A United Airlines flight attendant handled a pesky first class passenger with extreme patience, but made clear toward the end of the flight what she really thought about the self-entitled jerk in a most flawless way.
Self-Entitled First Class Passenger Put In Her Place By United Airlines Flight Attendant
The story, shared on reddit, took place on UA2266 from Newark (EWR) to Dallas (DFW) in the first class cabin. Here’s the account:
I was on a flight from EWR to DFW today. I boarded with this 1K in front of me who complained about everything from start to finish. She complained about pre-boarding taking longer than normal. She complained about there not being enough ice in her drink. She complained when I wouldn’t move my drink placed on our shared space to accommodate her three drinks (a water without ice, a mixed drink, and a drink without enough ice), she complained that my Beef Sandwich smelled “too spicy” and she didn’t like it.
Things came to a head when her IFE wasn’t working so she asked to reset it. The FA reset it. It doesn’t work (it was one of those small direct TV screens). She asks a different FA to reset it again. It doesn’t work.
She then complains again to the first FA about the second FA not resetting it, the first FA said the second FA did. Then she asked to speak to the Captain to complain because she had been watching and didn’t see the FA reset it. She starts to get pretty direct and aggressive with the FA demanding better service and for them to fix it.
At this point – I offer to switch seats from A to B because my IFE worked. She said no because she likes the aisle. And she just stares at the FA’s and galley for the next 2.5+ hours.
As we get close to the end of the flight – she demands compensation for the numerous “disservices and lack of professionalism” and wants the FA’s name. She then says if she gets the ETC now as opposed to going through customer care she won’t complain with her name. The FA said she will see what she can do.
I walk up to use the bathroom as they prepare for landing and the FA stops me and says, “Thank you for offering to switch seats and I’m sorry you had to sit by her”. I say “No problem, sorry you had to deal with her”. The FA stops by and gives the woman some compensation and then hands me her device to put in my information and she loudly says “I’d like to offer you some compensation for having to put up with all this” and sends me a $100 ETC.
The face on the See You Next Tuesday was priceless! We land 20 minutes later and she storms off on her cell phone complaining to whoever about how terrible and rude the FAs were and United sucks.
I apologize on behalf of all the 1K’s for her behavior and sorry in advance for the unreasonable holiday travelers who expect a private jet experience the one and only times they fly a year. Keep up the great work, flight staff of UA2266!
You never know quite what to believe on reddit, but this story has a ring of truth to it considering there is a route and flight number and because I’ve seen people like this before…the sense of self-entitlement knows no limits. As a Premier 1K myself, I also echo the sentiment that we are not all bad!
I find this situation was handled very well…the woman was treated with kid gloves (she did not deserve this), but I do think compensation was a very appropriate for the poor seatmate and the act of extending this compensation will hopefully cause some self-reflection for the rude woman (but of course is more likely to fall upon deaf ears).
A reminder during this busy holiday travel period: treat flight attendants kindly.
JetBlue F/A gave me $200 for swapping seats on a Mint flight JFK-LAX with a woman who was having a meltdown because her door wouldn’t close (this was last year). I offered to the F/A to change because I said I didn’t want to listen to her the whole way. Sent compliments to the F/A because even though we were only 20 minutes after take-off, the woman had completely trashed the suite with wrappers of Dramamine capsules on the floor, the contents of the amenity kit on the floor, in compartments, in the seat. F/A got wipes and completely wiped it down and tidied up. Woman who I swapped with wanted compensation and the F/A told her “You got a seat with a working door.”
If true, this is where an airline needs to support their FA’s and just ban the individual from UA. Do an investigation with statements from FA’s and other nearby passengers and make the hard decision if legit.
I’m not one to support FA or their unions, and know they have their share of bad eggs. But no person doing their job should have to put up with a jerk or (word used above) like her.
@Dave … +1 . Also , one next to her with the three drinks on their shared space , would know nothing if (somehow) an arm slipped and (somehow) the three drinks tipped over on (someone’s) lap .
Thanks for sharing. I am a 1k myself and always grateful and thankful. The FA’s have had a long busy day and dont make life miserable for them.
She should write a book on ‘how to treat difficult people.’
Sounds like the woman is some folks on Flyertalk, where they are never happy on a UA flight.
I fly like once a year and due to my size and problems with my hips and knees, I fly First Class. It takes budgeting and saving but I can do it.
I always treat the FAs courteously and beginning with my last trip, I started bringing small bags of candy bars for the FAs to share among themselves!
That’s usually a good thing for them and it lets them know that I appreciate the extra tough job they do!
That’s a very kind gesture!
You must carry a lot of chocolate for all the people in the world who have a tough job to do.
Pretty sure this never happened. It’s Reddit and people are bored. First, I don’t imagine anyone complaining to that level, especially a 1K who has enough expectations built in.. Second, I don’t expect UA FA’s to be so clever as this while willing to take the abuse leading up to the finale.
I hear 1Ks and Global Service complain like this all the time. Betting $100 you act like this too. Your second point confirms as much. I’m always quick to offer my card to the FAs, telling them to use me as a witness for nonsense like this. Some of you are real twats on the plane.
TBH, I board, ask for nothing, keep my mouth shut, and mostly sleep. My expectations are low. My purpose is singular: get to my destination. You will barely even know I am there. Any other questions?
TBH it seems like she is doing what Lucky from OMAAT used to do back in the day, except she is doing it in the rudest way possible. Lucky would book flights on UA, then send off letters to UA pointing out everything wrong that happened on that flight (plus booking flights that had chances of being delayed and or canceled) and ask for compensation. As I said though, he was never rude or belligerent to the FAs though. Ironically UA caught wind of this strategy of his and banned him for a while. I wonder if this lady does the same thing, books flights, complains, and gets compensated each time as a goal.
Or maybe she is just an a-hole. Or both. Who knows.
Antwerp appears to be displaying a bias and ignorance of the qualifications of many flight attendants. There are far too many flight attendants with BA, and MA’s degrees working in this field to write “Second, I don’t expect UA FA’s to be so clever…” For many educated and talented flight attendants this job is a second gig.
So some have a degree? Sometimes an advanced degree? Yet still they choose to work this job spending a great deal of the time complaining about it and trying to do as little as possible? What’s the degree in? Seems if they did they would hardly be doing a job they often cite as so awful and underpaid (even as what you term a second gig). Seems they have every opportunity to move on and excel elsewhere. Anyone with an advanced degree working as a flight attendant is not an educated flight attendant – sounds to me more someone on a fools errand.
Actually Antwerp, I am one with two advanced degrees and have been working as a F/A for many years. When I look at so many of my friends and family and hear about their work lives, I realize I am definitely the smart one. I can guarantee that I will run circles around you Antwerp. Go back to your office and carry on. I have a flight to catch with a fun layover and then 10 days off before my next fun trip. Happy Holidays.
I wonder if this is the same lady I had a run in at the San Diego United Club today. Me and a friend were standing over a ledge to look an arriving plane, during this time the floors were being sweeped. At this point a lady comes up to us yelling at us demanding to know why we are standing and impeding the cleaner from sweeping the floor, calling us every non-vulgar insult you could imagine. After she walked away I went up to the cleaner and apologized if we were blocking him, to which he said “I am sorry for her behavior, you two were completely fine”. She then proceeded to report us to the lounge attendants, again… for standing in a place that wasn’t blocking or bothering ANYONE… so yeah… fun day
unfortunately we have all had to deal with entitled individuals up front some were just idiots. some were aggressive. a few drunk and even on the verge of violence. there should be a code of passenger behavior violations of which should result in temporary or permanent banning (at least from the specific carrier) some merit addition to the no fly list
Remember when bad kids were sent to stand in the corner? Airplanes need a Naughty Seat. Rock hard, no recline, and a mirror in front of it forcing the bad kid to look at him/her-self.
You just described my economy class seat on American Airlines – minus the mirror…
Who cares.
Empowering employees to say “NO” is one of the most important things you can do in the service industry. Combine American-style groveling fake-friendly service expectations with farcical layers of entitlement-inducing loyalty tiers and “the customer is always right” and you get a really toxic mix that disgruntles low-wage service workers and really brings out this entitled personality type– and they make all you 1K’s (or whatever your current preferred pronoun is) look like jerks.
I think this woman should have been told “NO” much sooner in the transaction. But likely the FAs were worried about repercussions– likely from some twit of a “manager”. And we wonder why nobody wants to work in the service industry.