Take your damn headphones off!

[AirHostess]

Right it was day 2 of a trip, we were flying back into London and I was doing cabin secure pre take-off.

Me: Excuse me sir, can you bring your seat forward and take your headphones off please?
Pax: What?
Me *repeats myself*

I walk off and my Purser has seen what's going on. We strap in our jumpseats and then suddenly Purser jumps up and runs up to pax.

Purser: My collegue has already asked you to take your headphones off.
Pax: Why do I need to?
Purser: If we have to evacuate you won't be able to hear my commands so please take them off.

The passenger looked pretty sheepish and was embarrased in front of all the other passengers. He was pretty grumpy. He fell asleep and we didn't hear a peep from him all flight.

We looked at the pax list and this man was a Silver Card Frequent Flyer. You would think he would know the rules by now. He should have known better than to recline his seat on take-off...if we had an emergency his seat could impede the person behind him escape route. And he wouldn't be able to brace correctly and could break his back.

We do the safety demo for a reason...well we have nice little video screens now.

[NateTheChops]

It is so good to meet a fellow employee of the airport. I was a detailer for US Airways a year ago. Although most of my stories involve co-irkers rather than customers.

Probably the one annoying thing about customers would have been Continental and Jet Blue customers asking me if their luggage was in yet when I clearly had a US Airways runway vest on. Burlington International Airport isn't that huge an airport but I was only required to keep track of US Airways passengers and their luggage and we had more than enough of our own customers to worry about.

[DevilBoy]

We looked at the pax list and this man was a Silver Card Frequent Flyer. You would think he would know the rules by now.

Oooohhh, he's special... he's got a Silver Card!!!!111!!....which is exactly why he felt that the rules should NOT apply to him.

How dare you try to compromise this man's comfort!!!11!!!1!
It makes no difference if his comfort is a threat to himself and others... after all, he's a Silver Card Frequent Flyer.

[digilight]

Thank you Katie, I've always wondered why you folks tell passangers to put their seats in their full upright position. and now I know...And in the immortal words of GI JOE...Knowing is half the battle.

[smileyeagle1021]

ditto what digilight said... up until reading your post I had no idea why airlines required the seats be put in the upright position during take off and landing... I always assumed it had something to do with the g forces from acceleration and deceleration (especially for someone like me who is somewhat sensitive to changes in acceleration... hell, I can fell when a plane goes into initial decent, I know at least my mother and one of my old roommates could only feel the decent when they went into final approach, but as they are the only two I've ever really talked to about it I have no idea whether they're just the oddballs out or I'm the odd one).

[AirHostess]

See all our little rules are for a reason

They have done extensive research, after every crash they review policies, basically if we had had to do an emergency landing and brace, Mr Silver Card Holder would a) not have heard our shouted commands and may have died plus he might have been paralysed for life...if he survived his initial impact. But as long as he gets to listen to his music on take off he's just fine

In the British Midland crash in the UK in 89, http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...h_air_disaster one of the pilots didn't have his lap strap fastened up...he survived but is still in a wheelchair, can't move from the waist down.

Oh and Mr Silver Card would no doubt be the first person to start screaming for us to rescue him...personally I wouldn't have bothered.

[ArcticChicken]

hell, I can fell when a plane goes into initial decent, I know at least my mother and one of my old roommates could only feel the decent when they went into final approach, but as they are the only two I've ever really talked to about it I have no idea whether they're just the oddballs out or I'm the odd one).

I can feel every change in acceleration and altitude an a plane makes. Which leads to my not being able to sleep on the plane, because every time something changes my hind brain goes "What were you THINKING!!!eleventy!!!11! Peoples aren't s'post to be THIS HIGH IN THE AIR!!!!! Now you're going to DIII...nope, never mind."

I usually try to distract it with pretty shiny lights.

[Evil Queen]

ArticChicken, I'm the same way.

I hate flying. Yet I want to try out being a flight attendant. How messed up is that?