Crew treatment by customers.

1. As to the call button -- on certain Delta aircraft, I know it is located on the inside of the seat and I have set the thing off with my butt before (and that's not the only thing I've set off with my butt, "but" we won't go there...today [}:)]). With regard to VS, yes, I have done it with the V:Port handset. Sue me. The funny thing is, though, that no one ever came in response to my erroneous pressing of said device...hmmm...

GJ - you creased me up again [:p] - spot on comment.

I am interested though VITB that a few of your recent posts have been of the order of 'why do you moan' and 'why do you be difficult ...' - is there unhappiness in VS towers at us lardy, rude and indifferent drunken slobs flying?

Edna - I quite agreed with all you said. There are times when I am less polite than I like to be, and it's often due to stress, an irrational fear of the take-off process, or other temporary reason. If I'm travelling with the no. 1 he pokes me sharply in the ribs and says something unutterable here. However, good news is at hand, new medication means I am continually smiling and opening doors for ladies, gentlemen, passing camels and all!

VITB is one of my work collegues and I do support mauch of the statements made ... But I would like to point out the majority of Customers are fantastic and like someone else has said it doesnt matter which profession you work in you will encounter situations like this.

1) As for the call bells maybe the design of the call bell being on a game controll is not the best idea and pehaps they are genuinely pressed by accident, Call bells in the overhead panel is the best idea like on some airlines but this can be a problem in a emergency if the customer cant reach... The only real answer is for customers to be carefull and the airline to highlight the button more in the entertainment magazine.

2)I completely agree that for safety related issues a bit more respect towards crew would be appreciated, We are trained to a very high standard when it comes to aviation safety and have to pass exams every year..and before every flight. So usually when we request something it is for a reason..(though we may not always agree ourselves we have certain guidelines set by the CAA which we need to follow)

3)Heavy Bags.... If its too HEAVY for you to lift then it should be down below, I understand the issues waiting at the reclaim belt and the chance of it going missing... but the actuall percentage of bags that go missing is so small theses days with electronic bar codes and security screening. If you cant lift it then what makes you think someone else can... admittedly there are occaisions when a elderly or physically disadvantaged customer will need help, this is fine but when fit able bodied people ask, then then chances are its TOO HEAVY to be above someones head ( see articles where lockers have opened during turbulence and fallen on someone)

7) Safety Video - this yes is the same on every flight but what about the rare occaisions where a manual demo is given and it is read that a door is unserviceable and should not be used? This is very rare and I have never seen this on a Virgin Aircraft but it could happen.... As mentioned in point 2 above we are trained in these things and if emergencys were so easy why do we get examined ? its is only a few minutes and the only time we make you watch the TV. Usually customers cant take their eyes of it.

With headphones I appreciate that if you are watching something that taking your earphones off to listen is a chore and I wouldnt expext you too, but if you are using V-port and notice the crew are coming towards you with a service why not just pause it for a few seconds?

Anyway the majority of customers are fantastic and many regular customers are more like friends, but we sometimes crew are not idealy behaved.... making noise in galleys and giving consideration to customers, watching where they are walking (though sticking feet in the aisles is not a good idea)

Originally posted by milehigh
1) As for the call bells maybe the design of the call bell being on a game controll is not the best idea and pehaps they are genuinely pressed by accident, Call bells in the overhead panel is the best idea like on some airlines but this can be a problem in a emergency if the customer cant reach... The only real answer is for customers to be carefull and the airline to highlight the button more in the entertainment magazine.

Call-bells in the overhead work okay on narrowbodies. On wide bodies, like most of the VS fleet, you can't reach the Passenger Service Unit in the hat-rack from a seated position - sometimes you can from the window seats, but not in the centre secion, and not in the nose on the 744. You have to stand to reach the air vents, for example.

I've noticed that accidental use of the call bell seems very common on VS flights, and I found myself wondering why this is. One of my side interests is human factors.

I think that part of the problem is the design, especially on the v:port controller. The button is the same size and colour as that for the reading light, for example, and the pictogram doesn't strike me as being large and clear. I'd probably put a raised "shoulder" around the button edge, and change it to a vivid colour such as orange.

Secondly, the design of the Y and W seats causes people's thighs to rub against the controller whilst docked, on both v:port and odyssey platforms, which no doubt causes some accidental calls as well. (Are accidental calls as frequent on Nova aircraft?)

Another thing is that v:port is switched off on boarding, and despite the fact there is a "stow during taxi, takeoff and landing" placard on/near the controller, people are people, and will fiddle with it while the aircraft is on stand, trying to work out what all the buttons do!

Maybe if v:port was interactive during boarding, but in some sort of "welcome aboard" mode, where the full entertainment library wasn't available - just some flight information, skymap, etc., maybe it will stop the random jabbing of controller buttons until something happens.

Another option as part of parental control would be to inhibit the call button on that seat, so that a small child doesn't keep pressing it because it makes a "bing" noise!

I'm sure people aren't deliberately trying to aggrevate, and are in most cases probably oblivious to what they've done.

Maybe the accidental calls will be fewer on the aircraft with the new Y seats, where the controller is in the seatback?

If you want to vent your frustration anywhere (on this particular issue), vent it toward your management, who seem to care more about how something looks, rather than it's fitness for purpose.

Cheers,
Mike

Originally posted by mike-smashing
Another option as part of parental control would be to inhibit the call button on that seat, so that a small child doesn't keep pressing it because it makes a "bing" noise!

Oh Yes![y]

If you want to vent your frustration anywhere, vent it toward your management, who seem to care more about how something looks, rather than it's fitness for purpose.

Cheers,
Mike

Sage comment Mike

Originally posted by mike-smashing
your management, who seem to care more about how something looks, rather than it's fitness for purpose.

Cheers,
Mike

Sure I think youve hit the nail on the head... But I think most the crew on here like myself appreciate it is a design fault and not customers. as I said in my post it could be made clearer, One of the reasons the handsets are in the seat backs is because of feedback to management from the crew... there is only so much we can feedback on... its X-plane and letters from the customer which carry the weight.

x-plane? Is that an internal VS process?

[mitchja]

Jeremy

X-Plane are those in-flight questionaires VS hand out.

Regards

Oh right. Didn't know they were called that although I have had a few over the years. Thanks James.

[Decker]

Originally posted by jerseyboy
Do you think if I ask my new found friend and number 1 Mod Decker

Number 1 Mod? Not even primus inter pares mate! I'm not worthy...

[mcmbenjamin]

Can I write in Spanish if I feel like it?

[Decker]

From the FAQS

The language used on this site is English (although Decker has been known to slip into Latin on occasion). For the sake of clarity, please check your spelling and grammar - badly composed posts are difficult to make sense of and are easily misinterpreted

[:w]

[mcmbenjamin]

Originally posted by Decker
From the FAQS

The language used on this site is English (although Decker has been known to slip into Latin on occasion). For the sake of clarity, please check your spelling and grammar - badly composed posts are difficult to make sense of and are easily misinterpreted

[:w]

Very good. Funny that the spell checker highlights 'Latin'.

I have to agree with a lot of these points. A large number of people are civilised and the occasional rude person makes it into any group in any service industry.

As for when they are rude we tend to ask ourselves why are they coming across rude, is it because they're anxious, have been rushing or maybe on flights they are under pressure to get to that connecting flight.

As for the way they interact with other passengers and crew it is always great to observe. People of different cultures and even within cutlures act so differently it is just the great variety of life, be it from the way they address people to being more tactile than others.