MY Pilot Rant....

[Qgar]

Good man...I'm sure you're a FA favorite already!

[Bumblebee]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Excuse me? The way it works in OUR crew room is the CA checks the computer to see about the inbound and tells the ENTIRE crew the a/c is in and let's walk to the gate. He NEVER did that and left with the FO when I was in the ladies room without even telling the other half dozen people in the crew room that he was going to the gate. We walked over a few minutes later and were by NO MEANS LATE. The inbound crew and the EWR cleaning crew does the cleanup of the a/c and if we go on the plane too soon, we just get in the way. For him to call ANYBODY to see where we were was so off base and unprofessional. Furthermore, for him to try to try to prevent us from performing our preflight duties is against every regulation.
Stop playing devil's advocate. You're not portraying yourself in a very good light.
And there we have it -- EXACTLY why some people shouldn't be airline pilots and should fly freight instead. If you don't have people skills and would rather not deal with us mere mortals, go elsewhere.
Better luck next time and thanks for playing!

Honestly . . . that's not very nice. I too was curious as to why you hadn't approached the flight crew that had arrived. So I don't think that question is beyond the realm of what is reasonable.
Protocol is different for different airlines. In our crew room for instance if we change our FA, we all generally know who the other crew mwmbers are and one or the other will introduce themselves.
I am as layed back and low key as they come, but I was curious as to why niether of you had approached the crew. I also would never ask any member of my crew to skip part of their job. In my brief I advise my team the "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" we will go as fast as reasonable and the rest isn't up to us.

I don't think you were entirely fair to germb 747.

[Qgar]

Honestly? I didn't say anything to him because I had a feeling he'd pull something like this. He does this EVERY time to every crew. He NEVER interacts with any FA. I wanted to see if it would be different this time, considering he should have remembered me. Don't you think as a CA he should at least know the names of the FA's listed on CrewTrac? Don't you think as CA it's HIS place? Am I supposed to run up to him the minute he opens the door and announce, "ooh ooh, your highness -- I'm honored to be accompanying you to xxx today?" Trust me on this one, that's probably what he wants and I won't play into THAT game. Again, I probably would have said something to him and the FO as they were leaving the crew room such as "are you leaving without us?", but I was in the ladies room.

In case you missed it, other pilots in the company don't have a very high opinion of him and that's putting it mildly.
The straws that broke the camel's back was asking us to forego our responsibilities/ duties and then rushing us as we were cleaning up on the turn and not offering to help. I just hope the FO who's had the "good fortune" to be paired with him this month doesn't think this is the way it's done.
If you think I was harsh on Germb, I'm sorry. However, I don't think people who aren't in our sector of flying should be opining on how they think I should act.

[JA Yawd Bwoy]

Originally Posted by Airdale

Some people are just tool bags. I've flown with a Captain already who completely ignored the FA's. When the hotel van dropped us off, he got his bags and went right into the terminal and headed to security. I actually waited for the two FA's to get their bags and we walked together. The Captain totally left the rest of us while he rushed down to the aircraft. We were early too, not like there was a rush. I thought the whole CREW concept was you stayed together as a CREW. Our last flight of the day he grabbed his bags, cleared the cockpit and bolted. I couldn't do that to the FA's, so I helped them fold the seatbelts and empty the trash so that we would all leave together.

When I get my fourth stripe, I making sure we all stay together as a crew.

Now THAT is how a Pilot should act, Big Props to you!

[N8081G]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Honestly? I didn't say anything to him because I had a feeling he'd pull something like this. He does this EVERY time to every crew. He NEVER interacts with any FA. I wanted to see if it would be different this time, considering he should have remembered me. Don't you think as a CA he should at least know the names of the FA's listed on CrewTrac? Don't you think as CA it's HIS place? Am I supposed to run up to him the minute he opens the door and announce, "ooh ooh, your highness -- I'm honored to be accompanying you to xxx today?" Trust me on this one, that's probably what he wants and I won't play into THAT game. Again, I probably would have said something to him and the FO as they were leaving the crew room such as "are you leaving without us?", but I was in the ladies room.

In case you missed it, other pilots in the company don't have a very high opinion of him and that's putting it mildly.
The straws that broke the camel's back was asking us to forego our responsibilities/ duties and then rushing us as we were cleaning up on the turn and not offering to help. I just hope the FO who's had the "good fortune" to be paired with him this month doesn't think this is the way it's done.
If you think I was harsh on Germb, I'm sorry. However, I don't think people who aren't in our sector of flying should be opining on how they think I should act.

From what you are saying about this Captain, he seems very cocky/arrogant! This comes off as him being insecure and maybe he has personal problems he needs to deal with. Don't mean to assume anything but perhaps he has relationships issues at home or something of that sort. As someone mentioned, we all have our days. Last thing you want is to have a confrontation with him which can escalate into unnecessary drama/stress in your life. It also isn't safe for crewmembers to act this way with each other. Everyone should be able to communicate freely and be able to voice their concerns at all times. This isn't the 1950's/60's when the captain was the so-called "god" on the plane and no one dare tries to question his authority, or atleast i hope not.

I think ego is the big issue on here, from both parties. He probably feels he is too accomplished to be seen around F/As and F/As are pissed off at that behavior because he makes them seem as if they are not needed or important for the flight.

[Bumblebee]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Honestly? I didn't say anything to him because I had a feeling he'd pull something like this. He does this EVERY time to every crew. He NEVER interacts with any FA. I wanted to see if it would be different this time, considering he should have remembered me.

If you know he does this every time, then handle it in the best diplomatic way possible. If you act business like, and to the point within SOP then he has absolutely no recourse.

Originally Posted by Qgar

Don't you think as a CA he should at least know the names of the FA's listed on CrewTrac? Don't you think as CA it's HIS place?

yes it is his place.

Originally Posted by Qgar

Am I supposed to run up to him the minute he opens the door and announce, "ooh ooh, your highness -- I'm honored to be accompanying you to xxx today?" Trust me on this one, that's probably what he wants and I won't play into THAT game.

well . . . for me it's not your highness, it is Commodore, however but if you knew he was your crew, then . . . well . . . . maybe just checking in with him would have alleviated the whole issue.

Originally Posted by Qgar

Again, I probably would have said something to him and the FO as they were leaving the crew room such as "are you leaving without us?", but I was in the ladies room.

He was wrong, I agree.

Originally Posted by Qgar

In case you missed it, other pilots in the company don't have a very high opinion of him and that's putting it mildly.
The straws that broke the camel's back was asking us to forego our responsibilities/ duties and then rushing us as we were cleaning up on the turn and not offering to help. I just hope the FO who's had the "good fortune" to be paired with him this month doesn't think this is the way it's done.

I would keep a log of this kind of crap, and tell him upfront that that request is inappropriate and that he needs to give you time to handle your job. If I were you I would also talk to your supervisor about it, and how to handle this type of behavior. If it is how you say (I and I believe it is) then your supervisor may already be aware of his shenanigans and may just need one more instance to handle it.

Originally Posted by Qgar

If you think I was harsh on Germb, I'm sorry. However, I don't think people who aren't in our sector of flying should be opining on how they think I should act.

With what I read, I had some of the same questions . . .honestly
I just hadn't had the opportunity to ask them yet
respectfully submitted, Dale

[Bumblebee]

Originally Posted by N8081G

This isn't the 1950's/60's when the captain was the so-called "god" on the plane and no one dare tries to question his authority,

it's NOT . . .damn!

[Airdale]

There is a simple thing that is often forgotten in today's world. Its called "courtesy". You know, saying "Hello" to other people around you, especially when they are your coworkers.

I don't care what the company policy is, if you walk into your crew room and you see your company crew members, what the hell is wrong with not saying hello and maybe starting a conversation? Whether its policy or not, you just don't walk right past your coworkers in this line of work without saying a word.

I ran in a crew environment for years doing Search and Rescue. You treat your crewmembers with respect and you establish a friendly relationship with those you rely on. Some pilots think that FA's are just the "ladies in the back". That attitude is crap and you know it. When pilots start walking around with a chip on their shoulder where they can't even say hello and be friendly with their own crew, than what do you think happens in an emergency? They are not "just" Flight Attendants, they are critical to the safety of the passengers and us. After all, if our passengers aren't safe than what exactly are we doing at work?

You can come up with every excuse for this crew, but really nobody is going to buy it. This is exactly why pilots are so divided everywhere. If you can't even show some friendly courtesy to your own company crew members, than I'd rather not share a safety sensitive position with you. Period.

[rjmore]

Sometimes it can go the other way too. I managed to p-off an FA without even trying once. She asked if she could close the door and then did and I asked if we could close the door with bins open. The thing was, I had no clue it was just a question because I didn't know. She took it another way and didn't speak to me for the next three days. Oh well, she did her job and got a lot of compliments from pax. The FO was a woman so they were talking and she finally spilled all the reasons the other one was angry. She thought I was mad at her when I asked the door question. My FO agreed that I didn't say anything even remotely harsh. It was pretty funny because she would poke her head in and ask the FO if she wanted stuff and just ignored me. When I got busy the FO actually offered to get me a coke. I could have made a big deal out of it but like I said she did a good job with the pax. She was childish sure but I didn't really care.

Now if you want a real challenge, try to have 19 FAs and not p one off. Sometimes it can be tough! Glad I was only on the pax fleet for training!

[Cruise]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Oh don't you worry, dear...I've covered my ass on this one....BTW, other Colganites who shall remain nameless think this guy is a complete tool.

Nah, I knew I'd have good days and bad days...but I'm so used to everyone else being pretty damned fabulous that this one always seems to get to me!

[Cruise]

Originally Posted by grnclvrs

Did RG transition already?

Maybe, don't know.....but that's not who she's talking about.




To support Qgar, like a good Captain should do for their crew, I will acknowledge her sentiments. I DO know this particular person and I agree 100%....this person does not give a moments thought about anyone else except themselves. This person is universally disliked by nearly everyone they have ever flown with (note I didn't say 'everyone').

I feel your pain Qgar! Be glad you don't 'always' fly with this person.

[Doug Taylor]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Wow, what an incredibly smart man! Seriously, from what I've heard he's extremely humble and soft-spoken. I can't wait to meet him!

Me either. Seriously, I've met a LOT of notables in my 37 years but he was the first guy who I was absolutely starstruck by.

"I'm sorry, excuse me sir, I can't believe I'm talking to Captain Al Haynes"

(laughter on the other end of the line)

[GlenWimpy]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Excuse me? The way it works in OUR crew room is the CA checks the computer to see about the inbound and tells the ENTIRE crew the a/c is in and let's walk to the gate. He NEVER did that and left with the FO when I was in the ladies room without even telling the other half dozen people in the crew room that he was going to the gate. We walked over a few minutes later and were by NO MEANS LATE. The inbound crew and the EWR cleaning crew does the cleanup of the a/c and if we go on the plane too soon, we just get in the way. For him to call ANYBODY to see where we were was so off base and unprofessional. Furthermore, for him to try to try to prevent us from performing our preflight duties is against every regulation.
Stop playing devil's advocate. You're not portraying yourself in a very good light.
And there we have it -- EXACTLY why some people shouldn't be airline pilots and should fly freight instead. If you don't have people skills and would rather not deal with us mere mortals, go elsewhere.
Better luck next time and thanks for playing!

I bet germb747 is not married!

[Qgar]

Originally Posted by N8081G

From what you are saying about this Captain, he seems very cocky/arrogant! This comes off as him being insecure and maybe he has personal problems he needs to deal with. Don't mean to assume anything but perhaps he has relationships issues at home or something of that sort. As someone mentioned, we all have our days. Last thing you want is to have a confrontation with him which can escalate into unnecessary drama/stress in your life. It also isn't safe for crewmembers to act this way with each other. Everyone should be able to communicate freely and be able to voice their concerns at all times. This isn't the 1950's/60's when the captain was the so-called "god" on the plane and no one dare tries to question his authority, or atleast i hope not.

I think ego is the big issue on here, from both parties. He probably feels he is too accomplished to be seen around F/As and F/As are pissed off at that behavior because he makes them seem as if they are not needed or important for the flight.

You hit the nail on the head!

Originally Posted by Bumblebee

If you know he does this every time, then handle it in the best diplomatic way possible. If you act business like, and to the point within SOP then he has absolutely no recourse.yes it is his place.well . . . for me it's not your highness, it is Commodore, however but if you knew he was your crew, then . . . well . . . . maybe just checking in with him would have alleviated the whole issue.He was wrong, I agree.


I would keep a log of this kind of crap, and tell him upfront that that request is inappropriate and that he needs to give you time to handle your job. If I were you I would also talk to your supervisor about it, and how to handle this type of behavior. If it is how you say (I and I believe it is) then your supervisor may already be aware of his shenanigans and may just need one more instance to handle it.
With what I read, I had some of the same questions . . .honestly
I just hadn't had the opportunity to ask them yet
respectfully submitted, Dale

I have covered all my bases with my supervisor, don't you worry, Dale!

Originally Posted by Airdale

There is a simple thing that is often forgotten in today's world. Its called "courtesy". You know, saying "Hello" to other people around you, especially when they are your coworkers.

I don't care what the company policy is, if you walk into your crew room and you see your company crew members, what the hell is wrong with not saying hello and maybe starting a conversation? Whether its policy or not, you just don't walk right past your coworkers in this line of work without saying a word.

I ran in a crew environment for years doing Search and Rescue. You treat your crewmembers with respect and you establish a friendly relationship with those you rely on. Some pilots think that FA's are just the "ladies in the back". That attitude is crap and you know it. When pilots start walking around with a chip on their shoulder where they can't even say hello and be friendly with their own crew, than what do you think happens in an emergency? They are not "just" Flight Attendants, they are critical to the safety of the passengers and us. After all, if our passengers aren't safe than what exactly are we doing at work?

You can come up with every excuse for this crew, but really nobody is going to buy it. This is exactly why pilots are so divided everywhere. If you can't even show some friendly courtesy to your own company crew members, than I'd rather not share a safety sensitive position with you. Period.

Again, Dave....thank you so very much....

Originally Posted by rjmore

Sometimes it can go the other way too. I managed to p-off an FA without even trying once. She asked if she could close the door and then did and I asked if we could close the door with bins open. The thing was, I had no clue it was just a question because I didn't know. She took it another way and didn't speak to me for the next three days. Oh well, she did her job and got a lot of compliments from pax. The FO was a woman so they were talking and she finally spilled all the reasons the other one was angry. She thought I was mad at her when I asked the door question. My FO agreed that I didn't say anything even remotely harsh. It was pretty funny because she would poke her head in and ask the FO if she wanted stuff and just ignored me. When I got busy the FO actually offered to get me a coke. I could have made a big deal out of it but like I said she did a good job with the pax. She was childish sure but I didn't really care.

Now if you want a real challenge, try to have 19 FAs and not p one off. Sometimes it can be tough! Glad I was only on the pax fleet for training!

I feel your pain! Granted, there are some FA's who are major drama queens but trust me, I am NOT one of them. I, too, hate the childish games they play. Thank God I've not had the misfortune of working with any of them yet!

Originally Posted by Cruise

Maybe, don't know.....but that's not who she's talking about.


To support Qgar, like a good Captain should do for their crew, I will acknowledge her sentiments. I DO know this particular person and I agree 100%....this person does not give a moments thought about anyone else except themselves. This person is universally disliked by nearly everyone they have ever flown with (note I didn't say 'everyone').

I feel your pain Qgar! Be glad you don't 'always' fly with this person.

Thank you, Matt. You are a prince, no wait, knight in shining armor for riding to my defense.

Originally Posted by GlenWimpy;859
449

I bet germb747 is not married!

Who knows? I can understand him trying to play devil's advocate, but in this case...my conscience is absolutely clear.

[mpenguin1]

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

Me either. Seriously, I've met a LOT of notables in my 37 years but he was the first guy who I was absolutely starstruck by.

"I'm sorry, excuse me sir, I can't believe I'm talking to Captain Al Haynes"

(laughter on the other end of the line)

Our VP of Flight Operations just about fell over with excitement when he introduced Al Haynes when he came to Seattle to speak to Boeing/Alteon, never saw anything like that before. Probably the only time that I saw a bunch of pilots with 30,000 hours remain quiet as Al Haynes gave his presentation.

Also, was proud to be a part of aviation when Al Haynes was raising money to pay for the surgery of his daughter, pilots reached into their pockets to assist.

[I_WANNA_BE_ATP]

My two cents worth, always carry a bottle of tomato juice, when you see him, walk near him with it un-open and trip, spilling the drink all over his shirt. I'm sorry about what happened to you, Q-gar, I have to deal with similiar situations in the ICU and having one person try to prove they are better than the others because they hold a certain position. Many different ways to handle the person in the future, I think the tomato juice revenge works best.

[KLB]

Originally Posted by Qgar

No disrespect to the freight dawgs, but there are some people who are better suited to working alone.
I'd rather not go into too much detail but part of being an "airline pilot" involves working as a CREW and having each other's back.

Hey now, don't go sending over to the freight dawg side. There is really no difference between you average airline pilot and the average freight pilot personality wise. Even if he flew on the the freight side, he'd still be disliked by just as many people. We actually are probably just as hands on with our customers than the airline pilot. Except we can't hide behind that big metal door when explaining to the customer why we're late or can't carry that extra 2000lbs of cargo. There are no flight attendants to handle that part for me. And there's also dispatch, line guys, other pilots, and etc... to deal with also.

[Qgar]

That's funny, IWBA! However, I don't have that streak in me. The way I deal with someone like this is to just act professional, do my job and not have any fun or personal interaction with the cockpit crew. I'm sure that makes him think I'm an uptight old bitch, but so be it.
It's his (their) loss, though, since I always manage to have fun on all my trips. I'm a happy, outgoing person by nature and it goes against my grain to have to revert into a shell when dealing with people like this. Unfortunately, it creates a negative vibe and we FA's in the back have to suppress that vibe so as not to let that interfere with our duties and responsibilities to our pax.
As people have said before me--a crew that gets along on a personal level and can have a few laughs along the way are MUCH more effective in the long run.

[Qgar]

Originally Posted by KLB

Hey now, don't go sending over to the freight dawg side. There is really no difference between you average airline pilot and the average freight pilot personality wise. Even if he flew on the the freight side, he'd still be disliked by just as many people. We actually are probably just as hands on with our customers than the airline pilot. Except we can't hide behind that big metal door when explaining to the customer why we're late or can't carry that extra 2000lbs of cargo. There are no flight attendants to handle that part for me. And there's also dispatch, line guys, other pilots, and etc... to deal with also.

As I originally said, I meant absolutely NO disrespect to you dawgs, but I'm sure you got what I meant. There are some people who just are not suited to interacting with other people. There's nothing wrong with being introverted or even arrogant (although it's annoying to many people), but if that's your personality and you don't enjoy working and interacting with others or think you're above everyone else, perhaps you should find employment more suited to it.
Hey, I can tell some of you freight dawgs are an absolute scream and lots of fun to be around. I guess I'll get to find that out in person at NJC in October.

[GlenWimpy]

Originally Posted by Qgar

As I originally said, I meant absolutely NO disrespect to you dawgs, but I'm sure you got what I meant. There are some people who just are not suited to interacting with other people. There's nothing wrong with being introverted or even arrogant (although it's annoying to many people), but if that's your personality and you don't enjoy working and interacting with others or think you're above everyone else, perhaps you should find employment more suited to it.
Hey, I can tell some of you freight dawgs are an absolute scream and lots of fun to be around. I guess I'll get to find that out in person at NJC in October.

Qgar


I have a tree cutting business , as well as flying. I deal with the public on a daily basis. My phone rings 24/7. I took five calls , AFTER , going to sleep the other night. I get cursed , guns pulled , hit with sticks , police called on me , threatened , screamed at by the " Tree Lovers " etc etc , I can cut down a dead tree and get cursed by tree lovers every time! Things I have learned:

1 Always be nice , no matter how they treat you.
2 If you follow rule 1 , perhaps you can make some $ from them also.
3 Maybe their having a bad day or serious problems in life. refer to rule1
4 When you let them get you mad/upset , they won and are in control
5 Lots of time these people are just screaming for attention. Show them some kindness , although they may never return the favor.


Try this approach , you'll find next time this person will have a much different attitude towards you. You will always win with this approach. You will sleep better at night and people will treat you differently.

Solomon has spoken ................

[PCL_128]

Grrrr. Nothing pisses me off more than Captains that don't treat their FAs right. Being a Captain isn't just about knowing procedures and being able to fly the plane. That's the least of it. Being a Captain is really about managing a crew, and you're doing a horrible job of managing the crew if they're angry at you for acting like a jerk. The FAs are an extremely valuable part of the crew, and they should be treated with respect. Anyone who doesn't treat them with respect doesn't deserve his fourth stripe.

When I was a Captain, I had a few rules that made life easy on the FA:

1. The entire crew, including the FA, gets three meals a day, no matter what. And I'm not talking about standing in the galley and inhaling a burrito while the gate agent breathes down your neck, I'm talking about nice relaxing meals so you can unwind. If that means delaying three flights a day because we don't have any breaks built into the schedule, then so be it. The delay report was always sent in saying "Captain needed meal break." That way, none of the other crew took the heat for delaying the flight, and I would be the one getting the phone call.

2. The flight doesn't get boarded until both me and the FA are ready. When walking up to a gate on a quick turn from an aircraft swap, most gate agents would say "I'll send the pax down in five minutes." My response: "No, you'll send them down after you check with the FA to see if she's ready. She has pre-flight checks to do, and she hasn't even seen if the plane has been cleaned yet. Come down in five minutes and ask her if she's ready for boarding."

3. It's my responsibility to keep the heat off of the FA by keeping the pax informed of what's going on. If we're sitting on a taxiway for 15 minutes because of a ground stop, then I need to make a PA so the people are informed and not taking it out on the FA. The simple act of keeping the people informed of what is going on can make an FA's day 100% better.

4. If something happens during a flight that requires the FA to submit a report and talk to her supervisor, like a denied pax boarding, then I'm going with her to see the supervisor to back her up. Management at Pinnacle tried to put a hell of a lot of pressure on the FAs and intimidate them, and they wouldn't pull that crap if the Captain was in the office with the FA during the meeting.

5. If an FA overslept accidentally or for some other reason showed up late to the plane (by accident, not intentionally), then I put the delay report on myself. They'll fire the FA for something like that, but they won't touch me.

6. If we're still at the gate and the FA is having problems with a passenger, then I'll go back to help handle it. For some reason the pax think they can give a bunch of crap to the FAs, but they shut up and comply when they see the guy with the blazer and hat walk up. Lots of Captains will just sit there on their happy asses and wait for the FAs and gate agents to take care of it. Pathetic, as far as I'm concerned.


There's more, but those are good examples. The general idea is simple: Captain's, take care of your FAs and back them up. They are an important part of your crew and they should be treated with respect. Any Captain that doesn't treat his FAs with respect isn't just a bad Captain, he's a bad human being.

[Qgar]

Glen, please read post #36. We can't all be wrong and he can't always be having a bad day. I've found that most people who have a bad life are usually just quiet, NOT arrogant and selfish.
I understand where you're coming from. My mom had the same outlook as you and believe me, I've tried. This is the 3rd encounter with him and he acts like he doesn't remember me or other FA's he's ever worked with. He's abrupt and has even hit me in the back with the cockpit door when he swung it open after a flight. I mean, come on, have a little consideration for someone besides yourself, for goodness sake! Seems to be a pretty smart young man, so I have to assume he just doesn't give a crap about his coworkers.
I refuse to go out of my way to try to "win someone over." What's the point? I have better things to do with my time and would rather spend my time with people who actually LIKE and respect me and treat me like a valuable member of a team.

[Qgar]

Originally Posted by PCL_128

Grrrr. Nothing pisses me off more than Captains that don't treat their FAs right. Being a Captain isn't just about knowing procedures and being able to fly the plane. That's the least of it. Being a Captain is really about managing a crew, and you're doing a horrible job of managing the crew if they're angry at you for acting like a jerk. The FAs are an extremely valuable part of the crew, and they should be treated with respect. Anyone who doesn't treat them with respect doesn't deserve his fourth stripe.

When I was a Captain, I had a few rules that made life easy on the FA:

1. The entire crew, including the FA, gets three meals a day, no matter what. And I'm not talking about standing in the galley and inhaling a burrito while the gate agent breathes down your neck, I'm talking about nice relaxing meals so you can unwind. If that means delaying three flights a day because we don't have any breaks built into the schedule, then so be it. The delay report was always sent in saying "Captain needed meal break." That way, none of the other crew took the heat for delaying the flight, and I would be the one getting the phone call.

2. The flight doesn't get boarded until both me and the FA are ready. When walking up to a gate on a quick turn from an aircraft swap, most gate agents would say "I'll send the pax down in five minutes." My response: "No, you'll send them down after you check with the FA to see if she's ready. She has pre-flight checks to do, and she hasn't even seen if the plane has been cleaned yet. Come down in five minutes and ask her if she's ready for boarding."

3. It's my responsibility to keep the heat off of the FA by keeping the pax informed of what's going on. If we're sitting on a taxiway for 15 minutes because of a ground stop, then I need to make a PA so the people are informed and not taking it out on the FA. The simple act of keeping the people informed of what is going on can make an FA's day 100% better.

4. If something happens during a flight that requires the FA to submit a report and talk to her supervisor, like a denied pax boarding, then I'm going with her to see the supervisor to back her up. Management at Pinnacle tried to put a hell of a lot of pressure on the FAs and intimidate them, and they wouldn't pull that crap if the Captain was in the office with the FA during the meeting.

5. If an FA overslept accidentally or for some other reason showed up late to the plane (by accident, not intentionally), then I put the delay report on myself. They'll fire the FA for something like that, but they won't touch me.

6. If we're still at the gate and the FA is having problems with a passenger, then I'll go back to help handle it. For some reason the pax think they can give a bunch of crap to the FAs, but they shut up and comply when they see the guy with the blazer and hat walk up. Lots of Captains will just sit there on their happy asses and wait for the FAs and gate agents to take care of it. Pathetic, as far as I'm concerned.


There's more, but those are good examples. The general idea is simple: Captain's, take care of your FAs and back them up. They are an important part of your crew and they should be treated with respect. Any Captain that doesn't treat his FAs with respect isn't just a bad Captain, he's a bad human being.

Oh God....I think I'm in LOVE!!!!

You, my dear, are the epitome of what a great CA is.... You addressed every issue that is so important to us. You even go beyond what most of us expect. God bless ya!

[GlenWimpy]

Originally Posted by Qgar

Glen, please read post #36. We can't all be wrong and he can't always be having a bad day. I've found that most people who have a bad life are usually just quiet, NOT arrogant and selfish.
I understand where you're coming from. My mom had the same outlook as you and believe me, I've tried. This is the 3rd encounter with him and he acts like he doesn't remember me or other