Frustration often comes also from knowing that, no matter what the passenger does and no matter the abuse they throw at you, the company will try to keep them happy and seldom does anything substantial about it.
The passengers don't pay our wages, I'm getting sick of hearing that. The COMPANY pays our wages, and it's the responsibility of the directors of that company to have a clear strategy to make those passengers want to fly with us, as well as our responsibility to keep them happy. My company is obliged to pay my wages every month, regardless of how many passengers "who pay our wages" have we managed to take.
If we go down that road, everyone in society pays everyone's wages.
The problem is that the companies are increasingly trying to attract passengers by reassuring them that they can do what they please, that they have no responsibilities, and that we are supposed to be their servants. And no, we are not servants. If you have missed the flight because you were expecting someone to personally go and tell you to move while you are sipping your whisky in the lounge, without even bothering looking at the flight information screens, donīt expect from me to keep smiling while you engage in a tirade of utter abuse. Respect goes both ways, and we are not talking about grumpy FAs not smiling when they serve the food, we are talking about passengers who insult, threaten and even assault employees because they try to make them follow safety rules or immigration and security procedures, or for not getting an upgrade, for that matter. THAT is a real problem in airports and aircraft around the world, and if this gentleman has managed to bring that to the attention of the media, and that makes our employers to take more responsibility for their employees dignity and wellbeing, then I applaud him, becuase I wouldn't have had what it takes to do that.
The kind of abuse we suffer every day from passengers doesnīt happen enywhere else, supermarkets, train stations, etc. Itīs only at the airport, and that is a direct consequence of the companies' policy of pretending to provide a privileged service to their loyal customers.