For US Flight Attendants

[Expectorant]

I am a retired employee with 30 years' seniority; anyway, on 12/4 I was on Flt 1020 from PHL to MCO -- a very enjoyable flight although I couldn't get my Vodka bottles to open, so got some help from one of the girls! LOL. Because of the lousy weather in Central FL the past day or so, as we descended into MCO, the plane began to bounce around quite a lot (a 767) -- seat belt sign went on, of course, yet many, many people remained in the aisles, in the lavatories, even after repeated requests from the flight attendants and the pilot himself to return to your seat and fasten the seat belt. Orlando flights are filled with kids, and even parents did not seem concerned as their children ran up and down the aisles. I wish the flight attendants had more authority to literally grab people and throw them into their seats during heavy turbulence! Perhaps a pre-flight video of a person hitting the ceiling of the aircraft during turbulence might get more attention! Just my personal opinion. Am wondering what kind of frustration you feel over this.

 

[beachboy]

As someone that has hit the ceiling of the 767, made an emergency landing and saw of my coworkers taken off in stretchers - I can tell you it's very freighting. People just do not get it. I have often thought they should be made to see just what can happen as well. You can always tell a flight attendant that has been through something like severe turbulence. They are not in the isle playing super stew trying to break thier necks delivering a coke. One girl the Capt told us to sit down it was so bad (I was already strapped in) but she was bound and determined to finish her rows. I sat there thinking she was so stupid and what it she hit the ceiling and came down on a passenger injuring them when they were strapped in. If you see the F/A buckled in that should be your first clue. Duuh.
The back of the 767 does not handle turbulence well. Has anyone else noticed that?

 

[jimntx]

If you want the perspective of an AA flight attendant...it makes me CRAZY! I just want to get on the PA and say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, for your information, every single one of those 28 Continental passengers that were seriously injured on that flight from South America to Houston were up out of their seats while the seatbelt sign was on."

I fly #1 a lot (F/C cabin, all the PAs, etc). Even the frequent fliers will ask me the second I go out in the aisle if they can go to the lav (or they just get up without asking). I asked an FAA inspector a couple of years ago what we were expected to do about this behavior.

His exact words...

"You can not make them stay in their seats. All you can do is make the PA, and repeat it at least once. And, whatever you do, do NOT give them permission (even implied) to get up. Do not say 'Just be careful' or 'You are up at your own risk'; both of those statements imply permission to be up. When they ask, Can I go to the lav, just point at the sign and say, 'The seatbelt sign is on.' And, when they say 'Yeah, I know, but can I go to the lav?', point at the sign and say 'the seatbelt sign is on.' If they persist, say 'Sir (or Ma'am) what I can legally tell you is, the seatbelt sign is on.' What they do with that information is not your concern."

IIRC, he also said that such statements as "You are up at your own risk" not only do not absolve you and the airline of liability, they have been ruled by the courts as permission to be up in violation of the seatbelt sign FAR.

 

[ebwgs]

If you want the perspective of an AA flight attendant...it makes me CRAZY! I just want to get on the PA and say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, for your information, every single one of those 28 Continental passengers that were seriously injured on that flight from South America to Houston were up out of their seats while the seatbelt sign was on."

I fly #1 a lot (F/C cabin, all the PAs, etc). Even the frequent fliers will ask me the second I go out in the aisle if they can go to the lav (or they just get up without asking). I asked an FAA inspector a couple of years ago what we were expected to do about this behavior.

His exact words...

"You can not make them stay in their seats. All you can do is make the PA, and repeat it at least once. And, whatever you do, do NOT give them permission (even implied) to get up. Do not say 'Just be careful' or 'You are up at your own risk'; both of those statements imply permission to be up. When they ask, Can I go to the lav, just point at the sign and say, 'The seatbelt sign is on.' And, when they say 'Yeah, I know, but can I go to the lav?', point at the sign and say 'the seatbelt sign is on.' If they persist, say 'Sir (or Ma'am) what I can legally tell you is, the seatbelt sign is on.' What they do with that information is not your concern."

IIRC, he also said that such statements as "You are up at your own risk" not only do not absolve you and the airline of liability, they have been ruled by the courts as permission to be up in violation of the seatbelt sign FAR.

This is a great post. Not just because this is the way I've always handled this situation, but because it is very informative for those flight attendants who find themselves in a quandary and not so sure of what to do when confronted with this situation. Great post.

 

[galley princess]

I've been the intellectually challenged SuperStew more often than I would like to admit, but dropping a couple thousand feet in an RJ did cure the smart gap a bit. I once had a rather arrogant man in the galley determined to ignore my polite requests to heed the Fasten Seat Belt sign. From my strapped in jumpseat I finally said "Sir, you understand that I did tell you that you should be seated and that the Fasten Seat belt sign is on?"

He looked at me and I thought "Bingo. Buddy you're a lawyer, and now I got you."

He gave me a dirty look and went to his seat.

This is what I pull out for the hard cases. US is not going to pay a liability claim from my flight.

 

[Expectorant]

As someone that has hit the ceiling of the 767, made an emergency landing and saw of my coworkers taken off in stretchers - I can tell you it's very freighting. People just do not get it. I have often thought they should be made to see just what can happen as well. You can always tell a flight attendant that has been through something like severe turbulence. They are not in the isle playing super stew trying to break thier necks delivering a coke. One girl the Capt told us to sit down it was so bad (I was already strapped in) but she was bound and determined to finish her rows. I sat there thinking she was so stupid and what it she hit the ceiling and came down on a passenger injuring them when they were strapped in. If you see the F/A buckled in that should be your first clue. Duuh.
The back of the 767 does not handle turbulence well. Has anyone else noticed that?

As a follow-up to my earlier post, when yesterday's flight touched down at MCO, people SCREAMED (even I, a long-time employee, was very surprised) -- nobody realized how near the ground we were. After the screams came rounds of applause. The applause I did not understand at all; it's as if we were in some kind of danger. We obviously were in a very advanced aircraft operated by a very advanced crew -- the main problem of course was that the aircraft was filled with a large crowd of $1.98 ticket-holders who either did not listen to the advice of the crew, or too preoccupied with their own iPod selections. Each Tuesday on the Natl Geo Channel is a great show called "Air Emergency." These shows are re-enactments of actual, true events. I wish everyone would watch a few episodes.

 

[VAflyGal]

As a follow-up to my earlier post, when yesterday's flight touched down at MCO, people SCREAMED (even I, a long-time employee, was very surprised) -- nobody realized how near the ground we were. After the screams came rounds of applause. The applause I did not understand at all; it's as if we were in some kind of danger. We obviously were in a very advanced aircraft operated by a very advanced crew -- the main problem of course was that the aircraft was filled with a large crowd of $1.98 ticket-holders who either did not listen to the advice of the crew, or too preoccupied with their own iPod selections. Each Tuesday on the Natl Geo Channel is a great show called "Air Emergency." These shows are re-enactments of actual, true events. I wish everyone would watch a few episodes.

*thinks to herself*... everytime we land in MCO I want to give a round of applause that the cheerios-eating, play-dough-grinding-into-the-seat, apple juice spilling, seat back-kicking, tray-table-coloring darling little angels (and their retarded parents who should never have been allowed to breed in the first place) are going BYE BYE to the Magic Kingdom, where dreams come true every day for all the good boys and girls. shhhh, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I also want to applaud when these people who ignore our safety advice almost get their teeth stuck into the overhead bins when they say, "It's okay, I'll hold onto her" as the plane rocks and rolls.

Right, I forgot, you are so much stronger than the G-forces of the universe.

*flips through People*

 

[nick]

I totally agree with these comments about how obnoxious some of the passengers can be, especially the parents who let the children trash the plane and make no effort to quiet screaming children. As a former teacher, I cannot tell you how this grates on my nerves. (I however dislike the PBI, FLL mature crowd with the nasty attitudes as well.) When I first started flying, it was easy to fall into the "I hate Florida legs" attitude. I then flew with a very senior f/a who I told I was surprised she was wdrking FL legs. She told me she didn't mind working FL. She said, "Many of these families have saved all year for this vacation and will get to go nowhere else. I try to make their trip as pleasant as possible." I decided to try to approach the Florida flights that way as it makes my day more pleasant. This, however, does not always work :blink:

 

[SOA2]

Getting back to this topic's original subject, turbulence, it shouldn't be a surprise that some passengers ignore the "fasten seat belt" signs. More and more often I've experienced USAirways trans-Atlantic flights which had the "fasten seat belt" signs on for virtually the entire flight even though the flights experienced little, if any, turbulence. I'm sorry but I'm not going to fly 10 hours without going to the bathroom once or twice; especially when the flight is smooth. At times this practice seems more a ploy to keep passengers seated than a legitimate safety concern.

 

[BoeingBoy]

At times this practice seems more a ploy to keep passengers seated than a legitimate safety concern.

There are those times...the old "Would you turn the seat belt sign on - we can't serve with people standing in the aisles" or the crew up front just forgets.

Jim

 

[Travelpro72]

It often seems that when the flight is smooth folks are quiet and don't move around that much. When one of the pilots up front make an announcement about the seatbelt and we begin to rock n' roll a bit people decide to get up and go. It never fails. I don't agree with the sign being on the whole flight. I feel that when that happens people don't really pay attention when they absolutely should.

 

[ClueByFour]

I generally observe the signs, save for the TATL jockies who leave it on during the entirety of both services and an hour on climbout and approach. In those cases, if the F/As are up and I have to go, I'm hitting the lav. The laws of physics tell me I'm no more less likely to hit the roof than the flight attendant.

 

[Expectorant]

*thinks to herself*... everytime we land in MCO I want to give a round of applause that the cheerios-eating, play-dough-grinding-into-the-seat, apple juice spilling, seat back-kicking, tray-table-coloring darling little angels (and their retarded parents who should never have been allowed to breed in the first place) are going BYE BYE to the Magic Kingdom, where dreams come true every day for all the good boys and girls. shhhh, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I also want to applaud when these people who ignore our safety advice almost get their teeth stuck into the overhead bins when they say, "It's okay, I'll hold onto her" as the plane rocks and rolls.

Right, I forgot, you are so much stronger than the G-forces of the universe.

*flips through People*

I worked in Orlando for more than 12 years, and frequently flew in and out of there -- I was always so glad and happy to pay the $20 upgrade fee to sit in First, just so that I wouldn't have to sit among all those poorly-disciplined children, the screaming, the yelling, etc. Don't get me wrong; I love kids, but would have to say I can't stand parents who are so disrespectful of the rights of others sitting just a few feet sway. Orlando flights are the "worst" when it comes to being full of spoiled kids, if you ask me. I usually just take the anti-anxiety pills before the flight; those seem to help.

 

[HottootrotNyc]

I'd rather blow my brains out then work anything in FL! Most especially PBI, and MCO! I had a re-crew last week and was finishing up the meal and bev service. This passenger doesn't ask he tells me to move the cart so he can go to the bathroom. Well you can imagine that didn't go over well. I filled out an OSIR, had him flagged in the system, and spoke with the GSC to inform the crew on his behavior on the return trip. All this for 180 minutes of flying. Sickening! I would fly Europe for the rest of my career.

 

[VAflyGal]

I'd rather blow my brains out then work anything in FL! Most especially PBI, and MCO! I had a re-crew last week and was finishing up the meal and bev service. This passenger doesn't ask he tells me to move the cart so he can go to the bathroom. Well you can imagine that didn't go over well. I filled out an OSIR, had him flagged in the system, and spoke with the GSC to inform the crew on his behavior on the return trip. All this for 180 minutes of flying. Sickening! I would fly Europe for the rest of my career.

Err, might it have been easier to say something like, "What's the password?" and then move the cart? I dunno - generally I'm a conflict avoider. Unless his behavior was a level 1 or 2 threat I probably would have asked for a "please" and then let him out. If we go writing up ever rude passenger, our higher ups will never take us seriously when we have someone who really needs to be "flagged."

Besides, maybe his morning coffee hit him with ferocity and it was a dire *har har* emergency. Not that I'm making excuses...