Is compensation due when a FA fails to wake you up to eat, as requested?
As my Qatar Airways flight was entering final descent yesterday, one passenger was giving a FA a piece of her mind. She was livid that she had not been awakened to eat prior to landing in Doha.
On Qatar Airways, FAs ask, “Would you like to be awakened to eat two hours prior to landing?” I’m going to assume the FA asked that and the passenger said yes.
In this case, it appears the FA simply failed to follow instructions. He failed to open her door, perhaps open her window shades, and let her know it was time to eat.
By the time she woke up on her own, it was too late to eat. I believe she missed dinner as well because her suite door was closed both times I used the lavatory during the post-takeoff meal service.
I can certainly understand her anger. But do you think she is owed compensation? And if so, how much? How big of the Qsuite experience or the business class ticket is the meal?
CONCLUSION
This reminds me, in a small way, of the my “incident” on United a few months back. In hindsight, I suppose I just needed the sleep more than the hamburger. Perhaps upon further reflection, the woman will come to a similar conclusion. But she was right to be angry IF she made clear that she was to be awakened. Qatar offers this service explicitly…its not like she made an unreasonable demand.
Why not. As a courtesy they should offer a form of compensation with a voucher.
Doggie Bag?
Great idea!
Wow. What a first world issue.
Nope.
Really? Ridiculous.
I am sure you would sue.
LOL +1
Thanks for reading Mike. I appreciate your clicks.
The quote “But she was right to be angry IF she made clear that she was to be awakened. Qatar offers this service explicitly…” is pretty entitled. Your choice of the phrase angry is revealing and displays a lot about how you manage slights, real or perceived. I would suggest you could switch “angry” for “disappointed” and render the same point without all the resulting baggage.
I was merely describing her attitude. She was visibly and audibly angry.
I would say no. Who knows, maybe he attempted once to wake her up and she didn’t respond. I know if I was a flight attendant I’d probably vocally try and wake the passenger up and then maybe knock loudly on the suite door. Besides that I don’t know what else a FA could do. I certainly would touch/shake a passenger to make sure they were up. Of course, it sounds like he either just forgot or there was some missed communication when ask whether or not she wanted to be woken up.
If she is a HVC I’d throw a $100 e-cert/miles her way, If not, as an airline i’d probably just apologize.
This is why on these overnight flights FA’s should go to coach about 90 minutes before landing and grab a few crying infants and walk them thru the biz/first cabins to wake everyone up 🙂
I think you are onto something, there should be a new procedure for airlines. Grab crying babies, and walk around passengers who asked to be woken up.
I’ve always found it weird to be physically woken up by a flight attendant, but it’s happened numerous times. It kind of feels like your teacher is waking you up after you’ve fallen asleep in class.
I like to be woken up well before landing because I sleep in my contacts on planes (I know, I know…) and I’m such a terrible mess. I like to get up, have something to drink, blink a million times to get my sight back, etc… One time on a KLM flight back home to Los Angeles, I think they forgot to come back and wake me into a seated position, so it was kind of a scramble for me to get up and together. I could barely manage to exit the plane once we landed. Hot mess.
Got carried away thinking about that time I didn’t get woken up didn’t even respond to the question in the title. If you asked and they didn’t, maybe something to shut you up, but if you can sleep through all that commotion you probably needed the rest.
Dear god, is that what it’s come to? Compensation for not being woken up? Not like she missed a meeting, picking her kid up, burned her dinner….SHE WAS IN THE AIR! Mildly annoying? Perhaps. Compensation?
Never. Worth “giving an FA a piece of her mind”. No. Pretentious twit.
Once on a Qatar Airways flight I asked to be waken up at a particular time, and woke up late – only to realise that the flight attendant had tried to wake me up, and failed. It was on the 787, so obviously the flight attendant did more than merely knocking on a suite door. Shame on me!
Would you ask for compensation from a hotel if they did not complete a wake-up call?
While this is an unpleasant experience for the passenger, I do believe it is her ultimate responsibility to wake up when she wants to. Being woken up by an FA is a courtesy, and one that should be expected in premium cabins on a 5-star airline, but mistakes do happen and in the end, this woman can only blame herself if the meal was that important to her.
My personal preference is never to be woken. The main multi-course in-flight meal is always something special, but subsequent meals (read: breakfasts) are of less importance. If I happen to sleep through such a service, I consider the additional sleep more valuable than the meal itself, and take it as an opportunity to eat in the lounge and/or at a concession stand in the airport.
Haha, yeah, don’t think so. IF this is a case where the FA forgot to wake her up, then an apology would be appropriate, but this seems rather trivial to warrant compensation. Somehow I suspect the FA tried to wake her, but she slept through it. It happens.
One can always fly British Airways First Class. They didn’t even try to offer breakfast before landing to London.. I guess one would have had to specifically ask to get any service .. during the whole flight.
Facebook just reminded me of an old flight on Cathay Pacific First Class. Made me realise how huge the difference is between the two.
She should be offered one overcooked steak as compensation.
Absolutely. The FA simply did not comply with customer’s wishes regarding a service that is offered proactively.
A small voucher or anything.
Seriously?! All those who say they are entitled to compensation in such cases are the type of people who are assholes to others anyway. Kick them out of the plane at 30000 feet and the world would be a better place.