As the face of the airline, flight attendants can make or break a flight and can greatly influence the way an airline is viewed. One bad apple can lead a passenger to discard the entire airline. But while so much emphasis is put on evaluating flight attendant service, let’s explore the issue of onboard interaction from the other side today. What annoys flight attendants most about their passengers?
What Annoys Flight Attendants Most
Jay Roberts is a flight attendant for Emirates and runs a Facebook page called A Fly Guy’s Crew Network. He posed the question to flight attendants and received hundreds of responses. Roberts began the discussion by offering his own take:
“The main thing that a passenger can do to start out on the wrong foot is avoid eye contact or ignoring a basic greeting when I say hello to them. Besides being rude, it disrespects the crew’s role as safety professionals. If that plane is on fire and needs to be evacuated, I’m going to risk my life and stay behind to make sure you get off safely. Or if you get sick I’m going be by your side, doing everything I can to save your life, and you can’t even acknowledge I’m standing here saying hello to you?”
Ok. I passed the first test. I always look flight attendants in the eye and greet them with a smile as I board. How about you? (and let me add here that on many occasions, flight attendants cannot be bothered to smile at the door or hand out wipes without looking away from their galley conversation).
There’s more. Other gripes include:
“When someone changes their kids diaper on the tray table then hands me the dirty diapers.”
Yep, that’s nasty.
“When you’re collecting blankets, headphones etc and they start piling huge bags of rubbish on top they’ve collected during the flight and had 15 hours to dispose of themselves, like seriously my hands aren’t full enough for you.”
Maybe you lobby your airline not to make you collect the headphones and blankets? Are people really that bad that if you don’t collect them they will collect them in thier bags and take them home?
“Passengers watching you serve an entire cabin before deciding the best time to go to the toilet is when you reach them!”
Sometimes nature calls at the worst possible time.
“Not telling me how they drink their coffee, but at Starbucks they tell them what kind of cow milk they want!”
I totally agree with this. When I order coffee on a plane, it is always specific. Why do so many people just say coffee and make then the flight attendant ask how they take it?
“Opening the overhead bin during the flight to take out something, and not closing it.”
Agree…but come on, give me a moment. I was on a KLM flight recently and opened the overhead bin to get out my charging cord. Before I could even put the bag back a flight attendant came running over and shut the bin, scolding me for leaving it open. Give it a rest…
“Ask for pens for landing cards! Yes sir, I do have a pen, and no you may not borrow it.”
Lol. Landing cards are so last century. I wish we could just jettison them all.
“When they tap or touch me to get my attention!”
I don’t touch people unless invited.
“Come on the plane on the phone on speaker. Or a video chat. NO ONE wants to hear your conversation.”
Indeed. This one unifies flight attendants and other passengers and would be my top gripe as well.
And of course my personal favorite:
“Bringing a half-dead, blind-in-one-eye Chihuahua and slapping a ‘Service Dog’ vest on it and looking at me like “I dare you to say something.'”
I wish more flight attendants would speak up…but they cannot. Time to close the loophole (again).
CONCLUSION
I like this list. I think flight attendants can be so annoying sometimes by just listlessly going through the motions, but we don’t always appreciate what they have to go through on a daily basis, sometimes several times per day. So let’s do our part to not only hold flight attendants to high standards, but reciprocate with kind and courteous behavior ourselves.
image: Etihad
One of my biggest issues is moving pax around to accommodate families that could not sit together. Really?? … the majority of the pax, pick their seats is advance when making a reservation.. plus, as we know, aisle seats and window seats come with an additional cost. Is it really fair to ask pax to move around to accommodate a family of 2 0r 3? Granted, this is easier done if there’s only 1 person involved in the swap; but even then, it’s still not fair to the individual that reserved the seat in advance. As I always say.. this is only a request, don’t feel obligated to make the switch.
I am not sure whether ‘the majority of pax’ pre-reserve seats. I think that for most short haul flights most people are content to choose during check in. I may choose my seat if I am given the option during a direct booking on the airline website, but am certainly not going to start ringing around trying to figure out whether it’s the travel agent, the marketing carrier or the operating one that can get me an assignment for my intra-Europe flight. Thankfully most families nowadays prefer the likes of Jet2 and Wizzair as they really dislike connecting flights, so the ambience on my Star Alliance flights tends to range from quiet to positively catatonic.
If a family wants to sit together, they should buy their seats together.
As long as you are not being a jerk, I really don’t care what annoys flight attendants.
“I pay them to do their job” is a very jerk-like thing to say. You sure you abide by your own rule?
“When they tap or touch me to get my attention!” = I am Deaf passenger and I always tap on shoulder to get their attention because Deaf people don’t like to use their voice since they don’t know how loud they can be.
I agree… I really don’t care if someone taps me to get my attention. In some cultures, tapping someone lightly is a way to get their attention..I dont see that the big deal is; but to some it is a huge deal. Oh well…
Also guilty for tapping a few times to avoid waking the sleeping. Oops.
Sounds like this flight attendant is a bit power hungry and privileged. Gone are the days when flight attendants job was to cater to the passengers. Yes, they are an important part of airline safety. However, judging a passenger because they don’t make eye contact and smile? You don’t know if they are introverted or have an anxiety issue, or just tired. I could go on…
“When flight attendants job was to cater to the passengers?” Seriously? Never! We may try to make you feel that way but that was NEVER our job.
Please let Scott Kirby know so he can change his goal of being the best airline in the world.
I would prefer they don’t “tap or touch” my knee with the serving cart as they barrel down the aisle so they can get done interacting with the self loading cargo as quickly as possible. An “excuse me” will work wonders in each direction, but politeness is always expected by them and quite surprising when given back. I do my best to ask for nothing and not interact with FAs at all. Too many of them like to agitate for no reason and make it clear the passengers are simply a burden.
It’s a darn flight. People may bump against each other. Others may have momentary hearing issues from pressure. While smiling is nice upon boarding most folks can be distracted. If everybody just is polite, should that not be the greater goal?
YMMV… I’ve received special treatment because of my partner’s “half-dead, blind-in-one-eye Chihuahua” probably more than I’ve received aggression. Sounds like the FA that was interviewed isn’t an animal lover. Quel dommage!
How about what an article on what flight crews do that annoy passengers.
Sure. I can do that. What would you add to that list?
This is the first article of Matthew Klint’s that I did not care for. It feels you really have an issue with flight attendants. I’m not one, but I do work in hospitality. The “tapping thing” that has many commenters annoyed, well it is annoying. They likely aren’t being tapped a few times. They service hundreds of passengers daily. They are being tapped constantly by people all day. All because you can’t be patient, wait until eye contact is made, or say excuse me. In which they would politely let you know they will be with you in a moment. Which is exactly what I do. Never had to tap a flight attendant for attention. For anyone deaf, I promise you this does not apply to you, because in any hospitality related industry we happily make a mental shift for those with disabilities. Your dogs that you claim are service dogs but are both though…find a sitter for it. Stop the lies.
I don’t understand what the problem is – this wasn’t really an opinion piece. I was just reporting what flight attendants say. I agree, I hate being tapped. I do agree with the commenter that you really have to guard your knees because if they are sticking out even just a tad, they will get clobbered by the drink cut when so many FAs don’t bother to look before plowing the cart down the aisle.
Well the next time I’m on a flight I will loudly yell “excuse me!”, wake everyone up, and tell them D. Cunningham told me so.
Jerk.
You are only thinking about yourself.
If you are so self centered and self absorbed, you should fly first class.
I work as a flight attendant… My biggest pet peeve is this:
Like all flight attendants, I love my downtime! But unlike many flight attendants, I prefer to my work first so that I feel as if my downtime is “earned” whilst periodically checking on passengers [walking through the cabin] at which time they can make requests for beverages or hand me trash.
That said, I absolutely HATE when I ask if a passenger is done with the three drops left of now flat soda that they had for the past 3 hours and they insist “No! I still want it!”
ME: “Okay. Would you like another drink”
PAX: “No.”
[Not “No, thank you”. Just “no”.]
Nice! Passengers are happy!I have my earned my downtime! Time to check in with my fiancee!!! When of nowhere…
*call light*
or
*slam the empty glass I just asked you for on the galley counter*
…and ask: “I’ll have a diet coke ”
Usually always the same demographic who tends to do this.
Ron Desantis or Donald Trump.
FAs are the “professional part», the «service persons». They should be less annoyed with you than you are with them. Always. Because they are f……. professional. “The customer is always right”, because he can (and will) take his business elsewhere. And, I decidedly hate snippy FA’s.