I work in reservations for a major airline and believe me, the traveling public can be very ugly. I travel extensively since I can, and most flight attendents on any airline are great considering what they have to put up with from some people. But with any labor action or irregular operations, we in reservations really get the brunt of it. We have been without a union contract for a year and a half and make less money than almost anyone at our airline. Just remember when you deal with any of us....flight attendents, reservations, gate agent, etc...you'll get further ahead by showing some common courtesy and respect!

I have been flying on Southwestern airlines for several years. The airline attendants used to appear to have alot of fun. Lately the attendants appear haggard and grouchy. I assume the working conditions are changing. I also assume this is true of other airlines.

Perhaps if the passengers on the plane were a little nicer to the flight attendants, they would receive friendlier service. Most people who complain of "rudeness" are the ones that were rude first! For some reason, people think that they can treat anyone that is in the service industry like sh*t just because they feel like it. You can't possibly expect to treat people however you feel like and still expect them to just take it and still be nice to you! The old saying of 'you will attract more bees with honey that with vinegar' comes to mind when reading some of these posts. Treat people with respect, and it will be returned to you! Otherwise, don't be suprised when your rudeness is returned!
And to the people who say "deal with it or get of of the business", what would you do if every person in the service industry really did "get out of the business"? Who would service you? Who would you complain to and degrade then? This world would be a greater place if everyone gave each other the respect they deserved.

Is it the one or two passengers who are to blame, really? Or the low wages and poor working conditions?
Attendants are waiting until the Passengers are respectful ....or a pay raise and improved working conditions
before exceeding expectations?

Teri, it's Southwest. Not Southwestern. And I agree that they have the nicest flight attendants. I suspect it has something to do with casual dress, the fun corporate culture at SWA, etc.

All fellow f/a's. Wouldn't it be great it all these whinners could spend a day in our shoes (especially when there are weather delays, or ATC flow control). Maybe then they could appreciate the joys of being punched in the back, tripped, yelled at, insulted, and degraded. Being a f/a is the best job in the world, BUT it can also be the worst when you have passengers like FF!

Unless you have elite frequent flyer status, the flight attendants won't give you the time of day.

Flight attendants have become increasingly surly, hostile, unhelpful and unfriendly. I'm not asking for much here, maybe just the same level of civility one expects from the person who bags my groceries, rings up my bill, answers my phone call, etc. I am in the service industry, and if I barked orders at people and made no attempt to help them, I would be dispatched. I know they have a hard job, and there must be a lot of nasty customers, but I think that is true of other service professions, and other professionals seem to me to handle it better.

Okay, let's turn this unnecessarily antagonistic discussion into something more interesting -- and here's what I'm wondering: Does it make a difference who the flight attendants work for?

1. To the attendants: have any of you worked for more than 1 airline? Does it make a difference to you? Do they emphasize service, courtesy, and/or do they train you to treat some people differently from others? How do they treat you -- and doesn't that affect how you treat passengers?

2. To the disgruntled travellers: Have you observed a difference from one airline to another? Are there some airlines whose attendants seem to be all-around nicer than others? Does everyone feel that coach passengers are slighted in favor of business/first class?

I didn't want to get drawn into the fray on this one, but after reading the increasingly antagonistic responses I simply can't help it. I have never had issue with a flight attendant - guess I've just been lucky. However, I would have to argue that the basic difference between other service industry jobs (salespeople, cashiers, gas attendants, waiters) has got to be the clientele. I would not imagine that many grocery store cashiers ever feel quite as threatened or as trapped as a flight attendant when faced with a tired, frustrated, angry traveler. I also hear very, very few examples of outright violence towards waitresses, salespeople in stores, etc. There's really no room for comparison there. As someone who has worked in a much less stressful job, as a salesgirl in a high-end clothing store in a resort area, I know that after all of the rude people it's hard to put on a smile for the nice people. And unfortunately it's rarely the nice people who are remembered. I would imagine that travelers get nastier and nastier, and flight attendants have to worry more and more about being threatened and abused - it's no surprise they aren't always happy. Seems like an incredibly high-stress environment to me. They've got my support.

Have to somewhat disagree with you Lizzie. As a waitress I have had my share of obnoxious drunks grabbing at me and lewd comments and people stiffing me. It takes a special person to handle working with the public in any capacity and a boatload of patience. Yes, it is hard sometimes to put a smile on my face, but that's my job. If you can't deal with the public and the stress that goes along with it, you need to get into another line of work...

Gotta wonder how much ALCOHOL has to do with all that rudeness, combined with fear, yes fear, of being in a confined space. I think Flight attendants have a tougher job than most service folks. I own a restaurant, and it almost always turns out that the nastiest customers are drinking... couple that with a confined space, and watch out!

I sure hope the flight attendants and ground people too get large raises. The close quarters and working conditions combine for a difficult job. I doubt if anything will get better with the space allocations on most airplanes. Drinking and air quality seem to be strong factors too. The air rage out there is way, way more common than in former years. My male counterpart ALWAYS gets more service than I do, regardless of what class we fly. He has noticed that too.

Strikes hurt innocent bystanders. If you are striking and believe in your cause, at least have enough class to remember that the passenger is the reason for your job and not "the opposition."

It's too bad airline employees feel they need to strike but it's certainly their right. I just hope that they remember that such actions may bite them in the butt down the road. I flew American over 100,000 miles a year prior to the pilot work-slowdown/sickout two years ago and was a AAdvantage Platinum member. The pilots made the two weeks I had for vacation a miserable experience indeed...cancellations, missed connections, etc. I haven't stepped foot on an American aircraft since and it's cost that airline $120,000 of my company's money. Those bucks are now at Southwest and Continental, two carriers with relatively peaceful labor relations.

To Jennifer:

Yes, but as a waitress (or salesperson, cashier, etc) you have the ability to walk out that door if a situation becomes violent or frightening. A flight attendant simply does not have that option.

Having just witnessed a fist fight on an American Airlines flight from Milan to Chicago on March 20, I want to say that the flight attendants did NOT put themselves anywhere near the brawl but seemed to avoid it much more than the passengers who got "rolled over" by the brawlers. The captain (1 of 3 pilots on an overseas flight) came out to secure the one passenger. Can't say they went out the door but I was closer than they were.

I think if it comes down to a strike, Bush will step in just like he did in the NW situation so air traffic will not be disrupted. And if he doesn't, American will shoot itself in the foot. And to those of you who feel the flight attendants need more money--just remember the raised will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher ticket prices....

Does anyone pay attention to what W. says about airline strikes and the economy in 2001? Maybe it's the one advantage we have of being inside the Beltway ... we hear. Why would he permit a strike to further threaten the situation? I think the AA flight attendants can hang in there for another year ... surely the transportation sector of the U.S. economy rates above this small group of folks, no matter how much we value them. Hey, AA, Delta pilots, and the rest of the disaffected in the ailrine industry, time to get a reality check. Your gripes are not even on the radar screen of what's important right now.

Leone you are absolutely right. The airlines are adding fuel surcharges to ticket prices and if they have to bump up ticket prices to accomodate pay raises this is not going to sit well with the flying public.

I still think that the service people deserve a raise and that it would bring better help into the industry. Fuel etc. will increase fares regardless. I remember when fares were much more prohibitive than in recent years. At least now you can go no-frills on ATA or Southwest, and there are other alternatives which can be cheaper. What I don't wish to see are all the smaller outfits getting swallowed up.