American Airlines Captain Lays Out Inflight Etiquette, Demands Passengers Respect Each Other

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An American Airlines Boeing 737 captain lays out proper flight etiquette – and that it’s going to be enforced – before every flight. One passenger caught the soliloquy on video, titling it “Thank you for coming to his TED talk.”

Here’s the thing. This pilot is right in every single respect:

  • Be respectful.
  • Don’t intrude on the space of other passengers.
  • Wear headphones or ear buds to listen to your devices.
  • And the passenger in the middle seat gets both arm rests.
This comment from the CPT really hit home:

Middle seaters, I know it stinks to be in the middle. Raise your hands. Raise them up. Anybody in the middle? Like 5 people. Yeah right that’s full. Alright nobody’s listening. Fine. You own both armrests. That is my gift to you. Welcome on board our flight.
viewfromthewing.com

American Airlines Captain Lays Out Inflight Etiquette, Demands Passengers Respect Each Other - View from the Wing

An American Airlines Boeing 737 captain lays out proper flight etiquette - and that it's going to be enforced - before every flight. One passenger caught the soliloquy on video, titling it "Thank you for coming to his TED talk." Here's the thing. This pilot is right in every single respect.
viewfromthewing.com viewfromthewing.com
 
Once upon a time........
A PanAm flight attendant, during a series of go-arounds, started a 3rd movie.
When the plane was cleared to land, he stopped the movie; which was a normal part of the prep-for-landing process.
A lady complained so much he was written up.

So, overlooking the Grand Canyon sized load of info we don't know, you gotta conclude airlines don't like variations.
 
DuckRyder said:
Good for him... his gift to me could be to fly the airplane on time... not once in my last 6 flights has American been on time.
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Assuming that was actually within their control... It is a team sport, not just one person making it happen. Ultimately yes, they are at the controls, but there are a heck of a lot of moving pieces that all have to happen for them to do their jobs. Just saying...
 
atikovi said:
Shouldn't this be in the humor section?
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If you fly 150+ segments per year,- year after year----- you would not find the talk by the CPT weighted on humor..... but I can see how some of the talk was spoken in a humorous tone.
 
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My father shook his head at this
He was in the business (JFK) in the final halcyon days, '78-'81(National) and '88-'91(Pan Am)

I heard no lies from the pilot, shame people forgot how to act 😔
TBF, air travel lately is almost antagonizingly bad
American is one of the worst offenders

All of this makes me feel better about proactively getting Global Entry and a credit card with upgrades/lounge access
I don't fly much at the moment, but anything to make a bad situation less worse is a good thing 👌
 
Flying these days is torture on the slow plan. The seat cushions keep getting more and more uncomfortable. I am right at average height-And I maybe have three inches from the seat in front of me. Then you have the degradation of civility generally.

It's a recipe for terrible.
 
On a recent JetBlue trip, the Captain introduced himself to the pax in the terminal and again in the plane. He stood there and delivered a stunningly good, no nonsense presentation, with all the seriousness of a WW-II general planning a top-secret invasion. There was no humor, no emotion, but there was a underlying current of seriousness that let you know he meant business. I immediately suspected he had a recent experience with troublesome passengers. Didn't get a chance to ask.

I always wear my crew badges (unless I forget it) when I commute, as it tends to keep my seat mates and those who notice, in check. I got tired of abusive seat-mates.

Had one older woman really infuriate me. She was picking skin off of her hands and arms, placing the pieces on her trousers, and then brushing it on to me, nonstop. My black slacks really highlighted her detritus. It was all over the place. I asked her to stop multiple times. As I did so, she'd nonchalantly look away and smirk. Holy crap that was annoying. I got up and moved, despite strong warnings not to do so. No badge that day. When I stood up, my seat was covered in skin bits. YUK. So gross.

I am very, very slow to anger. I do not have a temper. Just laid back and easy going and not much bothers me to the point of saying something or taking action. She royally (insert bad word here that ends with ed) me off. Not because it was so gross, but because it was malicious.
 
Cujet said:
On a recent JetBlue trip, the Captain introduced himself to the pax in the terminal and again in the plane. He stood there and delivered a stunningly good, no nonsense presentation, with all the seriousness of a WW-II general planning a top-secret invasion. There was no humor, no emotion, but there was a underlying current of seriousness that let you know he meant business. I immediately suspected he had a recent experience with troublesome passengers. Didn't get a chance to ask.

I always wear my crew badges (unless I forget it) when I commute, as it tends to keep my seat mates and those who notice, in check. I got tired of abusive seat-mates.

Had one older woman really infuriate me. She was picking skin off of her hands and arms, placing the pieces on her trousers, and then brushing it on to me, nonstop. My black slacks really highlighted her detritus. It was all over the place. I asked her to stop multiple times. As I did so, she'd nonchalantly look away and smirk. Holy crap that was annoying. I got up and moved, despite strong warnings not to do so. No badge that day. When I stood up, my seat was covered in skin bits. YUK. So gross.

I am very, very slow to anger. I do not have a temper. Just laid back and easy going and not much bothers me to the point of saying something or taking action. She royally (insert bad word here that ends with ed) me off. Not because it was so gross, but because it was malicious.
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Not making excuses for her. But this is an abnormal condition. It's like sitting next to someone with a nervous system tick or something. Can you ask someone to stop shaking? Yea-but what can one do about it other than move? And most planes are full these days.
 
CKN said:
Not making excuses for her. But this is an abnormal condition. It's like sitting next to someone with a nervous system tick or something. Can you ask someone to stop shaking? Yea-but what can one do about it other than move? And most planes are full these days.
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That was no nervous tick though. As thinking human beings, we can alter our ways to reduce conflict. I guess you'd have to be there to see what I meant. She was very well practiced at ignoring the requests of others, while finding joy in doing so. Even the flight attendant was seriously annoyed.

The idea that older women can't be malicious is grossly in error. They can be exactly that, as it often gives a feeling of control and power.
 
Cujet said:
That was no nervous tick though. As thinking human beings, we can alter our ways to reduce conflict. I guess you'd have to be there to see what I meant. She was very well practiced at ignoring the requests of others, while finding joy in doing so. Even the flight attendant was seriously annoyed.

The idea that older women can't be malicious is grossly in error. They can be exactly that, as it often gives a feeling of control and power.
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OK -_Let's put this way-A normal person doesn't sit in an airplane and pick their skin off? Do we agree?? You are also not in the position to make a medical, or mental diagnosis. Again-I wouldn't want to sit next to her either. But there is more here than "she was doing something and I asked her to stop". It's not like she had her shoes off and you asked her to put them back on. SHE WAS PICKING SKIN OFF HER BODY-NOT NORMAL.
www.healthline.com

Skin Picking and Autoimmune Diseases: Signs and How to Treat

Some autoimmune diseases can affect your skin and lead to excoriation (skin-picking) disorder. Learn more about how this develops and how to treat it.
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www.medicalnewstoday.com

Skin picking (excoriation disorder): Causes and treatment

Skin picking involves consistently picking, pulling, or tearing healthy skin. It is a psychological symptom in many cases. Treatment includes therapy and medication. Learn more here.
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It’s a sad state of the times when an airline captain has to say something like this when it used to be common knowledge. It reminds me of riding the field trip bus in grade school and the teacher telling everyone what to do.

And, if I may add to the list, a smile and a thank you goes a long ways. Be helpful if the need arises. Be considerate like allowing someone to use the lavatory ahead of you or helping with bags. These things make the trip pleasant for everyone.
 
CKN said:
Flying these days is torture on the slow plan. The seat cushions keep getting more and more uncomfortable. I am right at average height-And I maybe have three inches from the seat in front of me. Then you have the degradation of civility generally.

It's a recipe for terrible.
Click to expand...
Yep. A few years ago I had a conference in Baltimore. My company said they could either fly us there, or we could drive and get reimbursed for mileage. I had a friend who lived along the way, so decided to drive since I could visit them on my trip home. One of the guys I worked with left for the airport before I left to drive down, and due to flight delays, luggage issues, and a rental car nightmare, I arrived at the conference before he did.
 
Kira said:
Once upon a time........
A PanAm flight attendant, during a series of go-arounds, started a 3rd movie.
When the plane was cleared to land, he stopped the movie; which was a normal part of the prep-for-landing process.
A lady complained so much he was written up.

So, overlooking the Grand Canyon sized load of info we don't know, you gotta conclude airlines don't like variations.
Click to expand...
Maybe that's part of the reason Pan Am is gone? ( not really but still). A resident of a retirement home that I worked for had a sister who was a flight attendant for Braniff Airlines. She won an all expenses paid trip around the world. Half way through Braniff filed bankruptcy and they had to scramble to get back home.
 
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