United Airlines has been warning flight attendants not to have their face in their phones. It’s bad for customer service, and ostensibly cabin crew are there to be paying attention to safety not Candy Crush.
I have seen no such warning memos from American. I have, however, heard flight attendants talk to each other about performing the minimum required service because of contract negotiations that are dragging on. Southwest flight attendants generally seem happy, despite their contract travails. However at American Airlines this seems common:
Can’t get no service in first class. She to busy on her phone whole flight! @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/gqQtHyYUzX
— Todd Sutton (@tdoggsutton) February 6, 2024
When a flight attendant complained to former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker about colleagues who “don’t get [their] face out of your phone” he told the crewmember to “be a little empathetic.”
Six years ago American Airlines ran “Elevate Training” (Elevate the Everyday Experience) for front line employees. It lasted two days and the company selling it says it worked. We haven’t heard anything about recurring service training for employees since then.
They should really ban FA’s from using their personal phones during the flight.
On six recent AA flights in Biz Class (it is wrong to call it “First Class”) I only received a pre-flight beverages twice, other times the two F’s stood in the galley area talking to each other and occasionally welcoming boarding passengers. The high inconsistency leads me to think that it would be better to do away completely with pre-flight beverages in domestic biz class rather than to create false hopes and disappointments..
All mobile phone addicts have handcuffed their brain to inevitable stupid outcomes .
We had excellent service yesterday on a flight from DFW to TPA.
Flight attendants should be paid for their full duty days and at least boarding. If you’re not getting your pre departure beverage, take it up with the airline about them wanting “free labour”. I don’t blame them finally taking a stand and doing the minimum..
I don’t wanna throw any meat to Tim Dunn, but I have not had any issues in the last year on Delta. I had two drinks recently on a 37 minute regional flight. On one long-haul, we were getting shaken up pretty bad by the weather so while everyone was asleep, I was sitting upright with nothing on the screen. The purser came and asked if I was ok. I told him I was a little nauseated and he brought me a ginger ale and checked on me at least four times in the next hour. The only time I didn’t get a pre-departure beverage was when we were trying to beat a line of thunderstorms and took off early and fast. We were all cheering the pilot, since it would have inevitably led to a delay in just a few more minutes. But they are good reasons I don’t fly American anymore.
No problem – if they don’t get off their ass I just press the call button when I want a drink. Sorry but if they aren’t checking on the cabin (provided no turbulence or other reason) I have zero problem with calling them to come take my order
Meanwhile there’s no shortage of elites paying for their upgrade now to get this garbage service. Things that make you go hmmmmm…..
@Gem – I call BS on the whole “not paid for boarding or preflight” argument. The job has certain expectations and FAs willingly knew it knowing both the service expectations and compensation. Also frankly it isn’t true they aren’t paid for boarding. Again, the job pays x and that includes y in services. Whether they are paid a certain amount that includes boarding, waiting between flights or any other activity before the door closes doesn’t frankly matter. All that matters is TOTAL compensation at the end of the year.
How about this – you yiu stop whining if you got boarding pay but the pay for inflight time was reduced to compensate? At least then you couldn’t while about “not getting paid” for boarding.
Good God what naive divas some FAs have become!
@Gem, if they got paid for more hours then their hourly rate would go down. They get paid close to $80 an hour to make up for the hours they’re not paid.
Either way, their annual salary would remain close to what it is now.
Such a shame, it’s such a joy/pleasure as a passenger when a FA is attentive and delivers excellent service—and, not to sound hokey, but I believe
It has to be more rewarding for the FA, too.
Yesterday I flew Southwest from LaGuardia to Dallas. Had butch male flight attendant in the front of the plane. Definitely not typical Southwest quality of employees. While boarding he never made eye contact with any passengers. He served drinks and pretzels quickly. Going to the restroom he was sitting playing games on his cell phone. He did come around with a trash bag but obviously was avoiding work. Noticing passenger interaction with him he had the personality of a rock. Southwest usually doesn’t hire slugs like him.
I know Todd Sutton. Just be glad he’s not your neighbor. Complete idiot. We all feel sorry for his wife. Todd the Tool.
This ain’t news to me. Sounds like a flight I had in 2019. The behavior of the FA was egregious. I complained to AA and they did not seem to care.
That was the point that I became a Delta flyer.
For those of you who are claiming to know standard airline wage rates- the avg FA monthly schedule is built to ~80hr/month, rather than the typical 160hr/month for an office worker. Any hourly rate you think they are paid- half that to get a comparable rate to other industries. Then take their total hourly pay for the month pay divide it by the total hours they are on duty- that halves total compensation by another 50%….meaning the true hourly pay for a FA is actually 1/4 of what it looks like if you only look at the stand-alone hourly wage.
No FA in America makes $80/hr…but if they did, it would be like an office worker making $20 hr.
As lazy, grieving FAs apparently emulate their failed airline management, perhaps these airlines should bring out of retirement the angry, insulting daughter of the owner of Korean Airlines who knew how to enforce policy and expectations?
Rather than dealing with the mindset of U.S. FAs, I pay more to fly Lufthansa overseas, or, Delta domestically.
H2oman,
no red meat.
It is fact and most people know it.
predeparture beverages can be a challenge at times since by the time everyone gets on the plane it is almost time to go. If you serve a drink to one, better be sure there is time to serve everyone or someone will complain. Delta and United are getting around 10% profit sharing this year, AA 1.1% with a contract that expired five years ago while cost of living has spiked. AA is the only major airline which imposes a monthly minimum which used to be annual, greatly hindering schedule flexibility. In spite of disdainful treatment from management, most AA employees still try to do their best.
This article is ridiculous. The comments are ridiculous. You people can see everything wrong except for the real problems. Many of you are reading this article from your phone and guess what flight attendants have lives outside of work. People who need to hear from them so how about you try working 9 hours without picking up your phone once. If you need something from a flight attendant ask….ring your call bell you incels.
Lazy union scum being lazy union scum. No surprise.
@Tim Dunn
Don’t get froggy Tim. Or we will have to talk about my 14 hour flight with a busted IFE. Or losing my prime seat due to a mechanical cancellation and ending up in a middle coach seat for a 12 1/2 hour flight. Or the Leek wrap that still haunts my nightmares.
If people only knew their life is like. I often wonder what passengers truly expect from the crew. How many drinks are you expecting on a 45min flight? A 4 hour flight? A 9 hour flight? How much do you want the crew to be all up in your face? Disrupting your movie? Asking you if you’re ok, when clearly you are. How much more attentive do they need to be in order for you to stop complaining. The answer will surprise you, anything and everything that they do will never be enough. Because the flying public wants more and less of everything. There’s no way to satisfy you.
If only companies were allowed to fire poorly performing employees. Outrageous idea I know. Sorry, I apologize, these people are heroes, and somehow also victims…they need more money, and give their union more power too! Is that the correct viewpoint?
What did she say when she was directly asked?
How do we know this was the “whole flight” and not just a couple minutes?
“Can’t get no first class service…” says all I need to hear.
Purely annecdotal, but I’ve had a string of really good service in AA J/F recently.
I think everyone writing disparaging comments should all go apply for the job of FA at American…you get meet so many wonderful people.
So you cherry pick this one guy and we hear of his experience…are there lazy FAs?…sure. Are there lazy (fill in the blank)?…sure but it doesn’t mean that everyone is that way but that is the perception that is given.
Gary, you do love throwing red meat to the rabid crowd.
So, for those of you complaining about no pre-Departure beverage. What a shame. I hope you can make it to 30,000 feet without a Coca-Cola or a vodka soda. In the meantime, be aware that these flight attendants are not being paid. Nothing. They are crushed by management who are not bargaining in good faith, and they are under the heel of the railway labor act that is outdated by almost 100 years.
Do you work for free?
Yeah, I didn’t think so.
@ Steve – true, there are some great ones. But it’s the majority experience that produces the overall perception. I’m not loyal to any airline and fly FC amongst the big 3 in about equal measures. UAL FA’s (since post-Covid) and DAL FA’s are consistently good to great in FC. AA FA’s are consistently mediocre to poor in FC. That’s been my experience.
Lots of ugly entitled people commenting here. It’s pathetic and laughable that passengers, many of whom get ‘free upgrades domestically are complaining about the fact that we are not being served a pre departure beverage by a group of American workers who are not being paid for their labor. Seriously. So many people need to take a look in the mirror and then slap themself in the face for their entitlement.
Come on Gary it could have been worse: she could have been NOT using earbuds and the passengers might have been stuck hearing whatever she was doing.
On a first class flight from JFK to LHR on AA (back when AA still had an F-class). The FAs not only used their phones, but munched on the snacks left out for passengers and seemed to be enjoying themselves throughout the flight. Only when they actually had to assist passengers did their demeanor change to that of disinterested apathy. US airlines are the worst, bar none.
Reading these comments is always so infuriating and yet so entertaining at how delusional and high and mighty some of you sound. It’s unbelievable that some of you actually have the gall to take someone’s picture without their consent and post it on a blog knowing darn well it could lead to them getting in trouble. First of all how sad and pathetic of you. Secondly, does it get your rocks off to tattle on some 2 bit, couldn’t make it as an actual contributing member of society’s blog? Disgraceful. If only you could step back and take a look at how ridiculous you seem complaining about the things you’re whining about. You sound like entitled 8 year Olds that were spoonfed everything in life to you by daddy. Handle poor customer service like an adult and bring it to the attention of the person you believe you’re not getting the adequate service from. Nothing but a bunch of crying children.
Jake-1
Good comment, but I’m not sure you get the majority perception here. You get the perception of people who are more likely to complain than post a good experience. This is no representitive sample segment here.
I’m exp with AA and I have an overall favorable view of the FAs recently. Maybe it’s my routes, I don’t know.
They should have worked for qatar airways while Akbar Al Baker was ceo and dared to behave like this (preferably with him seated on the flight). Outcome would be interesting 🙂
No raise in five years, expired contract.
They’re “dialing it in,” and their union can’t get it together.
I’m kind of amazed that they don’t just throw things at passengers and spit in their faces.
Gary:
I love these accountability pieces. Every flight on AA out of DCA the FA’s are on their phones when people board and rarely give a welcome. It’s such a poor look. One flight from CLT to DCA, they just simply didn’t provide any service – no turbulence, etc. Contrast to this to every southwest flight where the FA’s seem eager to welcome and so attentive. I don’t like the entitled comments on here. But I do think AA should have a vision for the customer experience and a job description that FA’s are held to. But alas, it is AA.
So hard to know if they’re on phones w Instagram or filling out company info. I agree, when they talk it up in the galley about upcoming flights etc – it’s impossible to get good inflight service.
(Some old schooler FAs just sit glued to book or magazine. Not sure its different!)
H2,
cancellations happen on every airline. DOT data shows that DL has them less than other airlines. Gary might want to note that DL is now back to the DOT’s rank of 0.0% cancellations in its latest report.
FAs don’t have anything to do with broken onboard equipment other than to report it. DL has things break as is true w/ all airlines.
And it is still true that DL FAs deliver a far more consistent onboard product than either AA or UA.
The fact that DL raised the pay of its FAs while none of AA, UA or WN have succeeded at doing that says volumes – and the FAs at all 4 airlines know it
AH and Chris
ALL FAs are paid to be on the aircraft before the door closes. Their unions simply chose to calculate pay based on flight hours.
DL changed the paradigm by paying its FAs for boarding pay.
And AA’s COMPANY proposal is to match DL including for boarding pay. WN did the same. Neither FA union can get that proposal approved by members.
It is not the companies’ fault that labor thinks they have to one-up DL’s deal because simply matching a non-union airline gives no value to a union.
That twitter site (the tweet from the person) is a bot! Look at the account. All they do is make complaints then it’s goes into reposting of Russian content very weird.
@United Airlines – just go away you sorry FA shill. If you don’t like your job or it isn’t meeting your expectations (financial or otherwise) quit and find something else to do. Just don’t bring your sorry attitude to a job in the service industry
As for “not being paid”. BS the job pays what it does for certain responsibilities. My entire career I worked for a set salary and often averaged 60 hours a week, weekend work and was on call 24×7 if needed. Get over it – the clock on your annual income doesn’t start when the door closes – it is all factored into the annual compensation but I guess understanding like that is beyond your simple, punch the clock mentality
Let’s be real – I don’t need their consent, and getting them in trouble is kinda the point.
@Walter – actually you may need their consent. Most airlines have a policy of not allowing pictures or filming of employees at work. In today’s TMZ, narcissistic world everyone wants to record everything which is very sad but understand policies and laws before you do it. Try that in some countries and you can actually go to prison
When it is all said and done, the airline industry is a service industry. One can nickel and dime salaries all day long. What one airline offers in salary, another offers comparable in benefits. Six of one…half dozen of the other. The airlines all fly, basically, the same planes, same routes, and comparable pricing PER LIKE SEAT. Where the difference is…management. Like Princess Diana said, “There are 3 people in this marriage.” The problem with AA is, there are three people in the marriage. Management doesn’t really appreciate their employees and seems to do everything they can to antagonize them at the expense of the CUSTOMER. The union wants their piece of the pie for causing the chaos, and the flight attendants don’t give a crap. Vicious circle. My Dad always said to our sales people, “The customer is NOT always right. But, he’s always the customer. He can jolly well take his business elsewhere.” He was, and his words ring true today, correct. AA is slowly sinking into the sunset.
“Doing the minimum required” is a funny way of saying “doing their job”.
Retired Gambler, shut up already. Why do you think you are so important. The planet doesn’t revolve around you or your needs. Take a bus or something. No wonder American Airlines FA’s are tired and fed up. Because pathetic, tiny persons like you and Gary Leff are always talking crap and misinforming people on things you and him CLEARLY have NO IDEA about. You were paid for being on 60hrs a week. FA’s are not paid for the entire time they are at work. So shut up and take the greyhound next time, viejo trolo.
@Jay – if your idea of doing the minimum required is “doing their job” you must be a union scum. That is why many never get ahead and just complain. My view is to always go above and beyond, take in assignments other don’t want and work any hours necessary (for a fixed salary not hourly). Of course that approach led me to senior executive roles with multiple national companies, made me a 1%er and let me retire at 61 with generational money but what do I know.
I’ve had great service from AA for about a year now. The predeparture beverage issue notwithstanding. I rarely order a PDP, so it doesn’t really affect me.
In am lifetime elite on all 3 legacy carriers and retired so off the hamster wheel and can fly who I want. That being said I live in an AA hub (CLT) so fly them mainly in the US. In my experience most AA FAs are OK (some are very good) but I frankly see more enthusiasm from Southwest and Frontier FAs (let alone Delta and United) than from AA. I just flew United to/from Las Vegas and every inflight staff member I encountered was pleasant, friendly and helpful. That isn’t my typical AA experience. I get it that your contract is 5 years old and you lost purchasing power but blame your union instead of not providing service to your guests. By provider bare minimum service you are turning off business travels and those that buy first which, in turn, hurts your ability to get top of industry pay and profit sharing because it hurts AA’s bottom line. Frankly I expect AA to file, yet again, for Chapter 11 in the next few years and then the bankruptcy court will likely unilaterally cut the pay for pilots and FAs (as they can do in the interest of creditors) since AA’s finance performance can’t support those pay levels. Enjoy it while you get it (assuming you will when your union finally figures itself out).
Also flying Singapore Air in 10 days and can’t wait to understand yet again what TRUE inflight quality service looks like. No US domestic can touch that but, unfortunately AA is near the bottom.
I blame one event for screwing the airline industry in the USA…9/11. our airlines were at the top of their game until that awful day.
Then the airlines abused what happened and screwed everything up, pissing off customers AND employees.
It’s a sad commentary grossly repeated during COVID.
I miss when US carriers were the envy of the world and provided amazing service. And I say that as an airline employee.