Flight Attendants: The Glamour is Gone?
Flight attendants once reflected the glamour of air travel, serving four-course meals, chatting with passengers and globetrotting. Now with lower pay, greater responsibilities and little respect, they are the public face of a stressed-out airline industry.
When first-class passenger John Reed quietly asked for orange juice with his meal on a flight from Dallas to Sacramento in December 2009, he got a loud lecture from a sharp-tongued flight attendant instead. When the frequent flier later suggested that her reaction was inappropriate, Reed didn’t get an apology but a letter on the spot stating that he was an unruly passenger in possible violation of federal law. Outraged fellow passengers vouched to airline representatives that Reed hadn’t done anything wrong, but to little avail. The mere issuance of such a letter sparks an investigation by multiple federal agencies.
