Abusing_the_sky
At a first glance perhaps the Captain wasn't being very nice - but that doesn't mean he/she is not CRM aware - CRM is not about being nice to people, though IMHO it helps. Anyhow it is difficult to comment without knowing the full context of the conversations you refer to. If the Captain was p**** off over his Tea then maybe "I am the Captain" may not be appropriate, on the other hand if his authority was being directly challenged over an operational matter then his/her comments may have been more necessary.
I'll give you an example..On one of "my" flights recently one of our very experienced and senior colleagues in the Cabin was being particularly and deliberately obstructive over a particular issue. He was way out of line, and in clear breach of Company procedures. I tried the good guy, "please" bit for a while, then the, "I'd quite like you to.."..... Finally I had to resort to " You will do X and I'll happily take it into the office with you when we get back to base"... So yes, I have used the "I am the Captain, do as I say" line, but sadly IMHO it needed using.
Please remember that firstly, like it or not someone on the aircraft has to be the Boss, otherwise there would be anarchy. The Law of the land says that person is the Captain, and often in flight there isn't time for a committee meeting or gentle debate. Secondly, not all the ****oles on an aeroplane are the Flight Deck side of the locked door, there are some ( in my experience very few) ****holes working in the Cabin, and they can be a real pain to deal with.
Last edited by wiggy; 4th May 2008 at 10:29.