11 Terrible Things to Say to a Flight Attendant
11 Terrible Things to Say to a Flight Attendant
“Can you help me put this bag in the overhead bin?”
If you can’t lift your carry-on bag then you shouldn’t be bringing it onto the plane. You packed it, then you are responsible for it getting into the overhead bins. We didn’t go to training to learn how to lift your heavy bags. In fact, we are told that if we are injured due to helping passengers put their heavy bags up, we will NOT be covered under workers comp. At the end of the day, if you can’t lift your own bag into the overhead bin, or you can’t find someone else to do it for you (besides the flight attendants), then we will be checking your bag to your final destination. So pack lightly, my friends!
“Can I have one of your buddy passes?”
Flight crew, cabin crew, gate agents, or other airline employees get a certain amount of buddy passes a year. Even if we are buddies, this is my least favorite question to be asked. Buddy passes aren’t for free and they aren’t even easy to use anymore. You will be flying on standby and will usually be the last person on the standby list. Especially for American Airlines, I rarely see every standby getting on. If you are flexible, are willing to sit in the airport possibly all day, or are fine with taking any seat available, then a buddy pass might be for you. But even then, if we don’t offer then don’t ask. Not to mention, you can probably find a cheaper guaranteed seat by just buying a ticket.Β
Asking to use the restroom when the seatbelt sign is on
This one is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. If the seatbelt sign is on then you should be seated, with your seatbelt on. If you ask me if you can use the restroom during this time, it is my responsibility to tell you that the seatbelt sign is on and you SHOULD be seated with your seatbelt on. HOWEVER, if it is an absolute emergency like you are about to pee your pants, then I could care less if you get out of your seat to use the restroom. Just do it at your own risk.Β All I am trying to say is, that you already know the answer to the question and the answer won’t change no matter how many times you ask it. Decide for yourself if you can hold it or absolutely have to go and then make the decision. Be safe, know your risks, and don’t bother us!
“Can I move to the exit row?”
The answer is no, and will always be no. The exit rows are upgraded seats so if you want to sit in them, you have to PAY for them. Flight Attendants will get in trouble if they move you to an exit seat that you didn’t pay for. It is different for every airline, but for us, if you did want to pay for the upgrade, then you have to do it with the gate agent ahead of time.Β
“What hotel are you staying in on your layover?”
I actually get this a lot and it is such an uncomfortable question. First of all, it is creepy that you want to know where we are staying that night. Yes, there are some of you that are just trying to give us good recommendations near our hotel, but just no. We are not going to give you this information because it is unsafe for us to do so.Β
“You look sleepy”
Chances are if we look sleepy, it’s because we are sleepy, AND we do not need to be reminded of just how tired we really are. If you were working 13+ hour workdays, you would be just as sleepy too.
Β “Will i make my connection?”Β
If you are even having to ask this question, then you didn’t give yourself enough connection time. Flight Attendants are not psychics and we cannot predict if we will arrive and deplane in time for you to make it to your gate.Β
“I hate to bother you…”
If you actually hated it, then you wouldn’t be bothering us.
“Can I have a glass of water to take my medicine?”
First of all, if your medicine is so important to take then why didn’t you get yourself a water bottle at the airport? Secondly, most of you ask this and don’t even have medicine to take. I can’t speak for every flight attendant but I can say it would be pretty indecent of us to deny you water whether you need it for your medicine or not.Β
“Can I borrow a pen?”
Do we look like we carry a lot of pens on us? We get this a lot on international flights when passengers are having to fill out forms. The only pens we have on the plane are our own pens that we bring, buy, and need for ourselves. Always pack your own pen!
“Why are we delayed?” “How long will we be delayed for?”
Flight Attendants usually find out we are delayed at the same time you do. Also, we usually don’t know much about why we are delayed and how long it will take. Just wait for the Captain’s announcement. The announcement will definitely come and they will give you a better understanding of the situation than we ever could.Β
Leave a Reply