Continental Airlines - Flight Attendant TERRIBLE
Yesterday, January 27, I got on Flight 1706 at 4 pm from Austin to Houston. I was upgraded to first class and my fare level was probably a fully refundable economy ticket. I usually buy my tickets to Austin last minute because my schedule is fluid while I am there, but I could be wrong on the fully refundable part on the return flight. I know it was a platinum upgrade fare that I had upgraded myself.
I got on to the plane in the first round of boarding and put my suitcase up in the overhead bin, but the top part was sticking out a little. Some planes that does not matter and was only barely sticking out so I thought the bin would close. I fly enough that I can usually tell. I was trying not to take up too much space because it was a full flight and I had to use the economy area. I wanted others to have room. I didn't check my bag mainly because my computer was in the bag and my luggage stipper started acting up this week. I was afraid the suitcase would come open and my computer could be damaged.
As I sat down I got a business call from an associate and was deep in conversation when I suddenly heard my name being called. I looked up and the flight attendant said she was checking my bag. I asked her why she would check my bag and she said there was no room for it then she replaced my bag with someone else's smaller bag. I immediately ended my phone conversation and jumped up and said please don't check my bag, but it was already gone and I said, I need to get my computer. I ran to the jetway, but the bag was already off the plane, and when I said to the flight attendant that I needed to get my computer she shrugged and said sorry.
I was upset, but sat back down. I didn't raise my voice and in fact the woman next me said she would have been a lot more upset if that had happened to her. I just smiled and grabbed my phone and started writing a two line text to the guy I had hung up on on my iPhone (which I admit takes me a little longer) as the door was closing. The flight attendant who had taken my bag walked over to my seat (1F) and said in a very rude voice, "you NEED to turn your phone off." I said, "just a minute" while I was finishing typing the text. I fly weekly and am on a plane usually 2 times a week or more. I have never had a flight attendant not let me spend a few seconds finishing up something. She stood right over me in the seat section and said more loudly, "YOU NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE OFF NOW!" I looked up turning the phone off and setting my phone down in the little cubby in the seat of first class seats and said, "ok, but you shouldn't have taken my bag". I did not yell, but I was irritated. She said to me, "do you want to stay in Austin?" in a clearly threatening tone. I replied that I didn't want to stay in Austin, but that I didn't understand why she had made me check my bag. She asked why I thought I deserved to keep my bag when there were other bags up there and I said because I was in first class and I had gotten on the plane before anyone else. She again said, "So do you want to stay in Austin." I said I didn't. She went on to say that there were three bags up there and that my bag was sticking out and so I said, "exactly there were three bags and I was in first class." She then said again, "if you keep arguing with me you will stay in Austin." I said, that I was not arguing, I was asking and that she was the one who was keeping this conversation going. At that point she said, "FINE" and so I asked her what her name was. She told me her name was Elissa in a very surly tone. Her behavior was bad enough that the woman in 1 E said she was planning on writing the airline because she was agressive enough that it scared her. I would not say I was scared, but I did feel her behavior was much too agressive.
After we taxied for quite a while and then waited in line for about 5 minutes longer we took off. After she made the announcement after take off about drink service, she got and walked to the back. When she returned she handed me a white sheet of paper that in several language stated I had been given an official federal warning for my behavior and told me to review it. The flight attendant who was repsonsible for first class then came over and asked to take my drink order. I showed her the paper and asked her what it meant. She was astonished that I had been given the warning and said she had heard Elissa's tone and thought it was inappropriate, but didn't know what had happened. We talked for a minute then she said she needed to get the drink service going. She came back shortly before we landed and I noticed she had been in the galley with Elissa. She said not to worry about the paper that Elissa had told her she had given it to me to "cover her butt". She said she had been flying for a long time and had never issued one and again said she was really surprised that Elissa would have done so. I then asked to speak to the Flight Attendant supervisor and was told that it was Elissa. I forgot to get the name of the other flight attendant, but she was a very attractive blonde. She was very helpful and did a good job of trying to make me feel better.
I am a great customer of Continental. I always brag about what a great airline it is. I am astounded that I was given a federal warning about obstructing the flight because I didn't turn my phone at the second she told me to and then complained about my bag being taken. I think this was completely inappaproprite. As session starts I now have to decide if I am going to fly this flight again or go on another airline or leave later. That is the perfect time for me to go on Thursday afternoon. I usually go in on Sunday night or Monday morning and by Thursday that 4 o'clock flight is the perfect time to come back home. I am kind of afraid to get back on that because I really feel like she targeting me and now I am worried that she will continue to bully me. She doesn't have a supervisor on the plane and basically can do what she wants based on the way she acted yesterday.
As a side note when I got down to baggage my computer had come out the bag and was hanging halfway out. Luckily it was not damaged. Let me know if you can forward this to someone. I just don't think the Supervisor on a flight should treat passengers this way especially considering first class passengers tend to be very good customers.
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Jan 28, 2011, 5:58 PM
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