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Galley Gossip: Flight Attendant Pet Peeve #1: Answer please!
I'm working the very last leg of a three day, three-leg-a-day, trip. Still with me? Good.
I'm rolling down the aisle behind a 150 pound cart loaded with ice, soda, beer, liquor, and snacks for sale, along with inserts on top filled with cups, napkins, juice, water, and a couple of hot pots of coffee and tea. Nine times out of ten, I'll probably reach your row and ask the question of the day: "Would you care for something to drink?"
And three times out of five the response will be, "Wha?" And that's a wha without the T.
Normally when faced with this type of situation, I force a smile, grab a napkin, and wave it while eyeing the tray table locked in the closed position in front of you. "Something to drink?" I'll ask again, and while I ask this question I find myself wondering why you haven't taken off the Ipod or those giant Bose noise cancellation headsets covering your ears when you see me standing at your row.
"Wha?" you ask again, scrunching your eyebrows together, because, for some reason, you're not understanding what I'm saying, even though I've been standing behind a beverage cart for the last fifteen minutes slowly inching my way towards you.
I try again, "Drink, something to drink?" now playing a game of charades as I put a pretend cup to my lips and tilt my head back, repeating the word, "Drink? Drink?"
Finally the headset comes off, you smile, and I actually hear, "I'm sorry what?"
Lately flight attendants have gotten a bad rap. Trust me, I've heard the horror stories. And I know they're out there, the bad flight attendant, because I, too, have had to work with a few of those flight attendants. It's not fun for either of us. But keep in mind there are also good flight attendants out there who really do enjoy their job. Like me. But even I get annoyed and a little short when I encounter a passenger like the one above. Remember I have now asked the question, "would you care for something to drink?" which has been shortened to "something to drink?" and shortened again to just "drink!" AT LEAST 960 times in the last three days. And that doesn't count the number of times I've been ignored, causing me to ask the same person the same question three times in a row. It's the kind of thing that could make a flight attendant go a little crazy. Or maybe a lot crazy. So crazy she may actually rip a piece of paper off the cart, grab a strip of tape, scribble a barely legible note, tape it to her airline ID and wear the thing around her neck as she rolls down the aisle behind the heavy cart.
"Something to drink?"
"Wha?"
I grab the ID around my neck, the one with the scribbled note that reads, Drink? Please answer! and hold it up with a smile.
The passenger nods, and asks, "What do ya have?"
I take a deep breath. "Coke. Diet Coke. Pepsi. Diet Pepsi. Sprite. Diet Sprite. Dr. Pepper. Diet Dr. Pepper. Ginger Ale. Diet Ginger Ale. Club Soda. Apple Juice. Cranapple Juice. Orange Juice. Tomato Juice. Grapefruit Juice. Coffee. Tea. Water. Tonic Water."
"Umm...I'll take a Coke."
Still with me?
Good.
Filed under: Food and Drink, Airlines, Galley Gossip
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 40)
mariah Jun 6th 2008 6:44AM
ok, here goes :P
i was once called the most polite person on the plane by a FA.
but i have to say, when i see a cart roll by, it always goes way down the other end and takes a quite a while to get to me. In the meantime I am very caught up in a movie and/or my ipod and i have so much noise in my ears, including the noise of the engine(which maybe you are used to but omg it was so deafening on my last trip). I am not a tall person and at the window seat i can never see when the cart is coming because the seatbacks are so high. By the time it gets to me, i am now startled, sleepy, and tone deaf!! ...and i always do the stupid whaa thing! cuz i see your lips move but am not exactly sure what the words were.. I mean you could have said how are you? And i would say Tomato Juice! So i do apologize lol, it does not sound like an easy job to me. But i do love flying!!! Thank you for never losing it on me. :D
Frugal Jun 6th 2008 6:40AM
Not only do I want the entire can of free soda, I want a nickel when I turn in the empty can.
Ken Jun 6th 2008 6:45AM
Heather, I'm sorry your passengers disappoint you with their disinterest in your beverages, but perhaps it isn't flight attendants that get a bad rap, it's airlines, and the whole business of air travel. And can you claim with a straight face that they don't deserve it nowadays?
When I used to fly, I always knew that there would be an offer of beverages; often food, too, in days gone by. I always knew in advance whether I wanted something, and if I didn't want any, I might be asleep, or listing to music on my headphones with my eyes closed. I had a simple solution -- I carried one of those hotel room "Do Not Disturb" doorknob hangers, and if I wanted to keep to myself and solitude, I stuck the sign in a prominent position.
OTOH, if you approach a passenger who you think might want something, wouldn't there be a more effective way to ask than you described? Wouldn't it work better to tap lightly on his arm to get his attention, then wait a few seconds until he responded. That way, he'd know you were talking to him, and you'd only have to ask the question once. The initial contact would take a few seconds longer, but the total conversation would be a LOT quicker.
Brandy Jun 6th 2008 8:04AM
I agree with this last paragraph. I was thinking (almost immediately that I read this blog) that it would save you tons of grief and aggravation to notice the passenger, and if embroiled in an activity, simpy tap their shoulder, motion to your ears to indicate a removal of plugs, then politely ask your question once said plugs are removed. If I didn't see you and you just handed me a coke then moved along, you would get really ticked when I called you back to refuse it. I don't like pop, so rarely drink it. When confronted with consistantly rude passengers, you just need to get smarter. That is what makes the difference between a customer service emloyee (which is what you are when handing out your snacks) being a rude or a great one.
betty Jun 6th 2008 6:48AM
what seems to be forgotten is that it can be very difficult to "HEAR" well on an airline. I experience this. I flew for the first time about 2 yrs back and was shocked that as the plane lifted up in the air my hearing all but disappeared. WEIRD I didn't know to expect that. The loud whine of the engines seemed to deafen me for a little while.... I could hear sounds when people talked...but it was low and made more of a "buzzing" sound... I couldn't understand anyone... It got better a ways into the flight... but I couldn't hear right until the plane landed and I was getting off.
so it's no wonder people says..."What??? HUH???"
Kate Jun 8th 2008 9:58PM
What I don't understand about these responses which indicate it's the airline's fault, it's the way the question is asked, it's the noise on the airlines, it's all these things which make the question difficult to understand and then answer, is one simple thing: Unless this is your first ever flight, and you're not familiar with the process, SURELY these passengers know that a cart will come by and drinks will be offered? If an attendant is standing there behind 150 lbs of rolling ice chest, and everyone around you has little plastic cups of ice and beverages, IT'S TIME TO MAKE A DRINK SELECTION!
If I were the attendant, unless it got me fired of course, my policy would be ask twice, and then smile and move on to someone else. If you can't be bothered to pay attention, point, or remove your ear phones, why should I be bothered to delay serving other passengers who are with the program? This is not rocket science. It's a cup of beverage. I wouldn't hand a coke to anyone and move on. I'd just move on.
I might get called back when he or she said "I didn't get my drink" but it's simple to reply "You probably didn't understand I asked you three times, because of your iPod."
ric2sin Jun 6th 2008 6:48AM
I find it helpful to use full sentences when requesting services or products on airlines. I learned this from a British fellow who seemed to get whatever he wanted. All he did was preclude his request with "Would it be possible to have another..., please." --Instead of the American usual demand phrase: "Bud Light."
marabeth Jun 6th 2008 6:53AM
I was once smacked on the arm by a flight attendant because I did not respond quickly enough to her one question about my beverage choice - the reason being that I was trying to help the man in the window seat - who spoke little English - order his drink. I realize that working with the public can be very taxing, especially with the airline industry under such duress and jobs in jeopardy. However, I'm sure passengers have their share of horror stories about airline personnel as well.
Cat Jun 6th 2008 7:06AM
Ugh. I was a flight attendant for 11 years. Loved loved loved my job, but it came with a certain degree of aggravation. My personal "favorite" was trying to get the passengers to put their cup on the tray I was carrying while doing second coffees. I'm holding a steaming pot of coffee, balancing on top of it a flimsy tray with a cup of sugar/sweetener/stir sticks, coffee cups and a carton of milk - anchored only by my thumb. (Carpel tunnel, anyone?) We don't want the pax to put the cup on THEIR tray, nor do we want them to hold it out for us. Heaven forbid we hit turbulence and scalding-hot liquid goes flying (no pun intended) while we're pouring.
Can't tell you HOW many times we'd have to repeat, "Put you cup on the tray, please."
"Whaaa?"
Repeat. Ad nauseum.
ARG!!!!!
(I have a keychain that says, "Put your cup on the &*%$# tray!")
Ginny Jun 6th 2008 7:06AM
Hey Crew,
Let's see how fast we can serve this one drink and bag of nuts, so that we can hurry and sit down and complain about how hard we work... Been there, done that...
Kent Jun 6th 2008 7:12AM
Lets see, she's annoyed by people paying several hundred dollars to sit in cramped seats, wait in long security lines, and had to scramble to find seats close to others in their party. Then the attendent, who is used to the loud background noises and can hear above them, comes up with a cart and mumbles "wo blah da nk?". She can't understand why someone will say "What?". Here's some advice. Talk louder, slower, and try and actually have some Dr. Pepper on the drink cart. I've only ever been offered Coke or Sprite.
FA Jun 7th 2008 3:27AM
I'll get right on that Kent...as soon as someone at headquarters ask me my opinion about anything. :)
Barb Jun 6th 2008 7:12AM
Skyhag,
Actually it should have read "There are" instead of "there."
mish7777 Jun 16th 2008 9:08PM
yea...boo hoo to those poor, poor flight attendants who make pretty good money handing out a beverage. Stop your crying and visit any nursing unit in your local hospital and you'll see who the HIGHLY SKILLED yet underpaid, under-respected, overworked, short staffed workers are who have to deal with the public when they are at their worst.
sniff...sniff....
pamela Jun 6th 2008 7:36AM
hello heather, sister fly-girl.
my numero uno pet peeve? this is it:
DO NOT TOUCH ME.
please use the call button.
i am not included in your ticket price.
the skies are still friendly with me - they just don't include go-go boots and, "hi, i'm pamela, fly me"
safe travels!
Estelle Stein Jun 6th 2008 7:20AM
You are paid for this service. suck it up or change careers
pamela Jun 6th 2008 7:37AM
i am paid to pull your butt out of a burning piece of wreckage, ms. estelle stein.
in other words, to SAVE your butt, NOT KISS IT.
and, for you other disgruntles,
i am not in charge of catering, seat assignments, ticket prices, mechanicals, nor weather!
oh, and i did not shrink the overhead compartments from your last flight....
thank you to all of my wonderfully SANE passengers.
and to my fellow flight crews: happy summer!
MARY Jun 6th 2008 1:10PM
People who are paid for service usually receive tips as compensation. FA's don't. They have had to take pay cuts, deal with increasingly difficult and disgruntled clientele, and they have to face the passengers when flights are delayed, or there is some problem, even though they have no control over the situation. They have to deal with medical emergencies, drunken passengers, and always, the possibility of a dangerous situation. You couldn't pay me enough to do what they have to do, and do it with a smile. Based on your response, I suspect you are upper middle to upper class, who has never had to work in any kind of service industry, and in fact, is probably used to having people do things for her. You can be the worst kind of person to deal with for someone in the service industry -- demanding and demeaning. I'll say a little prayer for you tonight that you develop some empathy.
M Dooley Jun 6th 2008 7:39AM
Plane travel is MUCH better when the flight attendants don't look at you like you crawled out from under a rock. Much better when their voices don't drip disdain, much better when they have a little patience. Nuff said!
mike Jun 6th 2008 7:29AM
Boo Hoo.. being a flight attendent is so difficult.. on par with being a rocket scientist. Get over it.