Galley Gossip: Flight Attendant Pet Peeve #3: You want me to do what?
You've packed the bag. Actually what you did was stuff it full, and then most likely you had to sit on it while you zipped...the thing...up...there! You did it, you actually got that thing closed! You feel good, you really do, because you are not going to pay that ridiculous checked bag fee for the life of you. No freakin way!
Then you dragged that bag to the car and somehow managed to get..the bag...inside...the trunk...there! You did it, and now you're off to the airport where you'll have to get...the bag..out of...the trunk. Now you're dragging that thing over to the airport shuttle bus.
Finally you're in the terminal where you pass all those losers standing in line to check their bags. It's your turn to go through security, so up...goes...the bag...there! It's on the conveyor belt and slowly moving to the other side. As you wipe the sweat from your brow, you meet the bag on the other end and yank...it off...the belt. Now you're off and running to the gate where boarding is already in process. Down the jet-bridge and onto the airplane you go, where miracle upon miracles, there's an available overhead bin right above your seat. Now, where's that lazy flight attendant?
"Excuse me, miss," you say, trying to get the attention of the one and only flight attendant in the cabin who is already busy trying to re-seat a family of four together. "Can you help me get my bag into the overhead bin?"
You want me to do what?
I'm looking at a bag, a very big bag, that belongs to a passenger, a passenger that looks a lot like me, and I'm a little confused here. You're not elderly. You're not an unaccompanied minor. Nor are you handicapped. You packed it, and somehow you managed to get it into the car, on the bus, and through the airport. But now, for some reason, you can't get it up into the overhead bin? The funny part is you and I both know that you knew you weren't going to be able to do this before you even packed the bag!
Okay, you see where I'm going with this, don't you?
Due to the fact that most bags are ROLLING onto the aircraft these days - not being carried - the bag situation has gotten a little out of control, particularly in the size and weight department, which is why, I'm sorry to tell you, I'm not going to be able to lift that enormous thing into the overhead bin for you. It's too heavy! For both of us.
THE NUMBERS:
- 1:50: That's 50 passengers per flight attendant. Nowadays flights are staffed with minimum crew, which is why, in most cases, you only see one flight attendant in the cabin during boarding. The rest are either setting up the galleys, greeting at the door, or in the terminal taking tickets.
- 1-4: Flight attendants work anywhere from one (if they're senior enough) to four legs a day (from anywhere up to 14 hours a day)
- 16 : The average number of days a flight attendant works a month. But ever since our pay was decreased by 30% most flight attendants are forced to work more hours and days to make up the pay. (Don't forget, one of our days is like two of yours, and we don't get to go home at the end of the day.)
- 145: There are AT LEAST 145 passengers on-board our smallest aircraft - the S80. The 777 can carry anywhere from 283-368 passengers
- Now add all that up: 1 (Flight Attendant - minimum crew, remember) X 4 (legs - the max) X 16 (days - the average) X 145 (passengers - the least amount) = an awful lot of passengers with bags that need lifting by flight attendants, resulting in an awful lot of flight attendants getting injured on duty. Not that that has anything to do with you...
What's that? Your little one would like to visit the cockpit while we're sitting at the gate? Certainly, come along with me, kiddo, and don't forget your camera! You'd like something to drink? I'll be right back with your (insert drink order here). You'd like me to help you find two seats together? No problem, I'll see what I can do after everyone is on-board and seated. You'd like a blanket? Let me go see if I can find one. You'd like me to check on your connecting gate? I'll call the captain right away and see if he's gotten an update. You want to know if I can suggest a good place to eat in the airport? Oh have you asked the right person! You'd like to know the football / basketball / baseball scores? I'll call the captain. Again. You'd like me to hold your baby while you go to the bathroom? Of course, hand that little princess to me! Maybe we'll even go for a walk so you can have a break. You'd like me to take a picture of you and your loved one? I'd love to! You'd like to know where we are right now? Calling the Captain. Again. What, someone fainted in your row and you think they're unconscious? I'll grab the medical kit along with the AED and page for a doctor right away! What, there's no doctor on-board? I'll start CPR now!
That, in a nutshell, is my job. That's what I'm there for. And I like being there for it. But lifting your bag into the overhead bin is not, nor has it ever been, a part of my job description, even though I work in the service industry. Oh I'll help you find a place for your bag, no problem. Of course I'll move things around in the bin to make room for your bag. I might even ASSIST you in lifting that bag, if it's not too heavy,into the bin. But the key word here is assist. As in team effort. As in WE can do it together. What I won't do is do it for you. Not unless you're elderly, handicapped, or an unaccompanied minor. Sorry, I do what I can to avoid injuring myself and going out on disability. Hey, like you, I've gotta pay the bills!
"But I've got a bad back!" passengers often cry when I test a bag to see how heavy it is. Yeah, and so does my mother who is also a flight attendant, who has had two back surgeries that took her out of work for two years because she lifted too many bags for too many passengers who should have checked them in the first place.
Look, It's not like you don't know you're too short, or too pregnant, or too frail, or your arm is too broken, or your back is too weak to lift your bag into the overhead bin before you come on-board the aircraft, right? I mean when I traveled as a passenger, I always checked my bags when I was pregnant. And I did it again when I had to hobble on-board the aircraft on crutches. And I still do it whenever I'm traveling with my son, which is pretty much once a month. It's just the responsible thing to do. 
Responsibility, is anyone responsible for anything anymore?
That's a question I once asked Mark Matteson, a passenger on one of my flights, who in turn handed me a book, Freedom From Fear, a book he'd written, a book that actually changed my life, a book about...you guessed it...responsibility. In other words it was a book about how to change your life for the better by not being a victim and taking responsibility for the things that happen to you. Taking responsibility for oneself is something I believe in passionately, it's a trait I admire greatly in people, and it's a trait I'd like to pass along to my two year-old son. Taking responsibility for oneself also includes taking responsibility for ones bag, the bag the self packed and brought on-board the airplane.
Honestly, I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that a passenger will come on-board and EXPECT me to lift their bag, or the fact that they actually get upset when I won't lift the bag. Like I mentioned above, unless the passenger is elderly, or an unaccompanied minor, or handicapped, AND / OR is traveling with a bag that is NOT heavy, I am not touching that bag. No way! And when I do lend a hand, rest assured I'm wondering to myself why the bag wasn't checked in the first place.
Responsibility, that's what I'm talking about.
In Jeffrey White's post, A note of Apology to the helpful, dedicated flight attendant out there, after he kind-of-sort-of apologized to flight attendants everywhere after scolding the Ryan Air crew for not helping a wheel-bound passenger be lifted up the stairs and onto the airplane (flight crews are not responsible, nor are they trained, to lift passengers up stairs and onto airplanes), he then went on to write, "I feel that many flight attendants won't help you these days to the degree they used to, say, 10 years ago. As one attendant, "Ann," puts it: "Bottom line, you pack it, you stow it. If you can't stow it, then check it.""
And the reason flight attendants won't help to the degree that they used to 10 years ago is because bags are now being rolled, not carried, onto the aircraft, resulting in much heavier bags. Don't believe me? Try lifting a few.
Responsibility, it's the word of the day, and that's all I'm going to say.
Now go read Mark's book!
10 tips for smarter flying
Filed under: Gear, Airlines, Galley Gossip
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 29)
Jul 15th 2008 @ 2:38PM
Emma Leigh said...
I agree completely. You are a flight attendant, not a baggage porter.
I check everything except my tote bag that has my ID, book and snacks. I don't put anything in the bins overhead - I've seen how people punch them down and slam them around to get their heavy bag in there. I put mine under the seat in front of me so I can get to it quickly.
I know there is a size restriction. Seems like there should be a weight restriction, too. Lifting heavy bags above your head is back surgery just waiting to happen.
Reply
Jul 17th 2008 @ 8:12AM
Elizabeth said...
FYI: Each storage area on every type of airplane has a weight limit when it is certified by the FAA.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 10:06AM
ALC said...
I understand the attendant's point of view. I have a friend that works for American Airlines driving a shuttle. They were required to take a physical fitness test that required them to stow a 50 lb. suitcase in an overhead bin.
I think that since this is done on the shuttles for passengers, it is gives the impression that this is also an option on the plane. Perhaps this is part of the confusion?
No, my friend could not do the 50 lb lift and was reassigned to a job with less pay potential.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 4:16PM
SK said...
I'm tired of people in the service industry complaining about performing services. Yes, the author had a point about people packing too much, but there are problems with all types of jobs. The great thing about this country is that you can choose where to work. So if you don't like having to deal with crazy passenger requests - get a new job and stop all the whining! Be happy that in this slow economy you still have a job.
Sep 6th 2008 @ 3:53AM
kat ana said...
Well, ratio of 1 / 50 could be like asking one woman to upload 50 different bags. I am a news reporter. I have to lug the camera sometimes for the camera man. I don't like it much either, I also don't like all of the people or places I have to be. I do want to keep my job. When I taught school the ratio was about 1/50
and adults are no easier than children, but you only see the obnoxious passengers for a finite number of hours on your flight. I had little Terry for an entire semester and I had to physically pick up the children when they fell or when storms flooded the sidewalk, those little people weren't objects I could drop.
Jul 15th 2008 @ 3:10PM
Brian M said...
Heather, you like standing in the front lines, chin out waiting for the inevitable punch. :) It sure seems like it (but kudos for standing your ground with all the Angry posts from the exact people you're talking about!)
I've never owned a rolling bag (that could be checked, and my ancient, hard sided suitcases don't get rolled by myself), and have recently switched to a Very soft-sided bag for carry-on. This is mostly so I know I can Always stow it under the seat (bleh, get me outta bulkhead! Never any legroom in those seats anymore), but also because I'm confident that I can cram it in some tiny little nook of the overhead bins that's left unused by the ginormous roll-ons. My wife, who does roll her bag on (a "less-than-maximum-legal" bag she can lift herself) is even courting the idea of a smaller, soft sided bag after she's seen me cram mine into the smallest of spaces.
Maybe there ought to be a more strictly enforced carry-on requirement. Drop your bag in a basket by the ticket agent and if it's over XYZ pounds or doesn't fit into the basket, you go to the back of the line and wait to have it checked with the appropriate fee.
Oh, and I think it's lack of accountability that makes for the lack of responsibility. Same end result, just a slightly different mind-set to arrive there.
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Jul 15th 2008 @ 3:19PM
Kent Wien said...
Well done, Heather!
I'll have to get back to you on those football scores and connecting gates...
Kent
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Jul 15th 2008 @ 3:36PM
Becky said...
Now Heather... I totally agree that a passenger should stow their own baggage. I always have, and only once (that I recall) did I enlist the help of a male sitting closeby. (By the way, what happened to chivolrous behavior? I've lost count how many times a healthy, alert man has sat closeby and just watched me struggle with... anything... without offering a smidge of help. WTF?) BUT... 14 hour days are nothing to me. And a 16-day workmonth? EXCELLENT!! And have you ever faced an auditorium full of smart-mouthed students? 1:50... that's a dream! And they're all coming back tomorrow...
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Jul 15th 2008 @ 3:46PM
Secret Asian Man said...
You know why some guys won't help you even though you look like you need it? He's either a jerk or just too afraid he might offend you or send you the wrong message.
I've seen so many guys get in trouble for trying to be not just a gentlemen, but a helpful stranger. They get accused of being chauvinistic, sexist, or opportunists trying to hit on these women. That's just sad.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 7:14AM
Sharon said...
I don't agree that a supposedly able-bodied looking man need to step in and help you. The main point of this article is about personal responsibility. Don't ever pack more than you could personally handle yourself and assume that you'll find someone "chivalrous" to do your work for you.
Last year a "high maintenance" looking woman, wearing spiked heels and talking on a cell phone was trying to get a ridiculously heavy looking bag onto the rent-a-car bus.
She looked at my husband as if it was his obligation to help her, especially because she thought she was "hot". He's a mailman and happily helps his elderly or disabled customers carry their bags and stuff all the time. But no way was he going to endanger his back just to help a woman who deliberately made herself helpless (spiked heels), and who overpacked.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 9:15AM
Dallas said...
Becky, you have no idea! I've done everything from teaching, to radio, police officer to now a flight attendant. The only reason I am keeping this job is the benefits are hard to let go of. 16 days on a month means your not home, at all, for 16 days of the month. The time you are home is mostly spent catching up on what you couldn't while you were gone. Try leaving your 5 year old son every week for about 4 days and see how "glamorous" it really is. I wasn't even talked to by criminals the way I am by regular everyday passengers. (And I am one of the nicest Flight Attendants you'll ever meet) Remeber all the jobs that I just aforementioned and ponder this. This is by far, the most stressful job I have ever had.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 10:20AM
Debra said...
Becky,
We've faced entire planes full of smart-mouthed students (ever seen one of those tour groups?), we don't always get weekends and holidays off (Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Years at home when you're junior? Forget it!) and we certainly don't get summers off unless we have some other means of support. Oh, and add international flying to the mix-try a three hour commute by plane, then crossing six or seven time zones to Europe, getting around six hours sleep and flying back the next day- then get on yet another plane to get home (that's my upcoming London trip) Sounds great on paper though, right? I'm not trying to downplay your profession, yours is a hard job too, but unless you've been a flight attendant you have no idea how physically and mentally draining it can be.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 12:20PM
TonyS said...
You people who have luggage too heavy to lift into the o erhead bins are disgusting. You sound like those jerks who think you're too important to check your luggage like the rest of peons. You and people like you are disgusting.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 1:35PM
Jillian said...
Becky,
If you want to know what happened to chivalry....It went the way of.......WTF
Jul 17th 2008 @ 1:51PM
bawno23 said...
"By the way, what happened to chivolrous behavior?"
Becky, do you know the origin of chivalry? I worked at Medieval Times for 4 years and kept getting asked where "chivalry" has gone. You know how I responded (outside of ear shot of other customers): Chivalry came from a period where men OWNED women as property. They felt that it was in the MEN that the care of a WOMAN should be passed from the father to the husband. Women were treated as if they could not handle themselves. Women now-a-days want to be treated as equals to men. If so, then you can carry your own bag and do the things that make you "equal" to men and what women faught for all these years. You can't have the best of both worlds. I open doors for ANY girl or lady I meet, but I refuse to be the ONLY one paying for meals with my 3 year relationship girlfriend. We switch off depending on who makes more money at a period of time.
You ask where all the chivalrous men have gone? They are hiding from the independent woman of the 21st century. We can go back to the 17th century where men will be chivalrous, but then you are considered property. FYI - I DESPISE the word chivalry unless it is used in the correct context...this is not one of them.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 2:19PM
rob said...
What happened to chivorous behavior??
1. Once I seen a girl on the side of the road changing a tire. I stopped and helped (ended up changing the tire and all while she sat in the drivers seat). When I told her I was finished, she said "ok" and left, no thank you or nothing. About a year later, my car broke down in the rain. I pulled as far off of the road as I could into the grass. A car full of girls ran off the road to hit the mud puddle and splashed me while honking the horn.
2. Many girls have approached me at a bar asking to buy them a drink. May as well say "give me money".
3. Since a bitter divorce, ex wife took my kid and hasn't let me see her for the last 2 years. She says "you can get her christmas time." I buy all of these presents all excited at christmas, go to pick up my daughter, my ex wife is at her boyfriends parents house. The court system doesn't care, gives her a slap on the wrist and says "don't do that again". It happens again, with the same outcome. Since my ex has more money to afford a lawyer than myself, I'm sh*t out of luck!!
Moral: What ever happened to manners and being grateful?? If someone likes you enough to actually do something for you, make it be out of the kindness of their heart. Maybe when we quit getting walked all over and splashed with mudpuddles by the very people we're supposed to be "chivorous" toward, we'll gain a bit of respect back. Don't be a cold hearted b*tch who things everyone owes them something.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 2:26PM
Becky said...
ROFL... sorry, I can't relate to any of your comments!! I guess I got lucky ~ I'm surrounded daily by young men and old who commonly step first on or off the elevator(s), through doors, etc., BUT my gem of a husband (from the Middle East, no less... how's that for making an assumption?) wouldn't DREAM of not opening doors, stepping aside, etc., or god forbid, not offering to help a smaller woman lift a bag over her head. He'd just die first! And he's actually been divorced, as have I. Strangely, he doesn't think I'm a cold-hearted bitch, OR asking for more than I deserve. I guess I base most "expectations" on the standards set by him. No excuses, no rationalizations. Oh, and he doesn't get approached by "girls in bars" because he doesn't frequent bars. (Clue?) Personal responsibility versus basic good manners? Oh, I don't expect the flight attendant to help me; she's responsible for too much as it is... but the guy sitting their checking out my backside? Uh, yeah, he could offer to help. Wow, Rob... chill.
Jul 17th 2008 @ 4:16PM
Jerry C said...
I'm the guy sitting next to you watching..I checked my bags. Why should I help you with your? Of course when you count the purse, brief case or shopping bags AND the luggage, I guess someone should help. Or maybe you should just carry on less stuff....
Jul 17th 2008 @ 5:23PM
rob said...
Maybe we're not really staring at your backside- Maybe we're zoning out not paying attention to you struggling to put up a bag because our flight has been cancled for two days at Chicago O' Hare and we've been stuck in the airport while the airline does nothing. The ticket counter people basically laugh at us the whole time and your bags are already checked in going somewhere else while we have nothing to eat, nothing to wear, no way to take a shower, and no hotel voucher because we spent the last wee little bit of money we had for check in luggage and a bag of peanuts knowing we were going to be at our destination on time. Meanwhile, even though we say nothing mean to anyone, everyone looks at us like we're a slob (because our shaving kits are stuck in the check in bags that we couldn't get to for the last two days. Somehow someone stiffed us of our wallet in the airport which the airport does nothing about as well.) we are then seated into a tiny little middle seat with nothing short of a whale sitting next to us flopping all into our territory with 2 seat belt extensions. Even though we ask the flight attendant if there's anything we can do, she harshly says "that's the ticket you purchased, so you have to sit in that seat." even though there are tons of seats left on the plane. So we then zone out thinking "how much friggin worse can this get??" before getting accused of looking at your backside and having no "chilvary"!!
Jul 17th 2008 @ 6:59PM
Patrice said...
Becky---I'm a flight attendant responding to you that we "only" work a 16-day month. That is four 4-day trips. A 4-day trip is when I leave home and don't get HOME for 4 days. I may then have 3 days off, only to leave again for another 4 days. My 3 days off are spent catching up on errands and appts, mail, E-mail, kids' needs and activities, time with family and husband, so I can leave for another 4 days. You are home EVERY night to do all this. I may ONLY work 16 days a month, but I'm ONLY home 12 days--are you? By the way, I'll never lift a passenger's bag. I'll help you find a place for it, but if you packed it and got it that far, you can then lift it.