Making up one's own rules
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Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Europe
Making up one's own rules
Dear All,
I was reading the tread about mobiles phone and an idea dawned to me. How often do you make up your own rules in order to make a pax more obedient or to make your life easier on a hard day?
I tend to respect the no mobile rule, keep the seatbelt fasten all the times but sometimes I feel that some rules are for the convinience of the airports or the airlines.
So have you ever make your own rules? And if yes what?
Rwy in Sight
I was reading the tread about mobiles phone and an idea dawned to me. How often do you make up your own rules in order to make a pax more obedient or to make your life easier on a hard day?
I tend to respect the no mobile rule, keep the seatbelt fasten all the times but sometimes I feel that some rules are for the convinience of the airports or the airlines.
So have you ever make your own rules? And if yes what?
Rwy in Sight
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Joined: Feb 1998
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From: Europe
Interesting question that!
I have never made up a rule as far as I can remember. What would be the point? There's more than enough of them as is.
What I have done quite a bit of over the years is bending company rules. When I feel that a passenger has had a rough deal at the hands of the company I represent, I will try my damnedest to in one way or other make up for that.
Be it small things like a bag of free booze to carry off the plane, an upgrade if the matter was more serious and once paying with my private credit card for a $200 cab ride for a pax. He and 300 others had been 24 hours delayed and treated quite horribly by the staff at the airport. He was on his way home because his wife had gone into premature labour and besides himself with worry. At the time we landed there was no transport available to the far away city where he lived and the assistance I had requested from the company wasn't there. So I told him to wait, walked him to the cab rank, made a deal with the driver and sent him on his way. Against all company procedure but the right thing to do.
Got the money back too after a bit of wrangling
Other reasons for breaking the rules is if it enhances safety. Example: Deportee being loaded at Rome by 2 carabinieri, evening b4 Xmas. Depu in question quite agitated, telling me he hadn't been alowed to smoke for 24 hours and he badly wanted a beer because he was suffering frm withdrawal. Depus can't drink alcohol and smoking is not allowed on board.
Fairly empty flight in front, busy at the back where he was supposed to sit, with 2 new and inexperienced FAs.
BIG trouble potential.
Had a quick heart to heart with the depu and made a deal with him. It was gamble 'cause he looked pretty rough, but I had the feeling that underneath the grime and the wild look, there was a 'man of honour' .
I offered him a cigarette to smoke in the galley before the other pax boarded plus a glass of beer to drink there and then.
I upgraded him to row 1 in the front so I could keep an eye on him, and in exchange I didn't want a sound out of him the entire trip.
Thus happened. He was so happy to go home for Xmas, and becalmed by the beer and the fag that he sat in his seat like a parish priest at a church outing.
Got a sh!tload of trouble for it from the captain after the flight, but it worked a dream, everybody was safe and happy and it was worth the earful.
Errmmm.......... got a few more examples but perhaps not....
I have never made up a rule as far as I can remember. What would be the point? There's more than enough of them as is.
What I have done quite a bit of over the years is bending company rules. When I feel that a passenger has had a rough deal at the hands of the company I represent, I will try my damnedest to in one way or other make up for that.
Be it small things like a bag of free booze to carry off the plane, an upgrade if the matter was more serious and once paying with my private credit card for a $200 cab ride for a pax. He and 300 others had been 24 hours delayed and treated quite horribly by the staff at the airport. He was on his way home because his wife had gone into premature labour and besides himself with worry. At the time we landed there was no transport available to the far away city where he lived and the assistance I had requested from the company wasn't there. So I told him to wait, walked him to the cab rank, made a deal with the driver and sent him on his way. Against all company procedure but the right thing to do.
Got the money back too after a bit of wrangling
Other reasons for breaking the rules is if it enhances safety. Example: Deportee being loaded at Rome by 2 carabinieri, evening b4 Xmas. Depu in question quite agitated, telling me he hadn't been alowed to smoke for 24 hours and he badly wanted a beer because he was suffering frm withdrawal. Depus can't drink alcohol and smoking is not allowed on board.
Fairly empty flight in front, busy at the back where he was supposed to sit, with 2 new and inexperienced FAs.
BIG trouble potential.
Had a quick heart to heart with the depu and made a deal with him. It was gamble 'cause he looked pretty rough, but I had the feeling that underneath the grime and the wild look, there was a 'man of honour' .
I offered him a cigarette to smoke in the galley before the other pax boarded plus a glass of beer to drink there and then.
I upgraded him to row 1 in the front so I could keep an eye on him, and in exchange I didn't want a sound out of him the entire trip.
Thus happened. He was so happy to go home for Xmas, and becalmed by the beer and the fag that he sat in his seat like a parish priest at a church outing.
Got a sh!tload of trouble for it from the captain after the flight, but it worked a dream, everybody was safe and happy and it was worth the earful.
Errmmm.......... got a few more examples but perhaps not....
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 48
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From: UK
Yes. How nice to hear of someone not only looking after the passenger, but not being afraid to act on her own initiative. One of the most depressing things about just about any large company is the almost universal "It's Company Policy, rules is rules" attitude of employees. It's rare and wonderful to hear "Well, I shouldn't, but I'm going to go out on a limb to try to help you out..."
If I heard that from anyone in any department of an airline, I'd never fly with anyone else. Or work for them, come to that. Good on yer, Flaps.
If I heard that from anyone in any department of an airline, I'd never fly with anyone else. Or work for them, come to that. Good on yer, Flaps.
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Joined: Feb 1998
Posts: 3,051
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From: Europe
You guys are being most kind, but this is embarrassing! This thread not about 'oh look what a good little FA I am'. 
I know I am not the only FA who does this kind of stuff, but it's a tricky one to answer. Sticking to company rules is so ingrained in us, that admitting to breaking them, even on aanonymous forum, is not easy.
But come on; let's hear from the rest of you rule-benders; don't let me dangle hear like a spare ***** at a wedding, all alone in admitting to my occasional lapses of discipline.
I know I am not the only FA who does this kind of stuff, but it's a tricky one to answer. Sticking to company rules is so ingrained in us, that admitting to breaking them, even on aanonymous forum, is not easy.
But come on; let's hear from the rest of you rule-benders; don't let me dangle hear like a spare ***** at a wedding, all alone in admitting to my occasional lapses of discipline.
Joined: May 2004
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From: all over the shop
Its all about judgement of the situation at the time... There has been times when I have bent the rules in regards to say service provision eg doing 3 services on a red eye sector (overnight) - The company I work for requires you to have a service cart go through the cabin 3 times over the course of the flight (3 - 5 hour sectors) - if you drag the carts through the cabin you will just wake everyone up - so my crew and I go through the cabin and have a quiet chat with the individuals who are awake to see if there is anything we can get for them. Still meeting company requirements, but keeping pax happy as well - who wants to be woken up when they have finally managed to get to sleep?
I guess its just a matter of judging the situation, and coming to the conclusion that is most appropriate, and in some cases, what is most safe. From my experience, Logic is not a word you will find in any airline manuals!
I guess its just a matter of judging the situation, and coming to the conclusion that is most appropriate, and in some cases, what is most safe. From my experience, Logic is not a word you will find in any airline manuals!
