First Names??

[PAXboy]

I was reminded again this morning of a curiosity in (most of) the flying world.

"This is the Captain speaking, my name is Harry Potter and with me today is First Officer Hermione Granger. I shall now hand you over to our cabin crew. The senior purser is Ron and he is assisted by Vernon and Petunia."

OK, not quite but you get my question ... why are the flight crew announced with their family names and cabin crew with first names only?

To prevent folks (blokes) being overly familiar perhaps? Maybe it is not all airlines but it seems consistent. Do you mind or not really bothered?

My thanks to ALL the crew of BA 4331 IOM ~ LTN today, pleasant as always.

[Captain Airclues]

One of the problems is that the girls (and sometimes the guys) are pestered at the hotels by passengers who have seen their names on their badges. For this reason, BA allow cabin crew to use only their christian name on their badges. If this is their choice, then it would be rather ungracious of us to blurt out their full name on the PA. We take the safety of our cabin crew colleagues very seriously, and would not put them at risk by giving unnecessary information.

Airclues

[flapsforty]

Never thought of that aspect Airclues, might explain some of the nuisance calls we do get at hotels. Interesting.
With us it's the other way around, only initials and last names on the badges. The company leaves it up to us how we announce ourselves. Cabin Crew usually does the first announcement, and I always introduce the Captain by his/her last name, and same for myself. No oither names are mentioned in out PA.

As for preferences PAXboy, I have learnt to never give out my first name to pax; as you say, it can lead to unpleasant over familiarity.
Last names allow a certain distance, which makes it easier to be friendly without having to fear that pax get the wrong message. In my most humble opinion of course! ;)
Other thing, I get very uncomfortable when all and sundry introduce themselves to me with their first name. I have no wish to address service staff by their first name, it gives me the feeling that the organisation is trying on false premises to make me feel cosy and relaxed and pally. Fake instant intimacy.
No matter if I am the waitress or the person being waited upon, the relationship is a professional one, not a "pally" one.
It is a form of pretence which I do not enjoy.

Hmmmmm, wonder why this question seems to touch such a nerve with me? Again, pprune provides food for thought.

[christep]

Interesting comments from the Dragon, as always.

I must admit I found it quite disconcerting when I had the same thing the other way round recently. For the first time ever (over many flights) I had a set of cabin crew who, without invitation or question, addressed me throughout by my first name. This was in long-haul First Class and I am 40, not a kid, and it wasn't an Asian problem of taking the surname as the one that comes first. (Anyone like to guess the airline?)

I think it also depends on your upbringing. The old-fashioned English way of addressing "servants" by their first name never implied any undue familiarity. But culturally, in many northern European countries it is almost unheard of even to refer to close colleagues by their first names. It always amuses me when I'm in our office in Stuttgart that when colleagues talk amongst themselves in German they refer to "Herr Doktor Schmidt" and then in the next breath they will turn to me in English and talk about the same person as "Helmut".

Knowing (I think) your nationality, F40 (surely you must be F41 or even 42 by now? :) ), I think you are simply giving more evidence of this cultural difference.

On my favourite airline the Captain normally signs off by saying "I will leave you in the hands of your Inflight Service Manager Ann and her team". What I am always dying to know is: when he actually says "... ISM the lovely/delightful/gorgeous/beautiful/succulent [these guys get a little carried away sometimes] Ann ..." does that means he's already got something going there, or is he just making it clear that he'd like to have? Is there some sort of standard code here? :)

Frankly, amongst well-travelled people such things are all part of the joys of different cultures. Where difficulties are encountered I guess we normally just have to put it down to less well-travelled people going through a learning experience!

[Lukeafb1]

Going very slightly off thread.

I spent many years in the media at a Television Director ( a reasonably “senior” position), but I would have been horrified if even the most junior member of my crew had addressed me as anything other than Luke. Absolutely infradig to address anyone, no matter how senior in the media as Mr/Mrs/Miss etc.

It must have rubbed off, cos’ I actually tell people now that my name is Luke, not Mr AFB. Causes much consternation in some places. I drive an expensive sports car and the Sales Director of a certain car company in Wiltshire apparently had to email all staff and tell them to call me Luke, because I didn't like Mr AFB. Bu@@er convention!!

[Tart with the cart]

I have just my first name on my name badge. You can get them with your first name and surname but I like just to have my first name on it.

christep-what airline was that on?

[strake]

Reminds me of a flight on United many years ago from St Paul to Fort Lauderdale. I was in First (when it really was First) along with a few others. Female Flight Attendant (20'ish and, in the nicest possible way, a bit "bright") started to introduce herself personally to FC pax. "Hi, Mr Eagleburger, I'm Mimi whats your name?" "Hi Mimi" says our happy-clappy pax, "I'm Joe from Swampville Tex, good ta meet ya honey"
And so it went on, everyone greeting Mimi like a family friend until she reached the pinstriped, Jermyn Street shirted gentleman sitting in front of me. "Hi" squeaked Mimi, " and what's your name sir?" "Featherstonhaugh" came the very British answer. "No" said Mimi, "your first name" After two seconds silence came the reply "Mr".

True....

[Lukeafb1]

Strake,

So he didn't work in the media, then???

[PAXboy]

Thanks for the feed back and amusing stories. I can see the reason for limiting the use of names. In the telecomms world, when it became fashionable for telephone operators to use their names (another import from across the Pond :rolleyes: ) many simply adopted another name to avoid the immediate problem of attempted contact by customers.

[bunnygirl]

In my airline..they prefer the Purser to use both names, and as such unless you are really adament that you dont want it, it will be on your name badge. And the flight crew always introduce the Purser by both names.

Its kind of "the onboard manager thing" I guess.

[christep]

Tart with the cart wrote:christep-what airline was that on?

American Airlines, not surprisingly.

Everyone else about the flight was great (love those AA Atlantic First Suites), but for some reason calling me by my first name felt all wrong.

[Airist]

Flaps40, refreshing to know I'm not alone in disliking that fake-pally Instant First Names syndrome. However mellow I'm feeling, being cold-called by someone who leaps onto first-name terms gets my heckles up. If it isn't fake, it's somehow patronising.
But then, I dislike being called Darling by complete strangers -- wherever they come from -- so I'm obviously A) Weird and B) In the wrong job.

But isn't the surnames issue partly a matter of how common your surname is? Mine happens to be unusual, and it would be easy enough to track me down anywhere in the world with a few meagre resources and a bit of determination. If I had a less bizarre name, I wouldn't mind having it on my badge.

[cabin secure]

Culturally Australians are known as a friendly bunch.

Our first names only are displayed on our name badges and our airline ID's display both.

In our training we are taught to always address our passengers by their surname &/or appropriate title.

Only through regular carriage of frequent flyers, and being asked by them to do so, have I ever dreamed of using a passengers first name.

Seems completely unprofessional to do otherwise. However I began my flying career in the late 80's when people actually bought first class tickets and dressed up to fly.
Haven't times changed.:{

FIRST CLASS PARIS INTERNATIONAL
WHERE ART THOU:rolleyes:

[Snoopy]

Well my first name would certainly have been better than what the rather elderly F/A called me on a flight some years ago from Tokyo to JFK on United.

Just so you know that I wasn't dressed in "Winnie-the-Pooh" PJ's holding my teddy bear. I was on a business trip in business class and dressed in a suit as I was going straight to a meeting upon arrival. Neither am I a teenager, but a 40 year-old and I don't consider myself to be baby-faced either (nor does my wife!).

This woman kept calling me "Luv" this and "Luv" that. I found it really condescending and inappropriate. Finally, I said that I really appreciated the fact that she wanted to appear friendly, but the only person who calls me "Luv" is my grandmother. Shut her up real quick......

[STS]

I don't think I would ever presume to call anyone anything other than Mr/Mrs/Miss or Sir/Madam.....unless they then tell me otherwise.

However, I have to say the last name badge I wore had my first name and surname on and I wish it hadn't had both. Poor STS has utterly unpronouncable surname, so pax would flounder in attempt at using it, not bother and call me nothing at all, or just use my first name anyway. I seemed to spend more time teaching people to pronounce my surname than doing anything else.

If they called me dear or love, I was very tempted to check their bags in to Cleveland...

[Tipsy Onna-Trolley]

...Why should they know mine?

Greetings All---When I was a young stewardess of course I loved it when people called me by my first name and if I got a phone number even better! ("So, Tipsy, how long have you got in Chicago?")

Nowadays though after circumnavigating the globe countless times, and schlepping pancakes and Perrier from JFK to Jakarta, I feel I deserve a little respect! (Can I get an AMEN??) That is why I introduce myself on the aircraft as "Mrs. Onna-Trolley, the purser for this flight." When they ask my name later, I can play it by ear with a "Tipsy" or a "Mrs. Onna-Trolley".

They don't need to know your first names, dears. They really don't.

Best Wishes,

Mrs. Tipsy Onna-Trolley

:p

[strake]

Y'know, if I was called by my first name by cabin crew, I think I'd quite like it.
At this time, we''re all in it together.....:)

[redsnail]

When I used to fly with FA's we weren't allowed to use their surnames when talking to the pax for exactly the same reason as Airclues pointed out.
The punters couldn't see my ugly mug so they weren't tempted to call me at my hotel. :D