Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Just spank that brat, problem solved.
Or a swift kick in the arse.
Do you mean for the second linked story? The adult passenger that threatened the flight attendant?
Her nastiness was certainly deserving of corporal punishment....
And her employer has placed her on leave, now that social media has identified her.
I had a passenger last month who was throwing his bags around, being nasty to one of my crew. The flight attendant was all of 5’2” and this guy wasn’t happy that he had to place his bags a few rows behind his seat. He was a frequent flier. The gate agent came to me in the cockpit, and told me that he was nasty to her as well.
I grabbed my hat and jacket (unambiguous attire. I’m not a flight attendant) and went back to speak with him.
I asked him “what seems to be the problem?” (In my very best “Dad isn’t happy” voice...ask my kids about that...).
He whirled around, started to speak, looked me up and down, then bit his tongue.
Good choice.
I asked if there was a problem with his seat, a problem with his bag storage. Anything else he would like to bring to my attention. I asked if he thought he would be able to remain calm for the rest of the flight.
I then asked the flight attendant, to whom he had been nasty, how she felt about him flying. She said she was fine with it.
IF this guy had uttered something like, “thanks, Tabitha, you may not have a job tomorrow” - the exact words of the passenger in the story above, I would not have asked what the problem was, it would have been something closer to: “Sir, please gather your bags and come with me”.
It’s childish to vent your frustration on people who didn’t create your problem. Do it on my airplane, and you’ve got my attention.
Threaten one of my crew?
You’re not going anywhere.
I’ve had folks try to intimidate me...”what’s your name!!?” Is usually the first step. I wear my ID so it’s plainly visible, so it’s a formulaic escalation on their part.
My usual response to that escalation question, “It’s Captain XXX”. Which often brings them up short. Yes, I am the guy in charge of this flight, yes, I am trying to determine what to do with you and yes, the next few moments of your behavior are critical in that determination.
I was totally with the crew in the case of the woman who threatened “Tabitha” the FA.
That [censored] crossed the line with the threat.