[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

As a long-term goal the government (the US Dept. of Transportation—the “DOT”) should consider setting-up “consumer” desks in select concourses at major airports. These desks should include inspectors with the power to issue violation notices to airlines. On a similar note this incident is a good argument for the licensing, by the DOT, of cabin crew with a requirement that an identifying license number be worn by all crew and be clearly visible to all passengers. Again we have a situation where it is obvious that cabin crew have been given the message by their superiors—intentionally, or otherwise—that bad behavior carries no consequences. As evidence I present the quote (provided by the customer) from the flight attendant:

I turned to him and asked what his name was so I could report him and he laughed and told me it was his word against mine, good luck honey, let me guess, your gonna get me fired right? Turned and walked away.

To expand on a comment from another poster: The problem with cabin and ground crew misbehavior is compounded when you have what, in law enforcement, is called the “blue wall of silence”—co-workers, of staff and crew, who will lie, or deny witnessing events, in a conspiracy to cover the facts. Air Marshalls can not be seen as a solution to this problem. To do their job effectively Air Marshalls must be able to count on the cooperation of the crew. Thus there is a strong incentive for an Air Marshall to passively, or even actively, be part of any “blue wall of silence.”

I’m not suggesting that bad behavior is common to the majority of US-based airline staff and crew. However, the postings on this board appear to suggest there is a significant minority who see nothing wrong with abusing customers. Responsible crew and staff can either begin to speak-up about this situation, or wait until the government has to intervene and perhaps make life miserable for ALL crew and staff.