Flight attendant reveals the rude passengers they hate – are you one of them?
A FLIGHT attendant has revealed a very rude thing passengers do on board their flights that they absolutely cannot stand.
The chances of problems arising while flying is pretty high, with delays, lost luggage and various admin issues almost a daily occurrence for airlines.
While it’s not always their fault, the flight attendants often bear the brunt of passengers’ complaints when anything goes the slightest bit wrong.
And with social media a place for passengers to air their grievances in public, a lot of them will film their interactions with cabin crew members, particularly if they think they’re in the right.
However, Teri O’Toole, federal secretary of the Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia, says that this is not something passengers should ever be doing.
She told stuff.co.nz “Passengers will whip out their phone and start filming flight attendants (FAs) at the drop of a hat, then post it to a chat room together with their name and saying so-and-so was rude and unpleasant on my flight.”
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Teri said that passengers will get angry with the flight attendants because they are a personal representation of the airline, but said they are also in an exposed position on the planes.
She continued: “More baggage has failed to arrive, the queues during holidays are horrendous, flying is now more stressful than ever and FAs are the most visible airline employees. They’re also vulnerable.
“There’s a power imbalance between them and the passenger and they’re often the ones that become the punching bag for whatever complaint the passenger might have against the airline.”
Some airlines have rules in place to try and prevent passengers filming other people, be they travellers or staff, on board their planes.
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Anyone who is guilty of those rules could be ejected from the flight, before it has even taken off.
Frequent flyer and blogger Matthew Klint was kicked off a United Airlines flight in 2013 after taking photos of his seat.
The airline said at the time: “We have spoken with Mr. Klint about his experience.
“Separately, we welcome customers to record their personal experiences on board provided they don’t take photos or videos of customers and crew members without their consent.
“This is both a security and service measure we take that also respects the privacy of other customers. United’s policy was implemented in 2010.”
The photo policies are mainly found on American airlines – but Brits may be affected too.
Airlines including American Airlines, Delta, and United – which all fly to the UK – have policies on filming and photography on board.
Virgin Atlantic previously confirmed with Sun Online Travel that they don’t have a film and photography policy in place, as did a spokesperson for Tui.
They said: “The safety and wellbeing of everyone on board is our main priority, and we therefore ask all customers to behave responsibly and respectfully when flying with us.”
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Meanwhile, a passenger was prevented from getting off a plane by flight attendants after taking pictures on a flight this year.
And tourists in Thailand face serious punishment for trying to take pictures with planes at this airport.
