Please don’t be this guy

[Mattg]

Sometimes the sense of entitlement people show when travelling astounds me.

After boarding a Cathay Pacific flight, the older gentleman sitting in front of me in Economy flagged down a cabin crew member and simply said “You normally give me a bottle of Evian”. No please, no thank you, just passive aggressiveness to the crew member who then went and got him a bottle of water with a restrained smile.

For goodness sake, there are better ways to ask if you want something!

This guy didn’t even drink the water.

 

[Saab34]

I once witnessed a bogan on a BKK-MEL TG flight, when the crew said we only had this one meal option left, he went ‘nah, I don’t want that cough’, ‘you got any other grub’ . Felt like I was in some outback QLD pub.

The politeness from the TG attendant made me realise they see this rubbish so too often.

I’m sure there are many DPS JQ stories out there.

 

[Pushka]

Sometimes the sense of entitlement people show when travelling astounds me.

After boarding a Cathay Pacific flight, the older gentleman sitting in front of me in Economy flagged down a cabin crew member and simply said “You normally give me a bottle of Evian”. No please, no thank you, just passive aggressiveness to the crew member who then went and got him a bottle of water with a restrained smile.

For goodness sake, there are better ways to ask if you want something!

This guy didn’t even drink the water.

And in that action he was rewarded for his horrible manner.

 

[AuSammy]

And in that action he was rewarded for his horrible manner.

No win situation. Suck it up and will happen again, react and get reported and possibly get the sack (seeing its CX).

 

[drron]

Which is why when I see a passenger/ guest treat a staff member badly I talk to the staff member or their boss that I saw the incident and if the person makes a complaint I will be happy to make statement of what I saw.
Has happened on the present cruise where a younger woman made a really racist comment to an Indian waiter. We reported it to the asst Maitre'D ho is Indian. Now all the Indian staff greet us when we enter the restaurant and even the Maitre'D now greets me as the famous Drron. Karma.

 

[Mattg]

Which is why when I see a passenger/ guest treat a staff member badly I talk to the staff member or their boss that I saw the incident and if the person makes a complaint I will be happy to make statement of what I saw.
Has happened on the present cruise where a younger woman made a really racist comment to an Indian waiter. We reported it to the asst Maitre'D ho is Indian. Now all the Indian staff greet us when we enter the restaurant and even the Maitre'D now greets me as the famous Drron. Karma.

To be honest, I was pretty tempted to have a word with the passenger today. But then I took a deep breath and figured it wasn’t worth risking creating an enemy when we hadn’t even taken off yet. I don’t think he would have taken my “feedback” well. Curious what others think about the best approach here, though?

I have in the past privately told the crew that I’d have their back if the passenger complained on an Air India flight, when another passenger was super demanding and rude to the crew and constantly complaining. The crew did everything this guy asked on the 6-hour flight and he still wasn’t happy.

 

[elanshin]

To be honest, I was pretty tempted to have a word with the passenger today. But then I took a deep breath and figured it wasn’t worth risking creating an enemy when we hadn’t even taken off yet. I don’t think he would have taken my “feedback” well. Curious what others think about the best approach here, though?

I have in the past privately told the crew that I’d have their back if the passenger complained on an Air India flight, when another passenger was super demanding and rude to the crew and constantly complaining. The crew did everything this guy asked on the 6-hour flight and he still wasn’t happy.

There is also a difference in culture. Traditional East Asian culture has a "respect your elders" culture which really isn't the same in western world.

 

[LionKing]

Air stewardess deserve respect - they are not your slaves, they are here for your safety.

 

[drron]

To be honest, I was pretty tempted to have a word with the passenger today. But then I took a deep breath and figured it wasn’t worth risking creating an enemy when we hadn’t even taken off yet. I don’t think he would have taken my “feedback” well. Curious what others think about the best approach here, though?

I have in the past privately told the crew that I’d have their back if the passenger complained on an Air India flight, when another passenger was super demanding and rude to the crew and constantly complaining. The crew did everything this guy asked on the 6-hour flight and he still wasn’t happy.

In your situation I would have done the same thing. I wouldn't rebuke another passenger because you couldn't be sure what their reaction would be. from your description I would doubt the passenger would have put in a formal complaint.

 

[Pushka]

Did just as you did last week @drron at a bakery when a woman who was very tall and quite physically commanding was making life difficult for the server. And her demands made for a very large queue behind her. This woman kept turning round to me and smiling as though she thought I'd be impressed by her. I wasn't.

Then a few weeks ago another woman left a young woman server in tears at the greengrocer and that woman called for the manager. As she was speaking to the manager I quickly chatted to the girl to reassure her then went back to where the woman was abusing the girl and interrupted and said that the manager needed to attend to her worker as she was in tears and that as I was standing behind the woman complaining and had heard the exchange then her worker was the only priority.

In a plane? Not much you can do I guess. Maybe subtle ways that the person would never realise but get some self satisfaction.

 

[Captain Halliday]

To be honest, I was pretty tempted to have a word with the passenger today. But then I took a deep breath and figured it wasn’t worth risking creating an enemy when we hadn’t even taken off yet. I don’t think he would have taken my “feedback” well. Curious what others think about the best approach here, though?

I have in the past privately told the crew that I’d have their back if the passenger complained on an Air India flight, when another passenger was super demanding and rude to the crew and constantly complaining. The crew did everything this guy asked on the 6-hour flight and he still wasn’t happy.

I’ve been is a broadly similar situation.

I actually wrote feedback to the airline, essentially a compliment, noting how well the flight attendant handle the situation.

My theory was that getting the positive feedback on the record early might help if Mr Grumpy complained.

 

[henrus]

Curious what others think about the best approach here, though?

Noise cancelling headphones on and just ignore.

In these sort of situations I struggle to see a situation where you'd "win", you've got no clue if their passive aggressive turns to aggressive. Sure it sucks for the crew but end of the day they are paid to deal with the travelling public (as cough as they can be).

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Not defending the approach of the passenger, but if it helps make more sense of the situation, I've heard this is a 'Diamond thing' on CX - having water pre-placed in the seat pocket before boarding, thus why they "normally" get it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

To be honest, I was pretty tempted to have a word with the passenger today. But then I took a deep breath and figured it wasn’t worth risking creating an enemy when we hadn’t even taken off yet. I don’t think he would have taken my “feedback” well. Curious what others think about the best approach here, though?

I have in the past privately told the crew that I’d have their back if the passenger complained on an Air India flight, when another passenger was super demanding and rude to the crew and constantly complaining. The crew did everything this guy asked on the 6-hour flight and he still wasn’t happy.

It does seem to be a ‘cathay’ thing. Several internal Asia flights with them last year in the main cabin and each flight had its ‘special needs’ passenger. One demanding hot water while the flight was in the middle of boarding. Another wanting a blanket as we were taxiing to the runway. Another reclining during boarding and making themselves comfortable with their feet in the literature pocket.

Plenty of pax expecting crew to lift their cabin bags into the overhead.

Perhaps the crew just don’t care? Easier to just do ‘a, b, c’ than make a fuss no delay the flight.

 

[muppet]

Noise cancelling headphones on and just ignore.

In these sort of situations I struggle to see a situation where you'd "win", you've got no clue if their passive aggressive turns to aggressive. Sure it sucks for the crew but end of the day they are paid to deal with the travelling public (as cough as they can be).

Agreed. The comment was objectively rude but hardly in the category of needing bystander intervention.

 

[wombatpatties]

Which is why when I see a passenger/ guest treat a staff member badly I talk to the staff member or their boss that I saw the incident and if the person makes a complaint I will be happy to make statement of what I saw.
Has happened on the present cruise where a younger woman made a really racist comment to an Indian waiter. We reported it to the asst Maitre'D ho is Indian. Now all the Indian staff greet us when we enter the restaurant and even the Maitre'D now greets me as the famous Drron. Karma.

Namaste drron

 

[Beano]

I must admit I have never seen bad behaviour on an flight except once the crew bailed up a passenger for a complaint they had about their behaviour, which I hadn't noticed. Off course that will happen on my next flight. Lots of crying babies and noisy kids, but that's par for the course.

 

[Beano]

Not much you can do except reassure the crew, as noted above, and perhaps send a compliment on-line, as noted above.