While unruly passengers are still a fraction of those who get on a plane and get to their destination without any issues, aviation industry leaders have been drawing attention to the fact that incidents of bad behavior on planes have spiked dramatically during the post-pandemic spike in demand.
As one flight attendant with 25 years of experience recently explained to curious laypeople, there are also certain flights and destinations that tend to bring out the difficult people.
Related: JetBlue flight attendant shares passenger horror stories
“It also depends on what cities you fly in to,” the flight attendant going under the username r/Wnflyguy said in a Reddit #AskMeAnything post after telling another poster that he deals with a person acting belligerent due to being drunk about once in every six months.
“Example, Las Vegas there are lots of drunks trying to get on flights. Lubbock Texas flights, no so much,” the flight attendant posted.
A flight attendant is shown moving through the aisles with a beverage cart.
Image source: TheStreet
Flight attendant explains what he hates about the job (and how he deals with problem passengers)
The flight attendant has kept his real name anonymous in order to not associate his responses with the airline he works for but says that he has been working in the job for the last 25 years. Intoxicated passengers also come up much more frequently on flights to typical “vacation” destinations such as Cancun and certain parts of Florida during Spring Break and other popular travel periods.
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Reflecting on which celebrities he has encountered over the years, the flight attendant said that he particularly enjoyed running into Gene Simmons from KISS.
“Worst was Julia Roberts (and that was three weeks ago),” he wrote further. “She is NOT nice at all.”
While intoxicated passengers are relatively rare, the flight attendant said that someone will get caught trying to smoke or vape in the lavatories at least once a week. Despite the fact that there is almost no way to get around the smoke detector, travelers will still attempt it with shocking regularity.
“Police are called when we land and [they are] dealt with,” he responded to a question about what happens next. Sometimes passengers can get away with a verbal warning but anyone who gets belligerent or tries to sneak a smoke twice on the same flight (this happens regularly as well) can get slapped with fines and a formal flying ban.
Want to make a flight attendant’s day? It really is that simple
As for the worst things passengers have done, the flight attendant responded with “fighting, s—ing or pissing in their seat..”
“Also had them try to fight me, spit on me, you name it,” he elaborated further.
On a more positive note, the flight attendant said that he also regularly encounters those who appreciate that flight attendants work hard and do what they can to make the experience easier.
Regular courtesy and kindness are often all that’s necessary as, after a day of dealing with gruff people, it can go a long way — although small gifts of chocolate or a Starbucks gift card are almost never refused.
“Honestly, just be nice,” r/Wnflightguy said, considering how one can help make the job better. “Say hi and ask how their day is. It’s the simple things….oh and chocolate works too!”
