Good points on both sides here. It is unprofessional and tasteless to complain in the presence of the customer. If you have a complaint, it is likely an issue that the passenger can do nothing about so why bring it to their attention? There is plenty wrong with the industry, but it's not that guy's fault. If you want to affect change, put your complaint in the hands of those that can actually do something-not your passengers'.
The current generation of pilots confuses me. Here we stand demanding better treatment, better pay, better benefits, and yet we conduct ourselves with little pride and conviction. Pilots are wearing earbuds in the terminal; they don't wear hats anymore; their uniforms look terrible; and the fitness code has been thrown out the window. I see nothing about this profession, from the passenger's perspective, that would inspire any confidence, trust, or conviction to demand better for the pilots. Everyone's "give a damn" is busted. I understand it's a systemic problem started many years ago, but image is a hard thing to fix. Once the public has lost the trust of the pilots, it's gone. Getting it back will be a lot harder than it was to lose it.
When I ride the van to the hotel, there is usually a crewmember bitching about the something the entire ride right in front of passengers on the van. What an embarrassment. These people don't give a damn about your gripes. They want to get where they are going will as little collateral damage as possible. Between the TSA, customer no-service agents, baggage issues, delays, and flight crews being bitchy, it's a miracle people even fly for a $25 ticket. The only reason I travel by air while off is because it's free. If I had to pay, I'd drive.
