Anyway, at the risk of sounding rude, I have very few sympathy for CC.
I have been badly treated more than once (and trust me, I am usually a "nice" person) by FAs in C, probably because they "had a bad day", which simply shouldn't exist. At the end of the day, you're (over)paid to live with the fear of a crash (if you have it), move a tray around (even in F, service isn't exactly michelin starred), show some safety instructions (unless it's on tape) and finally get taught how to empty a plane -passengers willing- in less than 2 minutes. What a big deal. It gives you the right to take passengers and coworkers as hostages with loosy stikes at the worst timing possible ? To be rude during flights because it's almost impossible to toss you of the company ?
Shame on you.
If you think you deserve more money, or not less money in spite of the economy, go get it somewhere else. If this place doesn't exist, draw your own conclusions.
Thanks for the advice petdemouche.
As crew we are used to dealing with people who have "had a bad day" all the time.
Many of us were employed without even knowing the salary we would be paid, let alone thinking " great salary...will buy me a gorgeous coffin if we crash!!" We joined the airline because of our desire to look after people and work for one of the best employers in the UK. BA was a once great employer and managed to make every single employee feel valued.
As a Cabin Service Director I did a lot more than "move a tray around" or "give out a sandwich" which was how the FO on my last trip with BA described how he saw my future role with the company.
I have never been rude to a passenger in my life. I have had many many passengers be incredibly rude to me over issues totally beyond my control, such as delays, failed mechanics from In-flight entertainment to engines, lack of meal choice, withdrawing alcohol, or just because they had a bad day. I have been pinned against a galley wall by an irrate passenger screaming odscenities in my face because we were half an hour late onto the stand from Manchester to LHR. My excellent training and years of experience allowed me to deal with all of these, to quote just a few, incidents with calm and professionalism.
When I left BA I was becoming more and more fed up with the way passengers were treating cabin crew.
I was delighted to be offered an excellent position as a customer service training manager earning double the salary at BA and thankfully that figure has nothing to do with having to live in fear of a crash, more to do with the array of transferable skills that the experience of working as Cabin Crew brings.
The new role involves no "tray-moving" or "sandwich delivery" for which I am eternally grateful, but i will dearly miss all of my fellow tray-movers and sandwich-deliverers and you guys up the "pointy end"! We have all partied together and we have supported each other in many ways. I have some fantastic memories, mostly relating to meeting and working with some amazing people, both customers and colleagues alike.