PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - On board "domestic", last night.

26th Nov 2007, 10:11

#12 (permalink)

Juud

Join Date: Oct 2006

Location: Europe

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tezzer, seeing a person getting thumped in the face is upsetting. Having that happening in the closed confines of an aircraft cabin is even more so. been there, done that, got the broken jaw and the T-shirt.

Quote:

what should they / could they have done to end this

What they should have done has already been answered by other seasoned FAs here. Firstly, if handled properly, the situation would never have arisen. Secondly, once it did, stop the alcohol supply and verbally or by means of physical restraints immediately put an end to the violent behaviour.
A variation of the above is what would have happened on the majority of well run airlines.
Now why did that not happen on your flight, leaving you and most likely a great number of other pax, fairly upset?

Without having all the answers, I have some questions that might be worth considering.

When an airline hires young people who want to work in customer service, and then trains them to provide that service to the max of their ability, these same people will need additional and thorough training for them to be able to make the switch between 'servile service provider' and 'authoritative safety professional'. Does EK provide such training?
There are proven guidelines available to diffuse a situation of pax aggression. Does EK provide such an action matrix for its crews?
When an FA cuts off booze to a drunk pax, or attempts to correct pax' behaviour, this will almost invariably lead to (written)complaints from that pax. Do EK flight attendants know for a fact that management will back them up afterwards, rather than criticising them for not adhering to the 'Customer=King' mode of behaviour?
Who will sooner confront a man thumping a woman, a female FA from say Sweden who has been brought up in a society where men and women are considered equal, or a female FA raised in a society where women are considered worth less than men, and where it is deemed unseemly for a (young,poor) girl to contradict an (older,wealthier) man?
Who is more likely to decisively & succesfully interfere in a situation like this; an experienced older FA or a young freshly out of line-training one?
Do EK cabin crews have a seasoned, well trained Purser/Number 1/Senior FA at the head who is at all times willing and able to take command of situations where the younger FAs lose control?

As a final thought, it simply comes down to the form of the crew you catch that day. There's good, bad, strong and weak FAs in every airline, but when you pick your airline remember that there is more to consider than just the ticket price and number of free drinks.

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