Flight Attendants Are Not Servants

Steven Slater, the Jet Blue flight attendant had had enough. Passengers are rude, obnoxious and very unappreciative. I have never understood that. I have flown quite a bit over the years, both domestic and international, and to see the way flight attendants are treated is disgraceful.

Flight attendants are there to help make the flight as pleasant as possible. Not to serve you like you're on a chartered jet to New York to have lunch with Donald Trump. They are not servants. They are not Alice from the "Brady Bunch" or Alfred from "Batman." Too many times I have seen waiters, waitresses, bus boys, fast food order takers, janitors, and corporate furniture movers literally treated like dogs. Living in Los Angeles I have witnessed first hand how some celebrities act toward service personnel at restaurants, boutiques and department stores. Celebrity 'does not' have it's privileges - to be barbaric.

Several years ago I was on a non-stop flight from LA to Philly with no empty seats. My seat was three rows from the rear of the plane. I intentionally watched the flight attendants work their way down the isle as they offered snacks to passengers. They moved with grace, quickness and professionalism. When they got to me I requested my usual ginger ale, asking for the entire can. After receiving the pretzels and Canada Dry I simply said "thank you."

The beaming flight attendant responded by saying "you are so welcome. You're the first person to say thank you."

Sarcastically I said, "I noticed. I guess I'm the only servant on this flight." The flight attendant laughed and gave me a soft touch on my shoulder which was her way of saying "thank you" to me.

Services related corporations spend millions of dollars every year on personnel training, inviting the so-called experts to lecture and waste paper and color ink with their Power Point handouts. Some airlines even try comedy in an attempt to make passengers feel at ease.

I have a suggestion that could reinvent the wheel in the service industry, but companies must act quickly. There are three well known experts that companies should consider inviting to re-train personnel on "how to whip your customers into shape." They are none other than Florence from the "Jefferson's", Hop-sing from "Bonanza", and Benson from "Soap."

Have a nice flight.