The Golden Rule

We have all heard of the "Golden Rule" before- but how many of us actually remember to do it.  Many flight attendants are upset about the way passengers behave onboard these days- but what about how flight attendants behave?

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

As a flight attendant, it is easy to get wrapped up in the moment and forget about the people who essentially provide our job security- and that's our passengers.  They come on board with an attitude, don't want to follow instructions, were rude to you, etc. Well just because they treat you in a way you don't like- doesn't justify doing the same to them. Be the bigger person and rise above it.  I have seen far too many Flight Attendants on a power trip causing a much bigger scene than necessary because they have forgotten the essential part of their job- Customer Service.

This week an elderly woman boarded my airplane with a suitcase, purse, and tote bag.  After it was all said and done, I am convinced that nobody wanted to ask her to combine them.  I hated to ask her to either, however the FAA has been cracking down on the 2 Bag rule.  She reluctantly put her purse in the tote bag.  Problem #2- She had the bulk head and the bins above her were full. She didn't want to part with her purse/totebag. and she didn't want to check her bag, but couldn't lift it either. Problem #3- Her hearing aides were not working very well. So she was getting very frustrated as was I.  But we solved the problem for her and all was fine.

Until we had a problem with our emergency escape slide.  A 20 minute fix....Turned into deplaning the entire aircraft 90 minutes later and rebooking everyone onto another flight.  During the 90 minutes I chatted with the lady and found that she had missed her first flight and she was concerned about her suitcase and her connection. So needless to say- she was very confused about why they were getting off of the plane. I imagined how I would want my own grandmother to be treated. Once everyone was off, I went with her into the terminal and asked her to have a seat while I talked to the agents about her flights.  Then I spoke to her son on her phone and explained the situation. Before leaving her at her gate, I made sure the agents who were previously working my flight knew about her situation- she was essentially a UM at this point because she really couldn't hear well and was getting frustrated and confused.  The agents had their hands, full and this woman might have been ignored otherwise.

We went on our way ferrying the airplane to the hub city...but I can't help wonder what happened to this woman? Did she make it to her destination? Did the agents take care of her after I left?  I'll never know, but I did all that I can do. My crew told me I didn't have to do any of that. Yes- I didn't, but I wasn't going to risk that woman being forgotten in the mess of rebookings in the terminal.

So remember....Treat your passengers the way you want to be treated.  Treat them the way you would want your family or friends to be treated.  Don't treat them like just another face in the crowd- treat them like they are guests in your home.