The simple trick to get ‘special’ treatment from your flight attendant
Ever wonder why some passengers seem to get all the attention from the cabin crew on your flight, while you’re virtually ignored in your seat? Well, it might just be a matter of them taking advantage of this secret, simple travel trick.
Whether you’re in first-class, business or battling it down in economy, this tip will ensure that when it comes to answer passenger requests, you’re front of the cabin crew’s mind.
JetBlue flight attendant and columnist Amanda Pleva explains that when it comes to catering for passengers, manners, politeness and being friendly goes a long way.
“You know what the worst part of my job is? It isn’t cleaning up vomit or dealing with an angry passenger yelling in my face, which is what most people assume,” she wrote.
“It is when I stand at the aircraft door greeting people and get ignored. To have someone clearly see me and ignore my ‘hello’ and walk on by is the most dehumanizing experience.
“It sounds trite and probably is, but all these years later I can’t get past the icky feeling of having someone not even think I am worth a simple ‘hi’ or even just a quickly flashed smile.”
She added: “As a paying customer, it isn’t your job to be friendly to me or to walk on eggshells, lest I come by and smack you upside the head with a safety information card. The role of the passenger is merely to follow the safety and security rules enforced by us onboard.
“But should you be an entitled jerk? Of course not.”
While stressing that this doesn’t apply to all flight attendants, Pleva hints that often being polite and personal is the best way to get first-class service
While noting that this by no means applies to all flight attendants in the world, Pleva argues that being polite, friendly and personal with the cabin crew can get you first-class service, no matter how close you are to the front of the place.
She adds: “But you would be amazed at how far politeness and friendliness goes. Even if you don’t think we notice, we do. And it gets returned whenever possible — maybe it’s a free drink, maybe we tap you on the shoulder and shoo you into an empty row. Or maybe it’s just extra-attentive service! But we always appreciate a friendly face, and word usually spreads among the crew when people are especially kind.”
What do you think? Will you try this trick? Which airline have you found gives you the best service? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.