The job of a flight attendant is generally considered to be challenging for several reasons.
But an action aboard an American Airlines (AAL) – Get a free report The flight is receiving a lot of attention and has created some controversy.
Related: American Airlines Now Making a 'Huge' Change That Passengers Will Love
Flight attendants, responsible for the safety and comfort of airplane passengers, do so knowing the stress of being prepared and trained to handle emergencies.
They also, in unfortunate circumstances, have to deal with unruly and sometimes violent travelers.
At the end of October, a controversy broke out on social networks when Lori Soler, a user of posted a photo from an airplane galley on a three-hour flight from Dallas to Toronto with an arrangement of seat belts that appeared to be in place to block passengers from the area.
Some saw the action as a deliberate, rule-breaking attempt by flight attendants to protect themselves from their customers.
Others even suggested that the measure interfered with the safety of those aboard the plane.
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Travel expert defends flight attendants
Earlier this week, One Mile at a Time writer Ben Schlappig said he encountered a similar situation on an American Airlines flight, but with a rubber band (instead of seat belts) stretched across from the back kitchen. He also said there was a trash bag hanging over him.
Schlappig, instead of joining the criticism, came to the defense of the flight attendants.
“Let me give you a different perspective, because I recently took two American 737 flights in economy class,” he wrote. “To be honest, this was the first time in a long time that I was on American's 737 Economy on a flight long enough to have to use the bathroom.”
“When I approached the back kitchen, the first thing I noticed was how horribly cramped it was in there. You have two bathrooms across from each other, right in front of the kitchen, and there's no room to wait anywhere,” he continued. “On top of that, the galleys are small, but that's where two flight attendants are expected to be stationed once service is complete. The flight attendants were inches away from other passengers; there was actually more space back there than in the cabin, and that's saying something.”
Schlappig explained how the plane's design made him think differently about the working conditions flight attendants must endure.
“Honestly, seeing that made me realize how unpleasant it is to work in an economy cabin on a narrowbody aircraft when so little effort is put into making the space decent for the crew,” he wrote.
The crew seemed to just want some space.
Schlappig reported that service in the back kitchen was not interrupted by the makeshift barrier.
“The crew blocked the galley for perhaps an hour after performing the service,” he wrote. “But you know what's interesting? The crew was really friendly. They were happy to accommodate any request in the back galley, and you could easily see them or talk to them. They clearly just wanted a minimal amount of personal space.”
The travel expert expanded a little on what led him to write about the situation.
“Let me be clear: I am not excusing violation of company policy,” he wrote. “What I am saying, however, is that we have people who make many millions of dollars a year approving cabin configurations that cram as many seats as possible, with absolutely no regard for how these configurations impact the people who have to pass all his life”. hours of work on them.”
“My point is simply that flight attendants who do this don't necessarily hate customers and don't necessarily want to not provide service to them,” he continued. “They probably just hate that their workspace is literally smaller than any other workspace, due to management's disregard for their comfort.”
Schlappig also included some advice for airline management decision makers.
“That doesn't excuse (flight attendants) violating company policy, but there is a difference between wanting a minimal amount of personal space and hating customers,” Schlappig wrote. “If management wants flight attendants to provide good service, then set them up for success. Part of that includes a pleasant work environment.”
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