KR737

[Arnold E]

Any comments from those in the "know" about our glorious leader's outburst on a RAFFY flight recently. I am appalled. I dont think any of our service personel should be subjected to this kind of treatment by anybody, much less, some w@#ker who is supposed to be the leader of our country. And before anybody accuses me of political bias, let me state that up untill now, I have always been a labor supporter.

[sms777]

I missed the incident Arnold. Can you fill me in on what happened?

[BN APP 125.6]

Lock this along with the other two threads on this nonsense before I throw up.

You believe everything you hear in the media? It has nothing to do with Aviation.

[ad-astra]

Ok the previous thread was locked possibly because the participants were winding themselves up into some sort of self indulgent frenzy on what they read in the press and filled in whatever gaps with whatever their imagination could come up with.

It's a VIP flight.

In any other situation the employee would be on the street or the service provider would be replaced the next day.

I am not aware of what was or was not said (and I would be mighty disappointed if it did reach the press) but for heaven's sake get off your 'high appalled horses' and acknowledge that someone stuffed up, someone was told they stuffed up (without losing their job) and hopefully everyone can get back to what they are actually employed to do.

Of more concern to me is that this issue reached the press at all. If the RAAF find it impossible to maintain some degree of confidentiality on their VIP flights I would suggest today's menu is the least of their concerns.

We all criticize the press for their ability to "create" news but boy some people here would be desperate without them!

[harrowing]

per ardua ad astra

[Engineer_aus]

That's what happens when you let the press travel with the PM. They get seated down the back and are able to hear any outburst.

[Keg]

that someone stuffed up, someone was told they stuffed up

Did someone stuff up? Was it the RAAF or was it someone from the PMs department that forgot to indicate what they wanted ordered?

Was the person that stuffed up told? It would appear not. I would suspect that the FS serving the PM would NOT be responsible for ordering the food for the flight. In that respect, it's no use sounding off at the crew member concerned- it would achieve absolutely zilch other than to make the person doing the abusing feel like a tough man.

The way to deal with this sort of thing? Have your Chief of Staff have a quiet word to the Chief Steward so that it doesn't happen again. Be gracious with the staff dealing with an issue that is probably not of their making.

I know how I'd respond if the rude and/or abusive actions of a passenger reduced one of my crew to tears irrespective of how the stuff up was caused to start off with.

[ad-astra]

I'm realy trying not to get into "who did what" but as a VIP flight someone takes the flack if it is not right - even if they are totally removed from the incident.

The customer is always right.

Let them run around calling each other names but I bet it does not happen again.

If it was civi street it would have been solved yesterday.

I have to say that as the Prime Minister I am 'S A S' not going going to call my Chief of Staff about my meal.

I am not having a go at the RAAF as I think they have much better to do.

But please don't tell me that a 23 year old FA will prompt me to get out of my seat of go and tell the Prime Minister to eat humble pie - or Lamb if that all thats left!

This is not that important.

Where on earth did KR become "rude and/or abusive"

Let the press wind themselves up into a frenzy but plese look at this as a typical 7PM news item - no matter what channel!

[Keg]

I'm realy trying not to get into "who did what" but as a VIP flight someone takes the flack if it is not right - even if they are totally removed from the incident.

No, because it appears that if we did get into it, the person the PM should have been talking to/abusing/berating/making cry/whatever would have been people in his own staff rather than a FS who is probably four or five steps removed from where the culpability actually lies.

I have to say that as the Prime Minister I am 'S A S' not going going to call my Chief of Staff about my meal.

No, instead it appears you advocating taking an 'off the record' pot shot at a girl who has no real responsibility the scheme of things and can't do anything about it. Talking to your COS on the other hand will ensure that he engages with the relevant authorities in the VIP SQN and get the matter sorted out for the future and on record. Further, one act shows grace and an understanding of who actually has the clout to fix things, the other shows no grace, no style and a desire to belittle whoever gets in your way. Talking to some of my colleagues who have flown VIP ops in the RAAF it appears that those who have come from the same party as KRudd have shown similar tendencies. So much for champions of the people.

This is not that important.

I think it's VERY important issue because it points to the character of our Prime Minister. I have a PA that I make occasionally when things go awry in QF and the crew end up dealing with a hostile cabin. It goes something like 'I understand that issues like this can be frustrating and I share your frustrations. I do have one request though and that is that you not take out your frustrations on my cabin crew. This situation is not their fault and they'll do their very best to look after you along the way. If you do feel like you need to take your frustrations on someone then I'll be at the front door as you depart and you can take your frustrations out on me at that point'. I do it to back up my crew and to just remind people that no matter how tense they are, getting cranky at the cabin crew achieves precisely nothing. I do that PA because SOME passengers are simply too stupid, egotistical, arrogant or narcissistic to understand otherwise. To now know that the PM is amongst those types of passengers frightens me no end.

Therefore it is very, very important. Our PM is a fraud. This is not about politics, this is about the personality of our PM. His own actions damn him as a leader at precisely a time when the country needs good leadership.

[ad-astra]

Therein lies the issue - kick away - Labor or Liberal, dammed or not, character or not, fraud or not, abuse or critism,

Your bias determines whether he has a right to say " I'm not happy"

I don't care much - the issue will be dead in a day or so - the press will be onto much more important issues - PPrune will solve the next world problem and the Prime Minister will (hopefully) still be able to say hey YOU stuffed up and (hopefully) someone will be big enough to say YEP I did, or I will fix it and I wont go to the press to score bonus points.

With a bit of luck I won't have to listen to the next chicken or fish expose!

In the mean time as it is sooo "VERY" important to the "Character" of the Prime Minister I suggest you take it up with the High Court.

In the mean time the rest of us will shake our heads and smile at the furore that the press have created and how unimportant this will seem in two weeks time!

Alas I am in the dark as to who made the error - it seems the experts have detremined what KR did,what KR's department did, and what KR's PA did, or all of the above.

"Pot shots" .............PLEASE!


Keep up the support of your crew.
Alas my turnarounds do not allow 180 frustrated passengers to have a piece of me.

[capt787]

i thought RAAF is supposed to defend the country, not serving food to the PM

[apache]

and should defence personnel really be crying?
Still, I do NOT condone Mr Rudds behaviour, and think even less of him now than I ever did.

[desmotronic]

I know how I'd respond if the rude and/or abusive actions of a passenger reduced one of my crew to tears irrespective of how the stuff up was caused to start off with

Yeah right.. he's the Prime Minister. You would do exactly as you were bloody well told.

[Keg]

Desmo, thank goodness I'm not in the RAAF. Although I'd hope that the CO of the flight concerned raised the issue with his higher command who also raised it with the PM's office and so on. In fact, it looks like exactly this occurred given that it got wide enough to be published in the press.

Interesting though that we have different expectations as to how the PM is allowed to treat other people compared to the rest of us are supposed to treat other people. Interesting that it's just accepted that someone in a position of power is OK to abuse someone else to the stage where she ends up in tears. Ironic that Kev07 campaigned on the whole work choices and the threat of the 'bastard bosses' and it turns out he is one!

Nothing excuses the PM's behaviour.