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The duties of flight attendants don't just stop at serving passengers during the flight. They are also trained to handle emergencies that can occur at any time on board. Andy, a flight attendant for a major airline, shared on Reddit that flight attendants must be quick to respond to ensure passenger safety when the plane encounters a problem.
According to Andy, being a flight attendant is a dangerous job, but many passengers only see them as service staff. In all cases, flight attendants must behave politely towards passengers, even when they are insulted or hurt.
Andy believes flight attendants deserve more respect. When passengers are dissatisfied, they should calmly express their opinions. In some cases, passengers needing assistance should also ask politely and tactfully. Based on his years of flying experience, Andy shared instances where passengers have made flight attendants feel uncomfortable.
Touching without permission.
Call out the flight attendant's name when you need help.
On airline forums, many flight attendants share that they feel more comfortable being addressed by name on their name tags or receiving requests politely, rather than being rudely pulled aside to ask for information. Some flight attendants say they have encountered uncomfortable situations where passengers even touch them roughly to ask for help or information.
"Just as you shouldn't touch strangers, we expect visitors to call out our names and wait for our response. Waving small items around to ask us to throw them away is also annoying," Andy shared.
Ask for water as soon as you board the plane.
Asking for water right when boarding a plane makes it difficult for flight attendants to handle their job.
"To ensure the flight schedule is maintained and with only a few minutes for our work, we have to be fully focused," a flight attendant wrote.
This seemingly harmless action inadvertently affects the flight crew's procedures. During the initial boarding period, flight attendants are responsible for coordinating and settling passengers into their seats. Additionally, the flight crew has many pre-flight safety tasks to complete during this time. Therefore, small requests like asking for a glass of water can distract the flight attendants. Passengers can be more considerate by bringing their own small bottle of water before boarding.
Using the restroom at the wrong time.
Using the restroom at the wrong time can affect the takeoff process.
Airplane aisles are quite narrow. Passengers who inadvertently move to the restrooms while flight attendants are serving meals and drinks may feel uncomfortable. Passengers should avoid going to the restrooms while flight attendants are serving to ensure the process is not interrupted and other passengers do not have to wait long for their turn to receive food.
Press the call button repeatedly to summon a flight attendant.
Please be patient and wait your turn to be served.
"If the plane has just taken off and the seatbelt sign is still on, please wait five minutes before pressing the service button," a flight attendant shared on Reddit. Several other flight attendants said they felt awkward dealing with passengers repeatedly pressing the service button while they were attending to other passengers.
Ask the flight attendant to answer all your questions.
Flight attendants cannot answer all of passengers' questions.
Many flight attendants complain that they have encountered passengers who demand answers to questions beyond their duties and expertise. Flight attendants are responsible for ensuring safety and coordinating passengers on the flight. However, they are not information officers. Therefore, there is much information that flight attendants cannot possibly have. Many flight attendants share that they have encountered passengers who demanded they answer questions or resolve issues related to flight cancellations. When solutions were presented to the ground support staff, many passengers were uncooperative.
Legs outstretched, blocking the walkway.
Passengers are allowed to stretch their legs on the plane, but avoid doing so while the flight attendants are serving them.
This action by passengers isn't wrong, but many do it in inappropriate circumstances. Travelers are perfectly allowed to stretch their legs comfortably on an airplane, but they should choose times when there are fewer flight attendants around so as not to interfere with the work they are doing on the flight. Many flight attendants have complained about passengers becoming irritable when asked to put their legs back in place.
"They considered it an unreasonable request, when we were only asking the passengers to move their legs so as not to interfere with the crew on duty," Andy shared with Reddit.
Saying thank you too rarely
Flight attendants appreciate receiving thank-you notes.
Flight attendants don't expect thanks from passengers. However, in return for their service, travelers can simply express their gratitude. "Sometimes, a small thank you when serving food can make my whole day happy," one flight attendant shared.
