When a revenue passenger grabbed the last seat on an American Airlines flight via standby, it sent one of the flight attendants into a fit or rage. She claims the flight attendant badgered her onboard, but why? Turns out her last-minute addition to the standby list bumped off the flight attendant’s boyfriend from the flight.
Claim: American Airlines Flight Attendant Rudely Retaliates Against Passenger After She “Took” The Standby Seat That Was Intended For Boyfriend
It’s no secret: flight attendants hate standby…unless it is for them. The loosening of standby rules during the pandemic has resulted in more passengers taking earlier (and occasionally later) flights than originally booked or standing by for a nonstop flight when a connection was originally booked. While this theoretically means there are more seats on other flights, I hear all the time from flight attendants about how “they’ve taken our benefits” by allowing standby at no cost (it used to cost $75 or more, dissuading many people from attempting to standby for a more convenient flight).
At many carriers, flight attendants not only receive space-available travel for themselves, but also for family members and friends. It indeed one of the great benefits of working for an airline and the horror stories of waiting “days” to get onboard a flight can be mitigated with a little ingenuity in checking loads and planning routings. This is a fringe benefit I’d love to have.
Sometimes a flight looks “good” (plenty of open seats) but can then fill up at the last minute if there is a flight delay or cancellation somewhere else in the system. A passenger shares on reddit what happened when she darted over to another flight after her flight was cancelled and was able to join the standby list and get on the flight:
“My original flight was cancelled It was a mess. Instead of waiting in line I ran over to the [other aircraft] and asked if they could get me on another flight. Two agents were working on rebooking me. One said no, which fine what I expected. I heard the other agent say to her, “There’s a non-rev” (I have flown non-rev in my previous life so I know what it means).
“The (very young) FA tried to have it out with me from the get go. She probably should not have mentioned to the other FA that she was pissed her boyfriend missed the flight. She “did not like my attitude” when I told her my small personal item was, in fact, stowed correctly.
“She did not like when she came by to scream at me to put my phone in airplane mode (I’m a rule follower so…it already was) When I asked why she was being so aggressive with me she said she wanted my taken off the flight (didn’t happen.) BAE: sorry I got your boyfriend’s seat.
“This was ridiculous. I’m lowly Platinum. My husband is now [Concierge Key]. I didn’t wave that around but man….little 22-year-old junior flight crew needs to chill the F out. I am sorry your boyfriend had to take a different flight on your pass. I am always incredibly polite and accommodating when I’m on a plane. Today I wanted to throat punch her.”
A few thoughts on this:
- This is one-side of the story – we don’t know if it happened or not, but for purposes of our discussion, we can talk generally about these sorts of situations
- Though I tend to trust the Reddit crowd more than the TikTok crowd…
- It sounds like this may have been an American Eagle flight based upon the two flight attendants and how young the one was (I’d also like to think mainline flight attendants know the non-rev drill and would not act out so poorly)
- American Eagle is a subsidiary of American Airlines that flies on behalf of American Airlines and with American Airlines branding, so yes, an American Eagle flight attendant is also an American Airlines flight attendant for all practical purposes
- From the FA perspective, of course it stinks when you think your boyfriend will get on (perhaps he was already seated…) and a revenue customer takes that seat
- But that is the premise of the non-rev benefit – it really is on a “space available” basis, even at the last minute
- The conduct of the flight attendant onboard appears purely retaliatory and is sickening
- This flight attendant should be disciplined by having her pass terminated
CONCLUSION
A passenger claims a flight attendant on American Airlines responded poorly toward her after she “took” the seat that would have gone to the flight attendant’s boyfriend. If true, American Airlines owes a serious apology to the revenue passenger and the flight attendant should have her pass revoked.
(H/T: View From The Wing)
A good union would ensure that FAs and family get higher priority standby travel (at least higher than non-status revenue passengers) as part of their next contract. It is ridiculous that someone can just pay to take a seat on the aircraft that the FAs work so hard to earn. Especially when they aren’t even being paid during the boarding process when the seats are given away for money. FAs are there for your safety. Every seat you SELL instead of giving to another commuting FA is one less trained person on the aircraft to help in emergency. But yet the airlines are willing to REDUCE safety in the name of more money.
@Sean We don’t know if this FA was paid for boarding, if this was an OO operated flight then they would have been. It would also not make financial sense for an airline to give up a seat for free and forgo the revenue. There’s a material cost the airline would incur. It would make more sense for the airline to give the monetary value of those seats to the employees instead of giving them a paying passenger’s seat. I know if I was an employee I would certainly choose that.
With that logic, non-revs should have first priority over any paying passenger, even those with the highest status because of their safety training. In fact, why not ban passengers unless t hey are an EMT, nurse, doctor, or police. The rest of us can go by car or horse or, if transatlantic, by canoe.
This bad FA could degenerate into a killer if she tries to poison the standby customer. Maybe accuse the standby customer of taking a photo of the seat then kicking him off the plane?
@Sean
This 80 hour a month schedules are really brutal, huh?
i can’t tell if this comment is trolling or serious…all these supposed ills: not being paid during boarding, low FA priority for standby are a direct result of negotiations undertaken by unions the FAs empowered. They literally have no one to blame but themselves for their situation. If they don’t like it, they can either elect better leaders or quit and join an airline without a union that will pay them during boarding.
and yeah FAs are “there for my safety”, that’s funny.
Pretty please, tell me this is satire…
We usually see eye to eye, but not here Sean. I think it is absurd that a boyfriend on a pass should jump in front of a revenue passenger. Employees also have access to discounted revenue tickets that take out all the uncertainty of standby.
Guys, this is satire. Right?
…right?
And actually what airline do you work for?
@Sean Of which council are you president?
Normally we agree Sean but when a revenue passenger stands by for another flight because their original fligbt was cancelled they darned well better have priority over ALL non revenue standbys.
Before anyone says more. Deadheads should be positive space.
Ace Vitale Jet Detective
It’s hard to explain something to someone with the introspection that leads to that profile picture, but I’ll try:
…
No.
Whats wrong with that profile picture?
Yeah, god forgive a paying passenger got the seat. Problem with FA attitudes
An FA missing a non-rev isn’t going to affect the amount of FA’s on the aircraft. The FAA requires a minimum amount of FA’s be present on an aircraft (1 per 50 passengers). All US airlines operate with the minimum amount required on short haul routes. Therefore, if an FA is missing, the airline will replace the FA with a reserve or the flight will cancel.
This is why people dog on FAs. Christ man. Get a grip
Factually incorrect. American Eagle isn’t a wholly owned subsidiary. It’s a brand that includes 3 airlines which are wholly owned by AA (MQ, PT, OH) BUT also 3 more that are not (OO, YX, and ZW).
That’s not the point, but I’ve clarified it.
About 10 years ago we were catching a flight from Heathrow back to the US and were flying up front on AA. There was an AA flight crew in front of us trying to go through some priority line but their passes didn’t work and ours did which didn’t go over well with at least one FA. Then we got to the scanner and the FA kept getting scolded by the security people because she had stuff in her bag that needed to be removed.
Of course this person was on our flight back to the states and was one of those FAs who wanted to lock one bathroom for the crew. Someone AA would have been better off without. I didn’t say much to her. Lots of entitlement whether it is a FA, pilot, police officer or someone who has money going around now.
Gary Leff covered this 2-3 days ago. Stupid one sided story then, same now. A flight attendant got upset. Big deal. She should know that nothings guaranteed when it comes to space available travel and be fired. Why this is being covered and speculated on twice a few days apart boggles my mind. We only have one side of the story all
Based on here say, and it’s none of our business. Cannot understand why anybody wastes time on this crap. It’s not newsworthy.
First, I decide what is newsworthy on this blog.
Second, I find this sort of passenger shaming to be highly relevant (I’ve seen it myself in a different context) and worthy of coverage: I want flight attendants to fear for their jobs (and at the very least, their flight benefits) if this sort of action is taken. No passenger should be shamed for jumping in front of a non-revenue standby passenger.
Flying NRSA is a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT of employment. This sort of behavior is reprehensible. Whether this particular incident happened or not is not nearly as important as making clear that you better shut up if you are pass riding when it comes to complaining about getting on a flight or not.
100% Matthew.
I stopped flying TWA back in the 90’s after a really bad encounter with a flight attendant who had a chip on a shoulder (presumably because someone in his early 20’s was in F) and started yelling at me when I did nothing more than walk up to the galley to ask for paper towels b/c I spilled a drink.
These things matter.
I also am inclined to buy that the story is real. The writing is that of someone who is very fluent in the language of frequent flyers.
Amen!
Here’s the brand new 2023 concept for ALL service industry employees: it is not about you. It is about the customer. No paying customers, you have no job. Oh, and no passes.
As a 32+ year pilot for 2 major airlines, my family and I have many times had the frustration of a last-minute paying passenger getting a seat we counted on, and we flew later or the next day. Bummer, sure. That is why it is called standby. To retaliate against the passenger: totally unsatisfactory.
Don’t fire her, but pull her passes for a year.
@Sean: passes are corporate employee benefits, not subject to the/any collective bargaining agreement.
Well while I agree with your comments the fact is that most customer shaming is done by airline FAs. Unlike retail employees which I was in for 40 years they don’t have an owner or a manager around to fire or at least reprimand their butts for their behavior.
Well, the “it is about the customer” is no longer in the booklet of the onboarding process for anyone working for any airline. Those pages were ripped a long time ago.
This is a lie. Never Happened. Author grabbed this from another blogger who has a questionable past of making stuff up about airlines. Besides, if read this, it states “free travel” for employees of airlines. Not true. They get this nonrev travel as part of a negotiated compensation. Tbey gave up other compensation to get this.
Try to verify story and facts before printing garbage like this.
Sorry, but it sounds par for the course for certain FAs I have interacted with over the years. Often, it is the junior new hires that display the worst form of entitlement. I made clear this story is a claim…but if true, the FA’s pass should be terminated. And this story, whether true or false, is an important reminder to all airline employees that their pass is a privilege, not a right.
Not saying this story is false (who knows for sure) but we’re in the habit of publishing flase stories now just to prove a point?
At this point if someone said AA was bringing back the confederacy to legalize slavery I’d believe it because AA is just that awful. Fuck AA.
Good grief – this is why society is where it is today. People, especially online, lack common courtesy, respect, and manners in general. This applies to both customers and employees….
I agree! No respect! SMH
Another career airline pilot here. Most of us understand the rules and live with the outcomes. Apologies to the many savvy younger gens out there but there seems to be a contingent of youngsters who hear privilege and think right. Had i heard this I would have personally apologized to the passenger and had the fa removed from my crew (assuming veracity of the pax story). It is unfortunately a sad sign of the times which incidentally goes both ways in our industry.
Thank you Rick. I appreciate your level-headed approach.
No, it only goes one way.
We pay. You do what you’re hired to. I know pilots feel like pushing the autopilot button 50 hours a months makes you authorities, but you’re still … the help.
[SMH]
What you don’t know about being an airline pilot fills volumes.
If you had an FA removed from your flight there better be a replacement readily available. Most airlines use only the minimum number of FA’s these days so you could be faced with the dilemma of flying with a bad FA or having the flight cancelled and a bunch of ticked off revenue passengers.
For what it’s worth my father was a captain for AA and I flew NRSA numerous times. The majority of his career was before deregulation. That was back in the days when guys had to wear a coat and tie to be allowed in First Class when flying NRSA. There were times when we were not able to get on the flight we wanted to even in pre-deregulation times.
I think it might be fun if, on stories like this, you could just tell us the situation which happened on a U.S. based carrier and then let us guess which one it is. Granted, AA is always a pretty good odds bet, but it still may be fun!
Lol. Maybe I will! 😉
And this is why we hate flight attendants, people. And yes, all of them. They enable this culture.
Imagine this broad wants 92 dollars an hour. Honey couldn’t even make that in the brothel she’s probably too fat for.
I’m a retired aircraft mechanic for a commercial airline. Guess what. We hate passengers. All self entitled passengers who bad mouth flight crew. And we especially hate passengers that trash our aircraft like a snot-nosed little five year old. Please, take the bus from now on.
First of all, Paul, you can’t just let your cat walk all over the keyboard and pretend that’s a last name.
Secondly, I don’t talk to the help. Bye now.
Loretta,
You just did. You talked to the help. By replying to Paul, you just did what you claim you don’t do.
Expect more of this type of behavior from the “entitled” liberal morons that are entering the workforce.
Trust me. Thus behavior from nonrev employees is nothing new. We just didn’t have social media back in the day.
The actions of the flight attendant should have triggered a police response, the pilot should have landed the flight and had the F.A. Removed and arrested! That’s what happens to unruly passengers the FA became a threat to the flight right!
Some serious lack of journalistic integrity here. You only tell one side of the story, how are we to believe this to be true and accurate?
The FA is welcome to step forward and her defend herself. I’ll be happy to give her all the platform she needs.
You must be at a loss for content because this story sounds off. Click bait. Do better finding real news.
Nah, I like writing about this.
Working for an airline I’m surprised many more staff are not members of ‘frequent flyer’ programs.
The generous sign on bonus points or miles offers with Frequent flyer credit card cards can be handy for award tickets when you need to have a confirmed ticket to be somewhere whether it’s a special celebration or you’re commuting to operate a flight from another city.
Too many staff rely on trying to get the jump seat & often there’s a list of people for that.
I was the gate agent working a flight from Denver to Tampa about 30 years ago. It was a full flight and I had a ramp employee waiting, with his wife, to try and get a seat.
I showed everyone checked in, but back in the day you couldn’t always be sure it was accurate. Plus, sometimes people lollygag around the airport and miss their flight. I told the two of them to walk down with me to see if there were open seats.
Well, the computer was right. Every seat had a butt in it. I told them it was full, closed the door, and started topull the jet bridge. The guy went off. Cussing up a storm, bitching about his vacation. I told him id list him for the morning flight, but he’s still ranting. I get it, he’s upset.
We walked back into the gate are and he starts yelling, throws his carry on down, and kicks it across the floor. I proceeded to read him the riot act and reminded him he could always buy a ticket if he couldn’t be flexible. He yelled some more, while his poor wife kept looking embarrassed and miserable.
I wrote him up. He lost his passes for six months. I hope the tantrums worth it.
You exhibited admirable restraint, Linda!
My motto was always, “Don’t get mad, get even.”
My goodness, yet another reason, as if one was needed not to fly with American Airlines or indeed most US carriers.
I was nonreving from the Oshkosh fly in and thought my buddy and I had a sure easy ride home. NOPE, they rebooked another delayed flight to ours. Instead of whining about it we found another route and it worked. Non Rev is a benefit, but sometimes you have to be flexible, creative and use your brains. That passenger didn’t take the b/f’s space, it wasn’t his from the beginning.
Hey, that is the name of the game when nonreving. Sometimes one must purchase a fullfare ticket. I was involved in the same situation as a nonrev as I received the seat over someone with less seniority.