Abusing the airline staff

[Dontcomeflyeithme]

Why is this such a big thing these days? It seems to be the same throughout all customer service roles.

We we're going on holiday this evening and witnessed a fully grown woman on our flight throwing a raging hissy fit at the cabin staff.

The reason for this was, the staff were moving a disabled person into the window seat to allow her to sit with her partner.

The woman refused to let them use the seat beside her and demanded the staff tell her why they were moving someone.

The staff explained that she had no right to know this other person's personal information. This resulted in a 10 minute screaming match.

Never in my life have I witnessed something so crazy. As far as I could tell she looked completely sober.

Then you had idiots shouting at the staff as there was no space directly above their head for the cases. What do people expect when they come on later?

What are these people hoping to achieve?

Not by me. We used to call it ‘common courtesy ‘.

I paid for seats with my kids but due to a last minute change of aircraft the seats I’d booked were actually an emergency exit row. This also happened on the return leg.

Nothing the crew can do but ask/tell people to swap with us but it was like you’d asked them to donate a kidney. One woman gave the crew a mouthful and then snapped that I should’ve known better and booked a different row 🤔 I’m not fucking psychic love. Absolute moron

Because people tolerate it

But it's the same thing. If people want particular seats then they need to pay for them.

And to some extent so do the authorities...

How many people who are offloaded/handed over to the police get clobbered with really serious sanctions?

I'm retired now but was on the periphery of a handful of these sort of incidents and often or not the sanction wasn't much more than a slight smack on the wrists.

Alcohol consumption on board can be properly supervised. The problem is the airside bars in the terminals. To add to the problem they are allowed to remain open beyond and before normal pub opening hours. Not to mention people unlawfully drinking duty free purchases in a cosy corner.

Airlines should come down harder on people. It’s not fair on their staff to be screamed at or have to deal with ridiculously drunk people. Plus I’d definitely be more likely to use an airline that was known to be harsh on drunkenness and bad behaviour. I don’t really like flying anyway, and I really hate being on planes with drunk people.

It’s just public transport with a weird ‘I’m on holiday’ free pass for drinking at 8 am in the airport.

And that’s because our criminal justice system is in its knees

You see it on here when people comment on bad behaviour.
Some posters make up scenarios to excuse it
"maybe his Mum died and they were travelling home for the funeral" or some shite

For goodness sake - just keep the things you need during the flight in a personal bag that fits under the seat in front of you.

people who keep getting up to retrieve this and then that and something else from their overhead bag are very annoying.

I’ve noticed a general uptick in these behaviours in public during the past 5 years. I wonder what the longer term effects of the pandemic might be on society as a whole?

To some extent but the "light touch' with regard to drunk on board (which simply in itself is an offence) has been around for several decades.

I think Ryanair's attempt (which I think is still ongoing) to claw back from individuals the costs of a diversion due bad behaviour might be the way to go....the potential to be hit with a five figure bill on top of sleeping things off in a cell might start to concentrate a few minds.

Agreed .
I think alcohol should be limited or banned . Anyone appearing drunk should not be allowed to board and there should be no alcohol on flights . Everyone can manage a flight time of no alcohol and if you can’t you have a problem .

I fly fairly often, behaviour is definitely getting worse.
One that stands out was the woman who refused to take off her scarf at security in a Spanish airport because " Its Hermes !"
She argued for a good 5 mins before they removed her belongings from the scannig queue and was invited to speak to a police officer.
And before the " you dont know what was going on in her life" lot comment, no I dont. But I was traveling to say goodbye to my DF who died later that day and I couldnt have done without some daft twat making a horrible time in my life worse.

Anyone appearing drunk should not be allowed to board

That's already policy at most airlines and being drunk on board is illegal in UK aircraft. Why the policy isn't strictly enforced in places is a whole other debate.

There should be no alcohol on flights

Don't see that should apply on all flights, (especially Long Haul) and TBH have to say over the years I reckon pill popping caused perhaps as much as 50% of the behaviour problems on board I was aware of.

Edit- drunk,.not drink

Not so. I'm disabled and I tick the 'disabled' box so that I am not given a seat next to one of the emergency exits. This is because if everyone has to use the emergency exits to get off the plane, the person in that seat must be able to follow instructions and open the emergency door. I only found this out when I was actually given that seat once, but reported to check-in as disabled and they had to move me. I don't pay extra for a particular seat and hope to get an aisle seat and am mostly lucky because people seem to prefer window seats.

And before the " you dont know what was going on in her life" lot comment, no I dont. But I was traveling to say goodbye to my DF who died later that day and I couldnt have done without some daft twat making a horrible time in my life worse.

Exactly this. I don't care what someone else has going on in their life if they're going to behave like an abusive twat.
I've now done three long haul flights after bereavements of close relatives, and I still managed to be polite and pleasant to the staff.

Happened to my uncle once a couple decades ago, got drunk at the airport and was denied boarding.

I haven't experienced anything on flights like what is being described in this thread. Must be because I only fly between Finland and the UK, so not a stag destination and mostly Finns on board who generally behave well (unless very very drunk, drunk enough to be denied boarding like my uncle)

It's everywhere.

I run a pub and I've said before about the number of horrific interactions I've had from people.
Just this weekend I had to call police because six large males were being so obnoxious and loud that other customers left. We were meant to have an Easter hunt for children but parents arrived, heard them, and left. The final straw was we had asked them several times to keep the volume down and they ignored us, then one was ribbing his mate over his wife refusing sex, so he told him, whilst looking directly at me that in his house if his wife says no he holds her down and does it anyway.
At that point I just said, that's it lads, time to go, drink up and leave.
What followed was ten minutes of threats to knock my teeth down my throat, repeatedly shouting that I was a fat whore and ugly, buck toothed, gobby little slag, and constant use of the c word. I even had one try and punch me to the back of the head when I had my back to one on the phone to 999.

The week before I was offered out by a sober woman because we don't have Malibu in the bar, it's not ordered so we don't bother. She was barred but left an appalling TripAdvisor review.

It's just horrible. I was actually in tears on Sunday because I was frightened they'd come back and smash the pub up, as one commented to my DH "you live upstairs don't you, watch your fucking back tonight". Police arrived ten minutes too late and did nothing. No help at all

And there's nothing any of us can do. Yes we have have to have thick skins but there's a point where enough is enough. People see us as beneath them as we are there to serve them. It makes some think they can genuinely speak to us like shit and get away with it. And they do get away with it. I can usually shrug and get on with it but Sunday really shook me up.

I confess to losing my shit (out loud and only to myself though!) when the self service machines don't work for me. And that's nearly EVERY time I use them. Must be me, that's why I shout at MYSELF lol. 😊

I often wonder if there would ever be the day that bars and alcohol service are banned in airports. Too many vested interests for that to happen I suppose, but it might help a good bit re drunken behaviour. Although they can take other substances I suppose - but they're supposed to calm you down!

I don't know the full details of the situation with seat booking but there was 2 free seats beside the abusive lady. The disabled lady was separated from her partner.

Her disability was pretty severe so she couldn't have sat alone. She had assistance on to the flight so she must have pre planned to some extent.

Though they can take other substances I suppose - but they're supposed to calm you down!

Depends what the substance is...🤔

The shouty woman was in the isle and the rest of her row was empty.

The staff wanted to move the others to the free seats beside her.

I flew long haul on Singapore Airlines, and a passenger shouted at the air hostess because they could not find space for his very large carry on bag. Selfish bastard.

I have also worked in customer facing roles for a long time, and the abusive behaviour / angry outbursts directed at staff is a million times worse than what it was a decade ago, or even five years ago. My motto is treat people how you like would like to be treated.