December 12
Image courtesy Broadway Video & NBC
In my personal opinion, Alec Baldwin is a narcissistic blow hard.
There…I said it! And I make no apologies about that opinion.
I have been a casual fan of Baldwin’s work for years. I have enjoyed some of the things he’s done; others, not so much. In the grand scheme of things, I (and I believe all of us) need to remember one important distinction: he’s an actor! He’s not a rocket scientist, nor an important political leader, nor a distinguished medical expert. In the grand scheme of things, he hasn’t done anything that I would consider to be of great value to the sustenance or betterment of the human race.
I am a flight attendant. I have no delusions of grandeur when it comes to my place in society, nor my importance to the public. I do know my place and I understand the responsibilities that my job requires of me. First and foremost, I am a safety professional on board an aircraft. My authority as such stands directly beneath the Captain’s authority aboard the aircraft I am flying on. Since the Captain cannot attend to the activities behind him and the cockpit door, the onus of keeping order and peace falls upon the shoulders of the flight attendants.
In this day and age, the public has become more and more callous towards the flight attendant profession. While the majority of our time is spent smiling, assisting and serving beverages and meals, in the public’s mind, flight attendants are nothing more than the stewardesses they see on the ABC series ‘Pan Am,’ or the ditzy bimbos portrayed in movies like “A View from the Top.” They understand less and less about our primary function – to protect the safety of the plane and the passengers aboard it. During emergencies, it is the flight attendants who coordinate, organize and take charge of evacuations, medical emergencies and other disruptions. Our job is to maintain order. Chaos on board a flight is unacceptable and rarely tolerated.
When things get out of hand at 35,000 feet, because the cockpit door must remain closed and secure in-flight, the highest level of authority (with direction from the Captain) comes from the flight attendants. So physical and verbal abuse is taken at face value and dealt with severely on the ground when the airplane arrives at the airport. Any passenger who cannot control their actions aboard a flight faces real, severe penalties in the form of charges of interfering with a flight crew or a flight attendant, as set forth in Title 49 of the United States Code: “The statute applies to any “individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties.” The statute provides for up to 20 years imprisonment, and further provides for imprisonment for any term of years or life if a dangerous weapon is used. Interference with a flight crew member or attendant is a general intent crime, and does not require a specific intent either to intimidate the flight crew member or attendant or to interfere with the performance of his or her duties.” [1]
Although this incident with Baldwin took place while the aircraft was on the ground, at the gate, the statute still applies. In this case, it has been argued publically that the flight attendant overreacted and that the penalty was too severe for the “crime” Baldwin was accused of. I disagree.
Flight attendants, in general, have a gauge by which we determine a passenger’s level of cooperation. If, while at the gate or on the ground, a passenger is unwilling to comply with a request or direct order from a crew member there, chances are pretty strong that they’d be as unwilling to comply at 35,000 feet, when things are more critical, and access to assistance from law enforcement is minimal, at best.
The fact that Baldwin continues to belittle the flight attendant and minimize his infraction on Twitter and on Saturday Night Live, thus stirring up public resentment toward flight attendants in general is unconscionable. Baldwin is no expert authority on air safety rules and regulations.
So why does the public continue to entertain his tirade? Because in today’s world, we have elevated celebrities to a level that somehow equates to leaders or experts or gurus. We look up to them…people who should be respected, admired and their opinions should carry more weight than the average “Joe.” They have become the equivalent of royalty and we treat them as such. We give them a pass on most everything, from drug abuse and infidelity to even more insidious and serious crimes.
This issue is far from over. The more conditioned the public becomes in disrespecting the direction of flight attendants on board aircraft, the less able we flight attendants will be able to maintain order during flight.
I believe it is time for the FAA and the airlines in general, to step up and clarify to the public the necessity to heed the authority of flight crews while flying. I applaud American Airlines’ decision to publicy defend and uphold the crew members who were involved in this case, and to rebuke and reject Baldwin’s behavior. But most of the time, airline companies more often than not become apologetic and simply reward bad behavior by accomodating the offending party with another flight, upgrades or additional mileage in their accounts. I’ve seen it happen. Thus the public gets the notion that if they act up when they don’t get their way, their perception is that they will get rewarded. This sort of compensation for their lack of cooperation must end.
Until then, there will continue to be more and more public incidents of celebrities and non-celebrities alike being removed from flights for disruptive behavior and the media will continue to make a spectacle of it all. It’s not acceptable, and the public should be outraged at the actor, not the safety professional trying to do their job!
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[1] United States Attorney’s Manual, U.S. Code, Title 49, Section 9-63.110, http://1.usa.gov/sP1XMk, revised August 1999.
F%@K Baldwin….don’t delay my flights. Lease your own plane or take a bus, but listen to the flight attendants like the rest of us!
Given that he was removed from the flight and AA has stood by the flight crew’s handling of the situation, I actually think his tantrum is a good reminder to other “blow hards.”
If this incident causes people to think twice before arguing with a flight attendant and causing a delay for everyone else on board, that’s great.
Ok…but seriously, can we be done with the turning off of the kindles and iPads before takeoff?????? do you know how many people leave theirs on when the aircraft is taxiing/taking off? Enough already.
Mike, I agree with you that there are silly rules on the books everywhere. I also know that, as a crew member, there are lots of people who ignore these rules, while I am required by the FAA to enforce them. I don’t have the luxury of deciding which rules to enforce and which to overlook. Those crew members who do “look the other way” are subjecting themselves to stiff penalties and suspension if they ignore these regulations. The way to get these things changed is to write to your Congressmen or get a petition going and have the rules reviewed or changed. Going around making the flight attendants out to be the villains is counter productive and serves no one but those who think the rules don’t apply to them…
I do not normally comment, but I agree with the above sentiment so much that I thought I would add this anecdote. While at a dinner party a (seemingly) well-known actress was seated next to my date. This ‘actor’ was very impressed with her chosen line of work and after a good 1/2 hour talking about her very important life changing work, asked me what I thought of her “calling”. I responded that I felt as though the Babylonian Court etiquette had it right when it came to the distinction and honors due to an actor. They are of course held in dignity above slaves, but were seated below racehorses. She blissfully refused to talk to me for the rest of the evening and my date could not stop laughing…it all worked out better than I could have hoped for. Anyway, dont care who you are, just switch of the darn phone.
ROFL…love it!
Awful article. Yes, flight attendants are trained in safety procedures and how to execute them. But how much of a typical 5-hour flight does that occupy? 30 mins, max, plus ground time on either end? 45? The rest of the time, they are there to provide customer service to travelers.
Flight attendant power trips and false standards are the problem. You’ll find true stories of flight attendants inventing ‘federal laws’ and ‘government regulations’ to get people to do what they want. There are widely reported incidents of mistreatment of passengers by flight attendants (eg. the removal of people they don’t like the appearance [skin color] of, the removal of people whose skimpy clothes they disapprove of, the unnecessary and unprovoked escalations [eg. calling the feds] because a guy who has diarrhea used the lav. I have observed many flight attendants texting while taxiing, both on takeoff and arrival. Not to mention the fact that it has been reported that the AA flight attendant who had Alec Baldwin thrown off their flight, treated him worse than other passengers who were also texting. There is absolutely zero accountability.
There are rules and they ought to be obeyed. But it goes both ways. Unless you’re willing for a flight attendant who breaks the rules, or acts up on a power trip, to be severely, and publicly, punished for these misdeeds. Unless you’re willing to suffer the consequences for flight attendant power trips, you want it all one way.
AS: Sorry you feel that way. The truth is that the majority of flight attendants are NOT on a power trip and do enjoy their jobs. Like anything else, there is a small few who give us all a bad name. As far as accountablility goes, you are incorrect in your assessment. Flight attendant are very much held accountable for their actions when it is reported to the company or the FAA. Just because the airlines or the FAA refuse to make that public knowledge doesn’t mean is doesn’t happen. We are subject to very stiff penalties and disciplinary actions if we go outside our job duties or violate the rules. I agree with you that customer service is a huge part of our duties, but it is secondary to our mission as safety professionals. I challenge you to tell me that most flight attendants aren’t exceptional in their jobs and do a great job. Again, you are pointing out a very minute number of trouble makers that make it tough on us all.
Few things that airlines ought to fix:
Given this day & age in technology, having electronic devices interfere with aircraft navigation is unacceptable. Boeing/Airbus: Fix your plane’s systems please (if they need fixing in the first place).
The infamous “bring your seat backs upright” is silly. I understand the need to have them upright so that passengers in the seat behind can brace in the case of an emergency during landing, but given the scant room in airline seats, and the growth in passengers girth & size lately, there’s no way they can bend over to brace anyway.
So once flight attendants no longer have to police passengers for these “crimes”, perhaps they can get back to focusing on service & feeding passengers the crappy food served up on most airlines…
Years ago, while in school, i worked in the service industry aka, restaurant. One day a Ladies Bible Study Group had reserved space for a party of 38 for lunch. The Restaurant had a room that could seat 40 easily so the reservation was planned. On the day of the reservation, 2 parties were seated at 2 separate tables in this room for breakfast,,, long before the lunch reservation was set to arrive. As the lunch seating started, these 2 parties SAT,,, (a la K.O.A. Campground). it became necessary to pick a secondary area of the restaurant to seat this party of 38. After arranging tables and seating all of the (elderly) ladies, the Minister approached the Manager and Scolded her for her Lack of Management and voice his Dissatisfaction, etc. In return the Manager replied that she did not tell this man how to pray in his Church so she would appreciate his not telling her how to do her job,,,,, Ultimately the ladies were seated,,, in a manner in which they could all eat a lunch,,,without realizing that they were not sat at 1 table,,, Traveling Public,,,, please realize when you are on an Airplane,,, you are in the Working Place of the Flight Attendants and They are given Rules and Requirements that They are Subject to Enforce,,,,They do not come into your T.V. Studio and tell you how to Act or your C.F.O. Office and tell you how to dole out Year End Bonuses…. So Please respect the Job of your Flight Attendants, and know that They are only doing what They are Required to Do and Enforce per the FAA and FCC.
I fully support the safety respinsibilities of flight attendants and am glad that they are there. But as a North American who had been recently based in Asia I can say that there is a huge difference in attitude between Asian and North American flight attendants. I don’t mean that NA flight attendants should kneel when speaking to passengers like they do on SQ or TG. But when I use “please” and “thank you” I expect a return courtesy and perhaps even a smile. Instead, flying NA airlines is more like flying DMV Air and that has zero to do with safety.
Yes, this is just another typical point of view from a passenger. First of all, your thought of the infamous “bring your seat backs upright” is NOT silly!! It’s a Federal Law and its not so that a passenger can brace for an impact. Its to allow proper and speedy egress during an evacuation. THINK ABOUT IT! You’re at a window seat and the center and aisle seat in front of you are reclined all the way, thus blocking your speedy egress to evacuate. BESIDES, FAA inspectors fly on planes (in cognito) to check our performance. Let’s say a FAA inspector sits next to a passenger who has his seat reclined and its time to take-off or land and I don’t ask the passenger, as you say “silly” to bring his seat back upright, the FAA inspector WILL and CAN fine me up to $10,000.00. That is a persoanl fine and my airlines will NOT pay for that. On the contrary, my airline will issue a warning and or termination. 99% of what we ask passengers to do, is a Federal mandated action. It’s just something we have to do, to avoid getting a possible fine. Yes, there were many times in my 25 years that I just considered why do I continue to bother asking passengers, especially some one who thinks that my interest in his/her safety is silly, to raise their seat backs or fasten their seat belts!! REALIZE this! Everytime we take-off or land, in essence, we are preparing the cabin for an unplanned emergency crash! Have you ever heard the announcement: “Federal Aviation Regulations require passenger to comply with crew members’ instructions?” Though today we are only told to say “Passenger are to follow cremember’s instruction.” Our Federal mandated manaul we carry contains numerous Federal Aviation Regulations which must be observed by us and FAA inspectors will inspect our manuals for compliance and if not in compliance, can even fine us for that. Everytime the seatbealt sign is illumianted, WE MUST make an announcement, ask you to sit down and buckle up, AND visually inspect the entire cabin. Yes, that too is a Federal Law and punishable up to $10,000.00 if not completed. And fof course, I could go on and on. So, the next time you think that something we do is silly, THINK AGAIN!
Interesting article. I can understand your frustration with the increasingly bad public image that you job has been receiving lately due to increased security, but some of the points that AS makes are valid.
There are too many flight attendants who treat passengers worse than they should. And regarding the rules, I think you will agree that a passenger is more likely to notify the airline of an FA not behaving appropriately than a fellow FA. They stick to their own, with the good and the bad, like law enforcement.
Even though it is very important for passengers to be aware that IF there is a problem the FA is the one in charge, there is no reason to threaten passengers to have a safe flight. This is the part about power tripping. The part where flight attendants choose to behave irrationally because of the way they decide to interpret a certain regulation to back their point. Like the orange juice incident, or the pants too low.
You also seem to treat it very black & white. If the FAA says seat belts must be fastened and all phones must be off why do airlines choose to only check seat belts, but not all passengers’ phones? Again, being reasonable…
The authority of flight attendants is for example undermined by the overuse of the level of authority when that is not relevant to get your point across, not by Pan Am shows. Maybe I’m not familiar with everything Baldwin said after he was kicked off, but he didn’t say they lacked authority in kicking him off, more along the lines that it was stupid to do that.
Again, it’s like crying “wolf” when it’s not necessary. We understand you can make our lives miserable, but is that really your best argument when a passenger is doing something he’s not supposed to, but not endangering anyone’s safety? A crew member could be reasonable and inform the passenger calmly.
I’m thankful that I get to use foreign airlines (based in Europe) and I don’t have to worry about being yelled at for using a lavatory while there are more people waiting there. I am equally confident that if a safety risk would arise the crew would also be highly qualified to deal with it.
Andre, as I said to an earlier comment, the majority of flight attendants do not abuse their authority. They DO know the rules and they are required by both the airlines and the FAA to get customers to comply. The personal attacks by Baldwin about the flight attendant who “singled him out” were simply uncalled for and to make a national spectacle about it undermines all of us in this industry, not just the person he aimed his anger at. I am not excusing the flight attendant if she chose to be less than courteous in order to get him to comply. However, it was very clear that in this case, Baldwin felt he didn’t need to comply with the request and I am confident that this was not the only time the request was made. On every single flight I have worked on or have traveled on, the flight attendants ALWAYS make an announcement that when the door to the aircraft closes, ALL electronic devices MUST be turned off. The attendants are required to walk through the cabin and enforce compliance after that announcement has been made. Just because Baldwin felt that he could continue with his activities simply because the plane was still at the gate is not acceptable. The debate continues about whether or not these devices actually do cause harm, but until the Federal Government chooses to change that ruling, we are required to ensure passengers are in compliance. There is no grey area there for us. And yes, we are human beings too, so we do have weaknesses like everyone else. But we have a job to perform and most of us do it everyday, without incident.
I’m sorry but where do you get off posting about this?? Were you there?? I’ve seen flight attendants not doing their job more times that I’ve ever seen a passenger behaving badly. Do you really think it’s worth the trouble over hassling a passenger over playing a game? Have you ever heard of a plane coming crashing to the ground due to an electronic device being active during anytime of the flight? No you haven’t… that’s why 100% of the time when flying southwest the flight attendants do not care when they see someone listening to their iPod during takeoff and landings. It’s only when I fly other airlines that they feel they need to make a huge deal out of it because they feel as if the flight attendants are being disrespected due to passengers ignoring them. Flight attendants can be lazy, hence why on most of my Delta flights they show a video of the safety procedures and ‘forget’ to pull the curtain on domestic flights so coach class can come up and use the toilets in first.
I’m sure Mr. Baldwin was not acting like a gentleman, but I get annoyed when hearing from flight attendants when they aren’t taken seriously.
With all due respect, Alan, I have posted this because there are people who fly who have no respect for flight attendants in general and usually go out of their way to be rude, inconsiderate, and ugly to them (should I assume by your comments that you are one of them?) The bottom line is that we are bound by Federal Regulations and you are incorrect that Southwest Airlines is an exception;they are subject to the exact same FARs as any other U.S. Carrier is. I defy you to prove otherwise.
Perhaps it colors my view since a friend is an FA, but the a few things I’ve learned from her 1) Be polite 2) Follow the rules 3) Don’t poke them in the midriff to get their attention. There is no call button in someone’s backside. 4) Don’t ask irrelevant questions about geography. That usually wins you a moron card when you decide to relocate the Grand Canyon to the East Coast.
@Alan, I am a flight attendant for Southwest. I have been flying for 22 yrs. I can ASSURE you sir, that I as well as my coworkers DO care when someone refuses to comply with our requests that begin as soon as the forward door is shut. We do allow passengers to keep their headphones or earbuds in, however, we check to see that the device is turned OFF. So, you may believe that we allow it, but we don’t. I have flown on other carriers who require removal of all earbuds or headphones and it possibly makes their job easier. You have NO idea how annoying it is to make multiple announcements regarding this regulation and then have to stop at each row and tell individual passengers to comply. I agree with Saavy Passenger’s article wholeheartedly. Our PRIMARY role on board is to provide
safe flights, medical treatment for those who need it, security for the flight deck, fight fires, deliver babies (yes, that’s right), assist elderly, disabled and children traveling alone, and if we are not doing any of these activities, provide excellent customer service. Unfortunately, with the FAA breathing down airlines necks these days, we are subject to outrageous fines and discipline for failure to comply. When you have been flying this long, you see what turbulence (including clear air-no advance notice) can do to someone who is not buckled in. Therefore, we do understand the importance of asking passengers to remain seated or return to their seats when it is unsafe. Should we fail to do so, I can be personally fined $10,000. I made $32,000 last year. I don’t feel I should give a third of it to the government because you don’t want to comply. If you comply the first time when asked, you should never experience any of the problems you may have observed, experienced or heard Mr. Baldwin did. However, why should certain individuals be held to certain standards and others not? I love the part of my job of taking care of people and getting to know the people on my flight. I do not enjoy playing airplane police, however, it is an important part of my job. Let’s just realize this is not personal, it is part of air travel and get from point A to point B safely and on time. I can’t speak for other airlines but at Southwest, we try to live by the golden rule. Most flight attendants want to come to work, enjoy their day and help make sure you enjoy yours. We celebrate soldiers coming home, birthdays, anniversaries, sports tournements, family reunions, batchelor/ette parties, etc. That is the best part of my job. Have I ever had to remove someone who refused to comply with a request? Absolutely, however, it is the LAST resort. We give that passenger EVERY opportunity to comply. We have several steps to take until that point. Then, it is up to the Captain. We are also trained to descalate situations to avoid this from happening, but, unfortunately, it has gotten to that point. Saavy Passenger is absolutely right when it was stated that a passenger who refuses to comply on the ground is unlikely to comply at 38,000 ft. Should that person become violent or threatening and we have to divert to another city, are you ok with delaying your arrival to your original city by and hour or possibly several. What about passengers at the end of the day who (since this has a domino effect on the rest of the day) planned on being on time for a meeting, a birthday, connecting flight, etc., now miss it because this happened earlier in the day. We are all affected. Again, we are REQUIRED to follow the law and so should you.
Why make both parties equally annoyed and frustrated? Just turn it off, problem solved. Rules are rules. None of us make them but we all follow them. But why mom? Because I said so, says the FAA.