Simple phrase flight attendant uses for 'rude' passengers
Working as a flight attendant comes with a lot of benefits, but it also comes with the need to deal with people.
And sometimes, especially during an already stressful situation such as travelling, dealing with people can be extra difficult.
Faye Lane has been working on planes for almost 25 years and has shared the simple approach she takes when it comes to rude or stressed passengers.
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Some passengers can be more difficult to deal with then others. iStock
"If someone's very frustrated or annoyed, I will go there with them," she told PBS podcast The Pulse
"Like, 'Oh my gosh, I know, right? It's so frustrating. It's so annoying. Oh, I wish I could fix it!'"
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By displaying empathy, Faye revealed she's been able to turn around plenty of sticky situations.
"And then I can calm down and they'll generally come with me," she said.
Of course, airline staff can't always meet customers' needs. For instance, flight attendants can't un-cancel a flight, or do anything about delays.
Flight attendants are often tasked with managing delays and cancellations. iStockphoto
Faye has had to deal with everything from medical emergencies to all the passengers being stuck on a plane for hours with no food or bathroom after being diverted thanks to severe weather.
But even by the end of that ordeal she said some travellers "were hugging her at the end".
Of course, it doesn't work on everyone though.
"Most people are wonderful, but when you put them in an aluminium tube in the sky, under very stressful and infantilising conditions, people can behave very, very badly – and often do," she said.
It comes after another flight attendant called out passengers guilty of a common plane bathroom habit, warning the practice will only make things "worse" during a flight.
The airline worker suggested last week that lining up for the bathroom was the wrong thing to do, and by staying in your seat, you'll actually end up getting to use the toilet sooner.
