Update: American Airlines has declined my request for a refund of any points used for this flight. I was hoping just to talk to someone at least about this man's experience to make sure he didn't get in any further trouble, but they called me from a blocked number, so I didn't answer. The woman just sent me a generic email and left no return phone number on my voice mail.
I travel with a group of about 130 individuals that fly with us for work on a regular basis. Many of them fly American often and have many frequent flyer miles and upgrade points. We've all spent many hours traveling in crappy airplanes and sitting in middle seats to earn these points. Sunday, December 6th, I was flying from Sacramento (SMF) to Dallas (DFW) on flight #614 and spent 6 upgrade points so my pregnant wife and I could get some sleep. We were up late and the flight was early, so we really wanted the sleep. There were 60 of us traveling between the 6:00am and 6:15am flight to Dallas alone. About 25 were on flight #614. I wasn't hungry, so I decided to sleep through the flight by putting my headphones on and dosing off as soon as the plane took off. 6 of us in our group had upgraded and were happy to have a comfortable seat for once. We played some musical chairs so my wife and I could sit together. I was is seat 6A, she was in 6B. The rest of our friends in first class were in seats 6E, 6F, 5A and 5F, all surrounding a man about to have a very bad day. About 45 minutes into the flight I was awakened by a flight attendant named Helen, screaming at the man sitting in front of my wife. It was so loud, I could hear it over my headphones and the music playing. She was going off about how she didn't care if he was Platinum or Executive Platinum. I found this to be very odd. When she was done screaming, she came over to where my wife was sitting to ask what she wanted to eat. Then she said, "Sorry about that, he was just bitching." First of all, such language shouldn't be used by a flight attendant. Second of all, what business is it of hers to discuss the situation with other passengers?
Since I take the word of the other 5 friends I work with (including my wife) as truth, I will describe the events that led to the outburst. Helen was already having a very bad day. She acted upset to be working this job, which in this economy she should be grateful for, and was irritated at everyone. All my friends could tell that she was pissed. She was pissed that she was there, that people were blocking aisles while she was serving meals, and that they were getting up to use the restroom. She violently slid my friend's breakfast onto his tray, nearly spilling everything and then headed to the man in front of my wife. He had trouble getting his tray out, and she stood there rolling her eyes at him. When he finally got it out, she dropped the breakfast hard onto the tray. He asked if he could have some orange juice. This is when it hit the fan. "This must be your first time in first class," she said. He asked what she meant by that. He told her he was actually on the flight that made him Executive Platinum for the 10th year in a row. She said, "You obviously don't know how this works." He told her in a calm voice that she was being very condescending. That's when she blew up on him and woke me up. He started looking the other way and asked her to stop yelling at him. The entire first class section was watching her go nuts.
She went to the front of the plane and disappeared for a while after making the previously mentioned comment to my wife. The man was shocked. He started looking around and asked the rest of us if we just saw what happened. We started talking to him about it, and didn't know why she was acting this way. At one point Helen went into the cockpit to talk to the captain. We all took turns talking to each other, and everyone saw the same thing. Our friend Barth was sitting on the opposite side of the aisle, diagonally to the man who asked for orange juice. About an hour after the incident they began having a lengthy discussion. We all thought there may be police waiting at the gate when we arrived and wanted to let him know we had his back. The flight attendant came out from hiding, walked straight up to Barth, kneeled down and said, "Do you have something you need to say to me?" Barth said, "The two of us are having a private conversation." She got up and walked back to the front. We knew something was terribly wrong with this woman. Now she was confronting other passengers now as well. He stated that it would be best not to continue this conversation until we were on the ground. The other two flight attendants were as nice as could be. Nicer than usual actually. We were all too wound up to go back to sleep. My wife and I had about three hours of sleep the night before and had a long day ahead, but sleep was out of the question. We were actually nervous to be in the presence of such an unstable individual.
Helen came up to the OJ man, and asked him to come to the front with him. He started to get up, but I yelled at him, along with my other friends not to go up there. If he had a private conversation with her, there would be no witnesses, and she could tell authorities that he said anything she wanted. He stayed put in his seat. She came back to his seat with a written warning she said was from the captain. It stated that he may be in violation of Federal Law for "Threatening, intimidating, or interfering with a crewmember (section 91.11)." She said, "I didn't want to have to do this in front of every one, but here you go." According to the document, he could be put in prison for asking for his orange juice.
The tension in the cabin was mounting. We knew at this point someone would be waiting for us when we arrived. We were ready to give a statement. She called the older man that was in front of OJ man into the front of the plane for a private statement. That man would not have heard a word she said from behind his seat. It was way too noisey. He looked to be in his 70's as well. She came back and asked if anyone else wanted to be a witness. We all said no. We didn't want to say a word to her. She told us that she had witnesses as well. At the end of the flight, she asked us if we wanted anything else. There was no way I was going to eat anything that this woman was serving.
Helen had made our flight miserable. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a representative of the airline. She had been called ahead by the captain to meet us on the jet bridge. She had no idea so many people would be there to report what happened. We went to the gate and all gave a statement about what happened. She had someone else that had more relevance to the situation come down and talk to the man. This man stated that the Feds would probably have to investigate due to this warning being issued. The slips aren't to be given out unless it's a very big deal. We all wished him well and exchanged information. He had another flight to catch, and we were all glad to be on the ground safe.
Our group has about 130 people that fly 30 weeks a year. At an average of $300 per flight, that's over 1 million dollars a year spent. And I've been on the road with these people for nearly 10 years. So this is what we get for over $10 million in sales. If Helen doesn't like people, she should find a job like flipping burgers. That way, she won't have to talk to the customers. (Edit: Let me be clear.. I'm not demeaning people who flip burgers, I'm just using it as an example of a job that doesn't require customer interaction.) This woman's behavior is completely unacceptable and is a perfect example of what I've been seeing in AA flight attendants for years now. They don't want to be there, make up their own rules that don't reflect the company, and have huge distain for the people paying their salary... the customers. I'll be expecting all 6 upgrade points to be refunded.
OJ Helen
This woman is a nut case. AA should fire her and anyone like her. As the saying goes...Just because you have the power, it doesn't mean you have to use it. Especially when you are the cause of the problems.
If this is normal with AA, you should send your comments to them with the promise that without full WOF group compensation and all others affected by this nut job, you will be taking your business up with another carrier.
Go get em' pardner.
Read this on Consumerist.
Read this on Consumerist. Just submitted it to Digg.com:
http://digg.com/odd_stuff/American_Airlines_Says_Asking_for_OJ_may_Viola...
This isn't particularly surprising
First of all, flight attendants have been entrusted with more power and responsibility since 9/11 than ever before. Anyone who started in that job before then did NOT sign up for that, and that has to be stressful. Clearly this woman can't handle it and can't be trusted with it.
Second, this seems more a difference of degree when it comes to AA (and United) flight attendants...and other personnel. I've been on a couple of flights with severely bitchy flight attendants...but it's like T-Rex vs. Godzilla. This is just all out of proportion crazy.
This being America, she won't get the help she clearly needs.
I hope that you have enough
I hope that you have enough pull within your group to have American Airlines removed from the airlines your group is willing to fly on. It is a disgrace that so many Americans think that giving up their rights is the only way to protect themselves against crime. You are many times more likely to be wrongly imprisoned or killed by airport security or the police than by a terrorist. It is a horror that President Obama has shown himself to be no more of a friend of individual privacy than Bush - he defends the government's wiretapping programs, immunity for telephone companies, and has done nothing to remove the Facist powers of the Patriot Act.
Contact Kurtis Ming with
Contact Kurtis Ming with CBS13 News in Sacramento. He is excellent with consumer issues such as this.
http://cbs13.com/bios/Kurtis.Ming.Buy.9.479961.html
Holy Crapstick!
That woman sounds in-friggin-sane with a serious GOD complex. Hope the OJ dude doesnt get in trouble.
Brief insight
My Father and Uncle were senior pilots for American & Delta respectively, my Aunt is still a Sr. pilot for United, and my pyschobitch of a step mother was a chief flight attendant. Honestly being a flight attendant is up there as the worst job possible these days so the people who stick around are either lazy or crazy. The crazy one's kind of over glorify their position as something more then it is and commonly freak out like mentioned by the OP, its just a matter of when.
I was once talked to like
I was once talked to like this pre-911. The flight attendant chided me for asking for a dr. pepper. We were going to London. She snidely told me, "you're not going to get that when you get to London, so don't ask now." Later, I asked to borrow a pen as my husband was using mine. She snapped at me, "You're going halfway around the world without a pen? What a dumb idea." I was shocked. I wish I had said something then. I'm glad you are defending this man. Thank you! American is so not customer friendly.
Phone Number
As an Executive Platinum member, I personally spend almost 50k a year with American Airlines. It outrages me that these flight attendants have become some sort of air police.
If you really want to complain, call them at 800-333-2412. This phone number is an exclusive executive concierge number, and the 10 or so people that work in the department all report directly to the office of the Chairman and CEO.
Good luck.
Mental illness?
Not a doctor and I wasn't there, but Helen's completely irrational response sounds like she was having some kind of episode. I hope American is forced to respond to this. Don't the taxpayers own their pension obligations, or is that some other bloated legacy carrier that doesn't know how to plan its fuel purchases or negotiate with its unions...?
Must have been a frightening episode, given that you all knew what the consequences would be if your fellow passenger was actually breaking the law.
Sounds very upsetting, thanks for sharing this story.
Chuck?
what a bitch- i hope the news picks this up. He should sue. I know I probably would if it were me.
Posted by chuck (not verified) on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 23:53
Senator Schumer, is that you? We know your propensity for calling women "bitches." ;)
what a bitch- i hope the news
what a bitch- i hope the news picks this up. He should sue. I know I probably would if it were me.
OJ
I hope there will be something i can follow about this like on twitter, or something. i WANT to see this poor guy win.
OJ Helen the nut..
Next time that happens, and you have the entire first class siding with you... Everyone should ring the stewardess and order orange juice...
Wow
I'm flabbergasted about how to put this in context with my flights. Eve when I was temporarily disabled, the attendants didn't flinch when it came to helping me. Heck, the crew bent over backwards to help me (except for one idjit ground person that literally took my crutches instead of waiting the attendant to hand them to him) maneuver in the cabin.
I hope this attendant, if the story is accurate, is prosecuted for filing a false report.
I hope my flight tomorrow is
I hope my flight tomorrow is significantly less exciting than this one. But I'll be on Southwest, so it probably will be. They seem to actually still care about the customers. I think the rest of the airlines figure if you've put up with the TSA, you'll put up with anything, so why bother?
A friend of mine had some choice words about American, also.
http://www.fredoneverything.net/Dillinger.shtml
well thats what happens when
well thats what happens when you let these uppity wemons go to work. they should know beter . whos goin to make the sammiches and bring the beers now?
AA & OJ Helen
Sadly, this is why I never fly AA anymore. The Company has been circling the drain for so long I don't think the employees see the passengers as anything more than the cause of all their problems, real or imagined. It's very sad- many once proud airlines with a storied history have gone the way of the Dodo: Pan-Am, Eastern, TWA, just to name some. AA, United and Delta are all trying very hard to join that group. Slightly worn and dirty planes (sort of like Boston's taxi fleet...) and less than no frills service (mostly with indifference, often with a snarl) for retail prices.
The coming wave: My recent experiment with Virgin America (BOS to SFO). The people at ticketing, the gate and on the plane seemed to be happy to be in their particular job, the plane didn't look like it was ready for the knackers, and there was service! My wife and I landed in SFO and raved to our friends who flew AA (like you, flyer points due to the extensive route), and the experiences were like being chauffeured versus hitchhiking: we both got there, but I really enjoyed the trip. They got there.
Wow
too bad no one had a camera phone
Would you say no to her?
Ok - so she comes in to the cockpit all disheveling and breathing heavily from having her little hissy fit demanding that the Captain produce this piece of paper. Would you turn her down? Not sure she is completely composed at this point and you have an out of control person in the cockpit. Just like a terrorist behaves.
Obviously $10mil is not enough to get American's attention . . .
If you REALLY do $10M in business with AA you have the contact information for a fairly senior sales rep - and thus - you don't need to be writing to the generic customer service information number.
You wanna REALLY piss her off? YOU file a complaint with the FBI concerning HER interference with the flight and suspicious behavoir on the aircraft- and copy the FAA with it claiming the woman is not emotionally stable - the FAA WILL investigate Helen's mental competence to be a flight attendant. ESPECIALLY at AA. They are just LOOKING FOR REASONS TO GO AFTER AA RIGHT NOW.
AA
Keep in mind that American Airlines has about 90,000 employees. It is hard for a company that size to have 90,000 happy employees.
The majority of the 90,000 people that work at AA really love what they do. They just don't get paid.
As you know, Airlines are not making much money right now and they have not since 9/11. At 60 passengers? I am guessing that flight probably ran at a loss. There has been very little inflation on tickets over 30 years to offset rising costs in the industry. Since 9/11, costs continue to skyrocket and fares can't rise with them.
I agree that the flight attendant should find another line of work. She is obviously not doing herself, her colleagues, or passengers any favors. She is protected by her Union, so getting her fired will probably be a challenge.
But, I would not give you a refund on your ticket. It sounds like the pilots still got you safely to your destination. In reality, you paid for transportation and received it.
Airline malfeasance
Great writing. It's out of control. Now that flight attendants think they OWN the air, they think they can treat us any way they want. Fortunately, most of them are not crazy - but what recourse do we have when one is?
None.
You are a good person for supporting that man- he may need more from you in the future, so it's great you wrote it up right away. I daresay nearly the entire flying public is behind you.
the procedure in a plane is :
the procedure in a plane is : drinks are served first then the tray of food, but she can always come back to serve you the orange juice after finishing her round of food tray serving! But that does not justify her going off for that! She should be fired!
welcome to soviet russia or
welcome to soviet russia
or china
if these petty tyrants are given incredible power....they WILL abuse it.
and they do.
this is not a new story. there are hundreds like this. they are in the news constantly.
next the tsa will start giving them tasers......
This situations and others
This situations and others like it should require video cameras on board in plain site on all aircraft so that there is a camera capturing this stuff, an irrefutable witness. This would also be handy in the case of a hijacking if FAA FBI, etc. can receive the camera signal to assess the situation.
Helen needs a psych eval and should work cleaning toilets, AA needs to refund the upgrades, the guy who asked for OJ should get a years worth at AA's expense, a formal apology and a free pass through security lines.
I read this post on
I read this post on consumerist.com, you might want to also take a look at elliott.org and send Chris Elliott an email about your post.
flight attendants
I fly very frequently, too, and have seen a handful of flight attendants turn simple customer disputes into federal cases by abusing their power. Once I was sitting in the exit row and the FA got into a little spat with a woman that didn't want to look her in the eye while she read the exit row requirements. Federal agents waited for that women (who was not remotely threatening) when she got off the plane. Another time a gate agent threatened to have me arrested because I argued with her over whether my bag would fit in the overhead (the bad I had used for about 100 flight on the exact same aircraft with no troubles).
I fly very frequently, too,
I fly very frequently, too, and have seen a handful of flight attendants turn simple customer disputes into federal cases by abusing their power. Once I was sitting in the exit row and the FA got into a little spat with a woman that didn't want to look her in the eye while she read the exit row requirements. Federal agents waited for that women (who was not remotely threatening) when she got off the plane. Another time a gate agent threatened to have me arrested because I argued with her over whether my bag would fit in the overhead (the bad I had used for about 100 flight on the exact same aircraft with no troubles).
individual
Just got back from my first 1st class flight on American, vegas to chicago on a 520pm sunday flight. I can say my wife and I were treated well across the board, to the point of almost too much (not complaining). I'd judge American as a company based on their response to this attendant's actions, not the actions themselves. That I would reserve for judging the attendant herself. If this is normal behavior in first class, then I'm glad I've been saving money and miles all these years. I'm interested to watch what happens, but expecting normal big american business malaise at any individual service. Good luck with the situation. That being said, I commend the attendants for the service I rec'd on my flight. A very pleasant crew.
I won't be considering
I won't be considering American Airlines as an airline for our company anymore.
The captain and this evil woman should be unemployed.
Hit consumerist
Try hitting up consumerist.com. They often have good advice (and the email addresses and phone numbers of people higher up in the company).
OJ Helen
I flew on Continental this past weekend. Their flight attendants were short tempered and rude as well. Perhaps it's a job requirement?
Please, if you have not
Please, if you have not already, report this to consumerist.com. It would be a great way to get out the word and disdain about this flight attendant's actions! They were absolutely unfounded according to your account. This makes me reconsider using American Airlines. I personally had a horrible experience with Delta/Northwest back in September that makes me never want to use them again. I only wish Southwest still flew to Memphis; by far the best customer service I've experienced when flying within the country and use them whenever possible.
Please report this to
Please report this to consumerist.com stat! I am a brand-loyal person and very headshy with just one bad experience on a flight (the most recent was Delta/Northwest at the beginning of September).
This sounds like a terrible
This sounds like a terrible experience. I haven't been alive long enough to be able to collect enough air travel points to go anywhere, but this kind of makes me want to take a cruse instead. While reading the article, I WAS seriously considering playing the devil's advocate here by suggesting that she might be 1) suffering from some other stress in her life, like perhaps she wasn't supposed to be on this flight and was instead supposed to be using her day off to visit her hospitalized mother/father/husband/kid? but was called into work because some one else called in sick and she knew the person who called in sick usually calls in sick even though they aren't (hey, these things happen) or 2) she might be suffering from some sort of other ailment/disorder/personality quirk that is either medicated or happened to slip past initial screenings. HOWEVER, I gave up this position around the point in the article when she was threatening with notes from the captain and the like. I know that there are days where I feel like crap, but I try my very best to not let it show at my job, as I signed a contract with my company, and they trust that wherever I go, as long as I am wearing the uniform, I represent the company.
I think you should get a refund.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel?
Either AA is scraping the bottom of the barrel with their hiring practices, or this woman really needs to discover what it is like to be unemployed.
My wife works in the service industry (technically speaking), and I have seen her put up with almost impossible clients without loosing her cool or abandoning customer service. There is NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER for any sort of a meltdown in front of clientele, no matter how bad the client!
If this story is even remotely accurate, Helen seriously needs to find herself a job where there is ZERO interaction with the public at large. Perhaps as an undertaker, or a toxic waste specialist. At least then her job would match her personality!!
Flight Attendant
This woman shouldn't just be fired, she should be put in prison for causing disorder in an aircraft. The pilot ought to be fired for not keeping a leash on his pet.
How do you find a terrorist in a group? Look for the uniform.
Yea things like this happen
Yea things like this happen all the time.
my mom wouldnt bake me brownies last night and told me to stfu.
the nerve of women these days.
damn you susan b. anthony.
Customer service unlisted number
American Airlines unpublished customer service number is 817-963-1234. Press 00 and say "agent" to get an operator. Don't press 3, because that's just a trick
At least you don't have to
At least you don't have to make a video of how they broke your favorite guitar.
A perfect example of why I
A perfect example of why I don't fly commercial, and have refused to do so for years. I frankly can't comprehend how anyone can or would patronize a business that frankly treats its clients worse than diseased cattle.
Personal long-distance travel not easily reached by driving, merely takes a bit of advanced planning, and leaving a little earlier. Non-personal, or job related: if you MUST have me there for a deadline, then be prepared to provide private air service, at your expense. Otherwise, sorry - but I can't make it. Period.
If there's one thing airlines need to learn, it's the sign on the wall of my office:
"REMEMBER - THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE NO BUSINESS"
Period.
Executive Carpet Bomb
Sounds like you need to hit up the Executive Customer Service. Maybe a news site? The only difference between this situation and the travesty that was the Rochester overnight tarmac incident is that you actually got to your destination. Aside from that you're still held hostage in your seat without food, water or lav.
Good luck. Hope it works out.
wow
I just canceled my tickets with AA, my most recent trip from Knoxville to LA and back was miserable on AA... this seals the deal. My experience wasn't nearly this bad but the stewardesses were awful.
Every time I fly southwest they're great, guess i'll just switch permanently.
man do i wanna know how this
man do i wanna know how this comes out in the end!
Have you thought about
Have you thought about emailing AA through their webpage Contact AA feedback link?
A written email will have better results in tracking complaints than phone calls, and they usually respond with a letter.
Having someone call and leave a message on voicemail is not standard policy for AA customer Relations, I find that quite unusual, I am quite familiar with AA policy.
No Flights on AMerican
After reading this, although I do not fly that often, I don't care what type of deal I am able to obtain AA is definately crossed off my list of airlines to fly. Heck with the experiences I've had with Aitlines and Airports over the last couple of years I'm looking at extending the time for travel and looking at alternate means -- it's just not worth it anymore.
I had a similar incendent
I had a similar incendent where, without provocation, a power hungry flight attendent said cameras were not allowed on airlines and threatened to have me removed. I bit my lip and didn't tell her that everyone on the plane probably had a camera.
One more reason to avoid AA
I live in Dallas, and therefore I've had to fly American Airlines way more than I'd like too due to their stranglehold on the DFW area. I now have a policy, thanks to the many times I've received the shaft from them, that I will fly any other airliine, even at a higher price or even with a layover, to avoid giving more business to AA.
I am so sorry
As an AA capt, I have to say I am terrified this happened to you. We do have some cabin crews on meds, and are increasingly bitter towards passengers. Please recognize also that in the cockpit we are third party to most events since the FAA will not allow us out for incidents post 9/11. Numerous witnesses and even cel phone video is an absolute necessity as well as conversing with the capt. on the ground. I sincerely apologize. This is a rare occurrence, but totally unacceptable when it does occur.
PS...I guarantee you that AA will not compensate you without extreme documentation.
Psycho
What a complete psycho loser Helen is. Just another reason I never fly AA. This woman should be prosecuted for causing a major disruption and a dangerous environment on an airplane. Any one of us would be in jail over this luncay. Helen, if you come article, you are an epic loser. Time for your meds.
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