[aobrien]

Dear Sir/Madam

My husband and I had a very unpleasant experience on this flight regarding one of your cabin crew.

When the cabin crew came along with the drinks trolley my husband purchased 4 drinks and proceeded to hand his credit card to a male steward who would not even take the card. My husband was sitting at the window seat and was trying to search his pockets for cash (there was very little room to move as the tables were also down at the time and the drinks were sitting on them. The steward was busy and moved on. About 5 minutes later as the same steward was passing my husband called him and asked how he could pay and was told "in dollars or sterling". My husband then made a casual remark to me that there was probably money in our holdall in the overhead locker. As the steward was busy, again, he moved on.

After much discomfort and squirming about my husband found money
in his back pocket and was sitting with the notes, in full view, in his hand which was resting on top of the table. I dozed off after a while and next thing I was awakened by a sharp prod to my shoulder. I was obviously startled and looked up to see a female stewardess standing rapping her finger on the overhead locker, quite aggresively, saying "Okay, you need to get the money out of here right now!" I was taken aback and said 'the money is here', pointing to my husband's hand. Her demeanour changed immediately and, in complete contrast, suddenly she was very pleasant.
We never commented further to her.

If the male steward had come back he would have seen the money in my husband's hand and it wouldn't have been an issue.

The passengers in our vicinity were amazed and commented to us on this woman's behaviour. Someone made the valid point - "there was no need for that - where did she think you were going?"
I was absolutely disgusted and could not believe what I had just witnessed. How dare she approach me in this manner. For a start, I was not the one who she should have been approaching, never mind the way in which she did so. Given that we were in the air, it was very unnecessary.

This raises several issues, which I feel the company would need to address:

The staff obviously need some further training in customer service. In the first instance, the male steward relaying something so minor to the female stewardess should not have arisen - there was no dispute about paying. Secondly, her behaviour toward customers was appalling. Why would you want to embarrass and humiliate your customers in this way due to unprofessional staff?

Why do you announce that you accept all major credit cards if you don't?
What would have happened if we had no cash - would this woman have taken the drinks back? Further embarrassment and humiliation?!! This needs to be clarified.

These members of staff are the 'face' of Continental Airlines and as such respresent the company as a whole. As someone who has supervised large numbers of staff, who deal with the public, for over 20 years I would be very annoyed, embarrassed and disappointed at this sort of behaviour from a member of my staff but, more disturbing in your case, is that if this woman's attitude is typical, she is a 'loose cannon' on an aeroplane. Someone else may not have taken the matter so calmly!

Anne O'Brien

[mars6423]

wow thats amazing

continental now charges for international flights? i know many airlines in the US charge for domestic (newark to belfast)

the flight attendents were extremely rude and obnoxious, they had no right or reason to do so....the only reason i could think of them acting like that was to have a sense of power/authority/entitlement and/or they were have a really bad day and took out their frustration on others

you should write a complaint to continental and hopefully they will read it and they will probably send some vouchars....if they do anything with the 2 flight attendants (if you got their names) than you wont find out about it due to policies

what would have happend if you had no money? no one knows, no money no honey.....here is the emergancy door pay or theres the exit

[jimworcs]

That's what happens when you fly US carriers... they have lost any incentive to compete on service or quality

[saturnjt]

Continental Airlines currently only accepts credit cards for DUTY FREE not for liquor...... liquor costs 3 pounds or $5

[calloutline]

It is unfortunate what happend to you.. However, you should not judge an airline and the training of their flight attendants by one persons bad behavior. I am a flight attendant for Continental and RARELY do I ever work with people who behave that way. Those thorns appear in every job.
Im sick of people placing the blame on things being "American" or being a "US carrier" that is very offensive and for making remarks as tacky as that you should point your finger the other direction.
90+% of your Continental International flight attendants take pride in their job, uniform, and customer service on every single flight. I hope you give us another shot.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

I’m sure there is a significant majority of flight attendants (“FAs”), who work for US-based airlines, who are decent people and do give “100%” every day. However there, also, appears to be a significant minority who have little to no ability to appropriately relate to customers. It is this latter group that has turned some flights into airborne police states. Right now Continental is dealing with litigation (Meadow v. Continental Airlines S.D. NY, Federal action) all because of a flight attendant—a “Mr. Chris Boone”—who decided to take his feelings of inadequacy out on a business class customer during a trans-Atlantic flight. For a more detailed take on “power drunk” flight attendants see: Coffee, tea or handcuffs? at http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...e20sterns.html

The problem is less with this group of misfit FAs. US-based airlines (“the airlines”) have been hiding this issue—much like the drunken family member that is hidden in a back room when guests arrive. Domestic air travel, in particular, would become a more civilized affair if the airlines brought this issue into the open. Flight crews should be encouraged to report bad behavior, without fear of reprisals, on the part of colleagues. There should be a clear statement (in writing, or otherwise) to all customers as to what is expected when it comes to in-flight behavior—even if doing so is stating the obvious: Families must keep their children seated; likewise adults must remain seated; being drunk while on the aircraft is a violation of FAA regulations; no physically assaultive behavior; no smoking. Accordingly, if the customer keeps his part of the “bargain,” by following these rules, then there should be no reason for calls to the police. Referring to the in-flight meal as “fair dinkum,” as happened on a trans-Pacific flight, is NOT a terrorist act!

[mars6423]

this is for calloutline

I have flown continental to LHR (london heathrow) a few times and even though the staff were nice and professional it seemed like they were more interested in what they were going to do that night for their layover instead of helping the flyers who asked for drinks

In comparing continental with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, i would have to say that continentals "atmosphere" was less enjoyable and the flight attendants were not as nice and helpful as on the other airlines. I know that they all take pride and everything but it just seemed a little different than others.

I would rate in order Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and lastly Continental

The flight attendants on the other airlines just seem a little more professional, helpful, cheerful and make the flying experience a bit better than continental (not taking away from continental since their flight attendants at least on international flights are good, better than other american companies)

[Phil, Brussels]

Also for "outline".
Sorry, learn to live with it. US carrier crew are the worst in the world. Surpasses Aeroflot. Do they have training in rudeness? I've tried all carriers from here in Brussels and they are the absolute pits. My recent summer trip to Newark with Continental proved their absolute supremacy in "snarling".

[Gromit801]

Here's what I'm guessing happened.

Male FA returns the drink trolly to the galley, where the take is to be counted and balanced. The count comes up short. The female FA was probably the lead FA for the flight, and asked the male FA why he was short. Male FA then give a not quite complete explanation about your husband not being able to pay at first, and then not being able to reach the funds, leaving female FA with the impression that you were trying to get away without paying for your drinks.

Perhaps flight crews have been threatened with some kind of sanction for previous drink shortages.

However, the rudeness was unwarranted.

Saying American crews are the worst is bigoted and hypocritical at best. I've found British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa have all had their share of employees that should be working somewhere else.

[jimworcs]

Gromit,
It is bigoted only if it is not based on experience, but rather a prejudice based on nationality. I am afraid that you are looking for a bogeyman that might not exist. My children are American, so I think I could hardly be accused of being anti-American. However, the standards of service in US airlines really are amongst the worst in the world. Anyone who has travelled extensively will have experienced examples of poor service on most airlines. However, the issue is consistency. I have consistently, in the last 10 years or so seen a marked deterioration in the standards of courtesy and customer service in US based airlines. There has also been a deterioration in European airlines, but the fall has been no where near as far or as fast as in the US airlines. In general, far-eastern airlines seem to have maintained their standards.

US airlines since de-regulation have engaged in a race to the bottom, cutting standards of service to the bone. This serves them well in the domestic market, where they operate huge fortress hubs and have monopolies, so that even when service standards fall passengers have few options available to them to switch to other carriers.

Conversely, this serves them badly in international markets, as they typically do not enjoy a monopoly on city pairs. As a result, you get the somewhat odd spectacle of the US Airlines opposing any regulation in the domestic market, while fighting tooth and nail to prevent foreign competition and to retain regulation of international routes. This in the alleged home of free enterprise. Indeed, without protectionist measures such as the ownerships rules, revenue sharing and restricted routes, and government hidden subsidies, the US airlines would have very little international custom. When any route is compared with the international carriers of significance such as Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines to name just a few, there is no way that any honest appraisal would find the US competitors superior. If you are unsure, I suggest you look at Skytrax, which is the largest consumer survey of service and satisfaction of airlines in the world and see how US airlines fare.

[Gromit801]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

That's what happens when you fly US carriers... they have lost any incentive to compete on service or quality

That, is a bigoted comment aimed at the nationality of the carrier and by extension, it's crews and employees. If you had left out "US Carriers" then I might buy your argument.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

I don't know whether Gromit's concern arises from a case of not enough specifics, or are we into a situation where we're arguing with Barney Frank's dining room table?

That's what happens when you fly US carriers... they have lost any incentive to compete on service or quality

Taken in its entirety, this statement could, easily, be taken to mean that flying with a US carrier means poor cabin and ground service. I really don't think a reasonable person would see this as an afront to all Americans. To some degree, yes, this statement COULD be taken to reflect poorly upon crews. That a few flight attendents get their kicks by acting like jerks is not the problem. The problem is how airline managements deal with this group of misfits, and respond (or DON'T respond) to the public about them. One US airline executive (forgot which one) spoke about some of his competition having a philosophy of "disposable customers." If an airline is thinking this way, then is given Jim's label, who's fault is that??

The sad truth, Gromit, is that you'd probably have to go to sub-Saharan Africa to find airlines with a poorer service product than some US-based airlines.

[jimworcs]

Gromit,
The statement would make no sense if I missed out the US carriers bit. I am making a general statement comparing the overall quality of services provided by US carriers versus other carriers outside the US.

In the 1970s and 1980s the US car industry was producing cars which were of a lower quality and higher cost than those produced by Japan for example. The domestic market in the US was so large, the big three convinced themselves they were unbeatable and seemed to think that quality didn't matter. The arrogance of Detroit costs thousands of people their livlihoods and the giants have been humbled.

Is that a comparative analysis of the US Auto industry or bigotry?

Right, now onto US Airlines. I pointed you in the direction of the largest consumer survey of airline quality in the world. This is skytrax (www.airlinequality.com). The ratings are literally based on millions of traveller ratings and on quality audits. It has a 5 star rating system, similar to hotel type ratings.

There are a total of 6 airlines in the world which achieve the coveted 5 star award. These airlines are Asiana, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Cathay Pacific and Kingfisher. What characterises these airlines? They are all far eastern or middle eastern airlines.

There are 28 airlines in the world which achieve the 4 star award. All of the airlines I cited in my earlier post were either in the 4 or 5 star category. None of the major US carriers achieve this status either. The category is dominated by European and Asian Carriers. There are only two US carriers in this group and they are high quality low cost carriers (Frontier and JetBlue). I believe Frontier is in Chapter 11. Both are relatively new airlines. Frontier in it's current format and structure has only been around since the mid 90's and I think JetBlue is even newer than that and both are small compared to the giants of the US airline industry.

In the 1970's and 1980's a similar survey of the best quality airlines in the world would have included carriers such as United, PanAm and TWA in the higher ratings.

Now Gromit, you can bury your head in the sand, just as executives and defenders of the US car industry did in the 1970's and 80s or you can face reality. This is an age of global competition and the only thing that is propping up the US airlines in international markets is protectionism.

Your knee jerk response to criticism is to yell bigotry.. I suggest you take a deep breath and try looking at the evidence

[WorkingMom4Boys]

No COMPETITION. Here's your new America. Look at ALL the complaints on just this website, they are about the same thing. Service. It is THE missing ingrediant for all the 'majors' as they so haughtily call themselves.

[Gromit801]

Originally Posted by WorkingMom4Boys

No COMPETITION. Here's your new America. Look at ALL the complaints on just this website, they are about the same thing. Service. It is THE missing ingrediant for all the 'majors' as they so haughtily call themselves.

And you've flown all the majors? From you previous posts, you've only flown SWA and Continental.

I have seen good service and bad service. Some of it is the result of surly passengers who won't take responsibility for their own carelessness, or expect 1980 service for lower 2009 prices.

Some of it is the result of low pay because the airlines are being forced ever more into rates that are just above the break even point, they don't get the best people anymore.

[WorkingMom4Boys]

I have grown up in the travel business. My mother retired owning her own agency. You know self-employed, the kind of job where you actually could'nt say things like our passengers are irresponsible and surly. So yeah you're kind of talking to someone who's old enough and knows enough.

You bet your customers need to take responsibility--and that's what we're gonna do without you.

And you've flown all the majors? From you previous posts, you've only flown SWA and Continental. OMG--you ARE full of it.

I have seen good service and bad service. Some of it is the result of surly passengers who won't take responsibility for their own carelessness, or expect 1980 service for lower 2009 prices. I don't even know what to say to this one.

Some of it is the result of low pay because the airlines are being forced ever more into rates that are just above the break even point, they don't get the best people anymore. Are you seriously wondering why you don't get the best people?

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by WorkingMom4Boys

No COMPETITION. Here's your new America. Look at ALL the complaints on just this website, they are about the same thing. Service. It is THE missing ingrediant for all the 'majors' as they so haughtily call themselves.

Staying on topic with the OP...while it's true Continental has the only non-stop service from the NYC area to Belfast, if one is willing to make connections there are 6 different airlines you can fly from the greater NYC area (EWR,JFK,PHL) to Belfast. So there is competition after all. Continental was just smart and decided that it could serve Belfast with a daily non-stop on a single aisle (757-200) aircraft and make money from the route.

[Gromit801]

Originally Posted by WorkingMom4Boys

I have grown up in the travel business. My mother retired owning her own agency. You know self-employed, the kind of job where you actually could'nt say things like our passengers are irresponsible and surly. So yeah you're kind of talking to someone who's old enough and knows enough.

You bet your customers need to take responsibility--and that's what we're gonna do without you.

And you've flown all the majors? From you previous posts, you've only flown SWA and Continental. OMG--you ARE full of it.

I have seen good service and bad service. Some of it is the result of surly passengers who won't take responsibility for their own carelessness, or expect 1980 service for lower 2009 prices. I don't even know what to say to this one.

Some of it is the result of low pay because the airlines are being forced ever more into rates that are just above the break even point, they don't get the best people anymore. Are you seriously wondering why you don't get the best people?

MY customers? What planet do you live on. I have no customers. I AM a customer, and get real tired of seeing other customers go nuts from things that are 90% of the time, their own fault.