Regardless of whether you think Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater is a hero or a criminal, I think we can all agree that he
All this, and the incredible burden of keeping 50-250 people safe flight after flight.
After I heard about Steven's Billy the Kid'esque escape from the fuzz, I wanted to know exactly what it is that weighs on the mind of a flight attendant. I also wondered whether some well known flight-related folklore is fact or fiction. So I contacted a veteran flight attendant and asked some of my questions. Here's what I got.
Since my contact isn't authorized to talk to "the media", we'll call her Anna for the sake of anonymity. Anne has worked for regional and national carriers and loves the work she does, despite much of the nonsense she has to put up with.
Anne (A): I would have to say that the majority of flights have rude flyers. Now, there's a range of rudeness... the extreme rudeness — such as yelling and calling you names — that's about 1% of passengers overall. But these are the same people who just don't have manners generally, or people who don't know proper behaviour. Thankfully, these people aren't often onboard, you'll see them maybe once every one to two months.
R: What's the rudest thing a customer has ever said to you?
A: I wish I remembered the exact situation that lead to this, but I think the rudest thing that someone has said to me, was that I was stupid. I vaguely remember the gentlemen arguing with me about something and I tried to stay very calm and help him out. I obviously didn't give him the answer he was wanting and he continued to call me stupid. In a very sarcastic tone, I replied "Thank You" and walked away.
R: The Jet Blue incident seems to have started because a passenger was ignoring one of the in-flight safety rules. What is the one safety rule that gets ignored most often?
A: Hands down, the one safety rule most people ignore relates to the seatbelt sign. There's a seatbelt sign for a reason... it's not just a pretty light for people to look at, and the pilots aren't in the flight deck switching the sign on and off for fun!
Whenever the light goes on, it's for a reason. You know the in-flight scene in LOST, where the plane hits turbulence and some passengers hit the roof of the plane? That can really happen! But people don't seem to care about the risks involved with standing, walking around or even just sitting without your seatbelt fastened. It's not like some passengers suggest. I don't enjoy walking up and down the aisle looking to see if everyone has their belt on. It's for everyone's safety.
Another thing people do is unfasten their seat belts right upon landing. Would you unfasten your seatbelt when you are two blocks from home? NO! There's always a risk of a sudden stop or a bump... you never know. And trust me when I say that a sudden stop in an enormous aircraft is going to send you flying, if you'll pardon the pun.
R: You mentioned the in-flight scene from LOST. Have you ever hit really bad turbulence when you weren't expecting it?
A: Most of the time, the pilots will be able to anticipate turbulence. But sometimes they can't. I was on the bar trolley once when we all of a sudden hit a patch of turbulence. I was holding a cup full of coffee and I actually saw all the coffee leave the cup, float in the air at my eye level and fall back down on my hand. Not good. There's always a chance of that happening even if the seatbelt sign is not on.
R: So with all these people ignoring flight rules, have you ever come close to losing it like the Jet Blue dude did?
A: I've never come close to losing it like the Jet Blue flight attendant... but I have to be honest, sometimes people treat you so badly and drive you crazy that you feel like that could be the only way out! There are definitely days where I feel like screaming "I'm not going to be treated this way!"
R: Do you ever have sympathy for the folks on 'the other side?' The passengers I mean, not those who have passed before us.
A: Look, if I'm having a bad day, I don't run about taking my frustrations out on everyone around me! But every day we are blamed and treated poorly for something that's not even our own fault.
If you sit in traffic on the way to the airport, then stress out as you worry about making it through security, only to have bad weather either in your departure or arrival city delay your flight — that's not my fault. Blame city planners and, I suppose, God for your day. Not me!
But the reality is that we are the face of our airline. As a flight attendant, you are usually the last person a passenger comes in contact with, and you have the longest contact with them. So if they have had a bad experience with the airline or even simply a bad day, we often get the brunt of it. I suppose I get that. But I don't like people treating me rudely as a result. We still need civility as a society, don't we?
R: What's the weirdest customer request you've ever had?
A: A passenger calls me over and asks me if I would mind if they take their pants off. Uh, what? What the hell does that mean? I didn't know what to say. I tried to answer the question, not really understanding why I would be asked such a rude question. Before I could get an answer out, the passenger interrupted me and let me know that he was trying to make a point because another passenger had no shoes on and had her feet propped up. I had never had such a bizarre complaint before.
_______________________________________________
Coming soon, part 2 of my interview with Anne. In the second installment, Anne tells us whether the Mile High Club really exists, what really happens if you use your phone on a flight, and what destination entails the rowdiest passengers!
I may not know what I want my Pea to become, but I hope she never curses out a plane full of passengers, grabs a couple of beers and pulls an emergency slide to escape a stressful job.
