airfoilmod;
FA's are the most under appreciated professionals in the mix.
Absolutely the truth. Without the false flattery about "award-winning F/A's crap one hears every so often, in my welcome-on-board PAs I always told my passengers that the F/A's were on board primarily for their safety and that as captain, the F/A's had my full support in all their duties and I thanked them for giving the same (support). As a passenger I have heard other captains say roughly the same thing - it pleasantly but clearly lets everyone on board know where the buck stops. It sets a professional tone and expectations and lets them know they're valued so they (the passengers) should do the same. We were requested by the company that when deadheading or even riding on a pass, that when the emergency briefings were played, we were to stop what we were doing, put down our newspapers/books/headsets and pay attention, simply to set an example.
I still see passengers with thongs (the foot variety) or shoes kicked off for takeoff/landing. The situational awareness isn't very good.