• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home  >  American Airlines  >  Lip Service From American Airlines CEO Won’t Protect Flight Attendants From Bad Behavior Onboard
American Airlines

Lip Service From American Airlines CEO Won’t Protect Flight Attendants From Bad Behavior Onboard

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 29, 2021 14 Comments

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker took to Instagram yesterday to condemn the brutal attack against a flight attendant earlier this week onboard a flight to Southern California. While the threat of prosecution and flight bans are important, it seems to me something more fundamental needs to change.

De-Escalation: How American Airlines Can Reduce Bad Behavior Onboard

New details have emerged concerning Wednesday’s incident onboard AA976 from New York (JFK) to Orange County (SNA). Initial reports that the skirmish was over a mask appear to be false. Instead, a flight attendant bumped a passenger with a beverage cart, apologized, but the passenger still responded by walking back to the rear galley later in the flight and striking the flight attendant twice.

In a video posted to Instagram, Parker condemns the poor behavior and calls for robust prosecution:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Doug Parker (@doug_parker)

And Parker is correct: the passenger should be banned for life from American Airlines and face federal prosecution for what occurred onboard.

But that does not get to the heart of why so many incidents occur on American Airlines.

Sometimes, I’m not sure there is anything that can be done differently, like the issue on Wednesday. If the passenger just came back and decked the flight attendant, how can you really prepare for that? Throughout the pandemic, though, we’ve covered far more incidents on American Airlines than other carriers.

View From The Wing wonders whether poor behavior is due to lower fares and American’s Miami hub. It’s true that $29 fares attract a different clientele…but we’ve also seen poor behavior from passengers in business class and I’m not convinced that American Airlines is simply attracting bad people and United and Delta are not.

Maybe the lack of legroom, in-flight-entertainment, and alcohol sales come into play…it’s true that American Airlines squeezes customers in and does not give them viable options to pass the time onboard (streaming entertainment without power plugs is quite limiting).

But I’m increasingly convinced it is simply the way American Airlines flight attendants handle conflict onboard. From all that I’ve seen, confrontation seems to be prioritized over de-escalation.

Let me be clear: this is not blaming the flight attendants. They are simply following orders handed down from management. And management is also not fully to blame: in terms of masks, they are simply following a federal mandate.

But let’s juxtapose United and American. I’ve seen it myself and heard from many: if you refuse to wear a mask on United Airlines, you may be scolded a few times, but will be ultmialtey left alone. That’s by design. Protocol calls for a flight attendant to write up the incident and that passenger will face a flight ban on United, but you won’t see a United flight attendant screaming in the face of passengers to put their masks on.

There’s advantages and disadvantages to that approach. The bad news is that encourages passengers to flout the rules because there will be no immediate consequences and none at all if a flight attendant doesn’t write up a report.

But the advantages are clear: the people who tend to act up onboard are often unstable (sometimes drunk with alcohol, sometimes drunk with delusion). Seeking to de-escalate, even if it means they are temporarily left to continue breaking rules, seems to me like a far wiser approach to protect flight attendants.

CONCLUSION

It seems to me that American Airlines encounter so many bad actors onboard at least in part because flight attendants want to enforce the rules and do so more aggressively than on Delta or United. While flight attendants cannot be faulted for that, I think the wiser approach as the pandemic winds down is to simply note the poor behavior, ban the passenger, and avoid the sort of confrontation that has led to repeated physical and verbal attacks against flight attendants.

Previous Article Will A Fourth Wave Sink Transatlantic Travel Rebound?
Next Article Intoxicated Passenger Sexually Assaults Male Seatmate On Flight To Denver

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • American Airlines Flagship First A321

    The Dismal State Of American Airlines Flagship First Class

    June 1, 2023
  • The Classy American Airlines Captain

    May 24, 2023
  • American Airlines A321 Infested With Moths…

    May 22, 2023

14 Comments

  1. Concerned Spouse Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 10:52 am

    This is not a problem with the flight attendants at any airline; corporate hierarchies, misaligned incentives, and poor management communication are all to blame here. My partner is a flight attendant at AA and has shared the horror stories of how management and airport operations handle these incidents and customers in general. The entire airport operations experience is a blame game that often ends with the flight attendants as the last point of contact. The check-in desk tells passengers to ask for help at the gate, the gate agent says to ask for help onboard, then the flight attendants are left helpless in a sealed metal tube for hours on end. Recently,

    I was made aware of a recent mask and verbal abuse incident that started at the gate and moved to onboard an AA flight before the plane even pushed back. When the flight attendants and pilots refused to leave with the unruly passengers, AA was more concerned with getting the plane out on time than the safety of the staff and employees. The passengers were allowed to stay onboard per the executive decision of airport operations management, even after the crew pleaded with them. The crew was then taken off the plane and sent home.

    Horrifically, after this JFK-SNA incident the other day, the working crew was expected to continue flying on to their destination without any thought about the trauma they might be facing after watching their colleague get brutally attacked. You don’t necessarily see these problems at other airlines as the management and frontline of those airlines prioritize the entire flight experience more so than achieving D:00.

    It really is a shame. Most flight attendants absolutely love their job – the service, the thrill, the travel. The skies are brutal these days and flight attendants are doing everything they can to maintain a safe environment. I would love to see any of us walk a mile in their shoes then come back and say that they prioritize conflict over de-escalation. Much easier to be an armchair critic than actually experience it.

  2. ed Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 11:07 am

    Enough Already! Share the list among the carriers. Banned from UA, Banned on DL

    • Christian Reply
      October 29, 2021 at 3:41 pm

      +1.

      After someone knowing flouts the rules on one airline, is there any reasonable expectation that the person will suddenly follow the rules on every other airline?

  3. Tom Billone Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    I believe the airlines should place two security personnel on each flight. One in the front and one in the back. They should be clearly identified through uniforms and equipment they carry. This is coming from a retired airline employee.

  4. Right-This-Way Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    There has to be arrest and jail time on the spot when the flight lands. No slap on the wrist…. arrest them, let them sit in jail until they can see the judge (hopefully 30 days) and go from there…. with a hefty fine of course. People are sick of this – if management, police, and people in charge would do their job – press charges immediately – ENFORCE – for the love of God, none of this would keep happening. Do it everywhere, every airline, every time. Got a job to go to ?, kids at home ? — TOO BAD, ….. pay the price for your disgusting bad behavior.

  5. Right-This-Way Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 4:01 pm

    Could Mr. Parker use any more worn out cliches ?….. yet nothing every changes,…. nobody pays the price except the planeload of people who have witness and be unwilling victims of one social misfit.

    • Right-This-Way Reply
      October 29, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      correction (typo) should read as — ….. except the planeload of people who have to witness the event and be the unwilling victims of one social misfit.

  6. Jackson Waterson Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    I have zero sympathy for flight attendants because they instigate many of the situations in the first place. They are responsible for turning something that isn’t a problem into something that is. Flight attendants operate the same way as cops. Cops enforce abusive, inhumane, and unnatural laws made by politicians. Politicians don’t use force to implement them: cops do. Flight attendants in the same way choose to enforce ridiculous mask rules because a person doesn’t wear a mask between sips of water or is wearing the mask 1 mm too low. Flight attendants choose to instigate these situation and we should not support them for doing so. It’s not just with recent Covid policies. This has been going on before that.

    Just like cops, flight attendants are known to lie. They often abuse their power of flight and aircraft safety to shutdown people who make legitimate complaints about poor service; this has nothing to do with flight and aircraft safety and flight attendants are committing a crime by operating under the color of law in their positions when they lie. Just like with cops, many will automatically believe flight attendants despite there being two sides to every story. Cops are supposed to be no different than civilians and have no more rights. Unfortunately for us, they think they do and use it to abusive and terrorize citizens. Pilots mostly always side with flight attendants in the way cops stick together and aid and abet abuse.

    De-escalation is certainly preferable. It’s ridiculous that flights will be diverted 1 hour from its destination because of snowflake flight attendants. Flight attendants need to recognize that rights of passengers don’t end in the air. If it’s not a matter of actual flight safety (structural integrity of the hull), passengers have a right to request service they paid for and discuss situations. Flight attendants also need to recognize that drunk people aren’t thinking rationally. Barking orders at a drunk person isn’t going to handle the situation with minimal fuss. A lot of people drink or take prescription medicine because they are afraid of flying or get sick in such cramped spaces. Using force should be the last resort and is uncalled for in many cases.

    The U.S. is a cesspool because of the different demographics that are all in conflict. The lack of homogeneity racially, ethnically, religiously, culturally, ideologically, and politically makes things more difficult than they otherwise would be. A good example is Hasidic Jews who want to sit next to men on their flights. Wouldn’t it be easier if Hasidic Jews could have their own airline instead of being forced by the government not to be able to. I don’t see how slavery (forcing people to do things they don’t want to) makes things better. If we want to be apart, we should be apart.

  7. Peter Fox Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    I know that domestic travel in the US, keeps quite a lot of the flight cockpit crew an the flight attendants busy. It is an important job they do keeping America united.

    Being banned on one Airline, will they make any difference ?

    I live in Norway, and if I was banned on any carrier, the news would pick up, and I would have to drive either 2 hrs our 25 hrs,

  8. CHRIS Reply
    October 29, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    Jackson….I agree with most of your points. Flight attendants ABSOLUTELY do often escalate things. Many are minimally educated people who barely passed a “training” course. Many of them have this grandiose and delusional image of themselves being some sort of heros while in reality they’re little more than waitresses….and for the past 18 months, jumpseat vinyl warmers. No, they will never do the fireman dummy drag with 100 passengers while the fuselage is ablaze to be met at the bottom of the slide by thousands giving applause, cheering and taking their picture. Most are either sassy gays or bitter old ladies…not that I have a problem with gay or old people. I don’t. Every once in a while one on a power trip gives a bunch of shit to someone who just doesn’t care and BOOM…..a complimentary and well-deserved attitude adjustment is served up!

    • Jackson Waterson Reply
      October 29, 2021 at 10:10 pm

      I think you hit the nail on the head. Europe tends to have young flight attendants who are energetic and who take pride in doing their jobs well because they don’t want to embarrass themselves in front of their peers (friends). They leave to other careers more suited for raising a family 30 with a few who advance to the pursuer position in their 40s. It’s the same thing with Middle Eastern and Asian airlines.

      Flight attendants in the U.S. stay on way too long and many try to be lifers. We have people who should be young grandmas in an office job serving drinks, walking down the aisles, and responding to call buttons. They are there because of the perks, income, and the ability to phone it in with unions protecting them. They don’t care about embarrassing themselves in front of their young friends. The white young gay males in my experience are the only ones on the big 3 who take pride in not embarrassing themselves with their performance. Any young women has the old ladies to look to as an example and they themselves get bossed around and spoken down to.

      U.S. flight attendants were rated worst in the world before Covid. There is a reason for this. Some passengers do behave poorly but some flight attendants do as well.

  9. jetlaggedaf Reply
    October 30, 2021 at 2:28 pm

    It is really just a symptom of the deeper rot at the heart of our societies – infantilization of adults and a lack of self discipline and impulse control. Piecemeal punishment and small fines after the fact isn’t going to do anything because of the lack of permanent and overwhelmingly bad consequences for such behavior. Imho, the deterrence against this sort of behavior needs to be dramatically ramped up. Either have airlines form a cross industry agreement to permanently ban problem passengers from ever flying again across all airlines or have the federal government ban (after an investigation) these people from ever setting foot in an airport again. Announce this one strike policy loudly and on every flight pre takeoff. Imagine living your life without ever being able to fly anywhere again for any reason. That should be enough of a deterrent to terrify people into behaving themselves.

  10. KK Reply
    November 1, 2021 at 11:22 am

    The cheap $29 fares will attract the kind of clientelle who barely afford paying for a ticket and who cannot afford manners. Granted the media gives heavier coverage to the big 4 airlines, Spirit and Frontier passengers clog up the headlines with greater frequency.

    Like mama said, “if you cannot afford manners, you cannot afford flying”.

  11. James Serrano Reply
    November 3, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    I couldn’t agree more with the balanced assessment of the author. As soon as I heard of this incident, my response was “how did the FA treat this passenger (paid guest). Lets’ be real, we have all been treated like cattle and less than human by FA’s. This is especially true for people of color. I have seen “guests” not served meals, yelled at and ordered around like inmates in a penitentiary all by white American/European FA’s. I am truly surprised this hasn’t happened more often. I believe that since most of these “FA Karens” are aging out of their positions and are being replaced by a younger more open minded group of recruits there will be a lot less ignominiousness being served. My sincere apologies to the senior beautiful open minded individuals who don’t follow these racist practices. When I encounter such a unicorn FA, I make sure to bend over backward to treat them with all respect and consideration. One has to wonder why a CEO would react so quickly and vociferously to an incident, was it a case of thou doth protest too much. Bravo to the author for thinking freely and considering the source.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for June

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 60,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Spirit Airlines Feisty Senior Citizen
    Feisty Senior Citizen Puts Drunk Spirit Airlines Passenger In Her Place June 2, 2023
  • British Airways Fine
    Justified: British Airways Slapped With $1.1 Million Fine From US Government June 2, 2023
  • United Airlines Worldwide Devaluation
    United Airlines MileagePlus Devaluation Spreads Worldwide June 2, 2023
  • American Airlines Flagship First A321
    The Dismal State Of American Airlines Flagship First Class June 1, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines Pins Cockpit Door
    American Airlines First Class Passenger So Angry Over Meal Choices He Pins Flight Attendant To Cockpit Door May 11, 2023
  • Cursing Fight United Airlines
    “Don’t You Ever Tell Me To Speak English!” (Fight Breaks Out On My United Airlines Flight) May 17, 2023
  • Missed VDB United Airlines
    My Foolish $1,000 Airport Lounge Visit May 16, 2023
  • Spirit Airlines Flight Leaves Early
    Spirit Airlines Passengers Enraged After Flight Leaves Early May 8, 2023

Archives

June 2023
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

A fabulous flight onboard @qatarairways on the A35 A fabulous flight onboard @qatarairways on the A350-1000 in Qsuite Business Class from DFW-DOH. Qatar offers the best all-around business class product in the world with a spacious suite, plenty of privacy, excellent service, and superb cuisine.
The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

Privacy Policy

© Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.