QF Flight Attendant Accused of Racism by will.i.am [Archive]

Airbubba

16th Nov 2019, 17:46

Yet another alleged victim of racial profiling and police brutality.

Black Eyed Peas Star will.i.am accuses Qantas flight attendant of racism

November 16, 2019 9:02pm

Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am has accused a Qantas flight attendant of racism after a tense incident on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney.

Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am has accused a Qantas flight attendant of racism after a tense incident on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney today.The rapper and songwriter tweeted while he was still on the plane, telling his 12.8 million followers he had been mistreated by an “overly aggressive flight attendant”.

“I don’t want to believe she racist. But she has clearly aimed all her frustrations only at the people of colour,” he said.

Will.i.am said he had not heard the announcements over the PA because he was wearing noise cancelling headphones, and was then confronted by the flight attendant when he did not put away his laptop fast enough.

He said the incident happened about 20 minutes into the flight.

When the plane landed, he was met by five police officers, who let him go without further incident.

“Qantas, your racist flight attendant was beyond rude and took it to the next level by calling the police on me. Thank god the other passengers testified that she was out of control. The police finally let me go. Imagine if the police were as aggressive,” he said.

“Is calling the police on a passenger for not hearing the PA due to wearing noise cancelling headphones appropriate?

“I did comply quickly and politely, only to be greeted by police. I think I was targeted.”

He went on to allege the flight attendant “singled every person of colour in the flight and gave them a hard time”, and that “other passengers on the flight agreed that she was out of hand”.

The singer also retweeted a couple of people who said they were on the same flight, and agreed with him.

Meanwhile, he hit back at suggestions he was intimidating the flight attendant in question by singling her out and naming her online. News.com.au has not named her for legal reasons.

“I am posting so that this doesn’t happen again. It shouldn’t happen to an Aboriginal, Latino, African, LGBTQ white, red or anyone. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” he said.

He said he did not “wish any harm to anyone” and merely wanted everyone to be “respected and treated with dignity”.

Qantas has denied the incident was race-related, instead putting it down to a “misunderstanding”.

“There was a misunderstanding on board, which seems to have been exacerbated by will.i.am wearing noise cancelling headphones and not being able to hear instructions from crew,” a spokesman for the airline said.

“We completely reject the suggestion this had anything to do with race. We’ll be following up with will.i.am and wish him well for the rest of the tour.”

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/black-eyed-peas-star-william-accuses-qantas-flight-attendant-of-racism/news-story/7973ce6856b281c483940e56ca587fa7 (https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/black-eyed-peas-star-william-accuses-qantas-flight-attendant-of-racism/news-story/7973ce6856b281c483940e56ca587fa7)

RENURPP

16th Nov 2019, 18:43

Absolutely nothing to do with race, that’s normal customer service!

Ascend Charlie

16th Nov 2019, 20:07

Yeah, good onyer you dill, ignore all the things the FAs say about not using your electronic stuff (he has never been on a plane before, so doesn't know how to behave) and then say they are picking on you because you are "of colour".
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” he said.
Except for the FA, who he named and shamed.

Go home you idiot.

AerialPerspective

16th Nov 2019, 20:24

Yeah, good onyer you dill, ignore all the things the FAs say about not using your electronic stuff (he has never been on a plane before, so doesn't know how to behave) and then say they are picking on you because you are "of colour".

Except for the FA, who he named and shamed.

Go home you idiot.

Agree totally... this idiot is a PUBLIC FIGURE... the FA is not!!!

He starts out by claiming (in essence) that she was misusing her power. He then responds by misusing his supposed celebrity power by shaming her and naming her and potentially putting her in danger.

He's a dick who has since realised (the penny dropped eventually) he's acted in that way and is now belatedly asking followers not to hate her... too little, too late.

AmarokGTI

17th Nov 2019, 00:39

What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

How would this bloke feel if someone saw him innocently giving candy to a kid and posted “will.i.am is a paedophile” to his millions of followers. And other people “saw him” so that must make it true. That wouldn’t stand in a million years. Lawsuits left right and centre.

I’m not a huge fan of the stereotypical QF “dragon” FAs. Sometimes I have to pax in uniform due tight timing etc, I often get what I perceive to be patronising looks or elitism, but guess what...I could be totally wrong! Despite the way they look at me they might not think I’m some moronic pleb that can’t fly in a straight line and who couldn’t get into QF. So therefore I don’t make a big deal naming and shaming people for it!

Bend alot

17th Nov 2019, 01:00

Would the FA be calling the police?

The captain needs to take control of his ship - police should only be called if the captain is convinced that it is actually required.

George Glass

17th Nov 2019, 01:47

Nothing to do with being black.
People in the music industry and entertainment generally are a pain in the butt. They seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.
As a operating Captain I’ll back the FA every time.

itsnotthatbloodyhard

17th Nov 2019, 02:34

Would the FA be calling the police?

The captain needs to take control of his ship - police should only be called if the captain is convinced that it is actually required.

Do you know for a fact exactly who called the police?

If, as reported, the incident occurred in flight and the police met them on arrival, how would the FA have called them? How would the captain not have been involved?

V-Jet

17th Nov 2019, 03:23

So a member of the cabin crew properly carrying out her duty for the safety of all passengers is suddenly racist because she has to deal with people who are of a different colour?

Think of the Police in the US. Or dealing with almost anyone in the US. 'You're being racist!' 'No, I don't care what colour (spelt correctly!) you are, you drove through a stop sign and hit me'. 'You're only saying that because I'm black'.

Alternatively, as I pointed out to semi black female friend in the US who insists that it scares her walking in public because she is likely to be shot by Police, if innocent black people are shot that often - why are there so many left?

I find the US obsession with colour bizarre, extraordinary and totally out of place in the 21st Century. Didn't that stuff get put to bed nearly a hundred years ago?? If I meet Fred and Fred is a card carrying violent idiot, then he is a card carrying violent idiot who _might_ be yellow, green, white, black or pink. Wee Napoleon might be a thieving incompetent Irishman, but that doesn't make all Irshmen thieving and incompetent.

Lookleft

17th Nov 2019, 03:24

If the F/A had been male would William have reacted the same way? I would think given his musical genre that what occurred was that his misogyny was given an outlet. After all he is a male and she is female so what else would explain his naming and shaming of her on social media?

Bend alot

17th Nov 2019, 04:35

Do you know for a fact exactly who called the police?

If, as reported, the incident occurred in flight and the police met them on arrival, how would the FA have called them? How would the captain not have been involved?
My point exactly!

But some Captains will ALWAYS back their FA's (see above) even if the FA is extremely wrong - this blind support is very unprofessional, much like the days a FO could/would never question a Captain (that cost many lives).

A Captain should make informed decisions not back his mates/friends.

PPRuNeUser0198

17th Nov 2019, 05:09

George Glass

17th Nov 2019, 05:11

Brutus

17th Nov 2019, 05:30

George Glass......hear, hear. Beat me to it.

itsnotthatbloodyhard

17th Nov 2019, 06:11

Seems this was the same CSM who was involved in the 'Veronicas' fiasco @ https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/black-eyed-peas-star-william-accuses-qantas-flight-attendant-of-racism/news-story/7973ce6856b281c483940e56ca587fa7

Peter Ford (apparently some sort of entertainment reporter) has been following this and is claiming that the Veronicas have it wrong, and it’s a different FA. Also, you might remember them complaining that they couldn’t get the names of the staff involved in their incident, so I’m not sure how much credibility they have here.

Bend alot

17th Nov 2019, 06:16

So, Bend a lot, you’ve done this often? I have. It goes like this:

Excuse me Captain ,we have a problem in the cabin.
Can you handle it? How serious is it?
No, its ok . Just a pain in the butt Rapper with inflated opinion of himself. If he keeps it up we might need the Feds at the other end.
No worries. Will do. Let me know how your going.

No “mate/friends” , just another day at the office dealing with general public.
You back the FA’s because they are your interface with the punters. And they have been around the block a few times and have seen it all before.
Then it gets to the media..........Lord save us...........
Beat me to it - Blind Faith.

Now what if your FA is fatigued/PMS and is anti American - you simply do not know what is happening behind you or what has happened.

Calling the FEDS's on what played out seems in hindsight to have been wrong - they seemed to have no interest in the issue (no charge no warning - nothing).

Simply believing one crew member story and having ZERO consideration for any other possibilities - sounds like Boeing and the FAA to me "Blind and Stubborn", this is how we always do this.

Time to introduce a FED's call out fee (for company or customer whoever is at fault) and a nuisance penalty for the caller such as calling 000 when it is not an emergency.

Before yo bark it was 20 minutes into the flight it was reported to happen - plenty of time to evaluate and confirm, as any professional should.

In years gone by Captains were on the extreme of respected people and professions, every kid looked up to them. They greeted passengers on entry, they frequented the cabins with brief chats and earned respect by looking after ALL aboard. Should a Catain or any member of the flight crew be required to address a passenger for bad behaviour it was the ultimate in a dressing down.

Now they simply do not even bother to exit the cabin for any reason that could earn them respect (confirm any customer issues), that led us to the term SLF used prolifically and proudly by many Captains that lazily just take a FA's word regardless of fact.

When is the last time you took the time to walk to the back of the aircraft to speak with passengers, crew, inspect the food and alcohol service (for legal requirements) and inspect the toilets during a flight?

Not my job will be the answer from many - actually it is!

FA - Hey Captain I had a problem with a passenger in 2A, he ............. I ..........
Captain - Ok is it over?
FA - Yes/No
Captain - (Yes answer) ok report back if that changes. (No answer) ok I will send the FO to have a chat with him (and get others story of event/s) please stay here with me.

FO - returns - No real drama, possibly a bit of ego verses long days.

Captain - ok shall we let FA "x" deal with him for the rest of flight. Or some other constructive outcome.

George Glass

17th Nov 2019, 06:25

Just breath slowly.
In ....... out........
In..........out........
Now you must have had a bad experience. Let’s see if we can work through it.........

3Greens

17th Nov 2019, 06:35

Beat me to it - Blind Faith.

Now what if your FA is fatigued/PMS and is anti American - you simply do not know what is happening behind you or what has happened.

Calling the FEDS's on what played out seems in hindsight to have been wrong - they seemed to have no interest in the issue (no charge no warning - nothing).

Simply believing one crew member story and having ZERO consideration for any other possibilities - sounds like Boeing and the FAA to me "Blind and Stubborn", this is how we always do this.

Time to introduce a FED's call out fee (for company or customer whoever is at fault) and a nuisance penalty for the caller such as calling 000 when it is not an emergency.

Before yo bark it was 20 minutes into the flight it was reported to happen - plenty of time to evaluate and confirm, as any professional should.

In years gone by Captains were on the extreme of respected people and professions, every kid looked up to them. They greeted passengers on entry, they frequented the cabins with brief chats and earned respect by looking after ALL aboard. Should a Catain or any member of the flight crew be required to address a passenger for bad behaviour it was the ultimate in a dressing down.

Now they simply do not even bother to exit the cabin for any reason that could earn them respect (confirm any customer issues), that led us to the term SLF used prolifically and proudly by many Captains that lazily just take a FA's word regardless of fact.

When is the last time you took the time to walk to the back of the aircraft to speak with passengers, crew, inspect the food and alcohol service (for legal requirements) and inspect the toilets during a flight?

Not my job will be the answer from many - actually it is!

FA - Hey Captain I had a problem with a passenger in 2A, he ............. I ..........
Captain - Ok is it over?
FA - Yes/No
Captain - (Yes answer) ok report back if that changes. (No answer) ok I will send the FO to have a chat with him (and get others story of event/s) please stay here with me.

FO - returns - No real drama, possibly a bit of ego verses long days.

Captain - ok shall we let FA "x" deal with him for the rest of flight. Or some other constructive outcome.
is this guy for real? Inspect the service and toilets? And “ill send the FO back”, might have been acceptable in 1975 mate but post 9/11, flight crew at my company are strongly advised NOT to get involved with unruly passengers.
sorry, I’m still laughing at the thought of a Captain inspecting the alcholol service. That’s a belter

dr dre

17th Nov 2019, 07:06

Beat me to it - Blind Faith.
Now what if your FA is fatigued/PMS - you simply do not know what is happening behind you or what has happened.

Suggesting a woman with PMS is incapable of rational thought and therefore untrustworthy is a pretty sexist comment. Reg Ansett tried that argument back in the 70’s. He failed then and that line of thought should be extinct now.

73qanda

17th Nov 2019, 07:08

When is the last time you took the time to walk to the back of the aircraft to speak with passengers, crew, inspect the food and alcohol service (for legal requirements) and inspect the toilets during a flight?
Bendy , the above statement shows that you A) aren’t currently a pilot in an Ausi Airline and B) Don’t know the current rules/regs around flight deck security.
Police, bar managers, Airline Captains etc will all differ as individuals as to how they apply the legislation. I reckon Will I am just came across someone who applied the rules hard and fast and was not going to muck around with third or fourth chances to comply with crew instructions. It’s also not unthinkable that the crew member was under stress and over reacted. Who knows? Probably no one on this forum.
It’s tricky as a Captain, I started off just backing the crew and after a few years had one situation where, if I could go back in time, I would have played a cooler hand. Since then, I’m a little more judicious around these events and give quite clear instructions about de escalating the situation and changing which crew member is dealing with the difficult pax etc.
Edited to add; strangely enough, my first ever disruptive pax ( departing Brisbane) as a Captain was also a mega famous American rapper although he was from the first generation of rap super stars and started disrupting business class before we even pushed back.

Foxxster

17th Nov 2019, 07:28

The Veronicas stunt was set up by them to publicise their reality TV show.

And this. Well maybe put him on a no fly list for 12 months. He can get a ship back.

Paragraph377

17th Nov 2019, 07:28

Now, I will be the first to acknowledge that most elements of Qantas service these days are substandard. Regardless, what an absolutely egotistical ****. Idiot rockstars who expect to be allowed to do as they wish because everybody panders to each of their inflated needs. They don’t like situations in which they are not the ones in control and not the ones calling the shots, such as on a commercial flight where the the crew have legal delegations under the civil aviation safety act. And of course, the police, who have legal powers also as defined under an Act. Poor old sooky Mr Rockstar couldn’t handle being ‘directed’.

Hey Will You Aren’t, go home you muppet. We don’t want you here, go home. And it’s not about skin colour, it’s because you are a knob. And as far as racism goes, you have the word ‘black’ in your band title, isn’t that racist?

itsnotthatbloodyhard

17th Nov 2019, 07:36

many Captains that lazily just take a FA's word regardless of fact.

Like most pilots, I enjoy nothing more in my spare time than having to justify myself to management and filling out extra paperwork. What better opportunity than to lazily take an FA’s word for it and stitch up a perfectly innocent celebrity?
:rolleyes:

Street garbage

17th Nov 2019, 07:38

is this guy for real? Inspect the service and toilets? And “ill send the FO back”, might have been acceptable in 1975 mate but post 9/11, flight crew at my company are strongly advised NOT to get involved with unruly passengers.
sorry, I’m still laughing at the thought of a Captain inspecting the alcholol service. That’s a belter

Next time on a Melbourne- Canberra, I'll think I might try this...might ask some EP questions too, like where is the location of the laerdal mask at R2, the FA's will love it!

JustinHeywood

17th Nov 2019, 07:50

I’m no fan of the use of the race card, but the comments from other passengers (supporting will.i.am) would seem to add credence to his story.

mattyj

17th Nov 2019, 08:08

What a loser..has he not heard of Apple EarPods...?!

Pinky the pilot

17th Nov 2019, 08:38

Just another second/third/whatever rate 'entertainer' trying to raise his profile AFAIC!:*

Anyone wishing to disagree with that; Your right to do so is acknowledged.

Oh, and I wear noise reduction/cancelling headphones when travelling to and from Japan each year and I can still always hear the in flight announcements.

V-Jet

17th Nov 2019, 08:56

FWIW I suspect a heavy handed F/A / crew and an egotistical lefty/muso ’god’ used to being feted by all those around.

What I find absolutely disgraceful is the use of the race card.

Australian neo Nazi rules are incomprehensible to the rest of the world. That does NOT make for an attack based on race.

Bend alot

17th Nov 2019, 09:08

Bendy , the above statement shows that you A) aren’t currently a pilot in an Ausi Airline and B) Don’t know the current rules/regs around flight deck security.
Police, bar managers, Airline Captains etc will all differ as individuals as to how they apply the legislation. I reckon Will I am just came across someone who applied the rules hard and fast and was not going to muck around with third or fourth chances to comply with crew instructions. It’s also not unthinkable that the crew member was under stress and over reacted. Who knows? Probably no one on this forum.
It’s tricky as a Captain, I started off just backing the crew and after a few years had one situation where, if I could go back in time, I would have played a cooler hand. Since then, I’m a little more judicious around these events and give quite clear instructions about de escalating the situation and changing which crew member is dealing with the difficult pax etc.
Edited to add; strangely enough, my first ever disruptive pax ( departing Brisbane) as a Captain was also a mega famous American rapper although he was from the first generation of rap super stars and started disrupting business class before we even pushed back.

The Captain (during "flight") is in charge of the entire ship, delegation is an option of duty but never removes responsibility.

To never audit your flights is a surprise as even since post 9/11, no CASA reg denies your ability to confirm your ship, is ship shape or to leave the locked door other than a toilet break - that has become a personal decision long before 9/11 and some companies policy. But that does not remove the requirement of the Captain being in charge of the ship overriding company policy.

PMS is real, more real with some than others - it even has a name. I am not saying it was PMS or anti American or Musician but they are possibilities and any true professional would consider them as part of an evaluation.

The other option is to simply give 100% control of the cabin to Cabin Crew, do as they seem fit - they are correct anyway!

Will you back them if they start an evacuation? they did access the situation - you will back them every time.

Or are there times you wont trust them every time?

And no not a Airline Pilot, but been in the game a very long time.

Had a only ever go-around in Singapore, the Captain got on the intercom soon after and said the stacking was a bit too close for him and was happy to chat when we landed. He was front and centre after landing and most pax just walked past as he said good bye to all on the aircraft. The group of 3 of us (aviation persons) saw he was visibly drained as we walked passed, we simply said good job, I guess the stacking was very close. I wish we and others took the time to talk to him, he clearly wanted to talk to someone.

Stan Woolley

17th Nov 2019, 09:09

Just as there are pain in the ass passengers there can also be pain in the ass pilots and cabin crew. I’ve been a passenger on a flight where the No1 was picking a fight with a guy over cabin bag stowage (on the ground). I can’t remember exactly what it was about, but I do remember thinking the pax had a good case while the no1 was digging her heels in rather petulantly. The Captain came out and immediately took the side of the No1without listening to both sides.
It may have been the easiest choice for him to make, but I didn’t think it was fair. Fortunately the situation didn’t escalate as it might easily have done. The unfortunate pax was big enough to let it go.
I guess it comes down to how individuals on both sides think, those with ‘power’ vs the ‘plebs’. It’s quite interesting.

dr dre

17th Nov 2019, 09:18

And no not a Airline Pilot,

Figured that out from your posts already...

dr dre

17th Nov 2019, 09:27

I’ve been a passenger on a flight where the No1 was picking a fight with a guy over cabin bag stowage (on the ground). I can’t remember exactly what it was about, but I do remember thinking the pax had a good case while the no1 was digging her heels in rather petulantly. The Captain came out and immediately took the side of the No1without listening to both sides.

Where did this idea that passengers who disagree with F/A instructions have a right to to a fair trial with the Captain as judge come from?

There’s no disagreements between pax and F/As that require the adjudication of the Captain. This isn’t a court case. The Cabin Crew, deriving their authority from the P.I.C, issue instructions to the passengers. The passengers don’t have the right to appeal their instructions to the Captain for final adjudication. They aren’t going to be using other passengers as witnesses to back up their case.

Sure, as P.I.C a Captain may disagree with what F/A has done and has authority to alter their decisions, but a good Captain will back up their crew. There’s only one crew on an airliner, not two seperate pilot and F/A crews.

Background Noise

17th Nov 2019, 09:34

About time people who ignore the safety brief, or other messages, get it in the neck. And, by the way, it's W-I-L-L-I-A-M.

Stan Woolley

17th Nov 2019, 09:37

and a good Captain will back up their crew.

Well, there we disagree. I mustn’t have been a good Captain.

So if a crew member lost their rag punched a pax in the face, you’d back them up?
It’s an extreme example, but it’s on a sliding scale, the principle is what it’s about.

I saw myself as a human being first, a captain somewhere behind that.

3Greens

17th Nov 2019, 09:38

The Captain (during "flight") is in charge of the entire ship, delegation is an option of duty but never removes responsibility.

To never audit your flights is a surprise as even since post 9/11, no CASA reg denies your ability to confirm your ship, is ship shape or to leave the locked door other than a toilet break - that has become a personal decision long before 9/11 and some companies policy. But that does not remove the requirement of the Captain being in charge of the ship overriding company policy.

PMS is real, more real with some than others - it even has a name. I am not saying it was PMS or anti American or Musician but they are possibilities and any true professional would consider them as part of an evaluation.

The other option is to simply give 100% control of the cabin to Cabin Crew, do as they seem fit - they are correct anyway!

Will you back them if they start an evacuation? they did access the situation - you will back them every time.

Or are there times you wont trust them every time?

And no not a Airline Pilot, but been in the game a very long time.

Had a only ever go-around in Singapore, the Captain got on the intercom soon after and said the stacking was a bit too close for him and was happy to chat when we landed. He was front and centre after landing and most pax just walked past as he said good bye to all on the aircraft. The group of 3 of us (aviation persons) saw he was visibly drained as we walked passed, we simply said good job, I guess the stacking was very close. I wish we and others took the time to talk to him, he clearly wanted to talk to someone.
this is comedy gold mate. Please keep going....

Fliegenmong

17th Nov 2019, 09:46

For me..it is really very simple....I/we no longer fly QF....problem solved

Meester proach

17th Nov 2019, 10:28

I’m slightly concerned by the absolute blind faith in your FAs.
I’ll support them.....but before that I’ll weigh up the situation and determine the correct course of action, and make sure what they are saying is right. because ultimately any heat will land back on me if it was the wrong call.

And they are humans too, so sometimes pander to their own opinions and predujices .

I had one FA try and get me offload a pax because they didn’t like their tatoos......they weren’t offensive just revealed a political side the FA didn’t like.

Er, no, is the answer.

blorgwinder

17th Nov 2019, 12:35

its another zzzz lister from an over the hill band looking for attention and recognition. He knows the rules, but its ok to break them as he is famous and a man of colour, so he can play that card. And lets use social media to name and shame this person, who is likely restricted by company policy from doing the same thing. Yes Mr.agrieved got his publicity, some sympathy and once again demonstrated how good social media is for those who crave/want/need attention.

Stan Woolley

17th Nov 2019, 12:55

I’m slightly concerned by the absolute blind faith in your FAs.

I had one FA try and get me offload a pax because they didn’t like their tatoos...

Er, no, is the answer.

I agree entirely. :ok:

givemewings

17th Nov 2019, 12:56

Seems this was the same CSM who was involved in the 'Veronicas' fiasco @ https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/black-eyed-peas-star-william-accuses-qantas-flight-attendant-of-racism/news-story/7973ce6856b281c483940e56ca587fa7

QF have stated it is not the same crewmember.

Waiting for the Veronicas to issue a retraction/apology.... oh wait...

On one Facebook post from a news outlet, a person claiming to be a passenger on the flight said that William's entourage were causing issues at check in, and then again when trying to bring on oversized guitaer cases. When told they would need to gate check the cases, apparently they became argumentative.

When asked for proof, the woman posted a picture of her boarding pass from the flight.

make of that what you will.

j3pipercub

17th Nov 2019, 13:12

So Bendalot,

Now that you’ve doubled down on your archaic thinking, I have to ask. Should women be allowed to vote of they are PMSing?

Should the captain send the Effo back to deal with the rowdy hijackers demanding this bus go to Colombo?

You’re an absoloute fecking pillock.

j3

Longtimer

17th Nov 2019, 15:54

I’m no fan of the use of the race card, but the comments from other passengers (supporting will.i.am) would seem to add credence to his story.
Evidently he was travelling with a group, perhaps they are the ones who supported his POV?

oicur12.again

17th Nov 2019, 18:19

Some points worth noting,

At no time did he refuse to comply with FA instructions, as far as we know. The FA accused him of not acting fast enough.

We have all misheard instructions as a pax while wearing headphones, let’s not go overboard.

His accusations of racism appear to be verified by other pax and the lack of interest from the rozzers.

I have two family members with dark skin and both have been subject to racism on Qantas flights.

As a reasonably frequent customer of QF long haul it is my experience that QF FA’s can be overly......insistent and often impatient with customers.

In my experience as an airline pilot for many years, FA’s can be very quick to over react to customers who are not completely or immediately compliant and I would suggest PIC’s react with some skepticism and investigate at least a little before simply siding with FA’s.

To suggest he should simply “go home” is akin to installing blinkers to a very real issue QF should be paying a little more attention to.

Contrary to to one of the posts above an irrelevant point is worth noting, Will I Am is an incredibly successful entertainer in numerous fields.

thorn bird

17th Nov 2019, 18:54

fl610

17th Nov 2019, 19:51

Heard a story of an Aussie Captain a few years ago flying for an overseas airline.
The senior FA complained to the captain that a man in first class put his hand up her skirt.
captain looked up and asked "Did he find anything?"
Apparently the cockpit door almost came off its hinges as it slammed.
The Fo muttered "Thats the last coffee we'll get for the rest of the flight"

Similar experience with slamming cockpit door! Flight Engineer asks purser ‘What to you call a woman who has lost 75% of her brain power? Purser response, I don’t know. F/E - A widow!’ ��.

Needless to say, we were all very hungry by the end of the flight. And before the outrage bus gets cranked up, it was 35 plus years ago when flight crew used to interact, have a bit of fun at someone else’s expense, more than often it was the tech crew on the receiving end. Managed to get the job done safely and most were good humoured about the ribbing. Very glad to be retired and freely admit that I would not cope with the new age workplace. ��

JustinHeywood

17th Nov 2019, 20:14

Evidently he was travelling with a group, perhaps they are the ones who supported his POV?

There were a couple of tweets from other ‘passengers’ supporting WillIAM’s story in the media reporting , and I checked them out. (I have no life).

One was from an Australian academic (science), so it seems legitimate.

The other was from a conservative social media commentator, and was meant to be a sarcastic piss-take and not meant to be taken seriously, yet the media took it at face value- which he found highly amusing.

It would seem to me that if the F/A was targeting every person of colour on that flight as claimed, there would be more evidence than there is.

TWT

17th Nov 2019, 22:00

Since none of us were there it's hard to gauge the accuracy of reports.

Is it possible that the FA was also involved with the alleged 'difficulties' with oversize carry-on baggage (guitars) at check-in ? And the antics later reflected some frustration ?

A musician's guitar is very precious to them and they generally don't want to check them in as hold baggage due to the inevitable rough treatment said baggage receives.

Perhaps they had been lucky in the past with flights that were not full and had been allowed to stow them in the cabin ?

I've heard of some musicians that pay for an extra seat for their guitar or other instrument.

Only those that were there will know the truth

jjj
jjj
jjj

dr dre

17th Nov 2019, 22:31

thorn bird

17th Nov 2019, 22:52

Did I say that?

It was a story I heard a long long time ago.

dr dre

17th Nov 2019, 23:02

I hope a good Captain would take action, unlike some of the other commentators on this thread who seem to think it’s all a joke and “Political Correctness Gone Mad!”

TWT

17th Nov 2019, 23:11

I concur with dr dre

The attitudes towards women displayed by a few posters on this thread are deplorable.

Impress to inflate

17th Nov 2019, 23:20

As Will-I-Am says......."I want to scream and shout and let it all out"

I have seen many so called celebs on flights and around aviation and most are twats!

cloudsurfng

17th Nov 2019, 23:33

Were there any people of non colour (?) on board also using a laptop and wearing noise cancelling headphones at the same time? Bit hard to play the race card if he was the only person in that situation. Sounds like a knob to me.

dr dre

17th Nov 2019, 23:56

I concur with dr dre

The attitudes towards women displayed by a few posters on this thread are deplorable.

Thanks TWT,

As this thread has shown (and some other threads regarding female pilots) there’s somewhat of an attitude adjustment needed towards women working in aviation. When we have a line of thought on this thread that pilots shouldn’t trust cabin crew (majority female) when they report bad passenger behaviour due to it being “that time of the month” it seems Reg Ansett’s arguments from the 70’s persist.

hillbillybob

18th Nov 2019, 00:12

I concur with dr dre

The attitudes towards women displayed by a few posters on this thread are deplorable.

without context that is a funny post

Dre did write a song called “bitches ain’t ****”

Gnadenburg

18th Nov 2019, 00:16

JustinHeywood

18th Nov 2019, 01:20

Pearly White

18th Nov 2019, 01:25

How good are these noise-cancelling headphones? So good they become a health hazard because the SLF can't hear safety announcements?

People wearing headphones need to be identified as having hearing difficulties and treated with the same sensitivity extended to people who cannot hear for other (non-NC headphones) reasons. How are FAs trained to deal with deaf people?

QuarterInchSocket

18th Nov 2019, 08:34

The Veronicas stunt was set up by them to publicise their reality TV show.
Meghan Washington, Kelly Rowland etc. all are high profile characters, all have had run ins with the company.

there is something toxic in the stream. I’ve seen it. It’s real, wheither people choose to believe it or not.

the unfortunate thing is, on a plane, there is no choice but to accept the demeaning behaviour and comply with instructions because the alternative is as experienced. This company, being the primary service provider for Australia makes things even harder to object.

Complaints fall on deaf ears. No wonder, given the attitudes expressed here... :/

notwithstanding - he could’ve handled things better, but obviously the attendant was a persistent one.

Square Bear

18th Nov 2019, 09:41

From the AGE newspaper...

"Qantas says it is willing to help one of its cabin crew members take defamation action against pop star will.i.am if he does not retract his accusation she racially discriminated against him".

Great to see that QF has publicly backed its crew....and one would have to think that it would have had more first hand information than many "commentators" most likely had access to.

old,not bold

18th Nov 2019, 09:47

Sounds to me like a severe case of "Do you know who I am?", while playing the race card too.

In any case, a z-list celeb who trades under a pseudonym as stupid as will.i.am deserves all he gets.

PS. Never having heard of Black Eyed Peas before i just listened to a track on Youtube. Infantile, talent-free c**p, to put it mildly. There are many performers of the same genre who are well worth a listen, but these people are not.

Capt Fathom

18th Nov 2019, 09:57

notwithstanding - he could’ve handled things better, but obviously the attendant was a persistent one.

Unfortunately they have to be persistent as a lot of passengers are just plain rude, have no manners and do not do what they are told.
Whilst some procedures may seem frustrating, they are there for a good reason.

Next time you’re on a flight, put your book down and just observe for a while. It is quite interesting watching all the different personalities interact.

Occy

18th Nov 2019, 10:38

Sounds to me like a severe case of "Do you know who I am?"

In any case, a z-list celeb who trades under a pseudonym as stupid as will.i.am deserves all he gets.

PS. Never having heard of Black Eyed Peas before i just listened to a track on Youtube. Infantile, talent-free c**p, to put it mildly. There are many performers of the same genre who are well worth a listen, but these people are not..

I totally agree with the “do you know you i am?” part. Sounds like the guy carried on like a total dick. Seems to be increasingly common on aircraft these days.

You lost me when you started on about how stupid his name is.

You made more of a **** of yourself in the bit where you say “their music is ****”. What does his music have to do with his behaviour?

Neither of these self centered observations has any relevance to the incident as it happened and you sound almost as bad as he does when he called her a racist.

guided

18th Nov 2019, 12:04

old,not bold criticising will.i.am's stupid name. That's gold!

Wally777

18th Nov 2019, 14:39

A few years back I carried will.i.am from LAX-LHR. Saw him with his large computer and headphones and thought Oh Dear! He is hypo, but he proved me wrong. Absolute gentleman relaxed everyone and freely chatted away. I received good comments from the crew and fellow passengers. So maybe he was just having a bad day or .............. Not defending him for the above day, just sharing an experience.

OldnGrounded

18th Nov 2019, 15:13

old,not bold criticising will.i.am's stupid name. That's gold!

Right, how dare he not be content with "William," just like the other four million Americans with that first name?

I expect that some will be outraged that I dare to type it, but a fair bit of this thread reads like thinly-disguised racism. (And, no, I have no idea how the subject incident may have gone down. The passenger may or may not have been an annoying jerk, although nothing in the reports I've seen appears to justify calling the police.)

givemewings

18th Nov 2019, 16:29

Seems like William has a short memory and hasn't grasped the basics of airport procedures... Doesn't Will.i.am Know How Airports Work? (https://www.vice.com/da/article/6w8eq4/does-william-not-understand-how-airports-work-2014?fbclid=IwAR2swG199KshgJQHQTfi6PL5XBy5RE_MvOSeJ1JUpq_plS WOL6StvsQY_W8)

Hartington

18th Nov 2019, 17:07

morno

18th Nov 2019, 17:30

Question - the tweet that started all this starts " I’m currently on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney". Do we know at what point in the flight that was actually sent? Do QF aircraft have the technology to permit a tweet to be sent in flight?

Most of Qantas’ domestic fleet have free onboard wifi.

Some of the drivel on here is nothing more than rubbish in itself. Criticising the guy’s name, his music, etc. what does that have to do with anything?

Maybe he is completely innocent. I remember getting on a Qantas flight in Singapore one night, and man the cabin crew were downright rude from the outset for absolutely no reason, and it wasn’t just one or two of them. I thought their attitude and approach to dealing with customers was appalling. If they were my crew I would have given them a dressing down about it.

That said, I got on another Qantas flight a few months later also from Singapore, and the experience was the complete opposite.

So what’s not to say that the FA really was in the wrong, and all the stupid criticisms of this musician are completely uncalled for?

On a seperate note, it’s clear that some people have zero sense of humour

JustinHeywood

18th Nov 2019, 19:33

.....a fair bit of this thread reads like thinly-disguised racism.

Really? Give one example.

OldnGrounded

18th Nov 2019, 20:24

Really? Give one example.

No. If you don't see it, you very likely won't see it. And it probably wouldn't change anything if you did.

Senior Pilot

18th Nov 2019, 20:33

I expect that some will be outraged that I dare to type it, but a fair bit of this thread reads like thinly-disguised racism.

If that were the case then the thread would be moderated accordingly.

It isn't and it hasn't.

JustinHeywood

18th Nov 2019, 21:24

No. If you don't see it, you very likely won't see it. And it probably wouldn't change anything if you did.
So, only you can detect it. And if you gave an example of racism on this thread I wouldn’t understand it. Right.

I strongly disagree with much written here. But vague accusations of various ‘isms’ is the refuge of those who don’t have an argument.

it’s the online equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and going ‘nah, nah, nana nah’.

OldnGrounded

18th Nov 2019, 21:39

So, only you can detect it.

No, I'm sure others can detect it. So far, I'm the only one to comment, but that doesn't indicate anything about others' views. We have only a handful of comments on this thread, but over thirty thousand views.

And if you gave an example of racism on this thread I wouldn’t understand it.

What I actually said is that if you couldn't see it before my post, you likely wouldn't see it if I listed examples. I doubt that the issue is inability to understand.

Chronic Snoozer

18th Nov 2019, 21:40

So, only you can detect it. And if you gave an example of racism on this thread I wouldn’t understand it. Right.

I strongly disagree with much written here. But vague accusations of various ‘isms’ is the refuge of those who don’t have an argument.

it’s the online equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and going ‘nah, nah, nana nah’.

Will.i.am thought 'I gotta feeling'...that's all that's required. Waiting for the Youtube parody.

Airbubba

18th Nov 2019, 21:54

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/634x643/1412759417841_image_galleryimage_d06fx7_will_i_am_the_40th_4 2d23f7d5b5c6fb1364d798afc2e6abce25c761f.jpg

Will.i.am has a history of taking to Twitter after the airlines don't give him special treatment.

He tried to get into United's First Class lounge with a bogus ID it seems:

Popstar will.i.am took to twitter last night, to criticise the airline company that had allegedly kicked him out of their first class lounge believing his membership card to be fake.

The Black Eyed Peas rapper tweeted to his 12m followers yesterday night that he had been removed from the United Airline Global First Lounge after staff would not believe that his card was authentic.

After deciding to leave, he took a picture of the United Airline Global First poster alongside the words “I got kick(ed) out the club #unitedCLUBsucks." It is not known at which airport the incident occurred but according to tweets earlier in the day it is believed he was on his way to Washington to visit his close friend and fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.

United said how much they appreciated his business and said they would 'reach out to him'. Presumably they gave him some free tickets so he wouldn't take his business elsewhere.

United Airlines said in response: "We invite only customers travelling in United Global First, customers with Global Services status traveling in United BusinessFirst, and customers traveling in first class on other Star Alliance carriers to visit our Global First Lounges. Since the customer did not meet these criteria he did not have access to the lounge. We are reaching out to the customer and appreciate his business."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/do-you-know-who-i-william-voice-coach-is-kicked-out-of-first-class-lounge-after-staff-believe-him-to-9351101.html?amp (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/do-you-know-who-i-william-voice-coach-is-kicked-out-of-first-class-lounge-after-staff-believe-him-to-9351101.html?amp)

He also was indignant when United gave away his seat when he showed up late for an international flight.

'I fly@BA (https://twitter.com/ba) @quantas (https://twitter.com/Quantas) @koreanAIR (https://twitter.com/KoreanAir) @singaporeAIR (https://twitter.com/SingaporeAir) & they wait for premium passengers to arrive...they don't give away your seat like @united (https://twitter.com/united)'

The rapper whose real name is William Adams then explained what a close call it had been. 'Plane leave at 1:15 I got to the airport at 12:30...@united (https://twitter.com/united) is the worse...I should have learned from the last @united (https://twitter.com/united) experience'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2784752/amp/Will-vents-Twitter-United-Airlines-gives-away-seat-flight-China.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2784752/amp/Will-vents-Twitter-United-Airlines-gives-away-seat-flight-China.html)

JustinHeywood

18th Nov 2019, 23:00

What I actually said is that if you couldn't see it [racism] before my post, you likely wouldn't see it if I listed examples. I doubt that the issue is inability to understand.

Wow. That rare combination of patronising AND vacuous.

Again, you say that you've detected racist posts on this thread - a big call. I'm fascinated that you can detect racist speech where others including moderators cannot. Why can't you give us mere mortals just ONE example?

Could it be that you just didn't like the tone of this thread, so you took the intellectual shortcut of accusing others of being somehow lesser humans than you are?

Gnadenburg

18th Nov 2019, 23:59

Its a second hand story from long ago. I’ve always found that those who are quick to jump in and lecture others on morality usually turn out to have feet of clay.

The best people are usually not so quick to judge

If referring to the expat Aussie capt who did nothing about an assaulted member of his crew, as I said, I get its probably an embellished yarn from old.

The scenario presented is not morality or a judgment, nah, its sexual assault of your crew member. And in some expat outfits the easiest action is to do nothing. Which is cowardly and a dereliction of duty- and its sad how a number of colleagues who believe they are hot shot commanders would do nothing.

Atlas Shrugged

19th Nov 2019, 01:12

old,not bold criticising will.i.am's stupid name. That's gold!

What's the "I" stand for?

currawong

19th Nov 2019, 01:24

Crew issue instructions.

Passengers comply.

How hard can it be?

Have seen many examples of individuals unable to follow simple instructions, instructions that their life depended on.

Most often on police body cam.

INTERESTED BYSTANDER

19th Nov 2019, 01:29

What an arrogant drop kick he would be. She was only doing her job.

Ascend Charlie

19th Nov 2019, 02:34

The hostess said "Please stow your phonogram."
He said "Seems you don't know just who I am!
I'm not just some figure,
I'm FAMOUS", he snigger,
"I sing c-rap and my name is Will.I.am!"

Lights blue touch paper, stands clear...

Near Miss

19th Nov 2019, 04:59

What are the rules regarding Personal Electronic Devices and Bluetooth? Don't PED need to be in airplane mode?

KRviator

19th Nov 2019, 08:14

What are the rules regarding Personal Electronic Devices and Bluetooth? Don't PED need to be in airplane mode?Yes...And no... Flight Mode must be enabled, but you are allowed to activate WiFi to access the Q-Streaming entertainment app, or, on aircraft so fitted, the interwebz. I'm not sure how they view Bluetooth as I always use wired ANC headphones (and have never had a problem hearing crew instructions for that matter, sho how loud did he have them up??), but I see dozens of people with wireless (BT) headphones every flight I take as SLF suggesting it is either approved, or has a blind eye turned to it.

Impress to inflate

19th Nov 2019, 09:29

I was flying from Sydney to my home airport on Qantas yesterday and heard 3 American Pax slagging off "Bill-He-Was" saying he's been a **** making a fool of himself and should have complied with all instructions given to him. As someone who flies as much as he does, he should know better.

Lets hope "Bill-He-Was" is asked to leave Oz soon

Near Miss

19th Nov 2019, 09:52

Thanks KRviator. So I guess as long as the cellular part isn't searching for a tower somewhere, ie Flight Mode, then WiFi and Bluetooth are fine. I thought (hoped) Adams might have unknowingly admitted to breaking some rule.

Window heat

19th Nov 2019, 12:16

There are a lot of opinions here and not a shred of evidence.

Fact. The Police were called to an incident on a QF flight involving Will.i.am, he was dealt with by the police in the reported manner.

Fact.. Will.i.am has publicly named and posted a pic of a QF F/A to over 30 million followers and directly accused her of racist behaviour using those words and hashtag.

Everything else that is not documented evidence is an opinion.

Will.i am may have some sort of case against QF if he can corroborate his story.

The Qantas F/A has hard evidence that she has been publicly defamed (pending evidence) by Will.i.am to his 30M followers plus half the universe who are on the webs.

We never get the whole story, we can go in circles all day but you can’t go past the facts.

Okihara

19th Nov 2019, 15:43

Just insane how Americans have a neurological disorder to conflate simple issues and racism. What's next for this prick who probably couldn't care less is he really was subject to racism? A flight to Frankfurt on Lufthansa and he'll be tweeting that the FA is a Nazi.

Okihara

19th Nov 2019, 15:49

Hehe:Qantas Says It Would Back Suit by Flight Attendant Called Racist by Will.i.amhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/world/australia/qantas-william-racist.html

Bend alot

19th Nov 2019, 17:29

Smart move by Qantas.

Flight Attendant was happy to have police called, will she be so easily happy to have the matter heard in a court?

With an equal balance of power and witnesses!

bgbazz

19th Nov 2019, 19:08

Be interesting to see how many of the witnesses are members of His entourage if/when it ends up in court.
I may be old and my eyesight isn't what it used to be, but I don't recall reading that the FA was happy to have the police called. I would imagine that once she had reported the incident to her superior...Purser or Captain...the decision was out of her hands.

itsnotthatbloodyhard

19th Nov 2019, 19:32

Smart move by Qantas.

Flight Attendant was happy to have police called, will she be so easily happy to have the matter heard in a court?

With an equal balance of power and witnesses!

Qantas has access to some of the best legal advice money can buy, and also has a lot more to lose by seeing this dragged through the courts than by letting it play out on Twitter. The fact that they were so quick to support potential legal action suggests a high level of confidence that the FA has a good case.

I see that the Veronicas and their Twitter account have vanished.

JustinHeywood

19th Nov 2019, 23:11

The fact that they were so quick to support potential legal action suggests a high level of confidence that the FA has a good case.

I see that the Veronicas and their Twitter account have vanished.

‘A lie will travel half way around the world while the truth is still getting its boots on’ (Mark Twain). Never more true than in this twitter/insta age.

The usually very woke Qantas will not have taken the decision to publicly defend their F/A lightly. While few actually know the truth it appears there may well be more to the story than that posted by Will.i.am. This should get interesting.

megan

20th Nov 2019, 00:04

The prat was recognised in some quarters as being a douchebag back in 2013.

https://www.vice.com/da/article/rbx4gq/why-do-we-let-william-get-away-with-being-a-douchebag

The trouble with these look at me I'm famous twats is that they see any publicity as good publicity, given his ethnicity he's seen as sticking it to the man with the racism accusation. Any time I see that card being played I'm looking with a jaundiced eye. Good on QF for their support of the FA.

Sartorial elegance on display

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/617x409/df3e3b7e0f89ddd4e5bfd6bb14f45c78_a02a21e7d18703254b170d4a957 d98e4a1ce09cf.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/512x326/4f1ebc42c026a9a6282f40f82a173c26_27c389cdb6a5291fbc5dcd6f2fa e115275e8ecd7.jpg

bankrunner

20th Nov 2019, 01:20

Suggesting a woman with PMS is incapable of rational thought and therefore untrustworthy is a pretty sexist comment. Reg Ansett tried that argument back in the 70’s. He failed then and that line of thought should be extinct now.

Last person I heard of with such views was until a few years ago, the CMO of CASA.

Bend alot

20th Nov 2019, 07:51

Qantas has access to some of the best legal advice money can buy, and also has a lot more to lose by seeing this dragged through the courts than by letting it play out on Twitter. The fact that they were so quick to support potential legal action suggests a high level of confidence that the FA has a good case.

I see that the Veronicas and their Twitter account have vanished.
Qantas have simply covered their but - they have offered the staff member "legal" support if she feels "bullied" at work, a hard claim to disprove.

Unless it is not as simples as many here think.

If she wants to lodge a bully claim she must prove it in the court and that the claims against her are false - Will and the V's are only a few that could be called over the years.

My guess will be she will not take Qantas offer and Qantas have nipped any bully claim in the butt, in a very public way.

Now if she is 100% right/innocent - why not go to court with the might of Qantas Lawyers? What can she loose and what could she gain?

maggot

20th Nov 2019, 08:54

Qantas have simply covered their but - they have offered the staff member "legal" support if she feels "bullied" at work, a hard claim to disprove.

Unless it is not as simples as many here think.

If she wants to lodge a bully claim she must prove it in the court and that the claims against her are false - Will and the V's are only a few that could be called over the years.

My guess will be she will not take Qantas offer and Qantas have nipped any bully claim in the butt, in a very public way.

Now if she is 100% right/innocent - why not go to court with the might of Qantas Lawyers? What can she loose and what could she gain?
Bullying?
Try defamation in a global scale that resulted in threats against her
Keep digging

cattletruck

20th Nov 2019, 09:12

Can the FA get more compensation money from dill.am.i if she sues him in the more litigious USA?

Ascend Charlie

20th Nov 2019, 09:37

In the picture in post #94, is Bill.e.woz wearing blackface??? I am insulted, outraged, flabbergasted and downright stunned. He should be taken down, uprooted, transplanted in Trafalgar Square, and burned in Effigy, which is a town in Noo Joisey.

Bend alot

20th Nov 2019, 09:45

Bullying?
Try defamation in a global scale that resulted in threats against her
Keep digging
Then it would be completely foolish and irresponsible of her her not to accept the Qantas offer, and prevent such things happening to other staff members.

Yarra

20th Nov 2019, 13:18

small WILLI.is.he

possel

20th Nov 2019, 14:10

My guess will be she will not take Qantas offer and Qantas have nipped any bully claim in the butt, in a very public way.
(My bold)
That's a heck of a typo - if so, she'll be suing her employer for sexual harrassment?!

Airbubba

20th Nov 2019, 15:23

will.i.am's latest tweet on the episode:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/891x783/william_b016b69d0a0e3504ab51a27fa74fe60367840000.jpg

swh

20th Nov 2019, 17:08

I could see a long jet blast thread, finish the sentence, will.i.am a .........fan of noise cancelling headsets

ramble on

20th Nov 2019, 22:44

My experience with QF cabin crew is that they are spring loaded bear traps looking for a reason to snap. Especially anyone with an elevated position. I steer well clear.

megan

20th Nov 2019, 23:17

My experience with QF cabin crew is that they are spring loaded bear traps looking for a reason to snap. Especially anyone with an elevated position. I steer well clearYou must be one of those do you know who I am types. I'm lucky, in all my years of travel I've never seen an incident of any type whilst travelling, but I appreciate there are knobs among the pax ranks and crew can be tested to the extreme. The crew are human and can have an off day or when a dill is the subject of their attention. Cilla Black has been nominated by quite a number of crew as the very worse pax, refused to talk to crew as it was somehow beneath her status, all communication had to be via her PA.

ramble on

21st Nov 2019, 03:23

I must be? Haha, come on, I am fully aware that I am “navel lint”!

In fact in the big scheme of things we all are.

It was a poor post of mine, in that I didn’t stress that it’s been my personal experience from a lifetime of comparing many airlines as a paying customer and that it’s mainly QF senior or elevated cabin crew in comparison to all the others.

Perhaps it was the cabin staff with the attitude of “don’t they know who I am......etc?”

Ot perhaps it’s an example of coal face staff reflecting the example of welcome, warmth and service that filters down from their leadership and management?

And any pissweak individual in a position of power without any decent character or personality can be a dick over trivial things and cause unnecessary and regrettable escalation.

You all yak about headsets, ****, I spend most of my flights asleep, and in most cases on VA it’s a gentle shake and my mumbled apology.

I am am quite aware of my lowly status, but if I or another get treated rudely or improperly then I will return the attitude and that’s not a good character trait, sorry.

maggot

21st Nov 2019, 04:26

Then it would be completely foolish and irresponsible of her her not to accept the Qantas offer, and prevent such things happening to other staff members.

Perhaps

She may just wish to keep her head down

Bend alot

21st Nov 2019, 09:39

Perhaps

She may just wish to keep her head down
Yes a Duke of York could end badly - best keep the head down.

Let fellow workers suffer the same humility of being shamed - when you can stop that possibly happening again.

I expect he was not in Cattle Class nor she works "that place" (speculation from me), but she has earned that position and it will be respected - no matter what. Supported by "Blind Faith" of fellow crew.

QuarterInchSocket

22nd Nov 2019, 00:57

You must be one of those do you know who I am types.
He/she may be, but I’m not. Im just a commoner. I get the same general sense from SOME attendants. The general consensus all-round (friends family) is to NEVER press the call button lest you piss off the dragon and end up with the looming threat of a defamation case

Capt Fathom

22nd Nov 2019, 01:50

The general consensus all-round (friends family) is to NEVER press the call button lest you piss off the dragon

So your friends and family must have a lot of experience with the call button and pissing off the.... flight attendants!

Compass Call

22nd Nov 2019, 14:49

Another complete idiot playing the race card in a futile effort to make a name for himself - one he cannot even spell!! Looking at his other social media outpourings, he really needs to go to school (I doubt that he has ever been to one) to learn basic spelling, both English & American.
Full marks to the FA and I wish her well.

megan

23rd Nov 2019, 01:30

The general consensus all-round (friends family) is to NEVER press the call button lest you piss off the dragon You might want to get a new family and friends, bunch of shorts, singlets and thongs wearing boguns?

QuarterInchSocket

23rd Nov 2019, 04:03

So your friends and family must have a lot of experience with the call button and pissing off the.... flight attendants!
or, have observed and learnt from others’ misfortune.

to the other snide remark about the thong/singlet wearing brethren... how often are you seeing that attire in qf j class? Or even qf y class? Not often enough to consider it a norm, I’d suggest - and you can’t get away with that attire on staff travel, anyway.

the comment was to reflect the behaviour of SOME crew, NOT all

megan

24th Nov 2019, 01:27

A couple of items in Friday's "Australian", as they hide behind a paywall perhaps the Mods will allow.Byron Bailey – The real reason behind cabin crew instructions

The primary duty of cabin crew is the safety of passengers. Qantas ﬂight attendants are probably the most professional, qualiﬁed and experienced of any airline. They take their responsibility seriously and they are not required to smile when directing passengers to obey lawful directions which passengers are well informed that they must obey.These directions are enshrined in law and such requirements as stowing tray tables, seats upright, laptops stowed and so on are part of the legal requirement for landing.That a problem occurred with this Black Eyed Peas rapper not initially obeying the flight attendant’s request to stow his laptop for landing was fortunate for him only insofar as this was not a ﬂight in the US.For the matter to be referred to the senior cabin crew member who then informed the captain means he crossed the line somehow and a request by the captain for the Australian Federal Police to meet the aircraft is a serious matter.He was lucky the AFP cut him some slack and treated it as a misunderstanding for which an Australian would not have been treated so leniently.In the US he would have been escorted off the aircraft in handcuffs and in Dubai probably would still be in a cell.In the post—September 11, 2001 era with the pre—boarding trauma of security, passengers are often stressed, and I admire cabin crew who deal with hundreds of passengers daily.The pilots have it easy in this regard, although one time on an Airbus ﬂight out of Tehran I declined to assist my purser, when she had lost control of the seating arrangements in business class after a mullah decided to enforce sharia such that no woman could sit next to a man not her relative. In such a situation, religious matters take precedence.What is not acceptable is that this “celebrity” used a despicable slur of racism against the ﬂight attendant to his millions of followers to the extent that Qantas was being trolled online as “the white supremacist airline”. This also impugns Australia as well. My opinion is that this must not be allowed to stand. Qantas should enforce legal action to have the slur retracted and an apology issued to both the ﬂight attendant and Qantas.Failure to do so should bring in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the federal Transport Minister such that the Black Eyed Peas will not receive visas to travel to Australia.Why was this band member travelling on an airline? Real celebrities travel on corporate jets where they can conduct themselves, within certain limits, how they wish.Most of the corporate jet charters I have been on in the last 10 years have been with ﬁlm stars who are very pleasant and rock stars the opposite.

Robyn Ironside – Safety videos ‘not entertainment’

Entertainment focused in-ﬂight safety videos have been blamed for under playing the importance of safety on airlines and giving rise to incidents like the one involving American rapper will.i.am.

Police were called to meet his Qantas flight from Brisbane to Sydney on Saturday after he initially failed to respond to directions from a cabin crew member to stow his laptop for landing.He blamed his noise-cancelling headphones and no charges were laid, but the Black Eyed Peas star took offence at his treatment.In a series of tweets, will.i.am identiﬁed the ﬂight attendant by name, posted a picture from her Facebook page and called her racist, triggering a wave of cyber abuse towards her.Qantas requested he retract those comments and offered to provide legal support for the ﬂight attendant, who is required by law and her employer to ensure that passengers abide by safety directions on aircraft.Flight Attendants Association of Australia secretary Teri O’Toole said a recent survey of members found abuse from passengers was now commonplace.Of more than 900 cabin crew surveyed, 95.7 per cent said they had been verbally abused by passengers and 97.5 per cent said it was happening more often.The trigger was generally a simple instruction, such as "it’s time to stow your laptop for landing”, “remove charger cords” or “return your seat to the upright position”.“Every direction given is given for a good safety reason,” Ms O’Toole said. “It’s not because we like the sound of our own voices. Who on Earth wants to say 4000 times a day ‘please switch your phone to ﬂight mode?”She believed the increase in abuse was connected to the shift towards “entertainment-style in-ﬂight safety videos” which focused on tourism or humour rather than the reasons behind the safety messages.“Passengers have become complacent about safety issues because they don’t fully understand why a safety direction is given,” Ms O’Toole said.“At the moment l think our safety videos are a travel blog. You have people doing the safety demonstration on a yoga ball. lt’s watered down the reason those safety requirements are there.”Ms O’Toole “guessed that was why people were so non-compliant with things like putting their bags away, putting their seats upright and opening the window shade”. “These are all done for safety reasons,” she said.Window shades were raised so cabin crew had a clear view of the exterior during landings and take-offs because they could not open aircraft doors if there was fire.Seats needed to be upright for landing so they would be rigid -in the event of things going wrong and charger cords had to be removed because they were a potential hazard during an emergency exit.“Everything has a purpose, and in addition cabin crew are audited by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to ensure we are adhering to their strict safety standards,” Ms O’Toole said.Japan Airlines was singled out as one of the few carriers that explained why safety directions had to be followed, in an animated in-ﬂight safety video.“It shows that if you stop to get your bags out in an emergency, people are backed up behind you,” Ms O’Toole said. “It gives some context to the requirement and why we have those requirements.”In—ﬂight safety videos have almost become a source of competition among airlines in the past decade, with carriers trying to produce the most entertaining presentation.All must be signed off by regulators before being shown on aircraft but that has not stopped a wide variety gaining approval.A Qantas spokesman said their videos’ primary purpose was to communicate an important safety message.“We know from our previous efforts that beautiful locations with a touch of humour is a great way to get people’s attention each time they ﬂy,” the Qantas spokesman said.