Safety vs Psychology. Pax views please

[Jungle Strip]

Before I became an FA, human behaviour was merely interesting. Now, it fascinates and baffles me.

The major question to arise out of recent years in the job:

WHY, when there is a delay to a flight caused by a technical problem, do passengers become so rabidly angry? Would you really rather we took off with an unsound aircraft?

(I'd have thought, as the saying goes, Better Five Hours Late In This World Than Twenty-Five Years Early In The Next... http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/redface.gif

Can any regular passengers enlighten me?

[DX Wombat]

I don't care how delayed I am or how many security checks there are so long as I stand a good chance of arriving in one piece. I was on a flight delayed out of FRA not for tech reasons but which then had to return to the stand as there was an extra bag on board. I could NOT believe the crass stupidity of someone a few rows further forward who thought it was unecessary to off-load this item. I wasn't near enough to enlighten this twerp myself but was delighted with the FA's response "I am sure that if you REALLY think about it you will understand the reasons. This is an unaccompanied piece of luggage, we do not know who owns it or what is in it. Please think about it" Well done that FA we heard no more, the message had obviously hit home. My response would probably have been rather more terse and contained references to Pan Am and the relevance of the airport we were departing from.

[Jungle Strip]

Alas, DXWom, you are in a tiny minority, in my experience. Maybe it's from sneaking more grey cells onto your flights than should strictly be allowed... ;)

[Mr. Perplexed]

Well, I've thought and thought about it. Why did they have to unnecessarily delay that flight to offload that bag? What a waste of everyone's time! :)

But seriously folks, I really can't explain the twisted logic of the traveling public; however, let me try and come up with a few guesses:


I think they might get bent out of shape when an announcement is made re a mechanical problem for the following reasons. This list is not all-inclusive.

(1.) They feel that, had they selected a top-notch airline, the aircraft would be maintained to a level where mechanical breakdowns wouldn't or shouldn't occur at the time they're ready to fly. In other words, routine maintenance translates into reliable equipment. See also: a fleet of relatively new aircraft translates into reliable service.

(2.) The growing cynicism developing that there really isn't a mechanical problem. They believe the airline is canceling that particular flight because of low bookings and so that the aircraft can be reassigned. Don't laugh. Airlines have been known to do this, but not necessarily blaming it on a mechanical problem. That big airline that has hubs in MSP, DTW and MEM has a reputation for this.

(3.) General impatience and lack of tolerance for ANYTHING that messes up what they would like to do that particular day. These are the same people who will drive their automobiles (containing not just them, but their other family members as well) around lowered railroad crossing gates so that they can "save" perhaps a minute or two in their busy lives. Never mind that they can easliy be killed. I think they're also the same people who answer their cellular phones in movies theaters and at funeral services. They no doubt cheat on their income tax as well.

Remember, just a few theories.... :)



[This message has been edited by Mr. Perplexed (edited 06 July 2001).]

[Nihontraveller]

Peplexed.

I am with you on your point 3, but would add the following factors into the calculation:-

Travelling stress.
Flying stress. (Like travelling stress but much higher)
Crowds stress. (Crowds bring out the worst in people!)
Helplessness stress. (People don`t like feeling they don`t control situations)

I don`t condone this behaviour at all in fact I always feel like wanting to get involved to defend the F/As and staff (But that might be due to my stress!)

Maybe valium in the departure lounge would help. No alcohol would definately help!

Nihontraveller

[BRUpax]

I think for some it's down to simple ignorance coupled with the stress of flying. They just want to get it over with quickly. Then you have the business types who are on tight schedules and a significant delay can screw their day up entirely - and perhaps lose a big $$ contract. I guess that can make you a little grumpy!

[SLF]

Yeah, helplessness and frustration. On the outward leg, you'll appear late/harassed/unprepared or miss the meeting entirely, on the return leg there's the need to get home, miss the traffic, see the kids before bedtime etc.

There's possibly a hint of being "over nannied", that the plane is being delayed for comparatively trivial reasons, rather than bombs or lose engine bolts.

Don't all you Crew get equally frustrated over, for example, air traffic delays? I detect that same frustration in the PAs sometimes.

Cheers - SLF

------------------
29A please!

[DX Wombat]

Just out of curiosity and with reference to ATC delays, does anybody know if ANY BA or QF late night flight to LHR which was ready to depart has EVER managed to leave SIN on time and not be delayed by ATC? I haven't been on one yet!

[DX Wombat]

Posted this about an hour ago - or so I thought but no sign of it yet. If it appears twice- sorry, just ignore the second one. To continue. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if ANY late night BA or QF flight to LHR has EVER left SIN on time without being delayed by their ATC? I have yet to be on one that has done and seem to have spent a lot of my time in SIN waiting for the aircraft to be given clearance. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

[Jungle Strip]

I'd like to know the answer to that one too, DXWom. ;)

[Jungle Strip]

... But seriously, does the crew get frustrated with ATC delays, SLF? Yes. But it's part of the Kulture (I have a foot in several camps, I should confess) to huff and puff about ATC delays. When it comes down to it, if the aircraft is airworthy, the rest is academic. Very inconvenient sometimes, yes, but academic.

Perplexed, I take your points. I don't like not being in control either ;) And yes, I know many pax perceive "technical" delays as being a load of B/S. BUT, since there's nothing to be done if engineering, management and pilots decide a flight should be checked out (assuming they've managed to put up a unified front.. ;) ) why on earth not give the airline the benefit of the doubt? Trust me, most pilots don't want to die. At least, not until they've scr*wed every heterosexual member of the opposite -- or gay member of the same --- within a 500-mile radius...

But boy! do pax yell and scream if an apologetic Chief Wagon Dragon comes on and tells them that, since all four engines on a 747 have failed and will need to be replaced, there will be a 50-minute delay..!

(Sorry folks, next time we'll struggle off the ground on the one that almost works, and maybe when it packs up in mid-Atlantic, you can provide enough hot air to waft us to JFK..! http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/redface.gif )

But thanks for your comments everyone. Interesting stuff.

[DX Wombat]

JS, it's nice to know someone thinks I have some working grey matter even if it is more than the permitted amount for a pax. By the way - what is the current allowance? I'm not surprised the crew get fed up, particularly the FAs - they have to deal with the bright sparks who feel that the airline has a grudge against them and has arranged the delay just so they can cause as much disruption as possible to the pax.

[pax domina]

Please make a note of my hearty agreement with the sentiments expressed by DX Wombat! http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/thumbs.gif

perhaps I'm not . . .

[Rollingthunder]

Must say I've never seen a rabidly angry crowd in relation to a mechanical delay. A few groans perhaps. Most pax do not understand what a flight at 35,000 feet entails. It's just a bus.
We were pushed back once and had to park off the gate to change an engine component. Delay was about an hour. One couple asked to get off after half an hour. They were disembarked and shortly thereafter we continued to destination.

BTW..those folks who can do a four engine change in 50 minutes...I'll hire them all. ;)

[Flame]

As a regular flyer with many airlines, both in Europe and the USA, I have never known a carrier to delay or cancel a flight just for the fun of it, so those pax who get upset with delays, which generally speaking are outside the control of the airlines need to take a reality check and understand that any form of travel will lead to a delay of some sort or other, whether it be, bicycle, train car, train or plane...even buses run late...but for some reason people dont lose their cool with buses :p

[InChocks]

"Views from a traffic jam......"

I think as mentioned in previous posts to this thread it all comes down to human nature. From my own perspective, I travel a lot both on the road and in the air and I am prone to getting stressed if delayed by factors outside of my control. As I've got older I've spent time and effort trying to manage my stress levels in the interest of my health. To this end I constantly try and take a step back so I can better understand what stresses me and other people.

As already stated, the primary reason is not being in control. Human beings like being in control and if we feel we are not, we panic, adrenalin gets pumped into the bloodstream, heart beats faster, blood pressure goes up and the body becomes primed for action which, in a confined place like an aircraft leads so argumenative, irritable PAX and in extreme cases (often with a little added ethanol) air rage.

The airline staff cannot fix this reaction directly as they obviously cannot but the passenger 'in control' of the situation causing the delay.

What they can do, which historically airlines, along with just about every other service providing industry in the world, don't do, is to put the pax or customer 'in control by proxy.' This basically means instilling a trust in the customers that someone is in control on their behalf.

In order to achieve this two things are required. 1) Give the customer the information he requires and as often as he requires and 2) Maintain the trust. These go hand in hand.

A mistake that is often made is to be optimistic instead of pessimistic. A pax who has has been pleasantly suprised with leaving 10 minutes earlier than they thought will be in a considerably better frame of mind than someone who has had their hopes dashed time after time after after glib "We should be underway in 10 minutes" type announcements. If the second optimistic approach is taken - you break the trust. If the pessimistic approach is taken the customer may not be particularly happy - but you maintain the trust.

The same goes for point 1). Keep the information coming even if you repeat yourself every ten minutes. A common approach is to only provide a situation updates as and when something changes. The longer someone is kept uninformed, the more they will move towards not being 'in control.'

Finally, be honest and don't dumb down the customer. Pitch explanations so that people don't feel patronised.

You will never stop people getting stressed during delays, it's just not in human nature, therefore that stress has to be managed. Whatever goal lies at the end of their journey, it is important to them irrespective of the opinions of others.