Being on crutches is no excuse for being a bitch

[AirHostess]

On my flight today back from a destination well known for stuck up and very precious passengers I had a pax on crutches. She was listed on the pax list as being able to manage stairs and would be met by a wheelchair at the other end. So I carried her bag to her seat for her as it was light, stowed her bag and crutches for her and was generally pretty nice.

She was a grump during the flight but they all are on this route so meh.

As she was disembarking I got her bag and crutches down and explained that it was stairs to go down onto a bus and was she ok to manage the steps. (no thanks or even a smile) She started ranting then about how 'they' (why is it always the mysterious THEY?) had promised her extra legroom seats

This was a surprise as there are no extra legroom seats apart from the overwing exits seats but as these are emergency exits you have to be able bodied etc and able to open them. Our ground agents are very switched on so I cannot imagine them telling her this. She then said she hated being lied too.

She then ranted at the Captain as she got off. He offered to help her with her bag and down the steps and she said in a really agressive tone "well I've had to manage by myself so far haven't I, no-one has helped me, I am never flying this airline again.'

Stupid cow then fell down the last two steps!

Anyway, I saw her in Arrivals afterwards and felt a bit sorry for her as she obviously had no-one to meet her and was dragging a suitcase and hobbling along on crutches. Then she saw me and gave me a really dirty look so I made a funny face back at her and walked off leaving her hobbling.

Funny thing is, if she hadn't had been such a bitch I might have stopped and helped her. Seeing as my shift was over and I was no longer being paid I just shrugged and ignored her.

[crashhelmet]

Stupid cow then fell down the last two steps!

I love it when they have to eat crow in front of the people they just ripped in to.

What really surprises me though is that she didn't play the "Cripple EW" card where they get demanding and whiny for special treat both on and off the plane.

CH

[tropicsgoddess]

Oh how I love it when SC's get egg on their faces....

[Keiara]

Her being on crutches was no excuse for her behavior however I think I should point this out....

She was probably very very frustrated with her current condition. Takes twice as long to get anywhere then before she was on the crutches. She might also be used to being very independent and not used to needing people's help to get around.

The above happened to me when I broke my ankle and was forced to be on crutches for 2 months. But I wasn't a bitch about it either. She doesn't need to take out on others.

[AirHostess]

Her being on crutches was no excuse for her behavior however I think I should point this out....

She was probably very very frustrated with her current condition. Takes twice as long to get anywhere then before she was on the crutches. She might also be used to being very independent and not used to needing people's help to get around.

The above happened to me when I broke my ankle and was forced to be on crutches for 2 months. But I wasn't a bitch about it either. She doesn't need to take out on others.

Maybe but I like to think that she was just a bitch!

[AccountingDrone]

Her being on crutches was no excuse for her behavior however I think I should point this out....

She was probably very very frustrated with her current condition. Takes twice as long to get anywhere then before she was on the crutches. She might also be used to being very independent and not used to needing people's help to get around.

The above happened to me when I broke my ankle and was forced to be on crutches for 2 months. But I wasn't a bitch about it either. She doesn't need to take out on others.

I am guilty of refusing to use a chair when I actually need one - or checking out a scooter to do shopping so I sort of gimp around in pain ... but I make the effort not to be a bitch about it. I am really resisting getting a power chair and using it all the time when I am out though that is actually what I need to do. I feel so fucking depressed that at 48 I cant just decide to go to a mall and walk around aimlessly ... or to the state fair ... or anything that anybody else can reasonably do. I have to plan my days so the fatigue and pain are manageable.

[and i promise that when i fly over to germany i will not be that sucky customer ... i promise to get the wheelchair service and be nice to my flight personnel]

[AirHostess]

I am guilty of refusing to use a chair when I actually need one - or checking out a scooter to do shopping so I sort of gimp around in pain ... but I make the effort not to be a bitch about it. I am really resisting getting a power chair and using it all the time when I am out though that is actually what I need to do. I feel so fucking depressed that at 48 I cant just decide to go to a mall and walk around aimlessly ... or to the state fair ... or anything that anybody else can reasonably do. I have to plan my days so the fatigue and pain are manageable.

[and i promise that when i fly over to germany i will not be that sucky customer ... i promise to get the wheelchair service and be nice to my flight personnel]

Trust me, this woman was just a stuck up cow anyway, she was very 'entitled.' She was talking to another passengers about how she had hurt her foot/leg/whatever doing a parachute jump or something so was temporaily laid up.

You sound nothing like that I have utmost sympathy with you, travelling must be a right pain. Hopefully your flight attendants will be pleasant and helpful, most are!

[bean]

We have a regular wheelchair-bound customer at the other end of the spectrum who I love dealing with.

She had 1 leg amputated above the knee - she always refuses to use our electric carts and prefers to use her wheelchair. Absolute joy to deal with, always very polite, and I always go out of my way to help her when I can.

One day I was outside when she showed up (I recognize her car from doing many carry outs when I was a bagger), I helped her unload her wheelchair, got one of what I call "half shopping carts" (the kind that are designed to be attached to the front of a wheelchair), and opened the door for her. She came through my line, nobody else was behind her, so I put out my closed sign (we didn't have lights back then), rung her up, and carried everything out myself. She tried to tip me, but I refused (we are allowed to take tips, but her money is no good with me).

She had us stop at the service desk on the way out so she could talk to my boss, she went on and on about how great I am for going out of my way. She's one of my favorite customers, and drives pretty far to get to us (she told me it's about 40 miles each way).

Too long;didn't read version: I'll go WAY out of my way to help you if you're polite.

[Mordecai]

I remember one regular customer I knew back when I worked at Harkins. He had a prosthetic limb and an unusually small arm (I'm not sure what the name for the condition is). I thought a lot of the people who came in on the weekdays were snobs and assholes, but he was a pretty nice guy. He always came in with a popcorn pass and one of those refillable cups and never got mad when I suggestive sold to him. I think the most I ever did for him was open a couple of doors, but he didn't even ask me to do that.

[auntiem]

Her being on crutches was no excuse for her behavior however I think I should point this out....

She was probably very very frustrated with her current condition. Takes twice as long to get anywhere then before she was on the crutches. She might also be used to being very independent and not used to needing people's help to get around.

The above happened to me when I broke my ankle and was forced to be on crutches for 2 months. But I wasn't a bitch about it either. She doesn't need to take out on others.

I'm guessing that broken ankles generally happen to very active people to add to the frustration.

I managed to take multiple flights, a 7 day cruise and crutch around a Mayan ruin without being a bitch (to anyone other than my SO - he'll say).

[AccountingDrone]

Trust me, this woman was just a stuck up cow anyway, she was very 'entitled.' She was talking to another passengers about how she had hurt her foot/leg/whatever doing a parachute jump or something so was temporaily laid up.

You sound nothing like that I have utmost sympathy with you, travelling must be a right pain. Hopefully your flight attendants will be pleasant and helpful, most are!

Thanks - Im not dumb enough to jump out of a perfectly good airplane [any more ... /me hides a parachute in the barn] I try to be organized so it ins't quite the dog and pony show it could be. I am *very* aware of my fatigue issues and do things like arrange extra long layovers and a motel room in the middle of a trip for a shower and nap [how the hell can you get so filthy just sitting quietly on an airplane ]

So, being in the business, which airline would you recommend for a trip from Boston to Frankfurt for a fat gimp? I was thinking that the aisle seat in the front of cattle class would be best [no row ahead of me to drop the seat back into my space ... and nobody to climb over to get to the john] I did it once on Aryan Air [is all the staffing for lufthansa blond?!] but got buried in the middle of a central seating row ... sheer hell =(

[AirHostess]

Thanks - Im not dumb enough to jump out of a perfectly good airplane [any more ... /me hides a parachute in the barn] I try to be organized so it ins't quite the dog and pony show it could be. I am *very* aware of my fatigue issues and do things like arrange extra long layovers and a motel room in the middle of a trip for a shower and nap [how the hell can you get so filthy just sitting quietly on an airplane ]

So, being in the business, which airline would you recommend for a trip from Boston to Frankfurt for a fat gimp? I was thinking that the aisle seat in the front of cattle class would be best [no row ahead of me to drop the seat back into my space ... and nobody to climb over to get to the john] I did it once on Aryan Air [is all the staffing for lufthansa blond?!] but got buried in the middle of a central seating row ... sheer hell =(

Hmmm No doubt that a direct flight would be best. Try United. I would advise strongly phoning up and explaining your situation, hopefully that should sort you out with a good seat