How much service you’ll get on a U.S. airline flight varies a lot. Some crews are helpful and engaging. Others retreat to the galley to play Candy Crush or read People. A couple of American Airlines flight attendants so badly didn’t want to be disturbed by passengers on a flight from Dallas to Toronto on Sunday that they constructed a barrier to keep customers out of the galley area.
Flight attendants are given seat belts for safety demonstrations on American Airlines, since the airline has removed seat back entertainment screens from domestic planes and can no longer show safety videos. And they get seat belt extenders for larger passengers. But seat belts have another ingenious use to crew, apparently – prevent them from having to provide service to customers.
Hey @AmericanAir. Do @FAANews, @FAASafetyBrief, @USDOT, and @Transport_gc allow your crews to block off access to rear exits DURING flight so your FA’s can sit and chat ? Seatbelt harnesses connected together. AA2804 DFW-YYZ, 29 Oct 2023. #safetyfail, #clueless, #infuriating pic.twitter.com/iGJ1KUVJaj
— Lori Soler (@lorikaycan) October 31, 2023
Southwest Airlines flight attendants are known for their enthusiasm and fun. Delta cabin crew are known for offering marginally friendlier service. In both cases, and on average, they don’t seem to hate their jobs.
While there are great crewmembers at American and United, the sense at those airlines is different. There are too many flight attendants who shirk, and that makes it tough for those who want to provide great service. It’s demoralizing, and it brings down the service even the good ones provide.
Being happy at work requires being well (or at least fairly) compensated. But it also includes feeling like you’re on a mission that’s bigger than yourself, doing something important. And it requires respecting your colleagues, feeling that you’re in this together trying to build something.
Right now American Airlines flight attendants are in confrontation mode over contract negotiations. But threats of a Christmas strike are just about pay.
The airline has been lacking a clear purpose to rally around other than not spending a dollar they don’t need to. And there’s no mechanism to remove the bottom 1% of performers who make life more difficult for all other employees, making them pick up the slack and demoralizing them.
A perfect expression of the AA service commitment.
Those flight attendants need to be fired on the spot as soon as the airplane lands, and let them find their own way home!
OP misunderstands. Those are fright attendants!
Hmmm I was just trying to recall the last time I had great service aboard an AA flight. Many ok ones, quite a few bad ones, but couldn’t remember a single great one. Can easily recall great ones at even UA.
Airllnes have created this mess. Their only goal is the financial bottom line. The minute that CEOs started receiving monetary bonuses based on stock value, it all started to unravel. What did people think would happen? The only goal was profit. Greed and avarice prevail. Everybody hates everybody … nobody can function in that kind of environment. Airline employees are no longer proud of their airline and themselves. FAs are the face of an airline; they are treated like donkeys by management. The CEO makes a billion dollars a minute, an FA barely earns enough to live on. FAs are out of control and management does nothing about it. Unions were a great theory but obviously unworkable in practice. There’s no communication, no cooperation. Airline people are incapable of working together. We wanted deregulation, we wanted lower fares, now we have an almost inconceivable mess,. I am always a little shocked that any airline employee is cheerful and friendly … they really have no reason to be anything but grumpy.
Nothing that pink slips across the board (for all the FA’s that took an active part in devising and setting into motion that lovely show of customer service) couldn’t solve.
As to your 1% estimation, I believe you’re being way to kind.
jsn55,
no, it’s not always someone else’s fault.
Everyone makes their own choices.
And the argument about executive compensation falls flat when you realize that the combined amount of exec cash compensation is minuscule compared to the amount labor groups receive. Much of exec compensation is in stock anyway.
some people simply choose to do the bare minimum at their jobs and AA’s FA union regularly pushes the limit of how low they can go.
and customers do pay the price
It appears that half of the four-point harness from the jump seats on each side of the aisle were connected to create this “barrier” – not seat belt demonstrators or extenders. I hope this results in a fine from the FAA.
@jsn55 so an airline doing what it’s in the business to do…make money is the cause of lazy-ass flight attendants? That dog won’t hunt. You know why? Because DL and WN are in the business of making money and you don’t see this kind of behavior over there.
What’s so hypocritical about all of this is that the FAs constantly remind everyone how they are there primarily for our safety. I’m not sure how blocking access to two exit doors that might need to be used during an emergency enhances my safety as a passenger. Every…Single…Flight…Attendant on this flight should be terminated for cause, fined by the FAA and barred from every working as cabin crew on a commercial airline again.
This is a FAA violation as it impedes access to an emergency exit if there is a evacuation.
The fraternity/sorority mindset it requires for someone to do that on the job is simply mind boggling.
No; it’s to keep pax from standing in the galley or doing yoga stretches in an already cramped space. FAs may be trying to eat and suddenly there is a bit in their faces and since the curtain doesn’t work this is the last resort ♀️♀️.
These sensationalized articles are once again inaccurate and doesn’t paint the correct picture of what was truly happening
Until a company can fire poor performers, expect nothing to change. Unions are 100% to blame. It has nothing to do with greedy corporations as the idiot above claims. Enjoy your leftist utopia.
Wait…. Who uses an aircraft exit MID FLIGHT.
It’s not necessarily appropriate, but they’re not blocking an exit if they’re inflight. Those doors can’t be opened inflight. I’m confident they would separated for landing so the crew can buckle in as those are their jump seats for landing.
The MD-80/88/90/717 has something similar installed across the aisle to prevent passengers from exiting thru the tailcone slide exit door until the FA verified the slide inflated properly and tailcone dropped away. It is actually procedure to buckle the belt across the aisle at the back of the plane during take off and landings.
I’ve got a AA flight coming up. These AA nightmares are making me wonder if I should return my loyalty to DL (despite DL’s occasional FA inoffensive but with attitude, and its atrocious Band-Aid ripper CEO.)
….I don’t recall seeing this staff/passenger barrier in the AA 1970s economy class piano bar TV ads.
Why has the Golden Age of Travel morphed into this Dystopian future?
I’m with Eric. Fire them all now! I’ll take the job. I’m old school.
We were recently on flights to/from Toronto on United. We flew ORD>YYZ, then YYZ>DEN. On both, the FAs blocked the access to the front galley using a service cart turned sideways. They did this while they were prepping the first class service (lunch/breakfast), for about 30 minutes total each time. I’d never seen this done before and figured this is some new procedure. It was a bit frustrating because several people wanted to use the bathroom but were refused and told to go to the back of the plane.
Do people come into your office and start doing yoga or rummaging through your stuff??? Passengers do, so I side with the FAs on this. Passenger behavior has become abhorrent and there are no boundaries. If you are worried about an exit being blocked at 30,000:feet you are an idiot. Nobody is going to need to evacuate mid air. Team FAs
The horror of blocking exits that you won’t be using mid-flight because you can’t evacuate 30,000ft in the air. That might be the only few minutes they get to eat during a 12 hour day. Who wants to eat in front of a crowd waiting to go to the bathroom.
on the flip side, let’s see – pilots get what a 25% increase in pay. What have FA gotten? And who deals the most with the drunks + belligerents?
not discounting the violation regarding exit doors though
I only fly AA when absolutely necessary which is thankfully rare. They are terrible at everything they do. Fortunately their international partners are good.
Are you 100% CERTAIN the FAs are avoiding having to provide service to passengers? Were you there, did you ask them, did they tell you that? Or are you ASSUMING? Or is it perhaps to prevent passengers from congregating in the galley, which is an actual announcement that is made but ignored? It would be a shame for these FAs to possibly get into trouble based on an assumption.
Also, just so you know, contract negotiations are NOT just about pay (although that is a huge issue). It’s also about fair working conditions.. I’m sure that you are paid for every hour and minute that you work, unlike us. Yes, we chose this job – because most of us truly love it and love our passengers as well. We also deserve to be paid for our working hours, and not have to be on duty for 15 hours while being paid half of that, with a short layover followed by an early report and an equally long day. We’re also fighting for adequate retirement funds. Please stop making FAs out to be the bad guys all the time!
Somehow I stumbled upon following this one flight attendant. I believe she works for AA. She seems like she is wasted most of the time. So I doubt you often get decent service from her. If she isn’t talking about drinking, she is whining about her failed relationships which often seem to be due to not knowing her guy is married.
Yeah, you need to be able to remove poor performers.
Would the author write about this if it happened on Delta or United?
This action really shows that the FA’s contention that they are there for our safety is complete BS. Every FA on this flight should be terminated immediately.
Also, if the FA’s think they should be given the same raises and pay as the pilots, why don’t they quit their FA job, spend years in flight school, and apply for a pilot position with their airline? They will never be satisfied with their job until they realize what it actually is, and that it can be done by pretty much anyone right off the street given a few hours of training.
Had similar happen years ago when I needed to use the restroom and FA had put a cart across the doorway. I am slim and managed to get behind the cart and got my relief. It was short lived as he (the FA) was lurking behind the curtain and told me off saying I should have gone to the rear restroom. My seat was two rows away from the one I used.
There is no need to worry abouts exits free 30k feet in the air. If you had to evacuate a plane that high up you have more to worry about than other peoples business. I think this is more about a thirsty passenger still being thirsty creating drama for clout.
There’s terrible wars going on with people being slaughtered and here we are complaining about a stupid strap preventing you from entering an employee area. Are we also upset we can’t enter the cockpit inflight and complain to the pilots? How about accessing the kitchen of a restaurant? Unless the plane has crashed and you need to access the exits…..stay in your lane.
Gary… I have mix feelings about this. In one hand it is not aceptable what the crew did with the belts but now I’m wondering about the reason behind their thinking. In many flights i have seen passengers standing in the galley area just because they need to stretch their legs while the seats belt light is on. The galley area is a working area but …. It can be easily managed by instructing the passengers not to congregate in the alley or galley and…: here we go….people don’t listen. Again…. What they did … is totally not acceptable. Personally I will give them a pink slip and get other crew
They’re blocking the exit? FAA fine? For what? Which one of you idiots are planning on evacuating the plane at 35,000 feet?
Please inform your misinformed followers that FA are very intelligent people who have to go through 8 weeks of intense training. Not to mention, most FA’s have a college degree (BA, MA, and PhD’s). Just as every other part of society – FA’s are also very resourceful in their own ways. No it doesn’t make what they did right. But how about the doctor that no shows but patients have no say / yet if you’re late for your appointment you’ll be charged a fee or canceled.
This problem of pointing fingers at certain work groups only makes the situation worse.
Therefore – “people” – don’t add two cents of your lack of knowledge to the conversation.
Just flew AA Anc- DFW F class and then DFW to NYC. Good service. Food quality fair. Full flights. Both left on time and arrived early.
So passengers had to wait for the bathroom in the aisle like their supposed to? Would it be better if the flight attendants told them to move out of their galley individually?
I’m so sick and tired of you always bashing American Airlines. We know you hate the airline. Would you stop!!b
As mentioned before…..
Why does anyone need access to an exit during a flight? Are they planning to evacuate at 35,000 feet?
Give me a break people and let the flight attendant have a break too. Nobody goes to Burger King and bothers you at your job.
Flight Attendants get this small section of the plane for themselves and some how it bothers yall. Passengers go back there and go through carts, they steal FAs personal belongings. They start doing yoga and all sorts of other crazy things. They come back their with their crying babies. Would you take your crying baby into the kitchen of a restaurant. Would you stand and wait for the restroom behind the bar no. Give the FAs some space stay out the galley and they wouldnt have to do this.. Like get over yourselves.
Team Flight attendants
The person writing this pseudo report, do he know he is not supposed to be recording Flight attendants in the first place. What a pathetic person with so much time on his useless life dedicate to look for negative things to write about????
To DesertGhost,
I’d guess yes.
It’s pretty outrageous stuff, you don’t agree?
I usually don’t comment on dribble. I know how difficult it must be to maintain relevancy. But this really? Wow. It is not a barrier to service. Or a stone wall to not be bothered. It is a way to regulate who stands in the galley as they wait for the lavatory. PERIOD POINT BLANK. I am a flight attendant for American. And no it was not me and no I would not utilize that option. I have over 37,000 points from Above and Beyond coupons from customer compliments. I can buy a whole flat screen television if I choose to based upon Service Awards. So again that was not me nor would I choose to exercise that option however. Insinuating that that is “a barrier to service” is a new low that I’m I should not be surprised that has been reached. I cannot count how many times I have come from the back while working the cart to find a customer rummaging through the galley compartments? Do you know how many flight attendants have had their purses stolen? Food items removed? Belongings rummaged through? Now I see a foot in this picture so clearly there is someone in the gallery. Maybe he got tired of having somebody’s barely covered behind in his face as they stood there barefoot trying to utilize a restroom that has a line eight deep. Maybe that “barrier” is to stop the galley yoga that seems to occour on every flight. The deep core stretching. I even had one man attempt to disrobe in the galley and Use it as an open makeshift TJ Maxx-esques. Dressing room. So the curtain tightly closed would be better? Some of your articles are relevant. Even a few entertaining. But please quit scraping the bottom of the barrel. Not cute. Again not my choice. But definitely not a barrier to service.
There’s nothing to defend about this. I can’t, so I won’t. But pay is not the only factor right that will cause anyone to walk. I said to you before, and I say it again. I don’t begrudge you your salary for being a gossip blogger, why do you have such issue with ours..
These flight attendants are there to serve the public. If they don’t want to have anything to do with their passengers – fine. They need to find another line of work. Granted, they may know something we don’t. That is, the safety of the plane they are on. But to block themselves off from passengers is simply UNACCEPTABLE. Flight attendant needs to be available and alert for EMERGENCIES and therefore should be keeping an eye out for trouble, or for a medical emergency. Needless to say, because of their reputation, I am never going to fly AA. The price of airline tickets are too expensive for me to be putting up that sort of nonsense. I might just go back East by rail my next trip.
Notice the juice, water, and cups sitting out in the open. The curtain that is aboard is open. The crew is available, they just don’t want someone doing yoga or a rear end in their faces.
@Maxine has it right. If there are no bathrooms beyond the ‘blockade”, who cares. The “barrier” offers as much protection and “danger” as the curtain separating first class does. If “service” is done, give these guys a break. If you need another alcoholic drink, ring the friggin bell…
@Desert Ghost. You’re confusing @Gary with @TimDunn.
Now, Tim’s response would be that this would not happen on Delta (and he may be right!)
You guys commenting are idiots. You wanna know why this was probably done. Passengers are constantly being told not to stand in the galley to wait for the restroom.
It violates FAA safety rules. Same as the aisle but you want to know what passengers do, they gather in galley. The beat way to prevent such occurrence is to create a barrier. There can only be 4 individuals standing in a galley at any point in time and that depends on the type of aircraft.
If I was a flight attendant I would have done the same thing. Would you like it if a group of people are standing in your face while you are on your company issued meal break
I travel for work…..I fly American Airlines often.. The customer service their flight attendants provide now is horrible. Half the time no cart service because of non existing turbulence……but of course it’s the pilots call on that. Not providing water. Sometimes the powers that be will compensate other times they act like never would the FA’s behave in away.
Next post is passenger pissed they didn’t get a seat with the sliding barrier door in first class. You can’t win.
The service comment may be warranted, but the context includes dimmed cabin lights at cruise. So it’s difficult to tell if that’s really the case.
Blocking the exits isn’t a thing though since one would need to expend a lot more effort than tugging the handle to open the door at altitude.
This is analogous to any airline with a half galley or full galley with a curtain, or even a CRJ which has a curtain cover the main boarding door and stairs.