Obnoxious PAXs
 

I haven't seen anything on the matter of obnoxious passengers and since I bear witness they do exist, here's a place where pilots, cabin crews and non-obnoxious passengers will be able to vent their resentment..
Let's do some pax-bashing for a while!!

Here are a few:
-I dunno if this one is true: It's quite late, a flight has been cancelled and there is one single quite overworked young woman at the checking counter doing her best to re-book about one hundred passengers on another flight. People are standing in line quite calmly until an irate gentleman cuts the line and "demands" to be booked since he's a first class passenger.
-"'Don't worry sir, you will be re-booked on that flight but you see I'm alone in here and if you just stand in line..."
-"YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?!"
At this point she picks up the PA mike and goes: "Is there a doctor around? I have a gentleman here who doesn't know who he is..."
I heard she had a big success with that one.

To the --very cute-- Air France stewardess that whispered to me "thanks a lot" after I forcefully slapped a safety belt on an hysterical 8 year old who absolutely refused to fasten it on take off:
You are very welcome dear. Any time.
The parents didn't dare say anything. I bet they were grateful too. After all, they actually had to live with the little creep.
He was ugly too.

To all the obnoxious passengers who think that they actually can recline their seats in the economy class cabin without regard for the legs of the person behind: You are a bunch of unconsiderate, rude :mad: holes.

To all the passengers that stand up about three milliseconds after touchdown and begin the famous "Great Race to the Exit": What do you want? Jump off an aircraft barreling down a runway at 100 MPH? Why don't you f:mad: ing WAIT UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT HAS COME TO A COMPLETE STOP?

To the passengers who think that the overhead compartiment is for their exclusive use. Well, sorry if I squeezed MY bag into there a bit forcefully. I hope there was nothing breakable in yours...

Sir - I have no idea who you are but ...........

You are welcome on my aircraft ANY day!

Tfly,
Well, I am just a non-obnoxious passenger...:D
Would you share a few anecdotes?

I've seen both sides....back in the 1980s, I did an internship with British Caledonian (Those were the days, I spent ages HAND-WRITING baggage tags all day long...), I had loads of "fun" with obnoxious pax even before they boarded their flights....after that experience, I definitely didn't want to work at check-in anymore (It was some kind of school-sponsored internship, I was only 15 at the time).

But during the last few years, I have been telling off people quite often, for the above-mentioned reasons....queue-jumping oh-so-important idiots, inconsiderate :mad: s not wearing seat belts, being nasty to f/as, and my favourite: The Annoyed Pax Whose Flight Got Cancelled Who Declares It's The Check-in Desk's Fault. God, I *love* those....:yuk:

A very long while ago I was priviledged to see the following.
A football charter was arriving home well off schedule. As the home team had lost, a police presence was on the tarmac.
No Jetty, so mobile steps provided. As the despondent and in some cases obviously drunk lads came down the stairs an Air Hostess was on the top of the stairs bidding them farewell.
Maybe her goodbyes were less than complimentary as one the passengers punched her. Her counter right upper cut was perfect and the passenger went backwards into the other descending passengers. The police turned and faced the otherway and most of us had big grins She completed the offload and went back in the cabin. As we had all suffered from the the behaviour of this club's fans on their way out to match and all day from flights bringing them home to their less than glorious (in everyway) return, it was nice to see even one of them get back what he had dished out!
Of course one cannot condone such behaviour (but....).

These days it is very probable that many of them would have been denied boarding, but in the 70's some airlines were too relaxed about drunks and this airline was desperate for business, I think they folded a couple of months later.

DIH

the most obnoxious involve inconsiderate reclining, coupled with rude retorts for a request to bring it up just a bit. But on my list of obnoxious passengers:

1) Headphone wearers who must be deaf. I don't want to listen to your music. If I did, I'd ask to plug in my headphones to your walkman or laptop

2) Pax who put their extra carryons underneath their seat, rather than underneath the seat in front of them. I held up a purse of the woman in front of me one time, and asked of its ownership. She gruffly informed me that it was to be left under her seat. I retorted that under her seat was the space for MY bag, which I had already installed. I don't know (or care) what she did with the purse.

3) Seat kickers. These are usually in the form of small kids who don't seem to know any better

4) Neglectful parents who let their kids run amuck. (see above)

Thats about it. Most of the 600 or so flights I've been on the last 20 years have been fairly tame.

jack_essex No it is not. Priority is given by pre-boarding for those who need it, including small kids and older (frail) people amongst others - anyone who expects priority over those people is a selfish oaf.

Seating small kids away from their parents or those in loco parentis is against CAA safety guidelines.

I'd kick up a fuss to protect my kids too. Have you got kids?

In the past I have gladly moved so that kids can be seated next to their parents, its a no brainer to protect the vulnerable in society.

Perhaps the roolz is different in Essex. I'm glad that I live in Hertfordshire.

I think the point was that the woman turned up late, delayed the flight and then got on her high horse about not boarding first in spite of that Final 3. Dozy bint! Erm, her, not you. ;)

We all know that the morning of September 11th 2001 had clear blue skies over New York. However, the previous evening, there were massive thunderstorms that closed JFK. At about 11pm having waited for over three hours in the queue for startup, one of our First class passengers, a wealthy American banker decided that his trip was no longer viable and wanted to get off (he was very polite about it). We lost our place in the queue and eventually got airbourne after midnight.

I have often wondered where that guy worked.....and if he went to work the following morning.

Airclues

Syllogism Check

The post says that she said that she should have been let on first - that implies that she was there in time to board first and for whatever reason, did not pre-board.

Unless the post is misleading, I think that she did the right thing in standing up for her kids.

One of the downsides of free seating is that small children are not preallocated seats with their parents and if the pre-boarding is a shambles, these things can happen.

Yes, low cost means low grade of quality, not it should not mean low quality per se and the CAA recommends that familes sit together in the interests of safety.

Had I been on the flight, I would have been pleased to move for the lady and the poster recognises that others took the same view.

If you wish to be very bottom line about it, it sounds as if th e cabin crew did not take charge and deal with the issue.

when flying economy I always politely but firmly let the person behind me know my seat is going back on boarding. At least they were warned :)

Final 3,

No, actually I take jack_essex saying, to imply that she was late and thus not present to be pre boarded. Don't you?

I agree, I wouldn't baulk at moving to allow her to sit with her kids normally. If however she'd delayed the departure of the flight I was travelling on, and then created a scene when she finally turned up, I may be slightly less sympathetic. ie. I'd move to allow her to sit with her kids in order that the flight can get under way, but I'd make quite clear that I was only doing so so as not to allow her to further increse the delay she'd already caused.

The bottom line, as I interpret jacks post, is that she arrived late and then created a scene once the cabin crew had got all the other pax boarded in a normal efficient manner. Had they not I don't suppose this woman would have stck in jacks mind as behaving inconsiderately in an otherwise normal situation.

Most airlines in Europe, even the loco's, have a policy of boarding families with small children first. This is fine as long as the family can be a:mad: d to come to the gate in time for boarding. Frequently they're still in the 'refreshment area' where little Jack or Bethany is screaming their head off, and the parents don't hear the announcement. If I had a pound for every time I've heard 'I didn't hear the call...'. Believe me, it gets tiresome when you're on a 10-hour shift.
People don't help themselves. Of course it's important that a family sits together on the flight, but they in turn should help themselves and the handling staff by paying attention to what's going on around them. I realise they're probably in an unfamiliar environment, but isn't that a good reason for paying attention to what's going on?
If, as a gate agent, or dispatcher you find that, part way through boarding Mr & Mrs Dimm turn up with their brats, then there are phones, radios and legs which will allow you to communicate with the cabin crew to warn them, so that they can make the appropriate arrangements in the cabin, and then there's a good chance the flight might make its' slot, and they will not delay all the other pax by their thoughtlessness.
And while we're on the subject, I think it's about time that someone explained that there is (post 9/11) a considerable amount of paperwork to be completed before a flight can depart, hence the strict adherence to cut-off times at check-in. All the parties concerned have to be certain that the information contained on it is accurate - they are legal documents, and they have to be signed by all the parties. The documentation is also subject to spot checks both before and after departure by CAA inspectors. If the worst happens, the paperwork will be taken away by the authorities. This is precisely what happened at Helios following the accident, though the media described it as a 'raid'. If there is any culpability on the part of the ground staff, in the UK at least, they could be looking at a long-term prison sentence.
So the next time you're travelling, spare a thought for those who are doing their best to ensure that your flight is a safe one before it departs.

Well said Barry.
How people manage to go from being on time at check in to being late at the gate is beyond me. People will dither around, not pay attention to the time or information screens, go back for another quick look at the duty free etc etc etc ad nauseam and often don't care if they're late to the gate because they know they'll still be allowed on as a result of the alternative causing an even longer delay.
You can bet a pound to pinch of salt that if the flight could and would depart without them they'd be bang on time every time.

Is it just me or are they always a certain sort too? The outwardly full of self importance, apparently robust type but who seem to have every neurosis known to man.... and as for their kids if present.... they'll be the ones made hyperactive by tap water and allergic to everything that's brought near them, as their Mother is sure to announce at high volume at every given opportunity. Still, you have to love them for their comedy value.

Southwest Airlines
 

Anybody here working for SouthWest airlines?
I flew on SouthWest several times when I lived in the US (Late 80's early 90's) and I remember they had a policy and an attitude and although I was once a victim of that policy, I definitely agree with it.
The policy was that the aircraft doors were closed I think five minutes before it pulled out from the gate --it may even have been 10 minutes, I can't remember-- and there was no way in the Universe a late pax could get on board after that. Period. Kids or no kids. Paraplegic or not.
It happened to me I think in Denver, going to Las Vegas and I admit I was sort of drunk..
At that time it was the "you get a double for a dollar more" at the bar so I had a quadruple and I nice chat with the gorgeous girl behind the bar, who made me forget about the fact that time does fly. The two double bloody marys helped, of course.:\
I then walked calmly to the boarding gate, just a few minutes before TO time and the employee there told me I was late and I couldn't get on board. It was very frustrating since the plane was still there, about twenty yards --and two closed doors-- away.
The employee told me it was company policy and of course I replied: "Well it's not a very customer friendly policy, if you want my opinion..."
That young guy may have had some training in psychology, because in a few words he made me agree with him.
He said: "Sir, SouthWest Airlines has the best departing on time record of the industry, thanks to that policy, let me tell you how it works..."
Then he told me about the departing slots and how easy it was for an A/C to lose its departing slot because the crew had to wait for late passengers. Before that I didn't know all this.
"So, he continued, instead of making one person unhappy --This time it's you, I'm sorry-- we'd make a whole planeload of passengers unhappy, see.." All this explanation given with a nice, laid back, Southwestern accent.
Then he looked at me in my jeans, tee shirt and suede jacket and added: "You're ain't goin' to Vegas on business are you?"
-"No, not really, I'm on vacation".
-"Then you can wait an hour and a half longer for our next flight there. There'll be plenty of room for you, it's half empty... Besides that may help you save some of your money."
Followed a huge satisfied smile.
-"I reckon you're right.." I said.
I never took off late on a SW Airlines flight.
I also have to admit that that day in Denver was a slow day. As I said the next flight was half empty. The gate attendant may not have been that nice had it been a busy day, but nevertheless, I think it's a good policy.
As for the attitude well, again it's the American West... The flight attendants were relaxed and friendly... As long as you were.
As in "We are here to make your flight as comfortable as it can be, but we don't take no s:mad: t from no one".
That is also a good attitude, since I think everybody, including airline personnel, deserves common courtesy.
I mean, even pilots.. :p

Genuine P.A announcement (I was on the aircraft) upon landing at Heathrow from Lagos, on a VS flight.

"Thank you for chosing Virgin. We hope you enjoyed your flight. The following message is for the passenger who left a disgusting pile on the floor of the toilet in the economy section.:yuk: We highly recommend you see a doctor as soon as possible, and in future, we would be grateful if you would choose to travel with British Airways"

How the cabin crew put up with certain passengers behaviour is beyond me.

Some really well said stuff here... top thread! :ok:

The part about making one person vs many unhappy is SO true!! I will have to remember that one for next time someone gets in my face...

At my airline, we too have a "doors closed, no boarding" policy. Generally, once the flight has boarded and the gate agent has closed the lounge door, it's a no-go, however if the flight is early, and the captain agrees, (and of course if the person is really nice about it) then they may get let on... but ONLY if they don't kick up.... many a time, an irate pax as demanded to be let on, and that we ask the crew, so I dutifully got to the office, call them and ask, (while informing them what a Sh*t the person is being (if they are), and the crew generally give us a "sorry, but no...." :E)

If the person is genuinely nice and had a good reason for being late (i.e., not in the bar or duty free...) then we'll try our best to help, if we can....

My favourite pax lines:

On asking for all luggage on the scale, pax clutches massive backpack/laptop bag/handbag: "oh, but I'm carrying it on with me"

Um, just because you carry it doesn't mean it weighs any less!! :p

Also, the ones who come to check-in, and on asking them if they have any luggage "oh yes, but it's in the car, I was going to go get it afterwards."

Um, no. And sorry, I can't hold your place in line, you'll just hold up the other 45 people behind you.

The classic though, on pre-boarding a pax requiring a wheelchair, I overheard a lady give a loud sigh and mutter to her travelling companion that why couldn't she go on first..? end of my tether on a long, trying day, smiled sweetly and said, 'because you are fortunate to be able to walk onboard." Didn't hear another word from her!!

Of course, I really do appreciate the pax who are well-mannered, actually LISTEN to what we are saying, ask if they are unsure about anything, and who understand that no, I do not control the weather, and no, I am not ATC who can bump their flight to the front of the queue!!!! :D

I love being at the gate for late passengers and hearing the excuses!

Best so far ............ "Not our fault there was a queue at McDonalds!"

They had however taken the time to eat the McD's before coming to the gate!

Slight thread-drift, but all my passengers became justifiably pretty obnoxious one day at a major airport - Gate Security arrived 30 minutes late and I missed my slot ... Everyone on the aircaft - crew and passengers - were :mad: furious when we found out why ........ They'd been watching a Volley-Ball match on TV. :*

There are a number of places where the announcements in the airline lounges aren't really early enough for one to get to the gate without a mad dash. Arlanda Finnair lounge (used for BA) is one: not all the BA LHR announcements are in good time, either. I find that the time between 'go to gate' and boarding is often pretty short, especially for someone like me who walks with a stick. I tend these days to leave the lounge in LHR as soon as the gate is announced to get around this.

On reclined seats:

BA289 PHX - LHR. FA requests guy to sit up during meal service for the benefit of the passenger behind. Guy refuses 'I'm not eating - why should I?'. BA lady, very sweetly, 'Then I'm sure when the gentlemen behind gets up and spills his dinner tray down you because of the angle of your seat, you won't have a problem, will you sir?'