Mobile phones and Cabin Baggage
 

Recently returned from an eventful trip on Qatar Airways from Doha. Due to snow at Manchester we were diverted from the hold to Birmingham where we spent two hours on the ground before a successful attempt was made to return to Manchester but then had to wait on the taxiway until a stand was vacated. Most of my fellow passengers assumed we had reached the stand and the usual free for all took place as they removed their baggage from the overhead bins and then stood in the aisles. Even after PA calls from the flight deck and the cabin crew to sit down there were still many standing and the aisles were effectively blocked. If an emergency situation had developed it would have been total chaos. Most of this time the lockers were still open and many pax were on mobiles having taken no notice of calls to switch them off. When we landed at Manchester two small children in nearby seats weren't even strapped in but were lying flat out under the armrest! I got the distinct impression that the cabin crew had retreated to the galley area and left the cabin to the passengers. There was one young female cabin crew who did remain at her post by an emergency door but with only 3 months experience it was obvious that she was out of her depth.
I feel that the use of mobile phones should be allowed when the aircraft is shut down and waiting for restart but that the passengers should be informed when it is safe to do so. Also the size of cabin baggage should be addressed by check in staff as the rules are patently not being adhered to and that is a flight safety issue. My background of 2000 hours on Britannia and VC10 aircraft was as an Air Loadmaster so I was fortunate in being able to order unruly pax to do as they were told.

Oldsarbouy,

As a former Cabin Slave at Qatar Airways I know exactly where you are coming from. I witnessed situations such as this many a time. Infact I still have nightmares of one particular landing in Dhaka where no sooner had the spoilers been applied that about 30 passengers rearward of doors 3 on an A300 suddenly stood up and started opening lockers only to be flung forward INTO MY JUMPSEAT SUBSEQUENTLY INJURYING ME when the aircraft braked before exiting the runway.

For some reason passengers on Qatar Airways paying the bargain basement prices seem to think that they are still above the crew and the rules and can behave as they like! Many of the crew in Qatar Airways are too afraid of their own shadow to enforce the rules or come across in anyway "firm" with passengers for fear of a complaint being sent to the company about them and get sacked before you can say "Akbar Al Bakar"!

I suggest you send a CHIRP report online via CHIRP Not enough people seem to think they are able to do it but its definately worth the piece of mind.

All the best for 2010!

T

Like apaddyinuk, I was also a cabin slave for Qatar Airways. I totally agree with what you have said. The crew are so affraid of the passengers incase anyone should complain, they all fear getting the sack....

So standards go out the window in situations like this, just incase anyone should get offended of being spoken to firmly.. As far as AAB is concerned F/C & J/C pax are like god, they say jump and you should say how high. They get away with murder, because yet again, all the crew are too scared of stadning up to them.

This airline is ruled with an iron bar.....

I flew into Jeddah a couple of years ago with the flag carrier - all the pax stood up while we were still rolling down the runway just after touch down :}

Standing
 

Would be a good idea if there was an electrical contact on the seat belt and anyone releasing it before the seat belt lights go out should be fined $1,000.

Remember, in the early 1950's (?) the steward announcing that that they were about to land at Cardiff ( I think ? ), and all the pax got up and rushed to the rear of the aircraft - where the pax. door was - to be first off ?

The aircraft stalled. Many dead.

Ban mobile phones on aircraft, too- total - can't you wait until you get into the Terminal ? What's this hysteria about instant communication, leave a message on the damned thing that you are on an aircraft/train/bus/ferry/car - out of touch. Tough.

I once had a pax. complain that I hadn't told them in mid-Atlantic that we might have to divert from London - I asked him what he would have done had I done so - got off ? I didn't want to cause unnecessary alarm until it became a fact, which eventually, close to London, it did. Turns out he was angry that he hadn't had time to tell his company to get the Rolls to drive up to meet him. ( before cellphones, turned out he would have asked me to use the ATC radio to get a message to his company Yeah ! Right ! )

If you are 23 year old Chinese girl who does not want to be sent back to the village and family in disgrace, then the last thing you want to do is upset a passenger, another staff member, or anyone. Otherwise, marching orders and tears.

Cardiff crash
 

It was an Avro Tudor which crashed at Llandow. It was the worst aviation disaster at the time, but not caused by the pax all standing up and going to the door. The report concluded that it had been incorrectly loaded and was unstable at low speed during the approach.

Three pax survived who had been sitting in seats at the extreme rear of the cabin.

Please spare me, the flight deck and cabin crews are the worse abusers of the mobile phone rules. :ugh:

Starter Crew

Cardiff Crash - Avro Tudor.

I remembered the Tudor bit, thanx for the facts. 'twas indeed a long time ago and if was good barroom gossip at the time. Facts occasionally get in the way of a good story.

mea culpa.

Not a chance, this is the next exciting revenue stream that airlines need to exploit.

Your deadly phone will instantly become as safe as houses when you have to pay £?? a min to use it.

This isn't a Qatar Airways only problem, sadly. It happens on all airlines all the time. I think a lot of crew have got fed up of telling pax to stay seated or keep their phones off, so have given up doing so. It makes it difficult or those who do tell the pax because it makes them [the crew] look bad. Passengers need to realise that when they're on a [airline] aircraft, they have to abide by [airline]'s rules, without question.