Being addressed by name.
 

What are your thoughts on being addressed by your name (surname) from cabin crew?

Personally I think it's fine as long as the crew is not looking at the passenger list right in front of me for a whole minute before calling me by my name. I think it should be done discretely.

Anyone care to comment?

I liked it when BA was a really good airline - when it was BOAC - in First class you were always addressed by your name!!!!!

I don't know really, I think that it is obviously a personal view.
When I was in the industry I felt somewhat selfconscious calling someone by their name when it was so obvious that I had just gleaned it from their passport!
Also, I am not too comfortable when someone calls me by name when they do not know me from "Adam". As I say, it is just me maybe. I always found it easier calling someone "Sir" or "Madam".

We're supposed to use pax surnames and I'm not always wholly comfortable with it. I try and judge it based on the pax type. Group of lads then first name is the way to go. Old Lady on her own, Mrs Smith or whatever, frequent flyer Mr/Mrs Jones, but generally I prefer€to use Sir/Madam.

At BA we are told to use names...bloody impossible to do mind, especially with such large premium cabins!!! I try to remember the names of the Gold Card holders but if there are more then a few its pot luck!

As a passenger I would like to be referred-to as Mr Hugel or "Sir" or the local equivalent. It is really not that important but what I don't want is to be called by my first name by a stranger. There's a Sie-zen and du-zen thang going on....:)

So long as the person speaking to me is friendly, I really don't mind.

If they take the trouble to find my name and use it, who am I to take offence?

On the contrary, I regard it as good customer service.

If it's 'sir', then I take no offence either.

There are more important things to worry about in life.

I don't care if its first, last, sir or my nickname as long as its done politely.

I really do not mind as pax whether or not my name is used.
The service type is much more important.
Two examples in J.

Pompous, CSD who took himself far too seriously used my name. Never saw him again. It added no value whatsoever to my experience for him to prove to me that he could read my name from a list. (He was also aged and gay, but that was not what offended - pompous was OTT)

Keen, enthusiastic, CSD who made it his business to be around quite a lot. Did not use my name, but I didn't care a jot - because he cared for his customers. (He was younger than me and also gay, but that was not the point).

Having a member of the cabin crew shout out "Chartreuse" at me on a crowded flight does not me not a happy pax make.

hugel

Alot of people call me Jarvy, both friends and strangers (its on my car number plate, my e-mail and my user name) so I really don't mind. As AO said its about the service.

MaxJet [bless their fond memory] used to do that as a matter of course.

And the only airline we ever flew with where we got a hug from one of the cabin crew when boarding, and when going through baggage reclaim and arrivals.

Davida, I hope you get to read this ... the best CC we have EVER encountered. I hope you got a good job with good company.

I tolerate being called 'Sir' once, whether it is long-haul, or on a cruise. I prefer my first name once the introduction is made. If the F/A doesn't remember my name, then he can call me whatever he chooses.
On a cruise, I always introduce myself as John, and this is my wife 'Theresa'. I dislike being called 'Sir' continously because, to me, it smacks of being patronised. I don't call anyone else Sir, and I don't expect people to call me that, once they know who I am.
I have always considered myself as the same 'class' as everybody else in the world, maybe just a bit luckier, perhaps, but the same.

So long as the champers keeps coming they can call me "sir" or "m'lord", I don't care.

Who cares? Any airline that asks it's staff to use the name wherever possible has no idea what it's like to have 30+ pax in a premium cabin on a 12 hour leg. It's just a pretence at service - not real service. The CC have got far more important things to do than be looking up lists of names all the time.

What does age and sexuality have to do with it? And if being gay is not the point why did you mention it TWICE??? And for the record, you sure they were gay, I see a hell of a lot of effeminate "straights" mincing around the place these days, its all the rage ya know!!!! Very strange post!!!



Just dont say things like "Yo", "Bud", "Guys", "Lads", "Wassup" etc etc and you will always get a positive response from me! LOL!

In the days when Iberia still had pretensions of offering service, I used to fly longhaul F and C a lot, often with a colleague whose English surname, when pronounced the Spanish way, sounded like a Spanish swearword. Cabin crew usually found some embarrassment in using his surname to address him, and ended up calling him 'Senyor Martin', which was his first name.

Also reminds me of a Spanish friend called Juan Carlos, which is often abbreviated in conversation to Juanca ....... which if you pronounce it in Spanish sounds rude to English ears ... you can't win!

apaddyinuk
Agreed, a person's sexuality in modern times is not worth mentioning even once, what is important is getting some of it. However your quote showed the comments in bold. They were not in bold in the original post.

Back to thread, anyone may call me what they will.......... as long as it's done with a smile.

I draw the line at 'Claude' or 'Mush' Other than that, no problem.

I think SIA had it about right. In F they would work very hard at remembering your name, in J it would be 'sir' or 'madam' unless you used the call button, in which case by the time they got to your seat they had your name. Personally not bothered, just a happy presence will do.

apaddy,

I thought about whether or not to include the age and orientation points.
I decided that they were valid background points, so I included them in brackets. I certainly did not put them in bold, as you did.
I have no idea why including background points gets you so excited.

The whole point of the e-mail was about service, keen-ness, enthusiasm.

Your correct, I did highlight the gay bit as it was the feature of my post.

You make a point about two very different experiences yet state that they were both gay...so whats the relevance of that? Its not like one was rude cos he was gay and the other wasnt because he was gay! Did we need to know they were gay? There are lots of different types of "gay"! Dont get me wrong, Im far from politically correct in my sense of humour and attitude but it just seemed highly unnecessary and almost offensive in the manner in which you stated it when to be honest, it would have been better if you had left it out!!!

The only impession I was left with was that you have a problem with the ole gays! LOL! But dont worry, I can assure you its not contagious! Hehehe

Interesting point by Paddy.

I guess I don't really care much about stuff like this, unless it is over exaggerated and 'in my face.' e.g. I have taken offence in the past to female CC who sit in the galley slagging off their exes, when I have to listen to it. The same thing with male CC discussing last night's conquest.

The best CC are there when you need them and invisible for the rest of the time; I don;t know how they do it, but it is pretty impressive :ok:

Live and let live, I say.

Oh its easy...we have our hiding places which I like to make full use of! LOL!

I have NEVER heard CC (of either gender) talking about their private lives. Perhaps I should get a hearing aid to spice up my life? If I walk into the galley and they are having a private conversation (as any of us do in our work place) they always break off and turn to help. And I mean on that on 99% of the carriers I have used and the exceptions are few and far between and, come to think of it, a long time ago.

I sometimes hear some crew having a conversation about work, their personal life, gossiping about their colleagues, or similar, particularly when sitting near the crew seats on a high-density lo-co aircraft. It's not like the crew have anywhere to go that isn't near some pax on those aircraft and if there's nothing in particular to do in that part of the flight and no pax talking to them, what else are they going to do? Sitting silent like a misplaced mannekin all the time would be awful - noone is happy or effective in a job when constrained from any social behaviour.
I've never heard anything that was embarassing, confidential, socially awkward, or similar - but really, how bad is it to be talking about your next roster, your search for a good plumber to fix your drains, a friend's wedding, your desire for a holiday somewhere warm soon, the sports results, or the many other harmless things the pax are talking about just next to the crew?
Recently I sat next to a colleague both in the front row opposite the crew and after we got off my colleague commented on the crew seeming to have nothing better to do than talk about other crew, and I had to inform the colleague that at that phase of the flight there's not much else to be doing and she agreed it was harmless after all.

GSM always called me either 'Sir' or with my boarding pass sometimes by name. Smile was never discretionary.

ryanair usually called me 'sit there!' or 'not these front rows, no'.

I'll miss GSM. But now have to fly/commute with smelly, dirty, day-glo yellow, reclineless 'toot-te-toot' RYR.

I do address pax by name, only because BA want me to do it but I don't like it. It's an American thing and it's not natural.

Personally, and I may be old fashioned, but I come from an old well-known English family (Grandad was rather famous!) and am known by a lot of staff in some branches of John Lewis. Their staff call me by name and it makes me cringe with embarrassment - I wish to hell they would stop doing it!

Indeed, on more than one occasion I have shopped elsewhere because I don't want the embarrassment of being fawned over! Americans may love it, but for an eccentric English gentleman it just isn't on!

I am given to understand Germans, Austrians and Swiss find being addressed by name rather intimidating too! In our quaint European way, we expect to be formally introduced before we start addressing each other by name!

I used to work with a lot of Germans, and even after many years working together they used to address each other as Herr or Frau whatever, whereas they found it quite acceptable for me to address them by their first names and vice versa.

On a beautiful deserted island, in the middle of nowhere, the following people are stranded:

2 Italian men and 1 Italian woman

2 French men and 1 French woman

2 German men and 1 German woman

2 Greek men and 1 Greek woman

2 English men and 1 English woman

2 Bulgarian men and 1 Bulgarian woman



One month later, the situation is as follows:

One Italian man has killed the other Italian man for the Italian woman.

The two French men and the French woman are living happily together in a menage a trios.

The two German men have a strict weekly schedule of when they alternate with the German woman.

The two Greek men are sleeping with each other and the Greek woman is cleaning and cooking for them.

The Bulgarian men, after looking at the Bulgarian woman, have started swimming.

The two English men are still waiting for someone to come by and formally introduce them to the English woman.

Personally, even though I'm of the younger generation, when I fly Emirates I like being addressed by name, and the fact that they welcome me back (because I'm on their frequent flier club) is also nice. I think it boils down to personal choice, it's nice not to feel like you are just a number, even though you just are!

That made me chuckle!

Flew back on EK recently (business class) and did not mind being called sir or Mr ****** by the crew. On the reverse side, cabin crew generally have a name badge but generally do cabin crew mind us pax using it as a means of greeting? I find an 'excuse me' is a far better way of starting a conversation / request.

I prefer being addressed as sir or, even better, as your majesty. :}

I'm afraid being called "sir", or an employer who wants me to call somebody "sir" is something I find particularly objectionable.

A subject of Great Britain is only entitled to be addressed as "Sir" if he holds a Royal Commission or Royal Warrant in the Armed Forces or Civilian Services. Other Ranks, of which I was one when I served, are not entitled to be addressed as "Sir" unless decorated by Her Majesty.

Civilians engaged in commerce certainly do not warrant the term "sir".

From experience with BA/BMI it's a bit hit and miss as to weather you get called by name or nothing at all. I quite like it when the staff discretely pick up your name from your boarding pass at the lounge entrance and hand it back with a friendly 'thank you Mr.***, we'll call you when the flight's boarding'. Then again, I'm perfectly happy if I just get a 'thanks'.

Honestlly; princess ... I couldn't gine a Iota about names .

As long as they don't call me late for dinner

A story was told to me once about a passenger on the good ol' Lagos from LGW (BA).
An African lady in full national costume refused to sit down. The CC tried again and received the answer "I am a princess, you cannot tell me what to do." The CC (who is gay - this is relevant) replied, "Where I come from they call me a queen. That means I outrank you so sit down!"
I don't know how true this is but it did make me chuckle!
:)

Regarding the staff member being addressed by name, personally I really do dislike it, it just doesn't sit right having someone I don't know from Adam using my first name. I guess it's the English in me, that we haven't been introduced thing again.

Sorry, but this wrong.

A knight of the realm is addressed as 'sir' on an honorific basis (quoting either their given name and surname or given name only), whereas the term 'sir' is used as a courtesy title to avoid addressing someone by their name or surname.

Military courtesy is another matter, although a military knight is addressed by his professional title before 'sir.'