Harry does come over as a bit of an old woman sometimes but essentially he is in the right here. My problem is less with the ethos of being in command and carrying out your responsibilities diligently and professionally; that should be a given. My concern is the ever increasing muppetry of the cabin crew empire and the deplorable drop in quality of their recruits in the last few years. I know it's a generational thing; they are Gen X - instant gratification, and a natural disdain for authority. Some of the seniors and pursers I fly with these days stagger me with their nonchalant attitude to the chain of command. Once or twice I've listened to a welcome PA from one of the crew, welcoming the pax on behalf of the purser- no mention of the captain. I even had a very senior purser recently describe how when remonstrating with a drunken passenger, he told him that he, (the purser) wouldn't hesitate to divert the aircraft and have him arrested if he didn't behave. I've had to talk to crew about horseplay in front of passengers in a line at immigration, while the seniors did absolutely nothing. Twice I've had to speak to crew about a visibly bad attitude towards me and their colleagues.
A bit of thread creep I know but it was being pushed in this direction. For me the link to retention here is the seemingly irrecoverable slide down the greasy pole of the captain's authority: too many people in Service Delivery really think that the aircraft is theirs and the company is complicit in this by not disabusing them of their ill informed opinion. The rot has spread elsewhere too. Anybody had to have a conversation with Network Control recently? The lack of interest is extraordinary. The sense that you're just bothering them is palpable, and that they know better than you.
All told, the company really has stopped investing in its people, whatever mantra they throw about in public.