MY SECRETS REVEALED: DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

By The Flying Pinto

Jun 27, 2009 Filed Under: Uncategorized

When I tell people what I do for a living, they usually respond by saying, “I don’t know how you do it, I wouldn’t last one day….I’d be in a fight with someone!” Dealing with passengers on an airplane can be trying at times but I have a couple of techniques I use for dealing with “troublesome” passengers. Here are two methods I use on almost every flight:

The Kindergarten Teacher:

There are two types of passengers that are particularly hard to deal with the first is, the needy passenger. When I say needy, I am not talking about you, the passenger that might have a couple of special requests during a flight. I travel too and understand how it is to travel and the needs that arise. I am talking about the “extremely” needy passenger that distracts FAs away from everything and everyone else. Most flights have one. My trick for dealing with this type of personality is to pretend that I am a Kindergarten Teacher and to treat this person like they are 5. It works every time. I meet their need, but I also give them much needed direction. I let them know what to expect, when to expect it and what is expected of them…works like a charm. It is a win/win.

The Diffuser:

The next type is not as easy to deal with. It is the passenger that shows up irate. (I’m not talking about taking anyone along who is a threat to the flight…I’m talking about your average mad person) When I was new I used to engage with these people…big mistake. There is never a good outcome. What did I accomplish by arguing back? Even if I “won” and had the passenger removed from our flight, the tone for that flight has now been set…I’ve taken on the bad energy, and inconvenienced the other passengers. I had been flying for about 5 years when we had a passenger on a flight who had managed to piss off everyone before he even sat down! We were in the process of talking to the Captain to see about having him removed, when the gate agent came down, and informed us that this man’s daughter was also on the plane. Only she was in cargo, he was on the flight to escort her body home for her funeral. Ever since then? When a passenger gets on one of my flights and is looking for a fight? I tell myself that he/she is heading to the funeral of a loved one. It changes the way I approach them and instead of taking things personally I can now diffuse the situation. Some people see it as putting up with people you shouldn’t put up with. I see it as making the flight more pleasurable for everyone.

(Photo courtesy of: George Eastman House’s Photostream)

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16 comments

  1. flying mum @ 2009-06-27 19:24

    It's so true. You never know what has happened in a person's life and they don't know yours. It's a good reminder to try and diffuse before any other actions are taken.

    I like the Kindergarden teacher approach. Hadn't heard that but now that I fly Purser a lot I have to remember it!

  2. The Flyer @ 2009-06-27 20:00

    Loved it! gonna be helpful for me as well!

  3. UpUpnAAway @ 2009-06-27 20:50

    Another great article…

    I can't wait to use the Kindergarden approach, I always get down to there level as it is, The Kindergarden may even help more!

    The daughter in Cargo,, Wasn't prepared for that !!

    Thanks, Shelby

  4. Albert @ 2009-06-27 22:16

    I even have to use the kindergarden teacher approach when dealing with some of my college students 🙂

  5. Joanna Jenkins @ 2009-06-27 22:26

    As a traveler, that's very interesting. I hope neither approach are ever needed on me 🙂

  6. Postcards and Coasters @ 2009-06-27 22:44

    I love the picture of the kindergarten teacher! totally the opposite of mine. He had long hair and I remember asking him if he was a hippy. 🙂

    It's so true…you never know what people are going through. That's a good way to look at it. I'll keep that in mind.

  7. dogbait @ 2009-06-27 23:05

    Your post got me thinking about some of our aviation experiences and I've done a relevant post on my blog which hopefully you find interesting.

  8. dogbait @ 2009-06-27 23:08

    Sorry, wrong link! Try here

  9. Oussama @ 2009-06-28 03:41

    I liked the Kindergarden Teacher approach. But the going to the funeral approach to deal with irate passengers is a winner.
    One of the most annoying things that can happen is to witness an argument just before the aircraft door is closed, it tends to sour the whole trip. You would think ground staff would handle that but noooo leave it to the Cabin Crew to handle. An aircraft flying at 39,000 feet is a very close community and the last thing anyone needs is tension and an irate cabin crew dealing with a full flight of upset/irate passengers
    So guys be nice to your cabin crew, they are the soul of the airline and your guardian angels.

  10. The Flying Pinto @ 2009-06-28 05:54

    Hi everyone!

    Thanks for the great response: )I love reading all your comments…sorry I have been soooo busy lately and haven't had a lot of time to respond…but I do read them all and appreciate every one of you!!

  11. Heather @ 2009-06-28 14:35

    A short time ago I had a woman come onto my plane in a wheel chair. She was rail thin and panicking about flying. My immediate thought was 'oh god she's going to be a problem' but it was a non service flight (short) so I decided to give her attention. She kept worrying about flying. I showed her my kids pix and told her its safe. In the course of the conversation I found out she had cancer and had less than 3 months to live. She was going 'home'. I GOT it. She wasn't afraid to fly. She was afraid to get to the end of the trip, which was the end of her lifes journies. I'm on a regional jet. I had the time. After that flight I walked over to her NEXT flight DL mainland and went onto the plane and told those FAs what was going on and said I needed to know they were going to take care of her. I hugged my pax who held onto me with a vice grip, and then walked away to a blind spot at the top of the jetway and started sobbing. A 40 minute flight and she was in my heart and memory for all time.

  12. AviatonCrazy @ 2009-06-28 14:48

    Believe it or not, I was actually going to create a new blog, something on the lines of "How do FAs deal with irate passengers"! And you have answered some of the questions here. At least as FA's you are lucky you have the passenger and then they are gone. But what about people you see in a daily 9 to 5 situation, that can get hard to deal with.

  13. The Flying Pinto @ 2009-06-28 15:11

    Wow, Heahter! You were meant to cross paths for some reason…thank you for sharing such a heart felt story!

    AC: hahaha…no experience w/ 9 to 5…I had always wondered that myself;-)

  14. Fragrant Liar @ 2009-06-28 16:28

    Those are great solutions! I love the way you think about these things, and I can see how they would diffuse both situations in a hurry.

    Now, can I get a blanket? Oh, and a pillow. And I really would like some more peanuts. Oh, and since you're already there, can I get another cocktail? Don't forget the napkin! Anyway I can talk to the captain again? In the cockpit?

  15. Pure Mothers @ 2009-07-01 06:10

    That's great! You really must love your job and also just downright like people to always try to find a way to look out for your passengers. This was a great little post! Loved it!

  16. pushpaa @ 2009-07-09 13:08

    hey this is a lovely method of dealing with Irate paxs….I have dealt with a bunch of them for the last 15 years………

    Now that I train in Customer service,I will suggest these two methods of immediate diffusion…

    Thanks…..