August 8, 2006
Rude passengers looking for unfinished puzzles
For those of you who don't read Peter King, here is his Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week:
Aboard a Continental flight from Jacksonville to Houston last Wednesday, the 19ish woman in 8E sat down, leafed through her in-flight magazine and rang her flight-attendant call button as travelers filled the aisle getting to their seats.In America we expect people to be somewhat independent (so they would check the seat next to them for example) but interestingly, I don't think a flight attendant on Korean Air or JAL would be too surprised at getting asked for a new magazine. I have no idea what they'd say back in the galley or wherever they go, but I don't think the request would seem as unusual as it did to Peter King and the Continental flight attendant. Posted by James Trotta at August 8, 2006 2:57 AMWhen a male flight attendant worked his way through the crowded aisle and got to the woman, she held up the mag and said, "I need another in-flight magazine.''
"OK,'' the polite guy said. "What is the problem?''
"The puzzles are already done in this one,'' she said. "I want one with the puzzles blank.''
The flight attendant, I'm sure, wanted to say something like, "Are you out of your cotton-pickin' mind to bother me with something so pathetically insignificant?'' Instead, with fliers squeezing around him to get to their seats, he said, "Have you tried the magazine in the next seat pocket?''
"No,'' she said, still holding the magazine out to the guy, like it had cooties and she wanted to get rid of it.
So he reached into the next seat pocket, leafed through it, saw the puzzles hadn't been done and handed it to the woman.
AND SHE DIDN'T SAY THANK YOU!
I'm not sure, but I believe that woman is a dean's list student at Clueless University, majoring in Inconsideratology.
After frequently being embarrassed by these type of travellers I have reserved the right to make loud personal comments about their behavior. Generally to the amusement of the attendant and other passengers. I'd be the SA who would make a HUGE scene running to each pocket, checking the puzzles, making comment about the puzzle being done, then going on to the next. Possibly even standing up to announce to the whole plane that "this woman's puzzles have been completed! Does anyone have blank puzzles?!?"
Posted by: Todd at August 9, 2006 1:11 AMPeople today take no personal responsibility. Lazy, inconsiderate, selfish, and spoiled.
I would have walked off saying "That's okay, you don't have to thank me."
Posted by: M.A. at August 9, 2006 3:36 AMI was on a Southwest Flight years ago and witnessed the flight attendants perfectly handle a real jerk. He complained about everything and was just basically loud and obnoxious. His biggest complaints centered around what makes SW cheap, festival seating, no meal service etc. The flight attendants started in on him as a pack and got the rest of the passengers involved via the intercom. They and the passengers kept on him until he was last seen wearing an apron, and a red face passing out peanuts as his "punishment". He ended up having a great time and really changed his attitude. It was a beautiful thing to witness. Those SW flight attendants are the best.
Posted by: Mike at August 9, 2006 11:40 PMWell Mike you don't know what customer service is like anymore. Both Southwest and American have the worst customer service ever, compare this to foreign carriers like JAL, Air France or Mexicana, which actualy treat you like they are happy to have you on their flight. I flew Southwest on a red-eye flight from LAX to MDW, and the customer service was horrible, I'd rather pay a bit more and get better service.
Posted by: Diego Frausto at December 23, 2006 3:51 AM