Unwanted attention/inappropriate comments from cabin crew
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Unwanted attention/inappropriate comments from cabin crew
On a recent BA flight back to LGW we had the (mis)fortune to find the flight operated by a 3rd party and for myself and a foreign, male colleague to be seated in row 1.
Before take off the cabin crew (3 x F & 1 x M) shut themselves behind the curtain in the fore galley and were obviously discussing the feelings of the male crew member towards my colleague. English not being his native language my colleague was unaware of the issue.
During the flight aforementioned crew member insisted on serving us, making a fuss and continually asking whether we had everything we needed eventually ending up sitting in 1C when it's occupant left for the bathroom so he could try and talk to my colleague - a very one-sided conversation followed which should have given the signal that colleague was neither gay nor interested but didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of CC.
On leaving the plane I was some places behind colleague therefore heard in full the comment from crew member to SCCM - 'Well I'd
him'.
Am I having a Meldrew moment or is this unacceptable behaviour which should be reported to BA (or the 3rd party) ?
Before take off the cabin crew (3 x F & 1 x M) shut themselves behind the curtain in the fore galley and were obviously discussing the feelings of the male crew member towards my colleague. English not being his native language my colleague was unaware of the issue.
During the flight aforementioned crew member insisted on serving us, making a fuss and continually asking whether we had everything we needed eventually ending up sitting in 1C when it's occupant left for the bathroom so he could try and talk to my colleague - a very one-sided conversation followed which should have given the signal that colleague was neither gay nor interested but didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of CC.
On leaving the plane I was some places behind colleague therefore heard in full the comment from crew member to SCCM - 'Well I'd
him'.Am I having a Meldrew moment or is this unacceptable behaviour which should be reported to BA (or the 3rd party) ?
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Yes it is unacceptable behaviour, but only you can decide if you want to take it further.
Although if the flight was operated by a third party airline on BA's behalf, I am sure they would WANT to know as the third party airline has not acted in a manner that BA would consider to be appropriate.
Although if the flight was operated by a third party airline on BA's behalf, I am sure they would WANT to know as the third party airline has not acted in a manner that BA would consider to be appropriate.
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k3lvc
As these comments were clearly heard by you before take-off, I cannot understand why you did not immediately press the call button, ask to speak to the senior cabin crew and let him/her know in no uncertain terms that such behaviour is offensive, totally unacceptable and will be reported to the airline.
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What if it was a female crew member fussing over your colleague?
Personally, I feel in either situation it was inappropriate but then I've always been a bit of a Meldrew - "I don't believe it"
Personally, I feel in either situation it was inappropriate but then I've always been a bit of a Meldrew - "I don't believe it"
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Unless you are bent on getting sombody sacked, you are going to get nowhere without cast iron proof of intent.
Let the matter of a bit of banter rest and, climb off your high horse.
Let the matter of a bit of banter rest and, climb off your high horse.
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k3lvc
All the more reason for confronting her in a friendly and polite but firm manner. If she had any sense at all she would immediately realise that you were in fact doing her a favour by giving her a chance to resolve the issue there and then without further action which could possibly have a negative impact on her career.
If you genuinley believed at the time that the comments and behaviour of the CC were offensive or inappropriate, and confronting the SCCM was not an option, you could have remained seated at the end of the flight, request to speak to the captain and reported the matter directly to him/her.
I firmly believe that any complaint should be raised with, and if possible, resolved at source. To complain retrospectively tends to remove some credibility from the seriousness of the complaint.
If you genuinley believed at the time that the comments and behaviour of the CC were offensive or inappropriate, and confronting the SCCM was not an option, you could have remained seated at the end of the flight, request to speak to the captain and reported the matter directly to him/her.
I firmly believe that any complaint should be raised with, and if possible, resolved at source. To complain retrospectively tends to remove some credibility from the seriousness of the complaint.
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Thanks - interesting points from everyone. With hindsight I should have taken TSR2s advice and raised an issue with SCCM or Captain at the time but it was the 4th sector of a long day. I've no intention of raising the issue to such a level that it becomes disciplinary but feel that both the CC involved and the SCCM should be aware of the actions and their effect.
If the situation was female crew vs male pax then the level of it would still have been inappropriate, if it was male crew vs female pax then the Captain would definitely have been involved and a formal complaint made there and then.
And as a final to Avitor - a high horse is most definitely not what I'm on. Banter has it's place and that is out of earshot of the people involved - I'm not naive enough to think that this doesn't happen but anyone doing it needs to be able to read the signals and take responsibility for their actions. I'm pretty sure BA's training on Customer Service doesn't include anything positive on trying to pax !
If the situation was female crew vs male pax then the level of it would still have been inappropriate, if it was male crew vs female pax then the Captain would definitely have been involved and a formal complaint made there and then.
And as a final to Avitor - a high horse is most definitely not what I'm on. Banter has it's place and that is out of earshot of the people involved - I'm not naive enough to think that this doesn't happen but anyone doing it needs to be able to read the signals and take responsibility for their actions. I'm pretty sure BA's training on Customer Service doesn't include anything positive on trying to
pax !
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k3lvc
I have a lot of sympathy for you with regard to not confronting the senior CCM there and then.
You have to live with them for the rest of the flight.
Eye drops in coffee springs to mind and if this crew were unprofessional enough to be overheard, what else might they do?
Avitor, you should know better than to comment about high horses, the OP has every reason this complain about this type of behaviour.
I have a lot of sympathy for you with regard to not confronting the senior CCM there and then.
You have to live with them for the rest of the flight.
Eye drops in coffee springs to mind and if this crew were unprofessional enough to be overheard, what else might they do?
Avitor, you should know better than to comment about high horses, the OP has every reason this complain about this type of behaviour.
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I very much doubt the Captain would be interested, or even willing to talk to you about it!
The Captain is there to fly the aircraft, the in-charge cabin crew member is there to supervise the crew, and if she wasn't doing it then its the job of cabin crew management in the relevant airlines office to take it further!
The Captain is there to fly the aircraft, the in-charge cabin crew member is there to supervise the crew, and if she wasn't doing it then its the job of cabin crew management in the relevant airlines office to take it further!
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Depressing thread.
Sadly, this kind of behavior happens from time to time: It is always unacceptable and there is no excuse.
As Cabin Crew, I strongly resent those individuals that bring our chosen career into disrepute. This kind of incident helps form and maintain an impression of Cabin Crew that can be hard to change.
The rapid expansion of air travel has resulted in the recruitment and subsequent promotion of some people who are inappropriate for the job. As passengers you don't want them on board - those crew who care don't want them either: Our job just became a tiny bit more difficult to do as a direct result of this incident.
If you can summon the energy, write to BA and ask them for comment.
As Cabin Crew, I strongly resent those individuals that bring our chosen career into disrepute. This kind of incident helps form and maintain an impression of Cabin Crew that can be hard to change.
The rapid expansion of air travel has resulted in the recruitment and subsequent promotion of some people who are inappropriate for the job. As passengers you don't want them on board - those crew who care don't want them either: Our job just became a tiny bit more difficult to do as a direct result of this incident.
If you can summon the energy, write to BA and ask them for comment.
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You, for some strange reason (perhaps because I passed an exam in air law) I was under the false impression that the aircraft captain was in command of the whole crew.
S/he may or may not be interested in discussing the matter, but the offenders were in his/her chain of command.
You, for some strange reason (perhaps because I passed an exam in air law) I was under the false impression that the aircraft captain was in command of the whole crew.
S/he may or may not be interested in discussing the matter, but the offenders were in his/her chain of command.
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F3G - thanks for your balanced comments - I too can concur that this is only the 2nd time in 800+ sectors that any negative incident with CC has happened. In fact I'm often the one that writes positive comments to BA et al for their crew support/behaviour. Strangely the last incident was last week again with BA hence my belief that I may be having a Meldrew moment.
Tightslot - respect your advice and factual email fired off to BA - await the response with interest
Tightslot - respect your advice and factual email fired off to BA - await the response with interest
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As these comments were clearly heard by you before take-off, I cannot understand why you did not immediately press the call button, ask to speak to the senior cabin crew and let him/her know in no uncertain terms that such behaviour is offensive, totally unacceptable and will be reported to the airline.
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If the flight was operated by a third party, BA is in no place at all to follow this up as it is a legal issue within that charter airline. You wouldn't go to ASDA to complain about Tescos, would you? It may be in their interests to know but they will be limited in what they can do. In fact, All BA really can do is offer an apology - and it will take around 6 weeks to get one. They may pass on your email to the charter airline but with data protection they would not be told the outcome of an internal disciplinary.
With this nature of complaint, you are claiming sexual harrassment - this is serious, you can't put this kind of allegation into the same complaint system for not getting your choice of meal. You can't just write in and say so-and-so did this and so-and-so said that. You will have to request an internal investigation with the charter company directly (Astraeus, Titan, Monarch or whoever covered your flight). In all probability their legal department will contact you so you can make a statement. They will then suspend the whole flight crew until statements are taken from them. They will also need a statement from your colleague. After all of this, they will then decide what action, if any, to take. It's your word against theirs.
If you feel it's worth persuing, then go for it but remember you may be dragging innocent crew into something that they had nothing to do with. You cannot just write into a company and expect them to take disciplinary action against an employee just on your say so - you have to be prepared to back up your allegations.
With this nature of complaint, you are claiming sexual harrassment - this is serious, you can't put this kind of allegation into the same complaint system for not getting your choice of meal. You can't just write in and say so-and-so did this and so-and-so said that. You will have to request an internal investigation with the charter company directly (Astraeus, Titan, Monarch or whoever covered your flight). In all probability their legal department will contact you so you can make a statement. They will then suspend the whole flight crew until statements are taken from them. They will also need a statement from your colleague. After all of this, they will then decide what action, if any, to take. It's your word against theirs.
If you feel it's worth persuing, then go for it but remember you may be dragging innocent crew into something that they had nothing to do with. You cannot just write into a company and expect them to take disciplinary action against an employee just on your say so - you have to be prepared to back up your allegations.
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You'll note from my comments that at no point have I mentioned sexual harrassment nor am I on a witch-hunt for disciplinary action. I am merely reporting back to the airline behaviour which I consider to be inappropriate.
Your comment re BA is surprising and, whilst not a law expert, I have enough of a grasp to understand that I paid BA, my ticket was from BA and therefore my contract is with BA, not with a 3rd party. On this basis any complaint goes to BA and it would surprise me if BA have not written into their contract with said 3rd party that they reserve the right to have visibility of complaints raised against said 3rd party
Your comment re BA is surprising and, whilst not a law expert, I have enough of a grasp to understand that I paid BA, my ticket was from BA and therefore my contract is with BA, not with a 3rd party. On this basis any complaint goes to BA and it would surprise me if BA have not written into their contract with said 3rd party that they reserve the right to have visibility of complaints raised against said 3rd party
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They would with regard to a service issue but this is beyond that. It's a allegation that is going to name an individual. This info would not be released to BA.
I am not accusing you of a witch hunt - I am trying to help you. This is my area and I am trying to tell you the best way to get your complaint heard and the consequences of your complaint.
I am not accusing you of a witch hunt - I am trying to help you. This is my area and I am trying to tell you the best way to get your complaint heard and the consequences of your complaint.
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God it sounds like you came out from the Jersey house of horrors and not a flight where someone just made a stupid comment and was abit forward, take it as a compliment or join a monastery, so when someone makes comments like that in a bar, restaurant street etc... do you phone the police??? RELAX!!! you will get wrinkly