One American Airlines flight attendant now has a target on her back after snitching on a trainee for dozing in flight. The incident underscores the sometimes-contentious relationships within flight attendant ranks over accountability and self-regulation.
Flight Attendant Snitch At American Airlines Now Has A Target On Back
A flight attendant trainee was surreptitiously photographed with her eyes closed on a training flight by a crewmember working on the flight. This crewmember ratted her out to management, who terminated her just two days before she was set to become a flight attendant.
The move did not sit well with other flight attendants at American Airlines, who took to internal flight attendant social media groups to decry the snitch, with many promising retaliation and to dig up “dirt” on the reporting flight attendant (who purportedly used to be an Emirates flight attendant). Surprisingly, the new hire was staunchly defended, with senior flight attendants noting how difficult training days are and how her violation was not a safety issue (it did break company policy).
One flight attendant wrote a note to Brady Byrnes, the Vice President of Flight Service at American Airlines, and received a very terse response:
Respectfully, you are out of line. It is completely unacceptable for someone to sleep during their flight. Furthermore, you don’t have all of the facts. Our training colleagues are consummate professionals, and when some is (sic) release from training…the decision is made with careful thought and consideration.
I’ve included [redcated] MD of Base Ops. Your FSM will be in contact to discuss your note in more detail.
Brady
Brynes really does not help himself here, dismissing the flight attendant’s concern and including a veiled threat of discipline in the last paragraph for having the audacity to write him.
As View From the Wing rightly notes, a better response would have been to thank the flight attendant for the note, certainly point out that there are additional facts at play that cannot be disclosed due to privacy concerns, and encourage the flight attendant to treat passengers with the same attention to detail and care.
The takeaway, just like we saw with a recent mask issue at United Airlines, is that many flight attendants wish to deal with discipline internally and not involve the airline. Flight attendants who “rat” out colleagues, even if totally within policy, suddenly have targets on their back.
> Read More: United Airlines Finds Itself At War With Flight Attendants Union
CONCLUSION
This incident discounts the notion that flight attendants are unified – like any organization, employees jostle against one another for advantage. Here, a trainee was fired, perhaps rightly so, for briefly snoozing on the job, but the manner in which she was reported has infuriated many flight attendants at American Airlines. Flight attendants must grapple with a serious dilemma: reporting colleagues for breaking rules may carry detrimental consequences.
image: Steven Lippman / American Airlines
Wow, you used the term snitch three times and ratted out once. Why not mix in turncoat to keep things fresh? Let’s put this in perspective: a trainee was sleeping on the job. If she can’t cut it by keeping awake while flying during training she needs to hunt up another job.
For the record, I make no judgment on this case without more facts – but I do think “snitch” is exactly the right word, because it seems instead of confronting the FA, she was just turned in.
The comments section in A View From The Wing appears to be a goldmine of commentary from those involved in the incident and, from what I can ascertain, there was more to it than just the short dozing off. Apparently the FA was a slacker but that’s heresay.
My feeling? In training? Sure, let them feel the pressure. If I was going through training I would walk around with a stick up my dupa and for the first month at least until I saw others slack (don’t be the first slacker). I also have a policy of coming in as early as possible for a new job for months (heck, I always come in early if possible, makes it great when I slip out at 4PM and all the folks looking to dump work on you at the last minute don’t find you there and I tell them: “My core is 7:30AM to 4PM. I have a commute.”
I totally agree. And some organizations fire or discipline all who witnessed it. and said nothing. Not being able to stay awake could have been her own doing, staying up late the night before for whatever reason, or sleeping off something.
Are you aware that flight attendants for AA are required to go to Dallas for 6 weeks of training that is unpaid??? They do not receive any compensation until they complete training. If she didn’t feel well, she didn’t really have an option of staying home. So to turn someone in 2 days before she completed training and wasn’t even officially on the payroll yet is cruel. Especially if she had permission to sit.
she literally fell asleep on the job…during training no less, when you’d think you’d be on your best behavior. Sounds like she got just what she deserved.
I am sorry. I belive in hard on the job i Have a heart my dear. She might have been working hard the night before doing her hw for college. Taking care of a sick kid. Helping out her family. Don’t judge. We are living in challenging times. Show some love
Know the entire story. Then make comments. Since we don’t know everything its best to have empathy. For a situation like that can happen to anyone. Be careful. Best Wishes.
Please forgive typos.
I believe in hard work on the job.
Falling asleep on a training flight?? You gotta be kidding me? How stupid was the trainer to do that? Answer incredibly stupid.
You are the weakest link….goodbye!
She was actually sick! Got permission from lead to go sit down.
So why was she terminated then? That boggles my mind.
If she got permission, she would not have been fired. Aren’t there break compartments for them to lie down for their breaks away from the others and passengers?
It depends on the aircraft. Those used for short- or medium haul don’t.
It’s my understanding this was after the service and after the prepare for landing portion of the flight. At which point she would of returned to her assigned passenger seat for landing. Sleeping at that point is allowed – just as we do when traveling in a passenger seat as a deadhead, etc
Tell me you are Joking! Your understanding is wrong, you’re not allowed to “Sleep” you are an essential crew member, what happens if during that time, all FAs onboard decided to “Sleep” on the job and some belligerent pax decided to charge towards the cockpit.
I worked at AA for 31 years as a flight attendant and retired last year. You are completely misinformed. “Deadheading” flight attendants are allowed to sleep, wear a noise cancelling headphone, watch a movie or just stare into space. Obviously a “working” crew member is not allowed to sleep at any time unless on an aircraft with crew bunks during a designated crew rest break. I have no idea what happened on this flight. I do, however, remember Brady Byrnes from many years ago when he worked in an office at my local base and I am not surprised by his response.
What? This is the one point other than takeoff where sleeping is absolutely prohibited, under any circumstance.
Do we have the text from the FA to Brady Byrnes? Brady’s response was terse, yes, but I’d withhold judgment on it being out of line until we know how he was initially addressed. Depending on the FA’s letter, this may be exactly the response warranted to put an immediate stop to further churn or to eliminate any potential indications that management is not aligned internally.
So more context before you judge. She was sick (has medical condition) asked lead flight attendant could she sit. They allowed her to sit in passenger seat, where she closed her eyes. Oh yeah she came from Jerusalem for this job! So tear a little more grace could’ve been given.
Thanks for the background. Why the hard line from AA?
Thanks for the further context. All of that shud of been totally fine! If it had been a class room day and she felt sick, they wud let her go back to her hotel room or rest somewhere. West wud this be any different? It’s not like she fell asleep on the cart during service! Lol
As an FA, if she felt sick during class to the point that she could not remain in class she would NOT have been allowed to leave class and stay at the hotel. FA training is FAA regulated and trainees are not permitted to miss one minute of it. If someone leaves the classroom then class has to be stopped until they return. If she was too sick to attend class, she would be dismissed from training and invited to a later class.
When you work as a crewmember – and in many other aviation-occupations – you are part of a team and you work as a team. When you see that your colleague is falling asleep, you wake her or him. End of the story. And yes, the lady in question deserves the target on her back.
That’s right! The Cambridge Dictionary defines a team as: to work together in order to achieve a shared aim, rather than trying to achieve things just for yourself or working against others.
If this was during the landing segment perhaps just a warning to the trainee from the FA might have been suffecient to correct her behavior and salvage her job. Snitching to management at this point was really over the top.
It is not like being a FA these days is the greatest of jobs. You could not pay me to do it. I see no reason to be this strict over this incident. The trainee should not have been fired.
As for the boss. He sounds like a pompass ass who should not be in a position of leadership.
You are totally correct. And btw Everyone, FA was not an official FA yet so She can fall asleep as certified FAs while deadheading are able to sleep. First of all, anyone that feels sick, should rest because She would therefore, be more effective and alert. I would hope my colleagues would stand up and support Me if I were in that situation. What if She felt sick and was having a stroke or heart attack or due to lack of sleep, She got in a car accident. 2 days before graduation? These people have enough stress to deal with, why add to it? People need to be more compassionate. Shame on that former flight attendant from Emirates! She really should have helped her
Why is this an issue? It happen at every airline, at every job. It’s someone that’s kissing ass and trying to move up in the company. They are the one that will be at the top when that company starts to fail. Grow up , get a pair and remember what it what was like for you. You better make sure you are squeaky clean and follow all rules and regulations because you are now a target
Woe be to the snitch or scab in a unionized work group. She best watch HER every move going forward.
Where is the same concern shown in this case, by the managers of the airlines, as well as flight attendants and pilots, when passengers are illegally thrown off flights, for not being subservient enough to flight attendants, or gate agents who come on board?
Wow!!! Brady Byrnes gives arrogance new meaning….
She wasn’t sleeping, she was praying.
She could have simply tapped the flight attendant to wake her. And, the photo taker was breaking the rules by having her phone on.
What rule is that? Oh right there isn’t one. The airline even issues smartphones for inflight use to FA. (Cellular part is turned off in flight but phone otherwise runs same)
Writing to the VP was a procedure violation, too. Flight attendants have 7nion reps, and grievances and complaints should be reported to them for the union stewards to address with management. No sympathy for that
Y’all don’t know what a snitch is. Lol. To be a snitch you have to be implicitly or actively involved in the crime AND THEN go tell law enforcement.
You’re not a snitch for reporting a violation. No more than this “writer” is a journalist.
It’s just a cat fight (meow) but Brady is the clueless moron, a derek with a little d…..
This article is a continuation of how American has gone from a superior to an inferior airlines. I avoid American like the plague.
Flight attendants know to report things to professional standards so the union can handle it and not let the company find out about certain things. So yes, that flight attendant is a snitch for turning a co-worker in and I follow her. I would definitely watch my back. Her career is basically over and yes, that vice president of flight service is a small penis prick.
When one career ends, another begins. If said flight attendant knows how to ask, “Would you like extra foam in your latte?” “Would you like fries with your order?” or just stating “There is an extra charge for guacamole.”, there are career options for them.
P.S. Professional standards DOES. NOT. WORK. Just breeds more dysfunction than curing it.
typical AA Mgmt. response… threatening and intimidating. One could not believe the controversies AA tries to keep hidden. AA runs its airline as an AUTHORITARIAN STATE.
So based on the article the flight attendant did nothing wrong by going to mgt. As a matter of fact, she was sleeping on the job, studying training, so was that a sign of things to come once you are no longer in training? Next based on the comments if she was sick and given permission to rest why didn’t the person who gave her permission stand up for her? And if she did and it fell on deaf ears why didn’t that info come up in your investigation. Why make the flight attendant the brunt of the article? Why not mgt for lack of empathy? Smdh
The issue I have is why didn’t she report this to management? Better yet, her Union rep? Taking a pic and then submitting it to management seems like overkill. I don’t know what AA’s policy is but at my job we are not allowed to take pictures on the job. And certainly not of other co-workers. This seems more like a setup. I bet this flight attendant didn’t like the new trainee and saw an opportunity and ran with it. Taking pics and then turning her in is where the snitch was out of line.
Being a former Union shop steward most unions have general a policy that we confront the offending member personally or if one is not comfortable in doing that, notify the Union if there is a member not in compliance. We will step in and speak to that member BEFORE it gets to management. This is also why she is being called a snitch.
And yes, the trainee was wrong for falling asleep. I think that’s a given. But taking pics of someone in the act isn’t the flight attendenes job. Management has there role. Let them do it.
Appears from the details given that she was performing her final training portion called the Operational Experience. The trainee cannot sit in the Jumpseat like an FA because they do not have an FAA certification. That happens when all elements of the OE are successful. So they are required to sit in a passenger seat for the OE. It is not a deadhead DH as someone above commented. Those are for FAs traveling to a base to work a trip as assigned by crew support. You are allowed to sleep on those. This was not a DH. The instructor FA is also required to make notes during the OE. Not sure why someone would take a photo. Was it the instructor or someone deadheading that took the photo?
It is never allowed to close your eyes while seated during a flight you are working and she would have been conducting herself as if she was working it to get her FAA certificate.
Clearly there are pieces missing in this story.
Flight attendants seems so bitter all the time. I wonder if they know they don’t have to be flight attendants? Lots of other jobs out there. Maybe they’d be better suited to work at the DMV…
What people fail to realize is this type of stuff happens at most of the airlines. I myself use to fly for Emirates as well and you definitely had other cabin crew that will tell on other crew members for the dumbest things. When you are new to any airlines, it’s almost like you have to walk a chalkline. Going to sleep in a jump seat is not the smartest idea especially as anything could happen on takeoff or landing which is the most critical phases of flight. As far as which airline the f/a came from that told on the trainee, does not matter as it can happen at any airline and I have worked for at least 3 as cabin crew including EK. Im not an airline instructor but I stick to this: I go to work, follow all policies and procedures to the best of my ability, and mind my business especially if nothing is compromising the safety of my fellow crew, passengers, and the aircraft itself. Remember in every job you will have a few haters that don’t want to see you become successful. Pray that you’re able to identify those people and even if you have to work with them, proceed with caution and be nice, be nice, be nice and when that plane land it’s all up to you then. Cheers!
Here are the full emails for context: https://imgur.com/a/TBaMExf/
Thank you. Appreciate the context.
I’d like to bounce off of the actual e-mails that were sent.
It is a sad sad state of affairs when a corporate Vice President responsibility for close to 30,000 employees not only gets obviously snippy, but writes “some is released from training….”
An immature snarky man was put in a role of Vice President at a major global corporation, and does not know how to form a proper grammatical sentence.
Unfortunately this is the reason for a great deal of staff “turning on each other” and basically coming unglued, is absolutely zero leadership. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the “New AA,” otherwise known as 3-time bankrupt USAirways.
I am in the very front of the aircraft, and I certainly have to catch a brief nap at times – 5, maybe 10 minutes. It’s a power nap that is vital to help stay alert the rest of the time. It’s what our bodies sometimes crave. Fatigue is common in our training, as I am sure it is fro FA’s. FA’s are treated like crap at most companies, and there is no esprit de corps amongst them – it’s frequently young versus old and junior versus senior; it’s certainly not the job it used to be.
I’m sooo sick of the “snitches get stiches” mentality among flight attendants. Newsflash: When you “f” up at a job in the real world, there are consequences. Maybe if flight attendants started reporting issues to management instead of hiding behind the union’s skirt, this work group wouldn’t be so dysfunctional.
Exactly. But I can only speak to those that American Airlines and in my many years there, I have seen a steady decline in morale and quality of work output from the vast majority of flight attendants most of them have been there beyond their expiration date. Many flight attendants have moved up the ranks and have become installed as flight service managers and so on. With them they carry the toxicity in which they were exposed to while out on the line. The ideology of well I had to do it so you must do it is well alive there. Pay your dues as many will say. American Airlines has a great responsibility on how to address the next generation of flight attendants and how to adjust to their way of life. Many of us will no longer be slaves to a corporate entity or work to the bone or exhaustion. American Airlines schedule is unsustainable it’s inhumane and lacks any perks for 90% of flight attendants who work the domestic flights. They failed to provide adequate hotels they failed to have modern technology in place for scheduling, they refuse to look long term. American Airlines is a dumpster fire floating on a river to hell at this point.
Dereliction of duty is always grounds for termination. Period. Your sophomoric whining about holding a sleeping slacker accountable, and encouraging retaliation against the person who was actually doing their job, says a lot about your own lack of moral bearings.
This isn’t surprising to see. American Airlines has a history of authoritarianism and bullying. They’re very militant in the way that they try to control the flight attendants. American Airlines has allowed the flight attendant work group in particularly to become extremely toxic. Many of whom which are pretty senior simply don’t do what they’re supposed to do in the first place. A great deal of these people wanna work and do nothing their work ethic is nonexistent for a great deal of these folks. But it’s no surprise because American Airlines has been unable to come up with any kind of culture what kind of airline it wants to be and what kind of people it really wants to employ and transport. Every day they operate at the seat of their pants every day there is an issue and every day someone sweeps it under the rug. Management at American Airlines gives zero concern when it comes to criticism or feedback from the front line employees. They do not respect the flight attendant work group and the importance of that group. I’ve been reprimanded and intimidated because a passenger was upset for following the rules and regulations outlined in their IFM. At the end of the day management at American Airlines doesn’t see FAA regulations as important they do not hold their flight attendants accountable for their actions or in action for that matter. In those flight attendants and other employees who actually do what they were trained to do and enforce company policy or FAA regulation often are terminated bullied and ridiculed for simply doing their job as outlined in their own policies. It makes you wonder what it’s like for the other work groups for example the mechanics it’s concerning when morale is this low safety issues go up in the risk of severe damage or loss of life doubles. American Airlines needs to be rebuilt from the ground up in my opinion.
From the actions of the attendant who whistle blew on the trainee, other attendant staff and through to Senior management, there seems to be some bad behaviours at play.
Behaviours flow down a business, if the CEO is a ass and treats direct reports badly, that will subsequently flow down to all staff and soon become the normal way of working.
Management should always set an exemplary example for all staff to follow and be beyond reproach.
Wake up folks. The big picture here is that all airlines don’t pay for a s during training. How does the faa dot dol and congress let them get away with it ? If you go to training you should make at least minimum wage in the state you attend the training in . AA trains f a s in Texas so go figure lousy state. The American public has no concern over this and believe me other companies do it too . If John is paid at Burger King to train in all 50 states then f a s and all airline jobs should get paid to attend trading period . Why does afa and apfa 2 largest unions allow it ? Talk about sexist and backward . Guess Obama and Biden didn’t fix this problem . Trump owned the Shuttle he knew about it to . Gross manipulation by airline ceos using trainees as garbage cans until they graduate from training.