It’s great how today’s flights offer so many food choices. Whether you need gluten-free or specialized meals for children, diabetics, or vegetarians, airlines seem to have it all. Surprisingly, passengers can go to great extremes to make sure they receive exactly what they want, even going so far as to fake birthdays, honeymoons, or pretend to be vegetarians.
This happened to a Redditor named u/Troikos, who works as a flight attendant. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he was no stranger to demanding passengers. However, this particular situation really tested his patience. Check out how he dealt with a needy passenger below.
Everyone has their own special dietary requirements, but some tend to lie to try and get special treatment
Image credits: friends_stock (not the actual photo)
This flight attendant dealt with one such passenger, pretending to be a vegetarian
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: TUBARONES PHOTOGRAPHY (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Troikos
Cabin crew sometimes has a tough time dealing with difficult passengers
Certainly, while the story can bring a smile when we applaud the flight attendant’s efforts, having a troublesome passenger on board can indeed present significant challenges and potential safety concerns.
A disruptive passenger is someone who doesn’t follow safety rules and behaves badly, often due to alcohol or drugs. It’s illegal for an intoxicated person to get on a plane, drink alcohol they didn’t get on the plane, or use drugs.
Anxiety, jet lag, medication, and fear of flying are other reasons passengers might act out. Unfortunately, such incidents are happening more often and causing flight delays.
There are certain signs passengers display that allow them to be caught for threatening behavior
Once passengers are on the plane, flight attendants keep an eye out for any signs of aggression or threatening behavior while boarding. They stay vigilant for anything that seems suspicious or out of the ordinary because, during this phase, if a passenger becomes unruly, they can be removed from the plane and handed over to security.
However, once the aircraft is in the air, dealing with such situations becomes more challenging.If a passenger seems like they might cause trouble, flight attendants can limit their alcohol consumption.
If the passenger becomes aggressive, the flight attendant will try to calm them down by talking and offering a non-alcoholic drink while encouraging cooperation. Flight attendants are trained to spot potential troublemakers and are skilled in security, conflict management, self-defense, and how to restrain someone if needed.
Flight attendants take some actions for situations not to escalate, and luckilly not all of them do
If things get worse, a flight attendant will issue a warning to the passenger. At the same time, another crew member will inform the senior crew member, who will then notify the flight deck. This is crucial because the safety of the plane, crew, and passengers could be at risk.
They’ll assess the seriousness of the situation and might consider diverting the plane to the nearest airport. If the passenger continues to be aggressive and doesn’t comply with the warning, they may be physically restrained and handed over to authorities upon landing.
Of course, not all disruptions on a plane are serious. Sometimes, there are minor issues that involve nearby passengers, like someone being loud, kicking seats, crying babies, or someone reclining their seat all the way back. In such cases, another passenger might use the call button to get help from the flight crew.
Flight attendants can use friendly communication to address issues. They might offer toys or coloring books to seat-kickers, help soothe crying babies by warming up food or holding them for a while, and ask passengers to raise their reclined seats during meal service so others can eat comfortably. It’s all about using good communication skills to prevent and resolve problems.
The original poster answered some comments and gave more information
People symphatised with the flight attendant
Follow Us
