SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE AIRLINE CREW!

Airlines have been taking a real battering in the press lately what with man-handling passengers off flights, drunken pilots at the controls and flight attendants punching passengers. I have had customers saying they will not fly with certain airlines because of this so it has had an impact.

But should we be panicking?

When it comes down to it we don’t really have any choice if we want to get from A to B.  Unless you are crossing over to the Continent or staying in the UK what real choice do you have? To get anywhere significant you really do have to fly. Hence the need for courses for those who are terrified of flying as when it comes down to it people do not want to compromise so flying becomes unavoidable.

In truth, I don’t think anyone really enjoys flying with crowded airports, Long queues to check-in and go through security. Evermore stringent security procedures adding to check in times and then heaven forbid a delay. Add to this once you board the cramped seats, mediocre food and the inevitable child in the seat behind who keeps kicking the seat or in front who keeps playing with the seat recliner button and by the time you get to your destination you are in need of a holiday to recover from the journey.

It’s not all doom and gloom and it depends on your outlook on life. In fairness, I do quite like flying. I love the build up to going away, the buzz at the airport as people get excited about their trips. Being called for your flight and getting on-board. In-flight entertainment has come a long way since you used to have to watch the screens in a row down the aircraft. No Sarcastic comments please, I know I am getting on in years… Some still do but most have personal seat back screens. There is always a good choice of movies, TV Programs, documentaries and music or if not you could just take a good book? Book? Don’t tell me you don’t know what a book is? Well for those who are completely tech reliant it is a manual Kindle!!!

Anyway, back to what I was saying before I get completely side-tracked.

I am wondering what all these incidents on flights are going to lead to. The Airline industry is keen to reassure passengers that travelling is safe and incidents are very few and far between. Where should it stop? Should they introduce Sobriety testing for pilots and staff before they board any flight? Unions are opposed to alcohol, drug and psychological tests and even voice recorders as an invasion of privacy but as you know all cockpits have these now.

In reality these incidents are few and far between but with social media they get blown up out of all proportion. The fact is it is we, the passengers that pose the greatest issues on flights not the pilots or attendants. Their jobs are difficult. The attendants spend long hours on their feet and are away from their homes and families for long periods, yet they still keep serving us with a smile and keeping us happy and pilots also work long hours and spend long periods away from home. They have a huge responsibility for many passengers and an expensive aircraft. They must deal with unforeseen issues like turbulence, storms, thunder and lighting, poor visibility all of which require concentration and can be very stressful.

Attendants often must deal with abuse, irate passengers, whining and being unreasonably demanding. There are often 300 or more passengers on a flight so you cannot have a personal attendant no matter how much you want one.  They deal with sick passengers or worse, medical emergencies from heart attacks to people giving birth.  They have to keep everyone calm when the flight gets bumpy or if a mechanical issue occurs and worse still if the unthinkable happens and the plane has to make an emergency landing they coordinate the passengers and get everyone to safety.

Could you do all this whilst remaining calm? No? Then spare a though for these men and women who do.

Some of things they deal with are ridiculous.

Here are some examples I came across whilst researching this.

An attendant heard a baby crying but it sounded quite muffled. She walked to the seat with the baby but the baby was nowhere to be seen. She then heard the cry again. Horrified she opened the overhead locker to find the infant laid between two carry-on bags. The mother said she thought it was the bassinet which was clipped to the wall in front of her. A genuine mistake? Stupidity? Or just a danger?

I read about a passenger asking the Attendants how they joined the mile-high Club?  The attendant discreetly asked if they knew what this meant and the couple seemed horrified and embarrassed when they discovered what it was. They genuinely seemed to think it was the airlines’ frequent flyer program? Enough said…

A passenger had also got very irate on a flight because they did not have somewhere for him to pray in quiet. Did he really expect them to have a prayer room on a flight? Whether this is true or not he apparently asked if he could go in the cockpit where it was quieter and was angry when the attendants said this was not possible.

There are lots of incidents which make me laugh. A passenger asking if the attendant could read her child a bedtime story so she could finish watching the film. Like she had nothing better to do with her time. A passenger asking if she could borrow a flight attendants toothbrush as she had forgotten hers? Yuck!

The list is endless.

So, next time you are on a flight maybe you should spare a thought for the men and women who are taking care of you and cut them some slack.

I would love to hear about any incidents you have come across on flights. whether you a passenger or an attendant.