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Original poster

Bad flight attendant stories

39 replies

carnuntum · 08/04/2019 22:15

Obviously you get the good the bad and the ugly in all careers, and 98% of flight attendants are brilliant and do a superb job. If you fly a lot, you're bound to come across the odd bad egg/experience, the same as if you go to lots of restaurants etc.

I've not (touch wood!) had any really bad flight attendants. Once when flying from London to South America in business (BA), I pressed the call attendant I think 3 times during a 13 hour flight. The flight attendant came and said "What can I get for you NOW? "

Another time was flying to the US in Premium Economy, and nothing in particular was wrong. However, the flight attendant was just so sharp. I asked if I could get a glass of water and she snapped that I had to go to the back to go and get it. I went to the back into regular economy and the flight attendant was so sweet!

What are your stories ?

OP posts:

BubblesBuddy · 09/04/2019 11:39

Loads of champagne, friendly staff and great service. Never had a grumpy attendant! They hand out bottles of water in business.

chemenger · 09/04/2019 18:47

I've never had any bad experiences and I travel a lot. I've never pressed the attendant button, so I think three times in 13 hours is actually a lot.

Fraxion · 10/04/2019 15:20

I've never had any bad experiences and I travel a lot. I've never pressed the attendant button, so I think three times in 13 hours is actually a lot.

Likewise. I have never pressed the button either. Probably the dourest cabin crew I've come across have been BA but no bad experiences to date.

GummyGoddess · 10/04/2019 15:25

No bad ones, but one very bored one made me laugh. She was handing out packets of something, let's say peanuts as I can't remember, and was walking up the aisle with her trolley literally flinging peanut packets at people going 'nuts, nuts, here's your nuts' in a really bored voice.

ShirleyPhallus · 10/04/2019 15:28

There’s a great meme that says “the best thing about being cabin crew is that you get to walk down the aisle yelling TRASH in each customers face”

AllTheCakes · 10/04/2019 15:30

I was cabin crew for a few years. I knew it was time to leave when passengers started to annoy me! The crew attitude was probably that you have been sat on your bottom for 13 hours, it would probably do you good to get up for a walk!

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 10/04/2019 15:33

What could you possibly have needed to keep pressing the button for? I think in my whole life I’ve pressed it once and that was for a stranger sitting next to me who needed assistance.

ny20005 · 10/04/2019 15:35

Overheard on a flight from LA to London

Child to air hostess: can I get a drink
Air hostess: (smiling) what do you say ?
Child : mom do I have to say please to the lady ?

Mom: no darling, she comes with the ticket

😱😱😱😱😱😱

OhioOhioOhio · 10/04/2019 15:39

ny omg!!!!!!!!!

You need to press the button for gin.

Fraxion · 10/04/2019 15:46

True though! Having just done a 14 hour flight I relished the chance to stretch my legs in between sleeping. I don't envy cabin crew, it's not an easy job, I could never do it.

chemenger · 10/04/2019 15:47

People just go to the galley to ask for drinks, don’t they? Or get more than one when the trolley comes round. I really don’t remember the last time I saw someone use the attendant button.

WinterHeatWave · 10/04/2019 15:51

The only time I've pressed the call button (I fly longhaul a couple of times a year, so not super frequent), the cabin staff were absolutely amazing. There was a raging argument going over my head from the bloke behind me (who had been obnoxious all flight) and the guy in front of my. I was on my own with 2 kids and terrified. The crew were absolutely fantastic, defused it all, and managed to round up some guys in uniform who I'd have said were far too well built to be cabin crew to wander past every 5-10 mins for thecrest if the flight.

I'd say they vary from "do the job" to "totally dedicated".

MadisonAvenue · 10/04/2019 15:51

We had one last year on a Virgin flight to the US who repeatedly missed us out when serving drinks and food, we had to call her back each time. It wasn't even as if we were sleeping or engrossed in a film or whatever, we were both sat waiting for whatever she was bringing around.

I've only ever pressed the call button once and that was while we were taxiiing to the gate at Heathrow. We'd been delayed and stuck on a very warm plane at LA airport for nearly 3 hours, had a worst turbulence I've ever experienced and just after we'd landed my then 7 year old threw up. I had a few antibac wipes to clean him up and that was all, and I was mindful of people around us being affected so I pressed the button in vain.
It was only a couple of minutes later when no one had come (we were still taxiing so they were understandably still belted in) that I stood up and got their attention and one came rushing to our assistance with a bumper box of wipes and some water and she later brought a spare blanket for him to wrap around himself until we got our luggage.

lalafafa · 10/04/2019 16:02

I do t think I’ve pressed that button more than 3 times in 40 years of flying. You were being a PITA

crosser62 · 10/04/2019 16:03

My story is from a friend who was a flight attendant.
He is very camp.
He was very fed up of no one listening to the safety advice.
So he turned dramatically, stomped to the intercom thingy and spoke the following word down it, loudly, proudly and with business like proficiency... “VAGINA”
Heads apparently popped up like mere cats.
So he continued with full attention from shocked, not quite believing their ears passengers.

chemenger · 10/04/2019 16:30

My friend who is a flight attendant was punched by a large man when she asked him to wait a moment while she did something before fetching him a bottle of water. She works for a low cost airline (where I have never experienced anything other than friendly and efficient service). She has also been spat at more than once. The only person I know who gets more physical and verbal abuse works as a nurse in A&E.

TheInvestigator · 10/04/2019 16:33

Never met a bad one! But one absolutely lovely lady stands out! I was flying back from South Korea and she was handing out the snacks and we were chatting, and she just kept saying "I love you accent" and then she came back about 30 minutes later with some pudding snuck out from first class for me and my kids! She had to smuggle them into our trays so no one would look lol. She was lovely!

massistar · 10/04/2019 16:36

Only good stories here.. once met the same 2 crew on 2 separate connecting flights. The flight attendant recognised us and brought over 2 mini bottles of champagne and 2 kids goodie bags. Fab customer service.

chemenger · 10/04/2019 16:44

I've been meeting people off longhaul flights quite a bit recently, what has struck me is how exhausted the cabin crew look when they come out, still smartly turned out but really looking tired. Not something I've noticed when thanking them at the end of a fight. It's a hard job.

64632K · 10/04/2019 17:41

Air France flight to Cancun, largely ignored by some of the crew, overlooked when serving drinks and then waited ages when pressed the call button. One of them proceeded to scream and shout at me when I got out of my seat to go to the loo and demanded I be seated because the seatbelt sign was on, yet he was fine when 3 other people got up and went.
Air France flight returning from Cancun was even worse, again largely ignored when serving drinks, refused to give DH a blanket, gave my vegetarian meal away to someone else and claimed I never ordered one until I showed them my booking, they came back with a bag of crisps - on a long haul flight FFS.

TheGrey1houndSpeaks · 10/04/2019 17:48

Pressing the button three times in the one flight is taking the piss.

Expressedways · 10/04/2019 17:54

DD was 1 but we had booked her own seat as it was a long flight and we didn’t fancy her being on our laps for that long. We were given her child meal and my vegetarian meal first, then when the main meal trolley came down, the cabin crew made such a stink about giving DH a meal, accused of us trying to swipe a free meal and was so loud about it she woke DD up from her nap before stropping off to check her manifest that showed that yes we had booked 3 seats and were therefore entitled to 3 meals. The head cabin crew lady was so apologetic and gave us as much champagne as we wanted from first class to make up for it!

Not that it excuses the snappy behaviour but it’s usually expected you get up and go to the galley to get water; the crew have a lot of passengers to look after and they’d be running up and down non stop if everyone pushed their call button when they wanted a drink. Even in business class they usually leave a drink/snack selection to help yourself from and I’d only push the call button if I wanted alcohol.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 10/04/2019 18:01

I fly long haul at least every month and have done for years. I have never pressed the attendant button in my life.

StonedRoses · 10/04/2019 18:16

Having flown several times to Canada I’ve grown to really appreciate the Air Canada crews. There’s no false jollity or even smiles, just a business like attitude to getting the job done as efficiently as possible. If you’ve only flown say Emirates or Singapore you’d be in for a bit of a shock but I rather like it.

They all (male and female) give me the impression that during the layover they’re chopping down trees or wrestling bears in the Yukon!

ShirleyPhallus · 10/04/2019 19:18

One of them proceeded to scream and shout at me when I got out of my seat to go to the loo and demanded I be seated because the seatbelt sign was on

Why on earth would you get out of your seat when the seatbelt sign is on? Don’t you realise how dangerous it can be?

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