“There is nothing more irritating than when a passenger comes straight onto the plane and asks for a soda. I’m like, ‘Seriously?’” says Stracener. “There’s a laundry list of safety-related things that I need to get done before I can get someone their Diet Coke.” Equally irritating: food hoarders. “There was one woman who was with her two small children. They had already had their beverage and snack when she asked for more. I thought it was for the kids, so I brought her extra ones. She took them from me and put them in her purse to go. She was basically stocking up for later.”
Exit Row – Most travelers get to select where they sit on a flight. Those who choose an exit row seat have to agree that they can handle the safety responsibilities that come with it. Not surprisingly, most are just in it for the legroom. “I am required to ask, ‘Are you willing and able to operate this exit?’” says Nick Stracener, a flight attendant with American. “I had one passenger answer back, ‘Um, I don’t know, am I?’ And that’s good; some don’t answer at all.” Problem is, the FAA requires these passengers to provide a verbal affirmation. “It’s really irritating because they don’t take it seriously,” Stracener says. “And these are the people everyone will have to rely on in case of an emergency.”
Connection Conversations – “I had someone die on one of my flights,” says Stracener, who had been on the job for only three months at the time of the incident. “The man had an aneurysm, and his wife found him in the bathroom, unconscious. When we landed, the paramedics brought him to the jet bridge to do CPR. We asked the passengers to stay seated while they tried to save his life. During it, I had passengers yelling at me about how they were going to miss their connections. It’s amazing how selfish people can be. A man died, but yes, we’ll make sure you get to your vacation.”
Touchy Touchy – Since flight attendants tower over seated passengers, it can be tricky to make eye contact to get their attention. “We understand that because our rear ends are at face level, it can make you feel like it would be appropriate to poke or lay hands on our hip or leg or tap on the back of our dress to get our attention,” says Unger. “Maybe the height difference makes everyone revert back to feeling like a 6-year-old trying to get their mama’s attention. But please don’t touch, poke, or tug on a flight attendant. You could say ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Sir.’ You can say ‘Miss,’ ‘Excuse me,’ ‘Pardon me’ — or just wait until I make eye contact with you. But please don’t touch my rear end again!”
Check out the full list over at Yahoo!, thanks to Mark as always for sharing with our readers.
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