Why do some people become FA's?

[Guide Michelin]

Given AN's recent "technical" problems, I thought I'd give QF a try again on a domestic flight and travelled MEL-BNE yesterday in Y class.

Within 15 minutes after take off, a cooked breakfast was served. As the PAX in front of me had his seat fully reclined I requested the hitherto quite civilised Di who was serving me to ask the occupant to lift the seatback. She refused, explaining in effect that the PAX was "in deep sleep" and that his fullest comfort was more important than my obvious discomfort (on a two-hour domestic flight, you see). I thus refused to accept any catering items. A second crew member joined the conversation and finally told me that it was not an FA's job to prepare the cabin for meal service, but I was welcome to "wake" the passenger in front and request him to lift his seat back - which I did with great relish.

However, the bottom line to this is that it reminded me once again that QF obviously employs FA's who should never be in a service job and not to choose QF on any international flights (for which I usually choose Business Class).

[GalleyWench]

Guide, Please reread your request to the crew again ...Would you like to be woken from a sleep therefore disserviced, so that the pax behind you could be better serviced? I have no doubt that if the pax was awake she would have had no problem with your request. I will ask people to pull up their seats if they are AWAKE during the meal service but sleep is such a precious commodity to many pax that it would invite an earfull of abuse to wake them. I have to say your response was a bit childish , refusing your meal. That is the behavior of a toddler, not an adult.

[ExSimGuy]

To "Guide Mich",

The Effays had a difficult job there - "you can't please them all"

I agree that a "full service" meal (as opposed to the "snack meal" usually served on shorter sectors) can be a bit cramped if you are in "coach" and the seat in front of you is fully reclined, but the cantilever system on most airlines' tray-table/seat system usually makes it manageable.

Remember that it was a short sector for you, but I have been on sectors that have been just over an hour, which were the last sector of a flight from Europe or USA to the Middle East, when the last thing I wanted was the pack of sandwiches that was on offer - an hour's sleep was much preferable to me!

Travelling "coach" means trade-offs and if you really want the comfort, either book a flight that's really lightly-loaded (to get some extra space and the chance to shift one seat sideways) or go for the Business Classs option :)

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What Goes Around . . . . .
. . often makes a better landing

[SOHCAHTOA]

How terribly traumatic for you guide.
Im sure the complimentry coloring book and crayons more than made up for it though.

Grow-Up

[Next Generation PSR]

I'm totally with Galleywench on this one, I don't think it is on to wake people who are in deep sleep, be it to offer them a meal or ask them to put their seat back upright. They may have travelled a lot longer than some others - hence the deep sleep.

If the person concerned was wide awake I - and most F/As would have no hesitation in meeting your request. How would you have been if the boot was on the other foot?, probably throwing your toys out of the cot then too!

Most F/As love their jobs and dealing with customer tantrums is all part of it. I have seen it all before, I even had a gentleman on one of our charters refuse all service on a return flight from Egypt to the UK (5 1/2 hrs) just because he could not have an extra legroom seat - even resorting to calling the purser a silly cow because she could not reseat him as the flight was fully booked with 189. Just think of all of what all that uneccesary pent up anger can do to someone for 5hrs plus.

As to questioning "Why do people become F/As?", we do it because most of us care, and can assess the needs of most/all people in the most balanced and resorcefull way we can - usual solutions come from weighing up which way is likely to cause most bad feeling. However trying to be understanding and as helpful as I always try to be - some peoples attitude to crew and other customers can be more than a little testing.

If all customers tried to have respect for others (including crew) with greater needs than themselves and stop being so childish and selfish, then maybe we would not have so many bust ups in flight.

Ever heard of the saying "cutting off one's nose to spite one's own face".

I understand your point of view, but trying to take out your anger on cabin crew is not the way, I think you need to chill out more and try to think of more positive ways of dealing with such situations.

Unfortunately Economy Class is not a joyride with any airlines these days - and that has to be borne in mind whenever one books Economy/Charter/No-frills.