To wonder how flight attendants keep their temper

[HamishBamish]

I've done a lot of long haul travel over the past week and have marvelled at how calm and even tempered flight attendants are.

I was amazed how many people can't follow simple rules and need to be told time and time again the following.

• Don't have your seat back during take off and landing
• No leaving your seat when the seat belt sign is on
• No bags blocking the isle, they need to be under the seat in front

These are safety issues, but clearly some people think they know better!

Also, the amount of demanding and just generally rude behaviour I witnessed was incredible. Not to mention the complete disregard for the comfort of other passengers (I won't go over reclining seats again, been done to death but wtf!) and selfish, self centred behaviour.

Do people leave their brains at home when they travel? How on earth do flight attendants stand dealing with it all, day in day out?

specialsubject that is rubbish. Sitting upright is the natural position when awake, not reclining, and as long as you are healthy it should not be uncomfortable at all. People don't recline when driving long distances, do they? Nor if you work in an office at a computer for 8 hours? Nor on a train or bus journey? When eating?

So why would you on a plane, except for when you're sleeping?

I was very recently on a short flight to Scotland. The plane was tiny and the aisle narrow. The poor attendant only had fifteen minutes to give out hot drinks and a biscuit before we landed. Some idiots, when asked, "Tea or coffee sir?" ummed and aahed for ages as if it was a million dollar question. One man in front of me changed his mind while she was actually pouring! Her face was a picture of resigned patience. Totally inconsiderate and 'entitled' behaviour. But the training is long and hard, and they're taught how to deal with twats.

no, it is not rubbish; it is a different opinion from yours. However the facts are airline seats are poorly padded and the position un-reclined gives me backache. If reclining was so bad they wouldn't do it on almost all planes.

whatever - my flying is probably done and I've seen a lot of the planet.

as for the original question; the stroppy arse passengers are all gone within a few hours. This is the mantra for all of us who have worked in tourism.

I'm ex-BA. For every stroppy, sarcastic passenger, there'll be a story that warms your heart, someone who is being deported or an elderly person flying for the first time. There's good and bad everywhere, not just on board an aircraft.

Frosty - I'm surprised that the two drunks on your flight weren't picked up at boarding. In one job at Heathrow, I'd have to scout the queues boarding and we'd not allow anyone who was that far gone to fly.

I'll be keeping my seat reclined when I fly on Saturday as long as the food isn't out. Not a very long flight but I can't keep it upright. Wonder if there will be a thread when I get back! :o

Wibbly and sometimes you get nervous passengers like me who just want some reassurance or a (metaphorical) hand to hold. Hopefully I don't fall into the annoying category :)

Lollipop - I think BA were pretty good with nervous flyers, I'd much rather have had a nervous flyer than an arrogant drunk or lech.

YANBU. I also never understand why, the second the seatbelt light gets switched off at the end of the flight, everyone instantly jumps out of their seats and starts getting their bags down, as if that will help them leave the plane any quicker. It's complete chaos. And there's always one or two muppets who get up before the lights are switched off.

I flew long haul earlier this week and the cabin crew announced on landing that a paramedic needed to board the flight to deal with an ill passenger and that everyone must remain in their seats for a few minutes after we pulled up to the gate, and that the seatbelt sign would stay on during this time. But there were still people jumping up before the sign was turned off - we'd barely stopped moving. The air hostess told them off very politely. I'd have wanted to scream "fing sit down you ignorant fers!!" but she had much more patience than me

I was flying business class with my infant (in arms) . Sat next to a Chelsea footballer...he took one look at me and bub and said 'i'm not sitting next to that all the way (long haul).
I cried as I felt humilated.

The lovely hostess said ' well now you have 2 business class seats to yourself to spread out and he is in the last row in economy.
And she was very attentive to me (as my baby slept the WHOLE way)

My aunt flew for over 40 years with international carrier(s). She recently retired. Truth is stranger than fiction! She has a great pension, and is currently in France, enjoying her retirement. But man, what a ride.

One was a first class setting. A quite famous actor boarded, demanding he did not wish to be disturbed at all under any circumstance, getting into the seat and putting on a masque and blanket.

When tapped on the arm before the plane took off, he exploded. 'You were told I was not to be disturbed!'

It was a fellow passenger. 'You're in my seat, asshole.'

And he was!

"If reclining was so bad they wouldn't do it on almost all planes."

Budget airlines don't have reclining seats. I don't see the need to recline your seat for a short flight unless you have back problems, but I think it might be polite to ask the person behind you if they mind.

If you had OH behind you you would get his knees knocking the seat as he has very long legs.

I work in the complaints department of a bank.

You get immune to the general cuntishness of people after a while. My job does nothing to restore any faith in the human race though.

Special it is bloody rude to recline your seat on short haul flights where there is very very little room between rows. And no, not everyone does it, just a few annoying passengers who can't sit upright for a couple of hours.

I flew Delta long haul last year and I wouldn't describe the flight attendants as calm and even tempered

I'm SO glad it's not just me!! We also flew long haul with Delta and it was so bad that I'd rather not go somewhere than use them again. Nor was it just about their "service with a snarl" ... safety on board, airside security, passenger manifests, you name it - it had all gone to hell

Normally I quite agree about the excellent customer skills of cabin crew, though - the stories told by a friend who worked for Gulf Air are legendary and I daren't imagine what's said when they all get together for a party ...

I fly quite a lot, with two kids with ASD no less. I have never on any flight pressed the call attendant button because it seems to me that they have so much on their plate the least I can do is just wait till one is passing rather than call them away from rest or something else just so I can get an extra blanket. I see other people pressing them constantly as though it's a life or death situation e.g emergency call button in hospital. The lack of consideration and entitlement really bothers me.

Interesting though that once again United come up as having obnoxious flight crew. I fly with the a couple of times earlier this year and they were hands down the most dishevelled, scruffy and snappy downright rude lot I have ever come across.

I wonder if the airlines should collectively sue the airports that have bars open at 6am.

I suppose all that would happen is that people would be more likely to get pissed en route and there would be more crashes on the approach motorways.