A passenger who paid to upgrade his family to American Airlines Flagship Business Class for an overnight flight says the lie-flat seats proved nearly useless because the flight attendants talked loudly throughout the night.
When Flight Attendants Are Too Loud To Let Passengers Sleep
A passenger recently took to reddit after an overnight American Airlines flight from Chicago to London aboard a Boeing 787-9.
He had upgraded his family of four to Flagship Business Class (I reviewed that plane on that route here), largely so they could sleep on the overnight journey. Instead, he claims the flight attendants held full-volume conversations, laughed, walked through the aisles talking, and repeatedly clanked dishes and glasses in the galley.
The family was seated near the front of the cabin, which certainly did not help. But the passenger says the crew was also talking loudly in the aisles and made little effort to keep the cabin quiet.
He described it as the loudest of at least 20 overnight international flights he had taken. Earplugs did not solve the problem, nor did noise-canceling headphones.
“We did not get the opportunity to sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time due to loud flight attendants having full volume conversations all night long. We were near the front of the cabin, so that didn’t help, but they were walking through the aisles talking at full volume, clanking pans and dishes, etc. They were not even trying to be quiet at all, and it made for a miserable night trying to sleep.”
His question was simple: should he complain to American Airlines, or was this merely bad luck?
Yes, Flight Attendants Need To Keep Their Voices Down
Yes, he should complain.
Flight attendants have work to do overnight. Meals must be served, carts must be moved, and the crew on duty must remain awake and alert. Some noise is unavoidable, particularly for passengers seated near a galley.
But sustained personal conversations and laughter at full volume are different. There is no legitimate reason for crew members to treat the galley like a break room when passengers are trying to sleep a few feet away…and I experienced this same thing on my recent redeye from Los Angeles to Boston on American Airlines, so it’s hardly surprising. I even wrote a post about it.
> Read More: Why Are American Airlines Flight Attendants So Loud On Redeye Flights?
This matters even more in business class. Airlines market flat beds as one of the principal benefits of paying thousands of dollars or redeeming a large number of miles for an overnight flight. A flat bed is of little value when the people responsible for the cabin environment make sleep impossible.
American’s 787 is also a relatively quiet aircraft. That is ordinarily a benefit, but it means conversations and galley noise can carry farther than employees may realize.
Speak Up During The Flight, But Complaining Later Is Still Fair
Several people criticized the passenger for not simply asking the flight attendants to lower their voices during the flight. That would have been the best first step.
A polite request such as, “I’m sorry, but your conversation is carrying into the cabin and we are trying to sleep,” may have resolved the matter immediately.
But I also understand the reluctance. Passengers should not have to confront a group of flight attendants, particularly when those same employees control service for the remainder of the flight. A reasonable passenger may fear that even a polite request will be interpreted as hostile or entitled.
The fact that the passenger did not complain onboard does not make the behavior acceptable. Sending American a calm account of what happened, including the flight number, date, cabin, and approximate seating area, is entirely appropriate.
AA must remind crews that maintaining a reasonably quiet cabin is part of providing good service on an overnight flight.
CONCLUSION
Some galley noise is unavoidable, and passengers seated near a galley must accept a certain amount of disruption.
But loud conversations and laughter throughout an overnight flight cross the line. Flight attendants are entitled to talk with one another, but they should remain conscious that passengers nearby may have paid a substantial premium for one thing above all else: sleep.
A lie-flat seat cannot deliver much rest when the crew keeps the cabin awake!
Could the not just politely ask to help keep the noise down.
Agreed
Is there an actual reason service on airlines in America is so horrible compared to much of the world? More often than not when flying United, American, etc. I encounter flight attendants who are rude, distracted, or simply don’t care about the passengers. Yet I’ve seldom, if ever, experienced the same in Asia, Australia, etc.
FA’s in North America and Europe are career, unionized employees. This means two things. First, good service is not rewarded in any meaningful way. The absolute best FA who does everything with excellence gets exactly the same raise as the absolute worst who barely kept their job all year. Second, once someone has a job as an FA at one of these airlines, their job is secure unless they basically kill a passenger. Almost no amount of customer complaints can get an FA fired. Compare this to non-union airlines in the Middle East and Asia, where good service is a cultural expectation. Good FAs are rewarded and promoted, while bad ones are fired. One can debate the merits of either system, but the customer experience difference is obvious.
I also thought this for years, but I’ve never encountered poor service or rude flight attendants on international flights with Qantas, Finnair, Iberia, or Air France. I think all those airlines are heavily unionized. I had to conclude that the union argument is not the reason.
There is something particular about the culture at American and United that makes me far more likely to encounter poor service and rude flight attendants on trans-atlantic flights with them. (I don’t fly Delta enough to have an opinion about them.)
Agreed that the theory it’s because of union membership doesn’t hold water.
The comment mentioned Australia as a place where they haven’t encountered the same kind of poor service. The majority of FAs in Australia are union members, so perhaps your theory doesn’t hold.
I fly AA a lot and frequently upgrade to first. Service and food has been excellent. Every time I looked my tablet she refilled my wine glass without me even noticing or asking. Recently flew business class on Azores Airline and service was ok on a 6 flight. One during and a meal and I never saw her again. AA 1 – Euro airline 0.
Yeah, the quality of the cabin crew and airport desk staff for most American carriers has really gone down; DEI hires??? Good service is the exception. Those aren’t high skill jobs.
This assclown buying upgrades is why Systemwide upgrades certificates are about worthless. F this guy and his privileged kids.
Did he ever hear of earplugs?
By the way it’s Reddit so it may or may not be true.
When you were a 19-year-old ‘kid’ working in the industry, did you not have people paying to upgrade your flights to Budapest or Copenhagen?
Ooooh…deep.
Yes God forbid we let businesses operate in the free market and sell something people are willing to pay for. We need your socialism airline where things are free for all…what feckless nonsense. Sorry you cannot afford paying for flying up front. Those of us that can subsidise you anyway. Now go wash your Che shirt the patchouli is smelling.
@Kyle–It is interesting that you denounce someone for being privileged because of paid travel while simultaneously stating that it prevents you from using an upgrade certificate. That level of hypocrisy is astounding. Who is acting more privileged, you or a paying customer?
Eye-mask, earbuds or earplugs. This is the way.
You need to ask them to tone it down.
I’ve had two in the 737 jumpsuits on a redeye pulling this caper and I’ve had a flight attendant playing video games on iPad at full volume in a jumpsuit on 787. Both times I told them they’ve woken me up and asked them to stop what they were doing…… that worked.
I had the exact same thing happen on my Cathay Pacific flight while in First Class! I was seated in the first row and even had my ear plugs but the FA’s were speaking and giggling very loudly. Trust me when I say, I thought about getting up many times hoping they would keep it down but after 15 minutes…. I got up and told them that they were keeping me from sleeping. They all scattered, shortly after the in-charge came and apologized.
Flew back from London to DFW on American a few weeks ago in Flagship business and had the same experience. I was woken up because of how loud the FA was. This seems to be a uniquely American Airlines thing. Never had this issue on United.
That’s a daytime flight. Why are you sleeping?
Same experince here. They just do not care. AA has teh worst in flight service.
It happened to me in DL, UA, LH, AF… I polite asked them to reduce the volume of their voices, where even the nest NCA Headphones still let some levels voice to be heard. Are you afraid that FA will through the plane? Or do you just line to complaint afterwords to be reimbursed? Please, the best of a constructive complaint or feedback, should be at the moment, and you can escalate if it does not work.
“Clanking pans and dishes.” So preparing for a service? Or taking care of another passenger who was hungry? I see FAs trying to communicate with passengers who refuse to take off their headphones or ear buds so they may be speaking more loudly to get through to them. But speaking of earbuds and headphones, United has ear plugs AND noise cancelling headphones in their premium cabins. American doesn’t?
Yet another compelling reason why Kirby of United wants, and Kirby of United should get his want, to take over American. After all, Spirit, sadly though, met its demise yesterday, and at this rate, American could be next by the day after tomorrow. Possibly sooner, depending on how efficiently management applies itself.
I call BS on the whole story. Earplugs work for sure. And they didn’t get 10 minutes of sleep? Really? Total BS.
People often exaggerate situations like this. I am highly skeptical that that they sustained a high level of noise for an entire flight when typically Flight attendants are trying to keep everyone asleep so they dont have to do as much work
Exactly!
I agree 100%. Most FA disappear after service and look at their phones. I have to feel bad to hit the call button. Of course there is noise on flights especially if you are next to the galley or restroom. But my experiences in business class overnight have been very acceptable. Let it go. And if ear plugs of the headsets don’t work for you it’s your problem.
I wonder what the flight attendants looked like, I have an idea.
The first thought that comes to mind young Chad is a lot better than you. Grow up.
What an unpleasant surprise! Better luck to the said family next time!
A doctor’s humble reminder → The best over-the-counter (OTC) options to help you sleep during air travel are “melatonin” supplements for a lighter, natural approach, or synthetic sedating antihistamines like “diphenhydramine hydrochloride” and “doxylamine succinate” for a stronger sedative effect. It is very important to discuss the use of any sleep aid with a healthcare provider to ensure it is appropriate for you, especially if you have other health conditions or are taking other medications. Always test these aids at home before your trip and do not consume alcohol when using them.
For aviation enthusiasts → AA’s B787-9 Dreamliner fleet is powered exclusively by General Electric GEnx-1B engines. The GEnx engine is built for long-haul flights. It is well-known for being very quiet. AA currently has 33 B787-9 Dreamliners (average age: 6.2 years) in its fleet.
I have flown this route and the corresponding one from PHL back and forth to LHR a few times, and I have been fortunate enough to land 1A or 1L each time. I usually skip my meal so I can get more sleep, which means more noise immediately until the masses have been fed! However, I can honestly say I have never had FAs like this in J. They also need to rest a bit or just detox and relax with a magazine or their phones (which is FINE if no one needs them). My feeling has been that they are glad when it’s time for us to sleep so they can rest. I have had exceptional FAs and okay ones, but nothing like this. I likely would not have confronted it due to the power differential. But I agree the OP should complain. Sleep is THE point for me on those flights.
Finally, I get to say this with pride: I’m a Deaf passenger, and this is one situation where being Deaf is a huge advantage.
I’ve lost count of how many times hearing people have told me, “I’m so sorry you’re Deaf.” Sorry? Not today. When everyone else is complaining about nonstop announcements, I’m enjoying the peace and quiet. Sometimes being Deaf comes with unexpected perks—and this is definitely one of them.
For once, I can proudly say: being Deaf is a travel upgrade. Hearing people have spent years telling me, “I’m so sorry you’re Deaf.” Meanwhile, they’re stuck listening to endless loud announcements, and I’m sitting there in blissful silence. Who’s feeling sorry now?
If FAs can dim the windows on a 787, I should have a mute button for them. This reminds me of one of my biggest travel pet peeves: guests who think it’s OK to talk above a whisper in hotel hallways, particularly the ones who seem to think everybody else should share their sleep schedule.
I am scared of US crews and would have kept my gob shut.
A simple “hey guys. I’m sure you don’t realize that we can hear you in the cabin. Would you mind keeping it down so we can sleep? That’s so much.” Is all that’s required. Complaining on social media serves no purpose.