Cabin Crew Criticized For Photo Shoot On The Tarmac During Flight Delay

During a three hour delay, Air Canada flight crew decided to have fun while leaving passengers waiting to fly. They did their own photo shoot on the tarmac. One flight attendant posed inside an engine while baggage handlers snapped photos.

This was controversial because flight crew had access to do something fun while passengers did not. But the crew were just looking to pass the time and in that sense just as helpless as passengers.

‘Everyone on our flight wondering why we’re 3+ hours delayed,’ a caption on the video – which has been viewed more than 300,000 times – says. ‘The flight attendants are having a literal photoshoot outside, ON THE PLANE.’

Was this a bad look, or a great way to keep flight attendants in a good mood before serving passengers on a much-delayed trip?

@sugywitdahoodie i was gonna offer to take one of all of them tg @aircanada #aircanada #canada🇨🇦 #canadatravel ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

My view is this. Passenger ire at the flight attendants is misplaced. Without identifying the specific flight, it’s tough to know the cause of the delay. But Air Canada needs to communicate well with passengers about what’s going on and what to expect. And just as crew here took it upon themselves to pass the time (can’t rely 100% on People magazine), passengers need to do the same.

Armed with reasonable inferences about when a flight might leave, it’s great to leave the gate. Go eat, go shop, go take photos of planes – or find a place to work or play games. Or, if there’s a strong likelihood a flight will cancel or that you’ll be stuck at the airport most of the day, considering trying to get rebooked on another flight.

Passengers should take as much responsibility for their own enjoyment (and sanity) as these crew. The airline should help them do so. Complaining that cabin crew had fun, while passengers didn’t, misses the point – much as most arguments for solidarity that seek to extend misery often do.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. As long as the the passengers weren’t on the plane, I don’t see a problem. The passengers could watch the show outside, so it’s not like they had nothing to do.

    If the passengers were on the plane, it’s irresponsible for the flight attendants to leave in case there was a need to evacuate the airplane.

  2. This is a non-story. If the delay is not attributable to the crew then it is NONE of the passenger’s business what they do while waiting. Airline could be more specific about the basis of the delay, but in the end this passenger should just shut up.

  3. As the flight crew had a three-hour delay before departure, if the Air Canada flight crew invited passengers to come outside on the tarmac for a sit inside a jet engine photo opportunity, it would keep passengers entertained and give them enduring memories of this flight.

  4. All three of the posters above are correct.

    “All the people on our flight…” I seriously doubt most people in the gate area noticed or cared.

    I don’t see what the complainers are upset about. Manufactured ire. They could have gone to a nearby kiosk or restaurant for take out, bought a book or magazine, etc. Or take a picture of employees taking pictures of themselves…a bit of recursion there. Besides, intake pictures have long been a tradition in the industry.

    Ken A, they can’t let the passengers out on the ramp because it’s potentially dangerous and it would be a security risk.

  5. Should have been doing Their job and Serving the customers. But no surprise from This garbage airline.

  6. @Donald,

    During extended delays, it’s not the inflight crew member’s responsibility to “serve the customers” when they are not onboard, that’s not “their job”!

  7. @ Ken A,

    You thing crew can “invite” customers on the ramp during a run of the mill maintenance delay? In Canada? Are you serious?

  8. I agree, this is all nonsense. If the delay is more than 30 minutes….the airplane should return to gate and let pax go bathroom, eat, shop, etc.
    When the delay is over, the same plane should be the FIRST Plane flying out.
    Thus can cut out a lot of the delayed aircraft. And make airports and airlines more efficient and user friendly.
    If the crew is allowed to get up and walk around, the pax should be able to get up and walk around. Remember who are the customers here and who are the workers.

  9. Can the whining get much more petty? What a shame, you’re locked on an airplane and the crew is outside having fun. Get over it! People need to shut up and just deal with life.

Comments are closed.