days, it’s no wonder flight attendants are feeling a lot of stress. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Flight attendants are in a no-win situation.

By the way, IMO, this “flight attendant put a blanket on me and woke me up“ situation is a major, trivial first world “problem”. Makes me wonder what the reaction of some passengers would be if a truly major problem happened to them.

Sometimes it’s best to just suck it up and not whine about trivial stuff.

Whatever happened to that “most trivial complaint” thread? (Rhetorical question)

To all those FAs that show thoughtfulness and consideration to passengers, THANK YOU!!!! Many of us truly appreciate your efforts.

bocastephen

Ah, memories of my tug-o-war over a blanket while flying AirTransat.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Yeah - obviously the FA had good intentions and most people would appreciate the effort and then you get one passenger almost throwing a fit instead of letting it slide. You get FAs who try to go above and beyond, get berated, then hide in the galley for the rest of their careers because a simple gesture might be the source of a complaint. They'll go to the bare minimum of service - and then people complain about that. That FA will now probably realize the downside of doing her job well. Too bad for her, too bad for the rest of us.

MatthewLAX

I have to say I am really disappointed in the OP’s reaction and wish more FAs were like this one. I really appreciate that gesture. She was just trying to be nice. I’m thankful her.

MSPeconomist

I have fond (not at all in a sexual sense) memories of a TWA transcon flight in domestic FC when FAs were on strike and an older FA, who had been recalled from retirement to work the flight, kindly did a soothing grandmotherly act and tucked her passengers in. It was a nice caring gesture that compensated for the simplified cold meal.

Unfortunately, I also recall many TWA and PMNW longhaul flights when FAs would turn off the entertainment system when they noticed that a passenger (in IFC of business class) was asleep; this invariably instantly made me wake up due to the sudden lack of sound (music). I learned to make a big sign not to turn off my entertainment system or remove any drink glasses and tuck it between my seatbelt and the blanket before falling asleep, in the hope that a FA would notice the sign before doing anything at my seat when my eyes appeared to be closed.

When FAs try to do above and beyond service, IMO they should be praised and not criticized.

SPN Lifer

I recommend that the first sentence of the thread title be edited from "Inappropriate?“ to "Annoying."

Without question mark.

Regardless of whether the original poster (OP) has female breasts. I suspect they are absent, and the various connotations of the first word in the current title are contributing to perceived and actual overreaction from various perspectives.

Words matter.

Grog

You've been a member on FT since 2008--long enough for you to have learned, if you don't want people to ever wake you in a "public flying tube", put up a sign of some sort.

Open up a tray table and have a huge note laying there. You're in a public space, even stretched out over multiple seats, so don't act like you paid for all three seats or can expect utter solitude.

The word "inappropriate" has been allowed to gain far more traction in the last few years than it ever should have. I dare say it's all too often used inappropriately.

narvik

This thread reminds of an 'incident' on a United Polaris flight, very pre-Covid19:

My requested Spicy Thai Chicken main course was delivered by an energetic and great FA, and placed in front of me on the tray. She then stood back and pensively looked at the bowl for a second or two, then exclaimed: "Cilantro, I forgot Cilantro!".
Before I could say that I am one of those few people who can taste and smell the aldehyde in Cilantro, making Cilantro the most revoltingly ghastly thing to consume, she had already whisked away. Promptly she returned with copious amounts of fresh Cilantro which she immediately placed on top of the Thai Chicken with a huge grin and an expression of pure proudness.
It took me a split-second to consider what to do at this point, and I simply responded with a huge smile and a "Thank you very much."
After she left, I discreetly removed the Cilantro from the dish, and enjoyed my all-time favorite meal on United.

Sometimes tact is the best course of action.

cbn42

I don't think anyone has suggested that this was "inappropriate" in a sexual sense. If OP had felt that way, he/she would probably have been more clear about it. I would say that someone trying to modify my body temperature while I'm asleep and unable to respond is inappropriate, regardless of gender.

To me, good service means providing the customer with the option of something, not forcing it upon them. If the FA was concerned, she could have left a blanket in the seatback pocket or on the tray for OP to use in case he/she woke up and felt cold.

And yes, I know this is a first-world problem and quite trivial in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't make an issue of it.

DELee

But the OP, by selecting the words that were put into the thread title, into a separate thread, and questioning the FA's intent, elevated the interaction to something at that level - a full on service issue. And that's the problem.

The OP has been backing away from those thread title words and perhaps should request a moderator to change them.

David