The 4 issues flight attendants need you to know as you journey once more

Flight attendants say inconsiderate passengers take away the pleasure of the service element of their job. Photo: iStock

While Americans look forward to the return of the trip, flight attendants will work as reports of physical and verbal assault by angry passengers mount.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency has received more than 3,000 reports of recalcitrant passenger behavior since Jan. 1. (To put that in perspective, the FAA only got 146 in 2019.) Mask requirement, but flight attendants say the issues go beyond coronavirus restrictions. Passengers – frequent flyers and beginners alike – follow the basic rules as well as those of the COVID era.

“A lot of people don’t really understand that it’s our job to remind them to buckle up and not get up to use the toilet when we’re taxiing on the runway,” said Lori, a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines, who was on the condition spoke only to give her first name so that she could speak sincerely. “It’s common on every single flight – people just don’t follow the rules, rules that could potentially affect their safety.”

Others said it could be because airports can bring out the worst in people.

“I don’t know what it is: people go to an airport and lose the sense of control. You’re flying in a metal tube, ”said Jamie Gibson, private jet flight attendant from Annapolis, Maryland companies. “It makes people behave in different ways, I think.”

The problem has become so severe that the Transportation Security Administration is restarting a self-defense course for flight attendants and pilots to deal with “potential physical disputes”.

And this week a coalition of aviation industry groups petitioned the Justice Department for criminal crackdown on unruly passengers.

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Although the FAA imposes heavy fines on disruptive passengers and airlines banning alcohol, among other things, bad behavior remains a threat to crew members. We spoke with flight attendants about how the current climate affects them and what travelers will want to know when they return to heaven.

You may hate masks, but they’re still required on airplanes

The era of empty planes and ghost town airports is behind us, but many coronavirus regulations are not.

“I know the vaccine is there and countries are opening up, but we are still in a pandemic and there are still certain safety rules in place,” said JetBlue flight attendant Jalisa Robinson.

Face masks, which have been mandatory on airplanes since the beginning of the pandemic, have been the focus of many recent disputes on board.

“They ask you in every booking process: ‘Will you wear your mask and agree to these rules?’ It’s a requirement, “said Ashlee Loree, who has been a Delta flight attendant for six years.

Although travelers may complain about the requirement, flight attendants are more plagued by mask requirements than passengers. Not only do you have to wear masks all day long, you have to enforce the rule.

“I wear my 12 hours a day. It’s really painful when people yell at me,” said Lori.

Flight attendants can be fined for failing to enforce the rules

On a flight in early June, Robinson said she was physically assaulted by a passenger shortly before take-off. She was giving the flight safety demonstration, the plane was almost ready to be pushed back when a passenger tried to use the toilet. Since doing so would violate FAA safety regulations, flight attendants told the passenger that she would have to wait until after take-off.

“She didn’t like the way another flight attendant told her this information and she was immediately combative,” said Robinson. “Other people tried to get on, which made the situation worse, and we had to go back to the gate and get her off the plane, which she wasn’t happy about.”

Robinson wants travelers to know that flight attendants can face fines if they fail to enforce safety regulations.

“It’s not like we’re trying to be on a power trip or monitoring everything you do,” she said. “The fact is that if something happens, we will be held personally responsible.”

Loree said FAA officials operate regular flights, often unannounced, to ensure the crew is complying with the law. If someone on board is injured because a flight attendant failed to enforce a rule, both the airline and the flight attendant can be fined.

“It’s just better to play it safe,” said Loree. “That is why we are hired as security professionals – to do a job and do a good job and always work in the spirit of excellence.”

Sometimes it is impossible for flight attendants to enforce these rules and they are forced to call in reinforcements. Lori said it is becoming increasingly common for passengers to jostle to get off the plane first, and this leads to fights she cannot suppress.

“I had to call law enforcement twice because people got into physical fights in the middle of the plane over this very fact,” she said. “It’s so messy.”

– Know that there will be limited amenities on board.

As the aviation industry continues its boom, travelers will find that amenities they once relied on may not be available at airports or on board their flight. Airports, for example, are still in the process of reopening their grocery options.

“Airports experience the same thing as companies: they have few staff, so they don’t open these places,” said Lori. “The lines for the grocery vendors are bigger than ever, and by the time people get on the plane, they are already stressed out from the whole experience.”

To be prepared for these limited food and drink options, “bring snacks, bring water – anything to make traveling more comfortable,” Loree said. She also recommended that travelers pack a blanket and headphones that work with the in-flight entertainment system.

Like travelers, flight attendants try to regain their stamina

Gibson didn’t experience the same kind of passenger aggression as its counterparts on commercial airlines. However, the wave of travel was still a shock to their system.

“I go to the airport as a passenger myself and the airports are insanely busy, like the busiest I’ve ever seen,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it is like for those commercial flight attendants who had two to five passengers on a plane and now they’re at full capacity.”

Gibson said it had been challenging to get her workload back on before the pandemic. Your enthusiasm is there, but it’s not as easy as returning to normal.

“As much time as we had to lose that stamina, we didn’t have the same amount of time to regain that stamina,” Gibson said. “So we’re trying to catch up and play like we used to.”

Flight attendants miss the joy of their job

What Lori missed most about her pre-pandemic working life is the ability to interact with passengers.

“I love to play with and tease my passengers,” she said. “I work for a company that really wants us to have a fun-loving attitude.”

Flight attendants say inconsiderate passengers take away the pleasure of the service element of their job.

“Some of the customers make it very difficult to provide this good customer service every time because they are just bargaining,” said Robinson. “You are very rude and very angry with the flight attendants. And this is not just our airline. It is very clear that flight attendants have problems with customers.”

After her physical confrontation with the passenger in the toilet, Robinson took two weeks off to relax not physically but mentally.

“I had to take some time and regroup to make sure I was in the right mental environment to provide good customer service,” she says.

Despite everything, Robinson was happy to be able to go back to work. Connecting with passengers is also part of what Robinson loves as a flight attendant.

“I love what I do, I really don’t want to do anything else,” she said. “But it’s definitely a different ball game at the moment. I hope people get calmer somehow.”

Aside from being able to travel the world, her favorite part of her job is meeting new people, Loree said. She likes to say that she’s in the business of making connections – and not just getting passengers to their destinations.

That was a bigger challenge this year as the on-board services are still interrupted.

“We don’t really offer full service like we used to, which can be kind of sad because we don’t have as much interaction with passengers as we used to,” said Loree.

While flight attendants love to give passengers the best experience, they would also be delighted if passengers showed them more humanity.

“Say hello, make eye contact – it can go a long way,” said Lori.

The Washington Post

June 29, 2021