An American Airlines flight attendant took to social media because she wants premium cabin customers to know that they are not entitled to a bottle of water. Traditionally you’ll find a bottle of water at your seat when flying long haul in business class. Alaska Airlines gives you one at your seat domestically. But if you ask for one, that’s at the discretion of the crewmember on American – and this one wants you to know that it is a privilege and not a right.
If you get a full sized water bottle in domestic business that is a privilege, not a right.
Discussion
signed,The [flight attendant] who had to deal with an [Executive Platinum passenger] giving them the stink eye because they wouldn’t give him a full sized water bottle even after explaining the flight was down-lined catered and the prior crew used up most of our supplies. and yes, he did drop the “on my last flight” gem of a comeback.
PSA: If you get a full sized water bottle in domestic business that is a privilege, not a right.
by u/skygirl222 in americanairlines
I usually bring my own water, even when I’m flying up front with American Airlines. The cabin may be hot, and I assume that crew won’t offer a predeparture beverage. They’re supposed to (unless doing so would delay the flight’s departure) but there’s zero consequence for not doing it.
And I always buy water before flying a U.S. airline internationally. In fact, flying Air France business class I do this as well. Air France gives you small glasses to drink from. In theory they’ll fill those up as often as you wish, but they don’t. The French don’t drink nearly as much water as Americans do.
The worst flights for hydration were always out of Hong Kong and other places where they didn’t do liquids checks at security and they’d therefore do liquid checks at the gate – confiscating bottles of water you bought in the airport. Can you imagine relying on a United Airlines flight attendant for hydration when flying coach transpacific?
Some of you will say “just bring an empty bottle of water through security” everywhere else, and fill it up at a hydration station. You don’t actually believe those are cleaned properly and on a regular schedule, do you?
Dated information – they no longer perform liquid check for US bound flights out of Hong Kong.
its so bad when you spend $8 on a water bottle but then at the gate you have security taking away that newly purchased bottle of water due to “security” for US flights…
Wow. As my favorite Domestic Airline, AA sure is making it hard to defend them lately. For a Multinational that size, in an industry as competitive as Commercial Aviation, surely they have a CMO that’s responsible for this stuff ? And surely that person also has a high-level Exec reporting to them solely focused on Brand Management ? Many of us have frequently flown Singapore Airlines, can you imagine their staff exhibiting some of these same behaviors ? If AA is still in Contract Negotiations with the FA’s, maybe this is just “work-to-rule” posturing… It all seems so bizarre, maybe I’ve just been lucky, my AA flights have been great !
I can understand not handing over the 1.5 L bottles (what this stewardess was talking about). But they really should have smaller individual bottles for passengers – it’s ridiculous to have to request each glass of water and a bottle is much more secure (anti-spill) if there’s turbulence.
A typical damned if you do/damned if you don’t. As a 40+ year F/A I have dealt with this type and similar situations more times than I can even remember. A decision is required and whatever the decision is, it is always wrong because one party will not be happy.
So Andy, do you think the “stewardess” has made the decision not to cater small bottles of water? Should the frustration of not having that bottle be taken out on the “stewardess”? How about all the so called intelligent business people we fly around stop for just a minute and put your thinking caps on. The person you’d like to address your problem to, if no small bottles available, is not standing in front of you. They are on the golf course today with a martini in their hand and not listening to you.
They already charge ridiculous amounts for non-coach cabins for what you get, and now you don’t even necessarily get water? It’s almost satirical how the airlines are racing to the bottom.
To the Flight Attendant:
Also people buying tickets on your airline is a a privilege not a right.
I appreciate the idea of “hydration stations” but no way will I ever use one based on what I’ve seen people do at them.
ABSOLUTELY disgusting.
Where are the airlines getting these people? I’m seventy years old fortunately not dead with old age and can do the job with more courtesy, consideration and respect. I was part of this world for twenty-one years only to see a miserable decline on both company and pax side.
What part of, “The prior crew used up the supplies” do you all not understand. A FA can not produce something that does not exist. And if there is not enough for all then her best move is to pour glasses equitably. But sure, blame the FA for a situation over which he / she has no control so you can feel superior.
@Jim Lovejoy…comments above. Guy was pissed but people behind him got water also. Second scenario…give the guy a 1.5L bottle of water and let the people be pissed behind him. Thinking cap Jim, thinking cap. I’m so glad my life doesn’t revolve around being so pissed about not getting a bottle of water. I’m a travel professional and take care of myself.
There is NO WATER FOR YOU or for any other worthless American Airlines business-class low-life passengers.
https://youtu.be/ryNxl-lpOME
Have you actually been in Air France business class? They have multiple 1.5 L bottles of water on the self service station. I have grabbed one on all my 12 flights this summer. One flight I drank two. Domestically I know I’m not getting a whole bottle on any airline. Why do you love to bash AA for stories that are not abnormal or some probably fabricated?
American has always been stingy with beverage supplies. Never had a Delta flight attendant say no to any amount of beverage I have wanted, domestic or international.
Could we back up to this quip, “You don’t actually believe those [hydration stations] are cleaned properly and on a regular schedule, do you?”
Are we talking about the bottle fillers? What kind of cleaning is needed and what cleaning is not happening?
Water is a reasonably expected privilege.
Employment as a FA is also a privilege not a right. Termination of employment is a right, not a privilege.
There is so much variation in cabin service on AA flights, you have to wonder who is really in charge — of anything.
Flight attendants think their only job is to be there for safety, but the reality is they’re going to open a lot more drinks than emergency exits. Passengers pay for an upgraded experience in biz. No excuse first for the attitude, and second for the dismissal of service
@Fred I imagine she joined AA as an alternative to being a wh*re. Good for her. She’s like me.
She has to support a couple of bad habits. She likes to have a place to live and something to eat. She never learned that secret of how to not work and still make a living. What’s wrong with free travel? I bet you would take advantage of it if offered to you. There would be no wh*res if there were no wh*re mongers. They would be out of business without customers. Women aren’t the only ones who take money for sexual services.
This is one of the biggest problems flying out of Singapore… they do security checks at the gate and you can’t bring anything through.
Hydration stations make one sick? Guess you see hundreds of flyers daily vomiting in the planes/airport? Call out the CDC!! Really??
For those worried about the sanitation of the hydration stations, I’m wondering how you can even travel. Everything about travel requires an element of trust. We have to eat food prepared by others, sleep in beds that other people used previously and sit in seats just vacated by someone else? We have to trust everyone to do their jobs and make it safe for us. If I worried about germs, I don’t think I’d be able to travel.
The only international airline to deny me extra water was Qantas flying out of Sydney. Excuse was they were out due to a full flight but I could go get some out of the water supply area.
Good lord at the germaphobes. You are about to get on a crowded plane with people having enough knows what, MAYBE your seat area got cleaned and you are freaking out over a hydration station?
Buy a lifestraw. Buy a Steripen. Gone all over this world using my steripen and have yet to keel over from some germ.
I’m hypoglycemic so keeping hydrated is critical. The only domestic airline to refuse me additional water was Delta. Their excuse was there was some turbulence so they sat on their asses looking at their phones while people were begging for something to drink
By the time we landed, I was sick as a dog.
Didn’t one already say a seat was a privilege?
Hopefully the fed keeps rates higher for longer. I look forward to AA’s chapter 7 liquidation in 2026
funny, Patti, I had a Delta flight attendant crew do a water service while in a holding pattern while waiting to land at Atlanta. They finally stopped when water really was sloshing out of the cups due to turbulence.
Flight attendants at Delta, as at most US airlines, are given the green light to do service by the pilots. Some give FAs more latitude while others are very conservative with even the potential of turbulence. Pilots have software, other pilot reports and data that FAs don’t have.
If the seat belt sign is on, don’t assume the FAs are just being lazy.
Even in the case you said you saw, they never claimed to run out of water. Really, no airline should run out of water before they burn the fuel they have onboard.
Can AA just go bankrupt already.
Maybe their employees will realize they need to give more than 1% effort.
Hey Gary, is it really okay at this “Thought Leader in Travel” website to call flight attendants whores? Fred is out of bounds, and you allowing his comments to remain on your site is not a good look.
@Earl B – As soon as I saw the comment I removed it, and I banned the commenter who has similarly trolled in the past. That comment was up for about 70 minutes because I wasn’t in the comments section of the blog for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. No employees here, just me, managing and writing everything myself alongside a regular job.
AA FAs : if you hate passengers / people so much why don’t you quit? Everything is a chore for you. ” we’re primarily here for your safety ” is the cry of AA FAs, code word I can be mean n lazy n get way with it.
Another great reason to avoid AA at all cost!
GREAT customer service attitude. Speaks volumes. Why i avoid American carriers as often as possible. You’d never hear that on Qatar.
OMG AA stop making excuses, and start properly catering your flights. And to this self entitled spokesperson for AA it is a privilege for AA if I spend my hard earned money flying business class on your airline. I have a lot of other choices.
@Andrew, there are some that do truly hate it and should retire or quit if that is the case. I agree. I have 40+ years of flying and still love it. My passengers get great service. Every job has bad apples. Not one that I can think of that doesn’t. Every job has employees that hate it. My Dr hates his and I’m about to move on to another. Even your job Andrew has those that hate it. Even if you’re retired there are those that hate retirement.
Why does anyone fly with American? I’ve never had to, and everyday I read another blog post convincing me to stay away. It’s like the FAs hate passengers.
In reply to Patti who made the comment about QANTAS flying out of Sydney running out of water. I guess I’ve got something to look forward to. I. flying QANTAS to SF in a few weeks time. Hope they don’t run out of water on my flight.
After landing in SF I then fly AA for my onward journey to Hartford
Water fountains look clean to me. Bring empty bottles though security.
I spent 8 hours without water to BRU. FA said water was not loaded. I have cancer and require water to moisten my mouth and take meds. This is essential to my health. When I located the FA for ice to suck on, I found her drinking a 1.5 bottle and wanted to cry. Agreeing with Tim Dunn, if the plane has fuel, it should be loaded with water.
Gary,
At 4:18 PM Fred’s comment is still up.
While he never misses a chance to say something stupid, does everyone else really have to read it?
First world problems: hydration stations. Man, have you ever heard of a faucet in a bathroom? Just fill your bottle there! Been doing it for the past four decades of flying and have not gotten sick because of “sanitation.” Of course, there are all those folks who must wipe down this and that and then wonder why they get sick at some point after oversanitizing themselves to death.
I suggest picking up some bottles from the lounge before boarding.
@Fred The flight attendant is out of line but your comments that she is a whore are despicable. Gary, why is this kind of ugly comment allowed to stay on the site? Do you support his thoughts?
@DLF – not at all. This person keeps coming back under new names, new IPs, etc. And I keep deleting and banning.
agree Fred’s comment plainly ought to be deleted, but I’m a little confused as to why that one deservedly gets nuked when there are worse ones left up indefinitely on just about any post having to do with immigration or ethnic minorities.
He comments on illegal immigration. There’s a difference.
I think the writer is confused with HKG and SIN. I live in HKG and the check for liquids is before you clear immigration or transit. Not at gate which is what happens in SIN.
@John Nicholls other than changi’s terminal 4 security is performed at each gate, so that’s where liquid check is done, but that’s a different matter
Gary – Kudos to you for taking down Fred’s comments. I am a big believer in free speech, as long as it is civil and respectful. Name calling is neither. (I know it’s hard to police. I’ve been in your shoes).
Consider it a privilege that I chose you airline