How to deal with Fearful Flyers?

[Pipe]

Is there any instruction on that. You know, those people that bend the armrests, that get hysterical, that pray all the Bible psalms back and forth?

Pipe

[FrankM]

Is there any instruction on that. You know, those people that bend the armrests, that get hysterical, that pray all the Bible salmons back and forth?

Pipe

Salmons ? you can pray them ? I always put them on my Sushi. Can you tell me the page of the bible where I can find them ? Would save me a lot of money ...

[Pipe]

Is there any instruction on that. You know, those people that bend the armrests, that get hysterical, that pray all the Bible psalms back and forth?

Pipe

Salmons ? you can pray them ? I always put them on my Sushi. Can you tell me the page of the bible where I can find them ? Would save me a lot of money ...

I see you have too much time in your hands, Mister.

I like to pray ............ everynowandthen ..........to ......... salmon. It´s a spiritual fish.

[flyboy2548m]

The whole thing about salmon reminded me of an exchange between me and a fellow pilot at the crew room at JFK a few weeks back. He was eating lunch and I could tell it was fish, but I wasn't sure what kind. So I asked him. "Breaded" was the reply.

[GerryW]

The whole thing about salmon reminded me of an exchange between me and a fellow pilot at the crew room at JFK a few weeks back. He was eating lunch and I could tell it was fish, but I wasn't sure what kind. So I asked him. "Breaded" was the reply.

lol!

[GerryW]

Is there any instruction on that. You know, those people that bend the armrests, that get hysterical, that pray all the Bible psalms back and forth?

Pipe

I know what they do, they give a second or third drink to calm them down.

Katie prefers to have her feet on the ground, but the flight from Crete back to Luxembourg the F/A gave her a Gin Tonic, this one was almost only Gin and a tiny little bit of Tonic. I had to ask for more Tonic (french speakingF/A) but still Katie was giggling for some time. And suddenly she fell asleep.

[Sumisid]

Yeah, Gerry, a little Gin might help once in a while, but some passengers are really stubborn and insist to avoid alcohol...

OK, I try to give you a serious answer, Pipe!
The problem with fearful flyers is usually, that they don't tell you that they have a problem. To be honest, I think about 50% of the passengers in an aircraft are probably afraid of flying, but they would never tell anybody. So as an FA, you only know if someone tells you or if they act so weird that you can actually see it. As you mentioned, "bending" the armrests or squeezing someones arm etc.

We actually had no so called "instructions" what to do with them. So I had my own method and it usually worked. Here it is:

Sumisid: "Are you a fearful flyer? Can I help you?"
PAX: "Yeah, let me outta here..."
Sumisid: "Well, that's a bit difficult right now..."
PAX: "I know we will crash!"
Sumisid: "Aha, you think you're THAT important?"

It usually took about 3 seconds until the passenger realized what I just said...

PAX: "What do you mean?"
Sumisid: "What do you think, how many hours do I spend in the air in a month?"
PAX: "Don't know..."
Sumisid: "It's something between 70 and 80 hours in the air!"
PAX: "Oh, and how long have you been doing this job?"
Sumisid: "3 years!"
PAX: "How many incidents or accidents did you have during that time?"
Sumisid: "None! And that's exactly what I mean. I spend 80 hours per month in that cabin flying all over the world for 3 years now without any problem and you think that plane is going to crash just because you are sitting in it? How often are you flying? Once a year?"
PAX: "Yeah, I think you're right, it's probably ridiculous!"

Well, that was just an example, but to be honest, statistics work very well on many people!

[flyboy2548m]

We actually had no so called "instructions" what to do with them. So I had my own method and it usually worked. Here it is:

Sumisid: "Are you a fearful flyer? Can I help you?"
PAX: "Yeah, let me outta here..."
Sumisid: "Well, that's a bit difficult right now..."
PAX: "I know we will crash!"
Sumisid: "Aha, you think you're THAT important?"

It usually took about 3 seconds until the passenger realized what I just said...

PAX: "What do you mean?"
Sumisid: "What do you think, how many hours do I spend in the air in a month?"
PAX: "Don't know..."
Sumisid: "It's something between 70 and 80 hours in the air!"
PAX: "Oh, and how long have you been doing this job?"
Sumisid: "3 years!"
PAX: "How many incidents or accidents did you have during that time?"
Sumisid: "None! And that's exactly what I mean. I spend 80 hours per month in that cabin flying all over the world for 3 years now without any problem and you think that plane is going to crash just because you are sitting in it? How often are you flying? Once a year?"
PAX: "Yeah, I think you're right, it's probably ridiculous!"

I prefer the somewhat less sensitive "Get the f*** over yourself, you pansy!"

[Pipe]

Thanks for your answer, Moni!

I guess you have to be half time nanny, half time shrink to get through the job. I cultivate the utmost respect for F/A´s. Due to very frequent flying throughout Brazil and elsewhere, I know many F/A´s already personally. This job has long lost its glory and glitter, I see the girls leaving the plane completely exhausted, their time schedules are on the brink of slavery and the salaries are simply laughable considering their responsablity and anything they have to stand on a daily base.

Flyboy´s approach must be sometimes very temptive.

Pipe

[GerryW]

Thanks for your answer, Moni!

I guess you have to be half time nanny, half time shrink to get through the job. I cultivate the utmost respect for F/A´s.

Pipe

I have to totally agree with you on this one, Pipe. It's a difficult job, and people (pax) aren't getting better. In the time when not everybody could afford to fly, passengers were more cultivated. Nowadays when flying is so cheap, that even everybody and his dog can fly, I wouldn't want to be F/A.

When I only see when they show documentations on tv when tourist are flown down to the 'Putzfraueninsel' for cleaning the buckets with Sangria at Ballermann6... And then the F/A have to deal with this drunk pack!

[Thunder Down Under]

pax to F.A. ' "Miss, how often do planes of this type crash?"

F.A. to pax "Only once, sir"

TDU

[PurduePilot]

pax to F.A. ' "Miss, how often do planes of this type crash?"

F.A. to pax "Only once, sir"

TDU

Love it!!

I usually either try to explain what's happening and why the airplane just made that weird noise, or why we just made a big circle, or whatever, OR I just try to distract the person and get them thinking and talking about something unrelated to the current situation.

[el]

Katie prefers to have her feet on the ground, but the flight from Crete back to Luxembourg the F/A gave her a Gin Tonic, this one was almost only Gin and a tiny little bit of Tonic.

Which brings up the question why G&Ts in planes almost always consist of 87,6% Gin, 9% icecubes and 3,4% tonic>

[GerryW]

Katie prefers to have her feet on the ground, but the flight from Crete back to Luxembourg the F/A gave her a Gin Tonic, this one was almost only Gin and a tiny little bit of Tonic.

Which brings up the question why G&Ts in planes almost always consist of 87,6% Gin, 9% icecubes and 3,4% tonic>

Because the cups are too small to put more tonic in, I guess?