There is a serious problem in the airline industry. It pays poorly and the standard of recruits reflects this. The power invested since 9/11 in these people, means that we have totally unaccountable people, without the education and training to know how to use the power they have. Properly trained people with power are taught that the use of this power is a last resort. There are many horror stories of stupid FA's who pour oil on the fire, or become abusive to passengers and lie about the circumstances. Googling such classics as the mother and baby thrown off a flight because the baby said "bye bye plane" or the AA Flight Attendant who flipped when asked for an orange juice. This abuse will continue until passengers take action. If I see any FA abuse, (and I have witnessed 2incidents) I offer my name and phone number to the passenger as a witness. With smart phones people need to use them to record such incidents. If you had wtnesses, you could try suing in small claims court for your additional costs...however, your honesty and lack of witnesses would probably make this fail. The truth is, people who abuse their power are often only held to account when we have irrefutable proof. I look forward to the day when a lying FA is secretly filmed abusing a passenger and exposed.
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