SLF Ignoring CC. What to do?

[Juud]

Clareprop, with a bit of tact and brains, not too mention far too many years of experience, it is quite possible to back up the FA while still calming down the pax. Trust me, I'm an old Wagon Dragon.
Also, and I hope you understand this the way I intend it, because of the way I am, what I say in the briefing and my somewhat "scary" looks, I seldom have FAs who do a bad job or who are surly with the pax. It happens, but rarely.
Other thing is that during the first 3 hours of the flight, I don't do any admin. Instead I am all over the aircraft like a bad rash. By continuously moving around, chatting with pax, observing the FAs, lending a hand where needed, the FAs know my beady eye is on them and the pax feel 'seen'.
It's a good way of spotting potential trouble areas and stepping in to soothe the waters before the sh!t hits the fan.

As you say the whole thing is a balancing act, and of course mistakes get made occasionally. Both by the pax, by me and by the FAs. It happens, and it's very embarrassing and makes me feel awful.
Usually though, if you find a face-saving way for people to back off (doesn't matter if it's pax or FAs) the majority are only too happy to do so.
Funny thing is that after such an episode, both the FA and the pap will go out of their way to be pleasant and polite with each other and often the pap will thank us for an excellent flight.


Still, when a pap is abusive in the manner of "I fly a million miles a year and you are a brainless tolley dolley whom I can treat as badly as I want" I back my FAs all the way. They are humans, they do their best and they deserve a minimum of respect. And I will make sure they get it.
Weak Seniors, afraid of their pax and wont to apologise when the FAs had not been in the wrong were what I hated most when I was an FA myself. I vowed never to become one of those and I haven't so far.

If an FA needs correcting I most certainly do that, and without mincing my words, but in private and with the understanding that it's the behaviour there is something wrong with, not him or her as a person.
Treating your 'staff' like you treat your customers, with respect and kindness but with no latitude for cr@p goes a long way.