Notice that this one doesn't have many comments yet.....It's hard to feel sympathy for someone who is telling you no, you can't do that......

My father and stepmother were/are flight attendants for many years, and I have been hearing their work stories since I was little. They got exponentially worse after 9/11, probably because flying turned from a sometimes-stressful event to an always-stressful one.

I've also been a frequent flyer for most of my life and have seen firsthand what the FA's have to deal with. I know that FA's are virtually reviled by commenters on this site, and I know that in some cases, there are some FA's who may seem to overstep their bounds. However, I think in the majority of cases FA's are just doing their jobs under very stressful circumstances.

I read that article the other day and was struck by one particular line, because it's one I have thought for years: "People check their brains when they get on an airplane." Actually, my line has always been "IQ's drop by 20 points whenever people are within the confines of an airport." Flying has become very stressful and I absolutely believe that there are passengers who vent their stress on flight attendants, and that just sets the tone for the entire flight. However, I have yet to meet a flight attendant who, no matter how frazzled they are, isn't helpful if I approach him or her in a low-key and courteous manner. And if FA's now feel that they are at least in part responsible for the safety and lives of everyone onboard , then it's not surprising that some may seem really pushy when trying to enforce rules.

I think everyone on a plane needs to take a deep breath before boarding, honestly. Crew and passengers alike.

Of course most flight attendants are reasonable people. It's just that they have a job crappy enough that it could get to anyone. I wouldn't want to be a waitress on a flying boat either. I always treat flight attendants well, anyway.

When you stick stressed and frustrated passengers in a confined space with stressed frustrated flight attendants, you are just asking for trouble.

I wasn't around for flying 30 years ago (however my mother was a flight attendant those days), but back then, flight attendants were paid and treated well, so they were less stressed and more capable of handling stressed and frustrated passengers. Also back then, passengers didn't have to deal with the crap they do today with fees and security and everything else, so they were less stressed and frustrated...just a better situation all the way around.

@Flame:

They're just the mouthpiece for the idiots in charge. It only makes things worse to take it out on them unless they are being completely unreasonable and not using common sense.

How come no bus attendants?

There never seems to be anyone else representing an airline who you can talk to if there are problems (delays, cancelled flight, missed connection, etc). So they get an unfair burden - and I definitely agree that even very well-mannered and usually calm people can get extra frazzled in airports. The constant TV noise from 'CNN airport edition' always puts me on edge.

There should be a way for customers & flight attendants & other airline employees to together highlight how certain mindless policies are making everyone miserable, and putting customers & staff into unfair situations.

I would imagine that "flight attendant" is a dreadful job. (Then again, despite my frequent flying, I hate the sensation and have panic attacks from heights. So, you know, not suited.) Working in the service industry can be bad enough -- my last retail job was actually great but you know how those customers are -- but I can't imagine having to compound that with the Idiot Factor in airports. (Yes, friend, the 47 signs about liquids apply to YOU, too.)

I've met two nasty flight attendants / airport service agents in the last three years, and dozens who were doing the best anyone possibly could under the same situation. I'm more than willing to give the majority of them the benefit of the doubt. (Especially the one who brought me a ton of napkins when my boyfriend knocked over the mini-bottle of white wine he thought would "calm me down" on a horribly turbulent flight from JFK to Vegas. JetBlue lady, you win! Especially for sneaking me a free replacement bottle!)

what did an airline ticket cost in the 60s? (accounting for inflation)... i would imagine ticket prices were very high and could accomodate the 'old school' lifestyle of FAs. but as with everything in america, people want everything cheaper and cheaper but are not willing to take cuts in service or quality to get it. ultimately we get it cheaper, but we dont get what we really want

I do feel sorry for them, since they kind of get it from both ends... Airline cutbacks affect them as much as the customers they're trying to serve.

It would be interesting to see this writer try to be a CSR for a day...

Ive only flown twice but i always try to be nice and courteous to the flight crew cause if figure my flight will go alot smoother if i do and its one less thing for them to worry about. I do not envy them having to deal with that many people on a daily basis. Now security screening, dont get me started on that.

@oneandone: Oh man, I hate those TV's blaring at all hours! They are total noise pollution.

The thing that I don't get is the weight limit due to the runway. What were they flying in a Cessna 150? So on a modern passenger jet the few hundred pounds from 11 kids instead of adults makes a difference? A Boeing 737 with passengers and fuel weighs in well north of 100,000 pounds so we are talking about less than 1%.

This makes me hate the airlines even more. Pay these people more money. Make their work conditions better. It's a matter of my safety. And my safety isn't furthered when a low paid, stressed out flight attendant can't communicate her needs in a way that I understand (so that I don't end up getting arrested for using the john).

Honestly... I get that the companies aren't profitable enough. Maybe it's time to build a better airline!

I've actually found that the Flight Attendants have always been the best part of the flying experience for me, and some of them have been downright kind and generous. It's the gate agents and ticketing folks who've made it hell for me in the past.

@ Dopplerd: airlines calculate the exact amount of fuel for their weight. if the weight is higher, then the calculated amount of fuel will not be as sufficient as if the weight was at the calculated level.

I do understand that these people are just doing their jobs, that the policies they espouse are not their fault. Nevertheless, it is hard to resist the urge to ruin the day of the person who's the smiling, unhelpful face of the company ruining your day.

I do not envy these people.

i dont know about anyone else but i thought the plan all along was to stay upbeat while traveling? I mean a couple years ago I was the chipper one going home for christmas and it was the staff that were absolute pricks (understandably, it was xmas eve) but could you imagine what would have happened to me if I got bitchy with the security guard that spot-checked my carry-on? I dont even want to think about it. For the love of science do not portray anything but sincere respect and gratitude when you travel if you want the best experience (even if you feel like shit)

@Overheal: unfortunately there are too many entitled assholes out there....

your comment makes me think that you worked some sort of customer service job for awhile? i got a great perspective on the service industry after having worked computer tech support at a retail store. made me look at how i treat others VERY differently. i shutter think how i behaved in my teens years (fortunately i dont recall any particularly terrible outbursts from me).

@dopplerd: Yes it does. There also assume a certain amount of weight in baggage for each passenger.
Its amusing to me that so many people think pilots and flight attendants do things like, oh calculate the weight of an airplane for takeoff, just to fuck with the passengers.
I lived with a pilot for 3 years. There are a lot of PROCEDURES that HAVE to be followed. If it inconveniences passengers, so be it. They are in place for your safety.

What's with the upskirt shot, Consumerist?

@DrGirlfriend:

Very well put, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch.

That was a wonderful article. Thanks for linking to it.

I have no problem with flight attendants at all! It's the ticket agents/gate agents that are usually surly and evil.

@erratapage: There was a better airline, it was called ExpressJet. They did everything right, low prices, non-stop flights, gave you food even on short flights, let you choose your seats without restriction, and had great customer service.

But they failed in the wake of huge oil prices. Too bad.

Much respect to flight attendants. They have to crawl through those cramped aisles, breathe in stale recycled air, put up with drunk, abusive assholes, and be at everyone's beck and call. I wouldn't last 5 minutes as a an FA, mostly because I would strangle all the assholes on the plane.

Interesting post. I've been wondering about this a lot lately: When compared to other industries, what has gone wrong with the airline industry? Why was flying 25 years ago so much better for the consumer than today. Where's the natural progress of it - better, faster, cheaper? It's not like the market has disappeared. It's not like flying has become obsolete.

And now we hear from the inside that it's the same thing; the job itself is a lot worse than it was 25 years ago.

I can't imagine that the industry is non-self sustaining. However, with a few exceptions, it certainly has seemed to trend that way over the last few decades.

@snazz:

Pretty expensive according to this site.

[mysite.verizon.net]

@rpm773: Didn't the airlines get deregulated. That word is popping up a lot when something goes suck.

Do you respect that SWA flight attendant who shipped the Indian doctor to jail?

See, this is why I'm so bothered when I meet a genuinely awful flight attendant.

I fly constantly and without a doubt rude flight attendants happen to be the exception and not the rule, so it's all the more shocking when they scream at your otherwise resilient 16-year-old sister until she cries.

@emington:

Actually, in this case, the greater the weight, the longer the take-off run. The aircraft's flight management system calculates the maximum take-off weight using a runway of a specified length, based temperature and wind conditions. If they are even 1lb over, company rules (and for taht matter FAA regulations) dictate a no-go. "Counting babies" is a common practice to reduce the estimated weight from passengers (estimated at 170lbs per pax). Don't ask me if they count sumo wrestlers too.

This article seems to be a reflection of pretty much every service industry. Low paid people who have to take all the heat from angry customers. Guaranteed being a flight attendant is probably a lot worse as you have to deal with these people in the air, they can't just leave the store and go somewhere else, so you have to try and calm them even when they are severely stressed. Add to that that a lot of people are stressed in their jobs as it is to begin with even before they get to the airport, and if they are traveling for work you will get work stress on top of normal airport stress. I have never been on an airplane but I can't imagine what it would be like, and frankly I don't want to go on one until the industry improves and is more customer friendly. I can only imagine how stressed I would be if my flight was late and that was causing me to miss my connecting flight. I would also be so concerned about lost luggage and something being stolen from my bags that I don't think I could ever bring myself to get on a plane. I simply can't afford to lose anything I own.

I try to be as nice as possible to the cashier at the register or the CSR because they take all the heat, I even take a min to chat if there is no one in the store because it can be boring at times. It would take a lot to get me to explode, a lot.

Ever tried being friendly and nice to a FA? You get treated like a number and told what to do. Thanks for flying. meh.

The article reinforces the fact that being a FA is a young person's game. This isn't an ageist statement, other professions have areas similarly stacked against aging bodies & minds (mine included). Knowing when to get out is part of the business, on your feet for 12 hours is OK when you're 26 but sucks at 46, let alone 56!

@snazz: But also because many of us have to fly frequently today, for business or school or families or whatnot. Today's lifestyle is far more mobile than it was in the 1960s. I don't necessarily have a choice whether or not I want to fly, as 75% of my trips are work-related.

@dopplerd: Well, and it's directly related to how long of a runway you need to get your heavy ass in the air.

@Flame: Well, that proves rude people are like spoiled kids.

Try smiling next time and be nice. Flight attendant are not used to nice people. Even if most flight attendants I've met, were professional and nice.

For everyone else, rude people are randomly everywhere. Starting within consumers ranks ;)

I've never experienced any nasty flight attendants. On the other hand, like the Soup Nazi, I never say or do anything untoward.

I nearly got into words when an attendant (illogically) made me remove my earbuds, even though my ipod was turned off, before takeoff. But thought better of it and did what she wanted, stupid or not.

Attendants are like cops: buddy-buddy as long as you don't do anything to question their authority. Any faux pas with either results in you getting cuffed or worse.

Hot, pleasant-smelling towel service at the beginning and end of the flight would go a long way toward chilling people out.

@bbagdan: My guess is because they FA's don't have time to inspect every ipod to make sure it is turned off, so they ask that people remove the earbuds as a visual cue to them. I mean, yeah, you could still have it turned on with the earbuds off, but in general earbuds on leads you to believe someone is listening to their device.

You want happier passengers, then treat them like people and not cargo. Don't sell me a drink, offer me one. Offer me a bag of chips. Add the dollar cost of this amenities-fest to my ticket, I'm not going to notice.

What I do notice is getting nickeled and dimed when I'm on the plane. Here's a tv show you don't get to watch. Here's a snack you could buy, but we don't have change. On American, a flight from Dallas to Honolulu does not have meals, but you can buy a snack. That's a nine hour flight!

Is this the flight attendants fault? I'm saying yes, it is. Why? Because they're not protecting their own job when these services are cut back. Much like the automated checkout lines at grocery stores, you take away the services and then you don't need the people. Flight attendants who aren't providing a service to the passengers are essentially taking up space on the plane, so it is in their best interests to provide those services.

What I'm saying is, passengers behave better and they're nicer if they feel they're being treated decently. It is in the best interests of the airlines and the flight attendants to provide these services.

In 2007 inflation adjusted dollars he average fare for one flight segment was ~ $240 in 1980 and in 2007 it was ~ $137.

http://www.airlines.org/economics/review_and_outlook/annual+reports.htm

Airlines now offer more service to more destinations for a significantly cheaper price than 30 years ago. If fares went back to 1980 levels, passenger demand would also fall. Less flight service, less jobs. Airlines could afford to offer better customer service to the passengers who still fly, but at the expense of the many who could no long afford to travel. I guess my point is, be careful what you wish for, everything has trade-offs.

Lets just give the flight attendants guns and badges and be done with it.

@Elvisisdead: I was on a flight with a bunch of other guys on a trip to West Virginia in a tiny turboprop (maybe 20 seats?). The flight attendant came up to one of the guys I was with and said "Sir, I need you to move to the back of the plane for the flight to Charleston."

Of course, he was the only black guy on the plane.

He gave her a look, and said "It's gonna be like that, is it?"

She immediately realized what he was thinking and said "We need to balance the plane; if one of you gentlemen could move to the back, it would allow us to take off."

I went ahead and moved and he and I both got free drinks.

I've cut my flying way back. I just can't take the stress of buying the ticket (dealing with the fees), the drive to the airport, parking, the long slow lines of checking in, the kiosks that don't work, the security hassle, the crowds @ the airport, the canceled flights and having to rebook, weather delays, cramped seats, no food, crying babies, etc.. I just avoid flying as much as possible. I used to love flying... a long time ago.

As an ex-airline management guy, I would agree that Flight Attendants have it pretty rough any more. Not as rough as the gate agents, but still.

If flying is so stressful for FAs nowadays, why don't FAs on airlines like Singapore Airlines, et al. also complain?

I think some of these problems are found more often on American carriers, and may have something (or everything?) with the fact that an airline like SIA will only employ FAs for a few years while some American carriers (e.g. NWA) have FAs who are approaching 20-years experience. In this case, more "experience" doesn't necessarily mean a better-trained FA; it could mean an employee so thoroughly cynical or embittered by their long years of abuse by a carrier and passengers?

@Islandkiwi: How can they provide services they are not able to provide? You think they should comp you food or drinks and go against the rules of their job?