Qantas domestic: singer Kelly Rowland lets fly at 'rude' cabin crew

[djfuzz]

Surprised no one's posted this yet:

Kelly Rowland in fight with Qantas cabin crew

A group of travelling pop stars who refused to switch off a laptop computer are believed be behind an in-flight spat which prompted visiting US singer Kelly Rowland to label Qantas service "****ty".

Rowland, who is in Australia for a series of Supafest stadium gigs alongside artists such as Akon and Sean Paul, was part of a 100-strong group of musicians and their entourage who left Melbourne for Sydney yesterday afternoon aboard Qantas flight QF430.

Thankfully, I just missed that flight. Interesting that a fair number of the supposedly-more-level-headed Fairfax commenters have gotten in on the QF bashing.

Not that I'm pro-QF (grr double SCs!), but if there's anything less worthy of criticism than basic, perfunctory cabin safety prior to takeoff and landing, I'd like to know. Compare that to how reasonably the hordes of stranded travellers to/from Europe have generally reacted in response to a far greater safety-related inconvenience.

 

[straitman]

There is hardly any reason to comment on this as the cabin crew appear to have simply doing the 'business as normal'

 

[ejb]

"Overpaid, under talented brat complains because she did not get her way"

That should have been the headline.

Go home stupid and annoy someone else we don't want your kind here. If you can not follow simple instructions do not fly.

ejb

 

[docjames]

Actually, the article just documents the incident.

They treated us like five-year-old kids."

If you dont turn off a laptop when asked, you get treated like a 5 year old because you're acting like one.

It's pretty simple.

 

[djfuzz]

Actually, the article just documents the incident.

You should read the comments if you want a laugh.

 

[burrco]

Good on Qantas for standing by its staff. Of course some Qantas FA's can have, let's say, moments - but pretty clear who was in the wrong here. Also get the feeling some egos may have been dented as the flight wouldn't have had enough J seats.

Wonder how ignoring cabin crew directions goes down in the US?

 

[samh004]

Wonder how ignoring cabin crew directions goes down in the US?

That’s what I can’t understand, surely in the US there’d be a much harsher outcome if they ignored the cabin crew. What happens if they have an air marshal on their flight for instance. It just seems like she thought she could get away with it and when she couldn’t turned into a child.

They probably had loud Skype conversations in the lounge too

 

[odysseus]

There is hardly any reason to comment on this as the cabin crew appear to have simply doing the 'business as normal'

Exactly, had it been any other passenger it wouldn't have even been reported. What makes this news?

 

[jb747]

Last person who didn't turn off the laptop when asked on one of my flights was removed....

 

[thewinchester]

You should read the comments if you want a laugh.

Yes, some of those comments were gold. For the most part, they side with the flying kangaroo.

Good on Qantas for standing by its staff. Of course some Qantas FA's can have, let's say, moments - but pretty clear who was in the wrong here. Also get the feeling some egos may have been dented as the flight wouldn't have had enough J seats.

Wonder how ignoring cabin crew directions goes down in the US?

A pair of handcuffs followed by a cold cell for a few days. The rubber gloves may not always be optional.

 

[QF WP]

Last person who didn't turn off the laptop when asked on one of my flights was removed....

Way to go jb747, that's telling them! Did you have to come out of the Flight Deck, or did the CSM advise you of the issue and your directed the CSM to offload the pax?

Absolute idiots who don't follow clear directions (or understand them).

 

[jb747]

Way to go jb747, that's telling them! Did you have to come out of the Flight Deck, or did the CSM advise you of the issue and your directed the CSM to offload the pax?

Absolute idiots who don't follow clear directions (or understand them).

Let's start by talking about the other 99.9% of the people I carry. I make a point of going back into the cabin and meeting as many people as I can, and I meet a large number of interesting, pleasant, and very polite people. They represent the vast majority of all passengers. No passenger is any more important than any other passenger. Yes, I know people have paid different fares, have different FF status, etc, but when I go back into the cabin, they are all, equally, my passengers. It is my job, to get them from A to B, safely, as comfortably as possible, and as close to schedule as possible. Safely always overrides everything else.

So, the ones who don't want to play. Well, as a pretty general rule, if they are a pain on the ground, they will be way worse airborne. There are lots of ways of being a pain, but most often, they simply won't do what they are asked by the cabin crew, and do not have a real reason for so doing. If you have the runs, and need to go to the toilet..that's a real reason. If you just want to stand and talk to your mates...well sit down. Demanding to see the Captain is one of the funniest things in avaition, as Captains are really good at saying 'get off my aircraft'. We aren't much chop at negotiating with idiots.

Is it possible that I'm looking at her in the wrong light? Sure, but guess what, I doubt it.....

 

[yohy?!]

fair enough if people are not following safety instructions but i still think this story is thin on facts.

Regardless though....if a celebrity (or in this case multiple celebrities) is on a flight albeit a domestic one shouldn't the FAs would excercise a little more discretion?

i doubt qantas wants to be attracting anymore negative press at the moment...

 

[JohnK]

The most important question would have to be who is Kelly Rowland and does anyone really care?

"Overpaid, under talented brat complains because she did not get her way"

That should have been the headline.

Go home stupid and annoy someone else we don't want your kind here. If you can not follow simple instructions do not fly.

Why do celebrities, and I use the word very very loosely, think they are entitled to special treatment?

Grow up would be the most sensible advice anyone can offer them.

 

[harvyk]

Regardless though....if a celebrity (or in this case multiple celebrities) is on a flight albeit a domestic one shouldn't the FAs would excercise a little more discretion?

Why should the FA's exercise more discretion because the pax is a DYKWIA?

I agree with jb747. If a pax is a pain on the ground, they will probably be a pain in the air, it's just a little more difficult to open the doors and kick them out when at 37,000ft...

Basically the story boils down to a DYKWIA type thought she was above the rules, she then acted like a 5yo brat when told the rules apply equally to her as the rest of the pax. That's all there is to the story.

Certainly QF can give a VIP access to the QP \ J \ F \ CL lounge as appropriate, even if they would not have normally been entitled to it, but once on the place, safety takes over, and such rules need to apply to them just as much as any other pax.

 

[samh004]

Let's start by talking about the other 99.9% of the people I carry. I make a point of going back into the cabin and meeting as many people as I can, and I meet a large number of interesting, pleasant, and very polite people.

I hope you’re flying my flight to LHR in June

fair enough if people are not following safety instructions but i still think this story is thin on facts.

Regardless though....if a celebrity (or in this case multiple celebrities) is on a flight albeit a domestic one shouldn't the FAs would excercise a little more discretion?

i doubt qantas wants to be attracting anymore negative press at the moment...

The rules apply to everyone, not to everyone but the very important. If they’re that important, they can buy their own plane, and make their own rules. If they can’t do so, they’re obviously not that important.

 

[JetLagged]

"Overpaid, under talented brat complains because she did not get her way" ejb

Ahh, ejb - too right. Reminds me of that famous quote from WWII regarding the American soliders in Qld:

Overpaid!
Oversexed!
Over here!

Rowlands hits it 2 out of 3 - just substitute 'over stupid' or 'over rude' for the middle one and then you have 3 for 3.

 

[yohy?!]

of course the rules should apply to everyone - I was just trying to bring a touch of reality into the discussion...

 

[straitman]

of course the rules should apply to everyone - I was just trying to bring a touch of reality into the discussion...

I would humbly suggest that posts #9 & 12 bring a high degree of reality into the discussion :!: