grumpy at aircraft when asked for boarding pass. why?
 

I always welcome people onto the aircraft with a smile and a genuine welcome. I read the name on the boarding card and make small talk and then direct you down to your seat. what i would love to know, and it's an honest question, why do so many of you now ignore me/throw your coat at me/ tut and say rude things about me for asking for said boarding card. just a question, perhaps I'm old school?

It's simply because people are generally rude, arrogant, and disrespectful these days, I'm afraid. Fortunately some of us prefer to be polite to Cabin Crew, as I always have been, and have therefore always had the pleasure of a pleasant conversation, laugh and a joke with you guys and gals over the years, and, as a result, I get good service from your good selves.
I cannot understand the mentality of some of my fellow passengers.
But then, I am married to a beautiful woman, comfortably retired, love travelling and flying, so I don't have any reason not to be polite,I guess. Fraid you're aways going to get them,but that's life these days.

Probably because most SLF can't figure out why you're asking to see the boarding pass stub? it's never explained clearly that you as a responsible crew member need to verify they are getting on the correct aircraft.

I once overheard a gruff pax mumbling 'I didn't need her to tell me what
f:mad:ing seat I'm in I can read numbers me'self'

Respect to you for doing a damn challanging job:ok:

Problems with no boarding card
 

I was flying to Edinburgh on SleazyJet out of Luton a few years ago, when both the Edinburgh and delayed Glasgow flights were called for boarding at the same time. Everyone handed their re-useable Boarding Card in at the gates, and proceeded to the two 737s parked next to each other.

Sure enough, as they started the headcount on the plane, we had one too many!! The Glasgow flight was one light!

One red-faced passenger left the aircraft to cheers and clapping from the other passengers!:oh:

I would ask you to take into account the experience the passenger may have been through for the previous couple of hours, with a lot of security type of checks. They may feel that they have had their details etc checked enough times.

If they live in another country, they may not be used to having their boarding passes checked at the door and may consider you to be officious and exceeding reasonable practice (although UK airlines have to do this.)

Also. what kind of travellers are you welcoming?

If I am on holiday, I'll gladly take the time to make small talk with you, but if I am going/coming on business, I probably won't wish to.

Sure, I'll be polite to you (and attentive for the safety brief), but the rest of the time I'll have a lot more on my mind (and coming back, be very tired after a tough trip and probably just wishing to be left alone.)

I hink the above answers are right especially the "why do they need to tell me where my seat is I can find it myself!" reaction as it is not always realised that this is a final security check.

galanjal

Thank goodness you are the way you are! :ok: In my experience over the last few years the CC are surly, unsmiling and generally unwelcoming, almost giving you the feeling that you are bothering them...... I have always been polite, say please and thankyou, so it can't be that they are reacting to my behaviour.

There are exceptions and these people stand out a mile. Perhaps there really are just too many ignorant passengers about and maybe too many disillusioned CC because of this. It would seem to be the younger ones who are less friendly in general.

It WOULD be intelligent of the airlines to inform all passengers that they will be required to be checked on entering the aircraft, as most people have put the boarding stub in a pocket after being checked at the gate. I remember up until recently the persons passport was required and that caused many a passenger to mumble under their breath in frustration.


Regards


SHJ

I don't think it is having the stub checked at the aircraft that is the problems, its the queuing up to get a passport check and boarding card stamped, then again to to pass the barrier and receive the stub, and then again to queue on get on the aircraft, all while trying to juggle bags and pieces of paper. That coupled with the nonallocated seating bundle to get on some LC carriers can try the patience of a weekly commuter saint. That in no way excuses rudeness. There must be an easier way...

hugel

Must say I tend to agree with Final 3's comments. I think many of us dont go out to come across deliberately rude (or appear to be so) but frankly the airport experience is for some of us not what it used to be and now we are actually just happy to get on board probably just relieved that the air operator is still flying and that we might just make the slot time allocated.

On a slightly different note your own attitude is very much appreciated - perhaps it would be nice if some of your colleagues in the trade also had the same courtesy - I would say 7 times out of 10 when boarding with a variety of operators the CC are busy chatting amongst themselves and shall we say not necessarily providing an in flight service to be proud of.


Nivsy

I think Ryanair gate announcements inform passengers that boarding passes will be checked again on entering the aircraft but I can't imagine that this is taken in by all passengers.
I once wondered why my boarding pass was checked at the top of the airbridge/jetway and again at the aircraft door but when I queried it was told that someone with access to the tarmac - such as an airside worker - could board the aircraft via the steps which connect the airbridge with the tarmac. Non-allocated seating presumably would make it less likely that such a person was discovered - unless the 'plane was full! - and so I can appreciate why airlines which operate such seating are particularly keen to ensure that only the correct people are permitted onboard. (Obviously, with non-allocated seating, airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet have no idea who is sitting where. I remember a farce a year or two ago on a STN-AMS easyJet flight with one passenger too many; it took absolutely ages to locate this person, there was recount after recount. On this 35 minute flight the delay made quite a difference. All credit to the staff for not departing before the issue was resolved, but allocated seating would have made the situation easier to deal with. Rant over!)
P.S. I recently saw a cabin attendant at the door of an easyJet aircraft at Madrid ask to see a passenger's passport. I wasn't asked nor were any of the passengers immediately ahead of me (apart from this one person). Curious! What was that all about?!

Yes - not always intentional "bad manners".

When flying domestically in the US, boarding passes are checked at the gate, but not again at the door of the plane. For international flights, the passes are checked again at the door, which a frequent domestic traveler may forget, having put the pass away while walking down the jetbridge.

An example - a couple of years ago I flew AA LAX-JFK-LHR - we were late arriving JFK, requiring a sprint across JFK from one terminal to another (not very familiar with that airport, either), out of security and then back in. As one of the last pax to make it to the LHR-bound flight, I arrived at the gate breathing heavily having run the last stretch from security with untied shoelaces. I presented the boarding pass to the staff at the gate, then put the boarding pass away as I made my way down the jetbridge, attempting to reorganize my shoelaces and trying to make sure I had not left anything at TSA during my rushed security check.

Upon arrival at the door of the plane, I stepped inside, still attempting to catch my breath, to be met by a FA who demanded my boarding pass. When I looked at her quizzically, unable to get any words out, she asked, in the manner of someone who was about to call security - "do we have a problem, sir?". :*:*

In my opinion - totally out of line, mean spirited and lacking any empathy to someone who was obviously extremely rushed to make the connection. I don't think I've ever been made to feel less welcome boarding a plane.

Obviously you don't fly AA very often :ouch: . Or UA, or NW or ... you get the picture.

Hosties are now part of "security" y'know, and boy do some of them relish the power(sic).

Hi, it is absolutely true that not all airlines do check passes at the door.

In fact in Latin America none of the ones I took did, even on intercontinental flights. Same in Europe. So it's quite possible that many pax don't know that they will be asked. I try to remember which ones do ask and check the preceeding people to see if I need to show it.

I think airlines that wants no delay in checking passes at the door should have the gate agent remind pax to keep it handy.

My own view on this is a number of the blank responses from passengers is probably because a number of them may not understand the language in which they are being addressed. Although that said, if I board an aircraft in deepest Mongolia I should really have a fair idea of what the FA is saying as I pass through the door......

I fly a couple of hundred sectors per year and I would disagree with that comment. Some airlines are better than others, sometimes they vary in the same airline but generally speaking the CC I come across are friendly, welcoming and helpful. Of course there may only be 4 or 5 of them for approaching 200 people so there is a limit as to what they can do for you on a 90 minute flight.

my 2 cents worth
 

As someone who is NEVER intentionally rude to CC ( I need you to nurse me through as a nervous passenger!), I'd just like to add my 2 cents worth.
You mention that you great each passenger personally , I don't know how you address peopl but personally I loathe being addressed by my first name by someone who doesn't know me.
Possibly a cultural thing , and I realise that you haven't said in what manner you address people , but it would make me cringe ( not rudely, you understand!)

The only time I can remember being addressed by my first name was on a Albanian Airlines flight years ago, I don't recall it happening on any other European airline.

I always find that the CC saying goodbye to me as I leave the plane a bit embarrassing - but only if I have never spoken to them on the entire flight.

I often have two or three CC saying goodbye - which I suppose id freindly and in the right spirit - but I do find it odd.

I guess most pax don't realise that the cabin crew are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the security of the plane - and our lives depend on it! The gate-staff aren't going to be flying with any potential security-threats or be the ones to sort out why there aren't enough seats for the passengers. So to grumpy SLF, give us a break, we are doing our jobs for our and your safety. Keep your boarding pass in your hand so you don't get all flustered trying to find it in your oversized hand-luggage.

The number of times we catch passengers at the door who are trying to board the wrong plane is frightening.

To be fair some of the grumpy pax are connecting from a sleepless overnight intercontinental flight and are just tired. It's hard to join in the small talk at 6am when you havn't slept for 24 hours.

But the check is necessary. I was once on a plane where four people were fighting over the same two seats. It turned out that two were on the wrong plane.

And it *is* necessary for some people to be told which number their seat is. Some are just stupid but many more can't read the number without their glasses on. Everyone should follow the example of Dnata at DBX who print the seat number VERY BIG. Airplane makers could also speed boarding by making the seat numbers more readable. On a Fokker F70, for example, short people can't see the numbers unless they stand on the seat.

boardingpass, nobody is saying that passengers are in the right of being grumpy or that checking the pass should not be done at the door.

Simply it is being pointed out some reasons why some can seem surprised and not so fast in responding - little experience flying, fatigue, and IMHO lack of consistency and information between airlines when it comes to this practice.

Again in other words: do not expect that your pax will know that they need to keep pass in hand when taking your particular flight, because no effort is done in writing or verbally to inform them about that.

I'm sure it's because I'm a naive SLF, but so that I won't be so naive next time could you please explain how a passenger is more of a security threat boarding the wrong plane than they are boarding the right plane? When you send them off to the correct gate they suddenly become "safe" again? How does that work?

And, assuming is does indeed work then surely the way for us all to board safely is to put the wrong signs up at the gate for each flight. That way we'll all board the wrong planes, be sent off back the right ones and all be much more safe and secure as a result.

Alternatively, please think a bit before wheeling out the "security" excuse - it is used so often these days in contexts where in fact there is absolutely no security issue at all that it has become like the little boy crying "Wolf!".

christep,

Pax on wrong plane = hold bags on right plane = pax not travelling with bags = Lockerbie

Ll

yet have a look around the major airports - how many bags go astray - yet I assume(!) these bags travel without the pax who own them - come to think about it there were so many bags kicking around close to the belts at T4 the other I could have picked up many without anyone batting an eye.

Bags often travel without their owners. Thought it was the job now of the super dooper screening to ensure that all bags with or without the owner is safe.

llademos, actually the equation should be:

Bomb in a bag not belonging to anybody, put on a plane by someone with access to system = Lockerbie.

All the other cases will just result in confusion, lost bags, perhaps lost flights. Something that happen thousand times each day in the world.
Then, you will see that airlines don't have much of a problem in flying bags (and huge amounts of cargo) without the owner being on the same a/c. Will you claim that it's safe because this stuff is screened? Lucky you if you believe so.

In my opinion it is true that security is routinely used as a blanket excuse for a variety of practices, most of them quite unconveniente for pax, however that is not the subject of this discussion.

So in fact, in Latin America (perhaps other places too), tags are checked against passes when leaving the pick-up area. At first I was surprised to see that, now I realize it decreases the chances for a casual thief to be succesful.

We (EU, USA) have a fixation with liquids and spend billions to make sure one buys drinks and food only from the shops that 'surprise' are part of the system. They are trying to prevent an easy and vile method to steal from others.

Guess which approach do I like better.

I've seen pax get to the 'plane door and the CC find they're getting on the wrong flight - and that in the UK. Normally it's when there's chaos around the desk at the door entering the jetbridge and someone slips through. They're rushing so they get to the destination earlier.......

Airports can really increase the probability of this happening, e.g. putting flights to Belfast and Belfast (Harbour) on adjacent gates :ugh:

Are you saying that when they put my boarding card through the machine at the top of the bridge and check my card / passport / name, it wont tell them i'm boarding the wrong plane :eek::eek: And only the eagle eyed CC can pick that up !!!!!!

Some airlines do say over the PA "please keep your boarding pass out for inspection at the plane" but not all.

1) Queue for fast bag drop after check in. Answer the same questions again.
2) Manage to get around the small Asian teenager in a bright yellow sweatshirt several sizes too big waving a bag at me. He reminds me about the 100 ml rule. His disappointment at failing to impede my progress is tempered when he manages to prevent an old lady procedding to security as her bag was a centimetre too large for the cradle.
3) Belt round my neck and camera out the rucksack as electronic jiggery pokery confuses security when cluttered with the rest of my gear. Amazed that the people in front appear never to have flown and hold everyone up.
4) Find myself in the Duty Free shop hopping on one leg attempting to put my shoes on.
5) Find departure gate and am afraid to relax as I need to show my ID yet again. Depending on the airline I might have to show boarding card and ID at the gate and again at the aircraft 100 yards later on the bridge. That ID might be my passport to get me from London to Glasgow.

By the time you tell me where my seat is, I have had that ID checked 4-5 times. Modern air travel is just a stressful rat race, the Tube is more relaxing. it's not personal, but by the time I get to you, I'm in no mood to be stopped again alas. ( I don't argue that it may be necessary due to inconsistencies at airports. )

Boardingpas
 

Well said.

It is up to the Airport Operator to provide info on so called security prior to boarding.

I have been around this business for over 40 years, all European/US/CA/ME carriers I have flown on as pax (even staff & Dead Head) have checked boarding pass on boarding. This is Company SOP in most air carriers of all designations.

The Cabin Crew are there for Your Security, Safety & Survival. This is a legal requirement, and they are trained and licensed accordingly.

Perhaps the role of the Cabin Crew is not adequately made obvious to the paying pax. They have control of the Cabin, you/me as pax do not. In the event of a disrupted arrival, the Acft Commander (aka Capt) devolves command to the senior surviving Cabin Crew member once the acft has come to rest.

If you have a bitch/whinge etc., suggest you look first at your mood/attitude of mind and adjust your present thinking. Maybe a lesson or three in meditation techniques would not go amiss?

No I am not Cabin Crew, have controlled many in the past, trained some, respect them all, even the Old Bints on AA/DL/US/NW etc!:E:ok:

Last post by merlinxx is a classic example of adamant unability to listen while being excellent at repeating own generic arguments (with a nice amout on self-imposed authority and condescending attitude) no matter how applicable to the present discussion.

Multiple people has reported that NOT ALL airlines do check at the door - merlinxx tells us it never happened in 40 years, so "we" must have been in a state of trance when boading ?!?

Nobody has questioned crew responsabilities in safety and their right to check passes anytime - yet merlinxx feels the need to lecture us about that - with flashing colours s nonetheless.

Multiple people pointed out how stressful has become air travel today - merlinxx reminds us of the benefits of meditation.

Easy to see how apt you was for "controlling" people Mr merlinxx.

our language . . . . . . . . .
 

The use of different colours is a valid way of highlighting those parts of the text on which the poster wishes to place emphasis.

The multiple gross spelling errors of illiteracy do not need highlighting; they stick out like a sore thumb already.

christep,
I don't think this is the best place to discuss security in detail, but perhaps someone who is not authorised to fly and who therefore doesn't have a boarding pass, might be trying to get on to my flight... or someone with a domestic boarding pass might be trying to board my international flight to flee the country. :=

But, no, we're not worried about poor Mrs O'Reilly getting a bit lost without her glasses and trying to board the flight to Bucharest instead of Belfast. But still better to help her at the door rather than at the 'Ladies and Gentlement, welcome to Bucharest' stage. Don't you agree?

We're not the only line of defence, but rather we work with the airport security and gate staff to make sure everyone is getting to the right place. Yes, some airlines operate differently, but the cabin crew are still the last line of defence to stop someone who is not authorised to board from entering. And as we're the one's who'll be flying on the plane, and the ones responsible for safety and sorting out any problems in the cabin, we like to take extra special care and insist we see your boarding pass. If someone does manage to get on the plane without a boarding pass or the wrong boarding pass, it's of course the cabin crew who get the blame.

As for stress, I, too, absolutely hate travelling as a passenger. I know it's an awful experience. However, whilst I know what air-travel entails, it still doesn't really mean you can be rude to the poor cabin crew for doing their job - it is the first time they are meeting you, and the first time they are seeing the boarding pass. Why not take the opportunity to smile and make a good impression? They'll probably be smiling even though you might be the 500th person they've said hello to, and it might be after having already worked 10 hours after having woken up at 5am...

I'm not defending the sometimes rather chaotic conditions in airports, nor am I saying all passengers should know (no number of announcements or signs will be able to inform everyone), but for those who are reading this, I recommend you keep your boarding pass handy... It is, after all, quite literally, a "BOARDING PASS"... something you'll probably need for BOARDING... :ok:

I beg you pardon AMEandPPL, truth is the PC I'm using now has no spell checker installed. I always use one out of respect to "your" language that obviously isn't "mine".

Note however that I will admire your language skills only when you'll be able to achieve similar results in "my" language or any of the other three that I command.

I think however your excellence, just like merlinxx, is in lecturing the next person with pompous emptiness, regards.

You are clearly living in the past. How can it not be clear to you that the current bread of religious fanatic is quite happy to die for the cause, so the whole basis of the previous "terrorists will try to get their luggage on the plane without them" school of thought is completely obsolete? You are fighting the last war.

Neither of these is an issue of security. The first is an issue of revenue control, the second is an issue for immigration. Neither of them is a threat to the plane.

The fact that you don't appear to understand that demonstrates completely why you should have no part in any security process.

christep, the thing is that the airline gets fined if an immigration irregularity happens and possibly even if the regulation authority finds that a pax boarded a wrong domesting flight. If that is right or not, it's immaterial to this discussion.

Once again, nobody is questioning the fact that crew can request to see passes at any time and the pax should be polite in showing it or asking for a little time to find it. Just like in any other normal situation.

If you put the above in discussion, you're opening the way to more lecturing and arrogant attitude that as you can see, never fails to appear.

Indeed - and I have no problem at all with the crew asking to see my boarding pass at the door. What I have a problem with is ignorant cabin crew saying that it is in the interests of our security, which it patently isn't.

what about the people who grumble about having to show their passport at the gate. You would not believe the amount of people that complain. And when you ask if they could possibly open it on the picture page you get looks that could kill. All this is said in the announcment and yet they dont listen:*.
These people are everywhere you just have to smile and grit you teeth because for all the grumpy pax there are many more fantsatic pax out there who do appreciate the job we do.

Again, no problem. But again, nothing to do with security.