Thai passengers ejected from flight over luggage dispute, recounts top influencer

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, WHansen said:

Theres asking for help and theres demanding help.

I bet they didn't ask politely.

The 'trigger' could have come from either side...

 

- The passenger asks for help in a rather demanding manner which triggers the F.A. into a less than polite response. 

- The passenger politely asks for help and the F.A. gives a less than polite response which triggers the passenger. 

 

Also, some passengers are short, and may need assistance as they can't reach the overhead bins.

My Wife at 156cm has to stand on a seat to get something into the overhead bin on some flights, usually another passenger helps if I'm not around. 

Additionally, I often find myself assisting others with their luggage in the overhead bins as I'm aware that F.A's are not really permitted to assist in this manner. 

 

That said, the passenger was also with plenty of people who could have helped her.

 

The F.A. may also have handled the situation very poorly, did the F.A. politely explain that its the Airlines Policy that they are not permitted to help with baggage, or, did she just respond in a more flippant manner ??

 

This latter question I ask because while for the most part my 'travelling' experience has been favourable, there have been a couple of occasions where the flippant, snooty, careless response response of a flight attendant has left me quite annoyed.

 

I'm not suggesting the passenger was correct. I am suggesting that rather than professionally diffusing a potential situation, the response of the F.A. triggered and inflamed a situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JCCR6]

Nice that this young YouTuber just sat there and didn’t offer to help himself. 

[richard_smith237]

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/vj-airline-passenger-criticises-air-hostess-over-luggage-assistance-refusal#google_vignette

 

Interesting how in the above article there are comments about the 'tone' of the flight attendant, with quotes from the passenger in question...

 

Quote

 

“I will explain later. I posted this because I asked the air hostess for help, and she told me to do it myself. I understood the rules, and I was about to lift my suitcase, but it was difficult. My friend complained about the lack of service spirit.

 

“Then another female air hostess came and rudely asked, ‘If it’s heavy, why didn’t you check it in?’ I felt upset by her tone. I understand the rules of boarding a plane, which require carrying your own luggage. But I posted my experience because I felt bad about the air hostess’s tone.”

 

 

[Bobthegimp]

In this instance it sounds like the female passenger demanded that the flight crew act as her baggage coolies. 

 

I've helped passengers lift or take their bags down from the overhead compartments many times, for a number of different reasons.

 

Have you ever seen a dude with two hook arms try to place a slippery plastic suitcase in an overhead compartment?  It ends with the person sitting under the bin getting crushed vertebrae when the overweight suitcase crashes down on their head.  Would you  admonish Mr. Hook because his bag weighs more than 5 kilos? 

[MrJ2U]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

only three to four people in the group were confrontational

That's all it takes.

 

Next time pick you're travel partners who aren't confrontational. 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

35 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I'm not sure which airline this was.

Probably the one that was named in the OP link!

[Scott Tracy]

3 hours ago, dddave said:

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

The best response that I have heard of from a member of a cabin crew is 'Our job is to save your ass. Not kiss it.'

On a more serious note, most passengers seem to assume that it is the crew's job is to serve them.

It's not.

They are there for passenger's safety. The rest is just a bonus.

Expand  

I have a friend who was a longtime FA on a US airline.  She told me that the FAs flight pay does not begin until the doors are closed and that they are specifically told not to assist passengers lifting bags into overhead bins because if they were injured doing so, they were not covered. 

I think that's another issue...

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Our job is to save your ass. Not kiss it.'

Unless you paid to sit up the posh end.. then you get both services.

[Grusa]

3 hours ago, alien365 said:

If the lady couldn't lift her bag into the storage, why did she not ask one of the other members of her group? Or should I say why didn't the men in her group offer to do it for her?

I guess because they expect someone below them in status to do it. The 'servant' told her to do it herself and she couldn't handle that. 

As the weight limit for cabin baggage is 7 kilos (555) and the size limit is quite small, I am amazed at what people in general, and Thais in particular, think what they candidates and mostly do get away with.

[Jumbo1968]

1 minute ago, Grusa said:

As the weight limit for cabin baggage is 7 kilos (555) and the size limit is quite small, I am amazed at what people in general, and Thais in particular, think what they candidates and mostly do get away with.

I flew from Utapao the other week with Flydubai, 2 young foreign lads were checking in with oversized carry on bags quite clearly they knew the weight and size limit. Initially the girl refused to let them fly but gave in in the end not wanting any form of confrontation. My thought was why didn’t she contact a Flydubai rep. to explain to the 2 foreigners there bags were over sized and overweight ?

[Scott Tracy]

No body should help any body lift so called hand carry luggage into the overhead bins. Fit it under the seat in front of you. If someone helps and hurts their back, drops the bag on someone, what happens, who gets the <deleted>ty end of the stick? This is the risk assessment for cabin crew. Hurt me, I don't fly, I don't fly, someone else has to or reduce passenger numbers. Someone else is available but takes 2 hours to become available, flight crew out of hours. New crew of new aircraft, delays either way, for loss of 1 cabin crew. Regulated industry folks.... As for donuts in the overheads...there is a solution, they don't retain their shape long if a 7 kilo Samsonite is shoved hard against the box.

[Denim]

I am going to check what Porsche Commanche ( another Thai influencer ) thinks about this.

[richard_smith237]

24 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

58 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I'm not sure which airline this was.

Probably the one that was named in the OP link!

Yup... re-read the link and found it... VJ Airlines (VietJet Airlines)...

 

Interesting how you highlighted your personality again...  instead of simply writing two words.... 'VietJet Air', you chose the 'other option' and took greater effort and wrote to get confrontational and point score !!!... You're a special case !

 

 

[Toby1947]

Wonder they didn't beat the attendant up the odds for the Thais was about right 16 on to 1.

[richard_smith237]

There is perhaps another facet to this issue...

 

In the West, the position of Flight Attendant is considered as being on par with a receptionist or secretary, the required qualifications (education) is less. 

 

In Asia, the position of Flight Attendant is considered as having elevated social status, a degree is required and those taking up such positions are often from a higher socio-economic status than many of the passengers.

 

Thus, when someone of perceived lower socio-economic status expects a degree of service from someone of perceived higher socio-economic status, the person of perceived higher socio-economic status may lack the emotional tools to handle this perceived insult and respond less than favourably. 

 

 

In the past I have dated flight attendants and they absolutely hated having to 'serve' some of the passengers whom they considered significantly below their station (i.e. hookers travelling with their foreign BF etc).

 

Thus, in this case, IF the F.A. believed she was 'above' those asking for assistance I can understand how her response may have been less than professional and perhaps triggering to the passenger. 

 

[Rachel2023]

2 hours ago, WHansen said:

Theres asking for help and theres demanding help.

I bet they didn't ask politely.

How can you know?? Were you there??

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, rocketboy2 said:

If you can't pick your bag up and put it in an over head locker.

Don't take it onboard, check it in like normal people do.

( oh wait it may cost me money to do that)

Tough.

Also pack animal behavior by Thais, not tolerated by the airline.

Well done VJ airlines,  get off now idiots. 

 

4 hours ago, rocketboy2 said:

 

 

 

 

Already reported; the bag in question was 7 kilos, not that heavy.

[scorecard]

Take a few TG flights, especially 10 -20 years ago and see how much help you don't get from cabin crew, especially if Thai and more especially if the passenger has Essan features. 

[Rachel2023]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

More to this I think…. 
it’s likely more about attitude than the actual baggage.

 

- Person asks for assistance & gets a ‘not my job’ response. 
 

if either approached the situation with ‘attitude’ it’s going to trigger the other. 
 

TG crew can be amazing, they can also be outrageously snooty & lazy. 
 

On a 6 hr flight (with my Son who was 5 at the time), I wanted a beer (had 1 beer with the meal before that), the cabin crew had not passed through the cabin for 30mins, I’d normally get up & ask, but didn’t want to leave my son alone.

I rang the call button, FA came & in an extremely snotty manner told me I have to go & get the beer myself !!!

I was furious.

 

 

 

Agree: it never goes one-way...

[sambum]

4 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

Should have just put the complaining Thais into the overhead compartments. 

 

 

And the influencer, for being an influencer. 

Is "influencer the latest "buzz word"?

 

I'd never heard it before a few weeks ago and now it's cropping up all over the place!!!

 

Are politicians "influencers" as well as RTP, Immigration Officers, etc etc etc, or is it restricted to the general public? 

[sambum]

5 minutes ago, Rachel de France said:

The ones that complain the most here in Thailand are westerners...

I think the headline states that the "complainants" in this case were all Thai!

[scorecard]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

The best response that I have heard of from a member of a cabin crew is 'Our job is to save your ass. Not kiss it.'

On a more serious note, most passengers seem to assume that it is the crew's job is to serve them.

It's not.

They are there for passenger's safety. The rest is just a bonus.

I've flown many times Thailand (BKK and CM) to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to lecture at VN unis. Maybe 20 flights.

 

Seen plenty of Thai passengers being demanding.

 

Worst was a few years back. Thai lady said in English to the pleasant Viet Jet hostess "I will sit down if you can guarantee this aircraft is safe". Her Thai female companion then said "Do Viet Jet pilots have a pilots license".

 

They spoke loudly, no doubt looking for attention, many other Thai passengers booed them.

 

On all the VJ flights I've taken never once had any negative experiences, VJ staff always pleasant, polite  and helpful.

 

[KannikaP]

46 minutes ago, Grusa said:

As the weight limit for cabin baggage is 7 kilos (555) and the size limit is quite small, I am amazed at what people in general, and Thais in particular, think what they candidates and mostly do get away with.

From where does this word 'candidates' come from? Did you not check before hitting Submit.

[jacko45k]

4 minutes ago, Rachel de France said:

Sure. In THIS case.

You mean the one under discussion and not the distraction attempt?

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, SmartyMarty said:

Typical bone idle lazy cabin crew.

And typical passengers expecting to be able to take whatever they want on board, AND want the FAs to help.

 

[Jiggo]

Gone are the days of an endless flow of beer and wine from the then Stewards...

[gjoo888]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

The best response that I have heard of from a member of a cabin crew is 'Our job is to save your ass. Not kiss it.'

On a more serious note, most passengers seem to assume that it is the crew's job is to serve them.

It's not.

They are there for passenger's safety. The rest is just a bonus.

Cabin crews are instructed not to help lift baggage for passengers, it's a leading cause of injury in the industry. If you can't lift the bag yourself, pay the damn checked baggage fee.

[spidermike007]

It is the passengers responsibility to deal with the bag they choose to bring on board, not the flight attendants. And these days, disruptive passengers can expect no less than to be booted from a flight. In the US, they would likely be facing serious charges. 

 

Goons. What else can one say? Who are their mothers and fathers and why didn't they do a better job at parenting? You let a kid run wild like an animal, and they grow up to be rude and disrespectful. 

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

4 hours ago, SmartyMarty said:

Typical bone idle lazy cabin crew.

And typical passengers expecting to be able to take whatever they want on board, AND want the FAs to help.

 

That depends on perspective and attidutes.

 

The Cabin Crew are there to assist as well as our safety. 

If they were only there for our safety, why are the handing out meals on 2 hour flights etc ?

 

Some passengers behave poorly with a sense of entitlement and treat cabin crew like waiting staff or servants. On the other hand, the cabin crew are there to assist where appropriate...   the lines are often blurred and thats part of the issue here perhaps. 

 

What we really have are two groups of people who don't beleive they should give any consideration to the other. 

 

1) Someone asking for help with their bag. 

2) F.A. who's response is somewhat snarky or less than polite (according to a linked article). 

 

This is another example of where it 'takes two to tango'...

 

------

 

Example I used earlier when a Thai Airways F.A. told me I have to go and get my own beer. 

I didn't argue, I simply said ok (while my blood boiled). I went up to the kitchen, asked to speak with the Purser.

I asked why the cabin crew have not passed through the cabin in 30 mins. 

I apologised for using the call button but felt that I didn't want to leave my Son.

I asked if it is new policy that passengers get their own drinks ?

I asked why is it expected that I get up and get my own beer when we are told that we should always stay seated with the belt fastened even when the seatbelt sign is off.

I asked for the flight attendants name so I could write a formal complaint, the purser would only give me his own name. 

 

In short - the F.A. in question was a lazy stuck-up up, snarky, entitled, emotional drama queen who didn't like that I had pressed the call button - all I wanted was a second beer 3 hours into a flight.

 

Usually, the cabin crew are amazing, on that specific flight it would appear we had a bunch who wanted the perks of the job (travel) without doing the job and certainly did not believe they were there to assist people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, billd766 said:

31 minutes ago, Rachel de France said:

The ones that complain the most here in Thailand are westerners...

Perhaps like you, they are on an English language website.

 

If you can read and understand Thai fluently try looking up Thai language websites and read the complaints in Thai there.

Exactly...  It seems very few Westerner's recognise that Thai's are no different to us.

 

Read Panthip forum and many topics are identical with identical complaints, gripes, issues etc.