Don't even consider flying American to Shanghai

I was inspired by the intensity of the defense to do a little
research. The respondents have made it clear that I personally don't
know rudeness when I see it.

Of the airlines offering Chicago to Shanghai service, only Asiana is
rated a Five Star airline by Skytrax. Seven others are rated at four
stars: Korean Air, EVA Air, All Nippon Airways, Turkish Airlines,
Lufthansa, Air France, and British Airways.

Here comes the big surprise, American Airlines comes in at three
stars, for "poor or less consistent standards of Staff Service." Their
rating on JD Power was identical.

Wouldn't a little training help with the inconsistency? Just sayin'

Do you know why you had "older" flight attendants with American
Airlines? Because they haven't hired new flight attendants in 20
years (told to me by an AA flight attendant the last time I flew).

You seriously think some hot young thang who's 22 is going to be
better at handling an emergency than a 50-year-old woman who's been
doing that kind of work for over two decades? I don't think so.

And I don't think flight attendants are the only profession that can't
tell that someone's a "doctor" just by looking at them.

Wow.
You think it's ok for you to assume these women can't do their job
because they are old, but how dare they assume you can't understand
english.

Obviously, if a flight attendant had to tell your wife personally to
put her seat back, she didn't hear or understand it on the speaker.

And how in the world would a flight attendant know your wife is a
doctor. Not that it matters. On a plane she should be treated like
everyone else.

i wasn't aware airlines were suppose to scan the passenger list to
pick the doctors out

is it actually on her tickets?


and i don't see where the age should be an issue
if the airline judges them capable of performing their duties....
should they be fired just because they "look old"?


as for "YOU"
that all depends on the context in which it was used.

and how do you know they did it because she's asian?

It's remarkably bad business to teach your crew to be rude to Asian
people when their route is to China. I have to imagine that there are
more Chinese and Chinese-ancestry passengers on such a flight than,
say, to Senagal.

Let's be clear: your charge is not that this particular flight
attendant was showing her own racist tendencies. Your charge is that
airline's training program includes the instruction to their employees
to be actively racist towards a decent sized group of their customers.

I need YOU to raise your seat back to the upright position.......hmmmm
sounds fine to me.

I need the Doctor to raise your seat back to the upright
position........unless you wearing a stethoscope around your neck, how
is the flight attendent to know you are a nurse, or better yet a
doctor?



Good Day

I'll admit right now that I have not been on a plane that is large
enough to fly from Chicago to Shanghai.

My latest flight was 2 seats on each side of an aisle. The aisle
appeared to be just wide enough to accommodate the attendant's
cart--much less anyone weighing more than, say, 150 lbs.

As for addressing your wife with a title: How in the world is anyone
supposed to do this without insulting someone? I know I was not
terribly happy to be addressed as "Ma'am" when I was 25. But "Miss"--
I was married, thank you, at 22.

And, really, did the flight attendant KNOW that your wife was a
"doctor"?

The main issue here: Did you get to Shanghai safely?
That would be my big concern.

After that: Did the toilets work? Could I breathe without a mask?
For a13-hour flight--were you offered some type of non-alcoholic
beverage? I assume you *knew* that the flight would last 13 hours, so
you had your own snacks.

Maybe she assumed that your wife didn't understand the captain's
announcement, which is always made before the flight attendants walk
the aisles repeating the instructions. You ask if they are taught to
assume things, but you seem to be doing a bit of that yourself.
Good luck finding that mythical airline that no passenger will ever
complain about.

Did you personally witness anything that would lead you to believe
that they would be unable to perform properly in the event of an
emergency. Just because they were "rather old" does not mean they
cannot perform their job functions. That is ridiculous. The issue of
the obese woman is not too convenient, but the aisles are narrow.
Maybe she wasn't aware she was bumping you. Were other passengers
being bumped around as well?

Maybe there was a reason for turning off the light - was it while you
were getting ready to land? Usually everybody has to put everything
back to normal such as seats, windows, etc. prior to landing. Was it
possible you missed an announcement instructing you to do so?

As for addressing your wife as "you", I doubt it has anything to do
with her status as a doctor, female, asian, whatever. Maybe she was in
a grumpy mood - I might be if I had to fly from Chicago to China...
While it is unacceptable, I highly doubt it was racially driven.