Angry pax declines to Raise Reclined Seat During Service...

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lydea

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Jul 5, 2012
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Last week, I flew home HKG-MEL on CX163 on an E fare, in the middle seat of the middle group of seats. I had a bad experience with the pax in front, who declined my polite request to raise his reclined seat when drinks service began – both services. He berated me angrily both times; in fact, I would have felt unsafe if there hadn’t been the barrier of seat-backs inbetween us. My gestures and requests to cabin crew, right beside us with the trolley, proved fruitless. When he failed to respond to their request, they agreed he had “the right” to remain reclined, and asked me to give him five minutes. After some more pugnacious rudeness to me, he raised his seat and I thanked him.

If the aisle hadn’t been clogged with the trolley, I would have asked staff to get the flight director. I gave in to the shame of “making a fuss”, and to some sympathy for the two young women trying to serve drinks. But I am shocked and disturbed that this angry man was allowed to rant at me and was supported by cabin crew, on both meal services.

My email to CX the next day elicited an automatic note to the effect they aim to respond within 10 days, but business is so busy it may take longer. NOT good enough!
 
Chalk this up to some pax are just total ****'s. On the bright side the odds of you ever meeting this pax again in your life is so remote that you'll probably never see them again.

I don't know what CX can really do at this stage.
 
In relation to your last paragraph, I am not sure what you expect CX to do here apart from a template response? The not good enough comment is a tad harsh.
 
I think the FAs work more on the plan that you would be more likely to be compliant and work better for them by not causing an issue whereas the vibes from the guy in front was he would cause an issue. Squeaky wheel and all that

Not putting your seat up during meal service is a coughty move - he was an ahole.
 
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Recliners get all “I paid my money, it’s my right to recline whenever I want, they wouldn’t let me recline if it wasn’t my right to recline”. And they get very ... emotional about it. They don’t see reclining as the selfish action it is, they only see their own “rights” and what they can get away with to their own ends.
You won’t talk sense into them.
Best you can do is really, really annoy them.

It’s probably not quite the right thing to do to use their face as a handle when lifting yourself out of your seat. But if I saw someone else do that, I wouldn’t be judging harshly ...
 
I can see where you’re coming from, SQ generally ask everyone to put their seats forward during meal service. It is the crew that’s asking then, not another passenger, which must surely reduce the potential for conflict.
 
Unfortunately, it was his seat to recline as he pleased inflight.

However, I know where you are coming from as I have experienced similar on QF during meal service. The FAs will not intervene. Certainly very poor form on his part.
 
Aren't we as pax supposed to (and told to in the safety briefing) follow crew instructions at all times?
Personally I've asked the cabin crew more times than i can remember to ask the pax in front to return his/her chair to the upright position when the meal service starts and never has the request been denied.

@lydea were the cabin crew not assertive enough to force the passenger in front comply?
 
Aren't we as pax supposed to (and told to in the safety briefing) follow crew instructions at all times?
Personally I've asked the cabin crew more times than i can remember to ask the pax in front to return his/her chair to the upright position when the meal service starts and never has the request been denied.

@lydea were the cabin crew not assertive enough to force the passenger in front comply?
They requested him to raise his seat and he refused, asserting it was his right. One of the FAs actually turned to me and agreed, it was his right. No point my asking where was MY right? No point, too, arguing with an angry man.
 
Its really not the cabin crew's job to mediate between passengers where no one is breaking the rules.
SO: is it correct that it's every passenger's right to do as s/he likes within the physical sphere of their seat? Is there no policy or prcedure that requires pax to cooperate with others and with cabin crew? If not, why not?
 
Aren't we as pax supposed to (and told to in the safety briefing) follow crew instructions at all times?
Personally I've asked the cabin crew more times than i can remember to ask the pax in front to return his/her chair to the upright position when the meal service starts and never has the request been denied.

@lydea were the cabin crew not assertive enough to force the passenger in front comply?
That's correct. As a small (but much older) woman, I have some sympathy with the judgment that you don't poke a mad dog, but they should have called for more authoritative assistance.
 
Recliners get all “I paid my money, it’s my right to recline whenever I want, they wouldn’t let me recline if it wasn’t my right to recline”. And they get very ... emotional about it. They don’t see reclining as the selfish action it is, they only see their own “rights” and what they can get away with to their own ends.
You won’t talk sense into them.
Best you can do is really, really annoy them.

It’s probably not quite the right thing to do to use their face as a handle when lifting yourself out of your seat. But if I saw someone else do that, I wouldn’t be judging harshly ...
forg, if you look like the character in your picture (not dissimilar to angry man in my case), you might get away with your recommendation. I'm smaller, older, have shaky hands and am afraid of angry men.
 
Yes, certainly mixed experiences here. Some FAs don’t want to get involved. Win some, lose some, I guess.
 
Its really not the cabin crew's job to mediate between passengers where no one is breaking the rules.

I don't think that one 'flies' :) . An argument across the cabin re some-one smelling for instance, will usually get the crews attention :) .

A shame the cabin crew rewarded belligerence rather than doing what cabin crew around the world do, in my experience: ask and then direct a recliner to un-recline during meal service, if the pax behind asks.
 
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