Irrate passengers
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: london
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As a pax, when things go wrong, and staff don't care/won't help.
Don't get mad, get even. Stay calm, focus on facts, and then if the staff person has been impolite, non helpful or inattentive, send a written complaint to the airline concerned. At the very least it may help to ensure the said person doesn't get promoted.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Just do not rise to the bait at the time, as airline staff hold all the cards whilst actually in the airport/aircraft, and you will lose.
As regards aggressive pax, I really think airlines need to think about it. If aggressive behaviour is increasing from pax, could it possibly, perhaps, just maybe be just a teensy weensy bit to do with the god-awful experience that airlines have turned flying into??
Or maybe they should just carry on blindly blaming their paying customers?
Don't get mad, get even. Stay calm, focus on facts, and then if the staff person has been impolite, non helpful or inattentive, send a written complaint to the airline concerned. At the very least it may help to ensure the said person doesn't get promoted.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Just do not rise to the bait at the time, as airline staff hold all the cards whilst actually in the airport/aircraft, and you will lose.
As regards aggressive pax, I really think airlines need to think about it. If aggressive behaviour is increasing from pax, could it possibly, perhaps, just maybe be just a teensy weensy bit to do with the god-awful experience that airlines have turned flying into??
Or maybe they should just carry on blindly blaming their paying customers?
Everything is under control.
Join Date: Jul 2001
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First of all, you should never be treated with such disrespect. It is not your fault -- ultimately, it is a management issue.
Final 3 Greens makes an insightful comment that may be the cause, but still not acceptable.
I have a theory about matters such as this generally. What to you think? Here it is.
Apologies are all to common today. I'm sorry this. I'm sorry that. Scandal, abuse, crime, whatever, it is I'm sorry. I apologize. In the media, everywhere, the apology has lost its significance because it is used so much and often without sincerity. It is also one-way. So when they hear I'm sorry from you it does not sink it. Apologies are cheap. Goodness knows, we hear a lot of apologies when flying these days.
The solution is to make the apology two-way. Instead of saying "I apologize", say "Would you please accept my apology?' or "Please accept my apology." That gains some empathy from the complainant. It pulls them in. It is more sincere and somewhat disarming.
Final 3 Greens makes an insightful comment that may be the cause, but still not acceptable.
I have a theory about matters such as this generally. What to you think? Here it is.
Apologies are all to common today. I'm sorry this. I'm sorry that. Scandal, abuse, crime, whatever, it is I'm sorry. I apologize. In the media, everywhere, the apology has lost its significance because it is used so much and often without sincerity. It is also one-way. So when they hear I'm sorry from you it does not sink it. Apologies are cheap. Goodness knows, we hear a lot of apologies when flying these days.
The solution is to make the apology two-way. Instead of saying "I apologize", say "Would you please accept my apology?' or "Please accept my apology." That gains some empathy from the complainant. It pulls them in. It is more sincere and somewhat disarming.
Riding the Euro Gravy Plane
Join Date: Feb 2006
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I hate to be the one to break this to some of the customer facing staff on this board but dealing with dissatisfied customers is a reality and requirement of your job. Some of the comments on this board underscores the generally poor levels of customer service which consumers in the UK enjoy today.
Somebody mentioned this being a management issue, which it is. In my experience many customer serving staff, especially airline staff, simply do not have the necessary skills for such a role. Clearly, their employers have failed to provide them with sufficient training. I've stood amazed in UK airports watching airline staff actually arguing with customers, when you see staff making such basic mistakes you do wonder if their management is actually aware of the shortcomings of the services they are providing.
Contrary to what some customer facing staff on this board may say, venting your anger at a service provider for screwing up your travel is perfectly acceptable as long as it doesn't overstep the bounds of civility. Personal insults, swearing, threatening behaviour are not acceptable but venting your anger certainly is.
Somebody mentioned this being a management issue, which it is. In my experience many customer serving staff, especially airline staff, simply do not have the necessary skills for such a role. Clearly, their employers have failed to provide them with sufficient training. I've stood amazed in UK airports watching airline staff actually arguing with customers, when you see staff making such basic mistakes you do wonder if their management is actually aware of the shortcomings of the services they are providing.
Contrary to what some customer facing staff on this board may say, venting your anger at a service provider for screwing up your travel is perfectly acceptable as long as it doesn't overstep the bounds of civility. Personal insults, swearing, threatening behaviour are not acceptable but venting your anger certainly is.
Flying High
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Zed3... thanks for the reply... as someone who travels a lot I am familiar with it but wasn't sure really if QF was different.... (although that would make no sense).
The other thing that annoys me is when people tuck their legs right back into my space.... especially if they manage to kick you nice and hard when your legs are stretched out and your asleep....
Ah well... can't complain if I must always be a cheap skate in economy
Just a thought with customer service people...
If a staff member looks *interested* in my problem and actively trys to help me (even if they don't manage it) they certainly go down in my good books!
if they just sit there and do the little britain thing of "computer says noooo" then it just makes the person feel like they have encountered a brick wall... thus they kick off..... (as seen many times on Airline
)
The other thing that annoys me is when people tuck their legs right back into my space.... especially if they manage to kick you nice and hard when your legs are stretched out and your asleep....
Ah well... can't complain if I must always be a cheap skate in economy
Just a thought with customer service people...
If a staff member looks *interested* in my problem and actively trys to help me (even if they don't manage it) they certainly go down in my good books!
if they just sit there and do the little britain thing of "computer says noooo" then it just makes the person feel like they have encountered a brick wall... thus they kick off..... (as seen many times on Airline
)
Join Date: Dec 2003
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SXB - Contrary to what some customer facing staff on this board may say, venting your anger at a service provider for screwing up your travel is perfectly acceptable as long as it doesn't overstep the bounds of civility. Personal insults, swearing, threatening behaviour are not acceptable but venting your anger certainly is.
Join Date: Nov 2007
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I think the only time I have felt inclined to make an official complaint regarding cabin crew (in about 40 years as a frequent SLF) was when the lady seated next to me had a bad migraine and used the very handy water proof bag so I buzzed a CC to dispose of it. The git told me I could leave it under the seat (for 12 hours!
) or dispose of it in the toilet. I felt like pouring it into his pocket.
) or dispose of it in the toilet. I felt like pouring it into his pocket.
On a QF flight between Cairnes and Sydney (I think) the lady who was sitting in front of me put her big bag UNDER her seat... eg. I had no leg room! and I am a rather tall person...
So I politely asked her if she could move it so I could stretch my legs and she just said no..
So I politely asked her if she could move it so I could stretch my legs and she just said no..
Alternatively you could just stick it in the overhead lockers when she isn't looking!
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Well, here's a little story to keep you amused:
We were boarding a 747 to god knows where, and I was in my galley trying to sort things out with a catering agent, when a female passenger stormed into the galley and initiated (on a scale of one to ten she went full ten) a conversation by screaming at me in italian. That day sadly not being one of my best, and with my fuse already at itīs shortest, I screamed right back at her to tone down. That stopped her dead in her tracks, she stormed out of the galley only to be replaced by her husband who screamed at me to not scream at his wife, to which I responded (still quite loud) that if he was used to being screamed at by his wife, fine, but I was not.
At that moment my purser happened to come by, took in the situation, grabbed me by the neck , hauled me to the other side and told me to go to the next galley and find something else to do for a while, which I did.
As it turned out the couple were angry about not sitting next to each other on a long haul flight. It also turned out, that the lady had mistaken the gate number for her seat number (happens all the time, just like pax pulling out the ash tray beside the rest room door overlooking the handle ON the door) and that they were in fact sitting exactly where they wanted, next to each other.
So, as I was sitting at my door after takeoff waiting for the fasten Seatbelts Signs to go dark, I was quite embarrased with myself at having handled the situation in such an extremely unprofessional manner and decided that before doing anything else, Iīd go apologise to the couple.
When I got to their seats I did just that, and they told me that they were also embarrased with themselves and had already decided to apologise to me.
They then spent a good portion of the flight in my galley chatting with me and all of us laughing quite a bit about what had happened.
The lesson I took away from that is that you can get bad reactions for no reason on both sides. And itīs helped me stay calm in a lot of later situations that inevitably came my way.
We were boarding a 747 to god knows where, and I was in my galley trying to sort things out with a catering agent, when a female passenger stormed into the galley and initiated (on a scale of one to ten she went full ten) a conversation by screaming at me in italian. That day sadly not being one of my best, and with my fuse already at itīs shortest, I screamed right back at her to tone down. That stopped her dead in her tracks, she stormed out of the galley only to be replaced by her husband who screamed at me to not scream at his wife, to which I responded (still quite loud) that if he was used to being screamed at by his wife, fine, but I was not.
At that moment my purser happened to come by, took in the situation, grabbed me by the neck , hauled me to the other side and told me to go to the next galley and find something else to do for a while, which I did.
As it turned out the couple were angry about not sitting next to each other on a long haul flight. It also turned out, that the lady had mistaken the gate number for her seat number (happens all the time, just like pax pulling out the ash tray beside the rest room door overlooking the handle ON the door) and that they were in fact sitting exactly where they wanted, next to each other.
So, as I was sitting at my door after takeoff waiting for the fasten Seatbelts Signs to go dark, I was quite embarrased with myself at having handled the situation in such an extremely unprofessional manner and decided that before doing anything else, Iīd go apologise to the couple.
When I got to their seats I did just that, and they told me that they were also embarrased with themselves and had already decided to apologise to me.
They then spent a good portion of the flight in my galley chatting with me and all of us laughing quite a bit about what had happened.
The lesson I took away from that is that you can get bad reactions for no reason on both sides. And itīs helped me stay calm in a lot of later situations that inevitably came my way.
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The lesson I took away from that is that you can get bad reactions for no reason on both sides. And itīs helped me stay calm in a lot of later situations that inevitably came my way.
Dealing with people is an art that few are born with and that includes me.
I am afraid I am one on the flight deck that will come out and say good bye to the passengers. We did a charter for a well known Scottish football club and we had to do a split duty, we were tech on stand outbound so we arrived about 3 hours late and had to extend the split duty by 3 hours, so we arrived at the aircraft outbound 3 hours late. Unfortunately no one had communicated this to the passengers and we had to have a police escort through the terminal building.
The cabin crew who all knew I always came out to say goodbye were taking bets on how badly injured I would be on return to Glasgow!
Sure enough I got a right slagging and as expected one rather large bald headed guy put his face virtually into mine and said "Your a xxxxing liar pal".
I still couldnt resist saying, "thank you and good bye" though!
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult
Join Date: May 2007
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Those customers significantly affected will receive a personal letter of apology followed by details of compensation. This will be an automatic payment as a genuine offer of good will and paid directly into customers accounts or by cheque. There is no need to contact our call centre
This is in addition to the provision of water bowsers & bottled water (including delivery to known vunerable customers)
Yes they have to do it, but the compensation rules are such that customers would normally have to claim it.
Join Date: Nov 2007
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My theory is that it is the less experienced traveler that will give you the most problems. Though not an airline or hotel employee, I deal with pax who have just got off commercial planes and anything involving delayed luggage or missed connections will drive the uninitiated crazy. The more experienced the pax, the greater the understanding of what went wrong, how to accept that this happened and how the problem will eventually be fixed (in the case of luggage).
By the way, my hat goes off to anyone who works in the US Air baggage office at LAS, you deal with more insanity than I can imagine.
By the way, my hat goes off to anyone who works in the US Air baggage office at LAS, you deal with more insanity than I can imagine.
