Angry pax declines to Raise Reclined Seat During Service...

[Quickstatus]

SO: is it correct that it's every passenger's right to do as s/he likes within the physical sphere of their seat? Is there no policy or prcedure that requires pax to cooperate with others and with cabin crew? If not, why not?

So long as its not breaking any rules, anyone can do what they please.
There is no policy for passengers to cooperate with each other. However there are rules that require passengers to follow crew instructions.

Why not?
As I said it is not in the cabin crew's interests to have to police everything a passenger does or not do according to some rigid passenger rules manual.

Now Im not saying cabin crew should never intervene. There is a place and time for everything. Cabin crew can influence the conditions of their cabin. How they do it separate the great crew from an uninterested crew.

 

[DC3]

...Is there no policy or prcedure that requires pax to cooperate with others and with cabin crew? If not, why not?

Almost. You pay for the seat, so it’s yours. You can be cranky and not cooperate during meal service apparently.

 

[mrsterryn]

I thought it was requested all seats be upright during meal service ?

 

[Quickstatus]

I thought it was requested all seats be upright during meal service ?

Most times the cabin crew will direct upright seats during meal service. It is easier to serve across a row when seats are upright.

 

[DC3]

I thought it was requested all seats be upright during meal service ?

Can’t say that I’ve heard that announced. Maybe some airlines do? What airline are we talking about?

 

[drron]

That's bad luck lydea.I am also old and shaky but large.People that have done that to me usually feel my knees.Only 1 has challenged me but he was older and smaller so thought the better of it.But to your fellow my reply would have been my knees have a right to the space they were led to believe they had.It looks like our rights are colliding.

 

[mrsterryn]

Can’t say that I’ve heard that announced. Maybe some airlines do? What airline are we talking about?

Qantas for me. Really thought that it was expected to have upright during meal service.

 

[DC3]

Qantas for me. Really thought that it was expected to have upright during meal service.

I believe most would agree. Shame that it’s not really policed, although sometimes requested it seems.

 

[dajop]

Can’t say that I’ve heard that announced. Maybe some airlines do? What airline are we talking about?

SQ definitely do this.

 

[mannej]

Do you think that's all we should expect when contacting/complaining to an airline? A 'template response'?

In this situation I think a template response “we are sorry that you were disappointed, we will take the feedback on board” is appropriate, don’t you?

 

[RooFlyer]

In this situation I think a template response “we are sorry that you were disappointed, we will take the feedback on board” is appropriate, don’t you?

Well, no; if its a template response (ie auto-generated) saying they will take the 'feedback'# on board, then it would be a lie - unless a computer detecting an incoming e-mail and generating an auto-response is taking the content' on board.

# I loath how many corporates only want to receive 'feedback'. When that happens to me, I correct them, saying i"ts not 'feedback', its a complaint, please treat it as such".

'Disappointment' is another corporate weasel word.

 

[trooper]

The OP said nothing about a MEAL service.... they said "Drinks". If it was the actual meal service then the other pax was definitely out of line.... but if it was just drinks?? Ive never heard of pax being expected to put their seats up just because drinks are being served....

 

[DC3]

Great Expectations. Means didly-squat with some nasty types, even when asked politely.

 

[mannej]

Well, no; if its a template response (ie auto-generated) saying they will take the 'feedback'# on board, then it would be a lie - unless a computer detecting an incoming e-mail and generating an auto-response is taking the content' on board.

# I loath how many corporates only want to receive 'feedback'. When that happens to me, I correct them, saying i"ts not 'feedback', its a complaint, please treat it as such".

'Disappointment' is another corporate weasel word.

Considering this is very minor in the scheme of things, tell me what you consider to be an appropriate response?

 

[Quickstatus]

No airline is going to want to go down the rabbit hole of creating a passenger code of conduct let alone enforcing it. There is always going to be the rude and/or obnoxious passenger, and they are not restricted to any cabin class. There really isn’t much of anything that can be done if the cabin crew do not want to be involved

 

[RooFlyer]

Considering this is very minor in the scheme of things, tell me what you consider to be an appropriate response?

Sure, no problem, happy to help. A brief acknowledgement of the complaint (I assume it was framed in terms of a complaint) written by a human. Reference to company policies to suit the nature of the complaint. No grovelling or compo required I would say, just good manners.

The main thing being, that if some-one feels strongly enough to make a written complaint (remember, the vast majority can't be bothered to complain other than grumbling at the time), the least the company can do is to give a) an acknowledgement and b) some empathy. Unless a company believes it and its employees are perfect, it will know that mistakes can occur, either by individuals, or in their systems. Good companies will learn from the nature of complaints to improve themselves and make themselves more attractive to customers.

 

[mannej]

Sure, no problem, happy to help. A brief acknowledgement of the complaint (I assume it was framed in terms of a complaint) written by a human. Reference to company policies to suit the nature of the complaint. No grovelling or compo required I would say, just good manners.

The main thing being, that if some-one feels strongly enough to make a written complaint (remember, the vast majority can't be bothered to complain other than grumbling at the time), the least the company can do is to give a) an acknowledgement and b) some empathy. Unless a company believes it and its employees are perfect, it will know that mistakes can occur, either by individuals, or in their systems. Good companies will learn from the nature of complaints to improve themselves and make themselves more attractive to customers.

Which is all fair and well, but there is no evidence to suggest that the FA in question here has made a mistake. My point still stands that I think the OP’s comments about CX’s response not being good enough is harsh when all the response will be is an acknowledgement and not much more.

 

[RooFlyer]

Which is all fair and well, but there is no evidence to suggest that the FA in question here has made a mistake. My point still stands that I think the OP’s comments about CX’s response not being good enough is harsh when all the response will be is an acknowledgement and not much more.

Fair enough. But in my world the acknowledgement would mean something, would not be an auto-response and have a chance of being acted upon, depending on the specifics presented.

 

[p--and--t]

Interesting responses all round.

I'm trying to rack my brains for a flight where QF crew did not insist seats being taken off recline during service. Quite often the passenger has been told quite assertively to put your seat up, you may recline when the service is over.

However on LH, the passenger in front FRA-SIN in Y+ was on full recline before takeoff and stayed that way for the entire flight including descent and despite me requesting twice, the crew refused even to speak to the guy in front shrugging shoulders and retorting, "he must be tired".

 

[DC3]

… I'm trying to rack my brains for a flight where QF crew did not insist seats being taken off recline during service. Quite often the passenger has been told quite assertively to put your seat up, you may recline when the service is over ...

Perhaps this is done at the cart during meal service, to individual pax? I'm sure that I would remember flights where this is done on the P/A but can not ever recall hearing the announcement of seats-backs to be placed upright for meals.