Premium economy passengers are the worst – after 10 years as a flight attendant, I should know

As soon as I tell someone to work as a cabin crew, they instantly bombard me the questions.

“Oh, have you met some famous people?”

“What is the worst passenger you have had?”

“Do the pilots like horny goats very much in a deer?”

There is something at work that is infinitely fascinating for people, and Telegraph readers are clearly not the exception. They sent dozens of questions after my recent characteristic about the worst types of aerial passengers.

Here are my answers to 10 of them.

1. What kind of passengers is the most difficult to handle: economy, business or first?

– Clive Nunn

Most passengers are lovely, so it is difficult to choose a class that is more difficult, but I had To choose one, it would be a premium economy. The first class only has a few passengers, so the probabilities are lower that there will be a complicated customer there. Executive class passengers generally fly from executive class all the time and are accustomed, and economic flyers are quite easy to matter to the service.

But premium economy passengers are trapped in a little dilemma: they cannot afford the business, but feel they are too good for the economy. Place between two worlds, glimpse life beyond the business class curtain, are in a state of agitation. These people tend to complain more, demand everything they can obtain and stick to the call bell. There must be a metaphor for life somewhere.

2. Who would be your ideal passenger?

– Brett Gaites

The other day I had a lady who returned her tray so orderly and orderly that it was easy for me to replace it on the tram. You can think that it is so small, but it makes a big difference when hundreds of people give you trays with empty food containers stacked from a mile high. I wanted to hold it to show the rest of the passengers, like the teacher at school: “Look at all! Now that’s how your tray is stack!

In addition, when it comes to tea and coffee, just tell me exactly how you like it, so you don’t have to ask you three separate questions. It may not seem much, but multiply three questions by 200 passengers, and become exhausting. A special place in my heart really occupies for people who can say exactly what they want: “Coffee with milk and two sugars, thank you!”

3. What can you do to help if the entertainment in flight of a passenger is broken and the flight is full?

– John Sheffer

Unfortunately, this happens sometimes. I always feel a lot for these passengers; I would hate sitting through a long flight without entertainment. In general, these passengers are compensated with points, but varies according to the airline. One thing I will add: it is not the blame of the crew, so please do not take it away. If you take it well, I will always do everything possible to make sure they compensate for you in other ways, such as commercial class food or extra drink of the bar.

4. Have you found guide dogs on flights?

– Alan Pilkington

I love animals and personally I think there should be emotional support dogs on each flight, often they behave better than passengers! A flight with a dog on board is always happy and puts everyone in a good mood. In my 10 years as a team, I have never met a dog that does its business on the plane or even smelled something suspicious. I guess they don’t drink water on board and use puppies. Human passengers that passengers were more left over to dogs, so I would take a plane full of dogs on humans any day.

5. What is the right label to recline your seat?

– Chris Sanders

In addition to alcohol, this is probably the biggest cause of fights in airplanes. It always saddens me a little through the state of the world when I see adult adults who argue more than five centimeters of space in an plane.

But they do it, on almost every flight. It is complicated and never reclines my seat on the plane so as not to end up the person behind me, but then it is so annoying when the person in front of you hits his chair without prior notice, hitting your g & t. Everyone has the right to reclinate their seat, but would always suggest an educated “I am about to recline my seat, if it’s okay?” To the person behind you.

6. Can gifts like chocolates appreciate? Or is it just an inconvenience?

– Blake Heathcote

This is one of the best tips that I can give to anyone who wants a more pleasant flight. You might think it is a bit Cringy to buy a chocolate box for the crew, something similar to shine an apple for the teacher, but it is always worth it. Be careful, however, there is an art in that act of the bribe of the crew. gift.

Make sure they are pleasant chocolates (I am partial to Lindt’s balls, by the way), write your seat number in the box and, while you are approaching quickly, give the crew member at the door with a big smile and say : “This is for you, I know how hard you work.” So that is, keep walking, do not block the way and delay the flight by waffling. It may not result in anything but an additional vessel of bubbles and a blanket, but is it worth the price of a chocolate box?

7. Being sick on common flights?

– Steph cable

You must be on very lucky flights where nobody is sick. Yes, it still happens, all the time, and there is usually a sick bag in the pocket of the seat of each seat.

8. How often do fights explode?

– Keith Anderson

You listen a lot to these stories but, in my experience, they do not happen so often. I have never had to deviate due to a rebel passenger and in all my flight years I have only witnessed a handful of heated arguments on board, none of which became physical. What I have noticed is that if people lose control on the flight, it often happens when they mix sleeping medications with alcohol. I always warn people who are very careful when drinking on a flight, since alcohol can affect people differently from great altitude.

9. What does one do when you have a five -year -old boy who kicks the back of your chair for eight hours in a row?

– Karen Riley

I can’t imagine a more annoying experience than making a child kick your seat for eight hours. In my day, if we act like this, we would get the wooden spoon! My advice? I would try to avoid direct confrontation with the mother. Simply return to the galley and have a private word with the crew. Explain the situation and make them solve it, so you don’t look like the bad boy.

10. Is there an unwritten rule that the central seat obtains the first dibs in the breaks of the arm?

– Pr neate

Personally, I have never heard of this “resting rule of the middle seat arm”, so I asked a colleague. They said: “Just depend on who has the balls to claim it.”

Do you have any questions that you die to know the answer? Please write them in the comments section below. Paula Gahan works as a cabin crew for an international airline and organizes the podcast The bad air host In Apple and Spotify.

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