Fly2Scuba
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2003
- Posts
- 377
In all of my commuting over the years, I've lucked out until recently. Here and there I'd been in the vicinity of a screaming baby or some loud obnoxious type, but that was an every once in awhile event. Not sure what's going on, but every commuting flight I've been on for the last 5 flights where I've sat in the back has involved a major disturbance by passengers and in one case the flight attendant. Not sure how to counterattack this in the future, so looking for recommendations. To note up front, I was not in uniform in any of the cases as I try to avoid wearing penguin suit as a matter of comfort and to avoid the tedious pilot questions.
Flight Number 1: 2 guys behind me (late teens?) are poking each other like children and then playing a game of trying to reach and grab the sports section from my newspaper (WTF??). I was in an extremely groggy state as I had minimum rest and 5 legs/7 hours that day, so I made no effort to deal with the situation. I'm sleeping most of the flight and I feel kicking behind me on final approach and actually something brush up against my head.
Flight number 2: I'm on a red eye and one guy in front of me is loudly drunk and he is loudly talking with the guy next to him who is totally sober. Another thing I should mention is that in all these cases nobody else speaks up about the problem. This guy is dropping F bombs and what have you. As a jumpseater on another airline, how is it perceived if I confront a similar issue in the future?
Flight number 3: Again, I'm looking for some rest, but the guy (early 20s) next to me keeps on trying to talk to me even though I'm in a groggy state. Making stupid comments like dude man, look at the snow. Now I have all the respect for military personnel and sacrifices they make, but this guy loudly announces that he's on military leave and this is the last chance he'll see snow for a long time before being shipped again. This isn't said in a somewhat depressing fashion, it's said in a stoned like look-at-me fashion. With this guys intelligence, good luck to his fellow soilders.
Flight number 4: 3 girls probably in early 20s loudly talking and giggling about stupid immature s**t most of the flight. Coming into Houston, girl goes on and on loudly about how she needs a cigarette in her pathetic worst than Demi Moore scratchy voice. This is in the last row and there's a flight attendant in a jumpseat immediately behind them. Again, no one else complains and the FA says nothing.
Flight number 5: Flight Attendant won't shut up over the PA on a 9PM to midnight flight. WTF! Nice person, but the announcements were very lengthy, extremely detailed, and very annoying. Also, he taps me on approach to wake me up in my groggy state (from being awaken multiple times from these annoucements) to let me know were going to land in 15 minutes. My seatback was already in the upright position and what the heck do I need to be awake for during the landing? People were softy saying to themselves "jeez, shut up" after the FA made his last announcement.
Inconclusion, I am looking for strategies (changing seats was not an option as almost all the flights were full). I wear custom earbuds that block out quite a bit of noise, but they can only do so much without me cranking the volume to hearing damaging levels. Is it just the rules of society that we accept that some people are annoying? Once again, nobody else in anyone of these cases to my knowledge said anything to these people or the FA. As a jumpseater or nonrev on my airline or other airline, is it worth me confronting the situation? Does anyone else have similar experiences where they did in fact confront the situation and successfully deal with it? As someone getting a free ride, I just don't know if it's a good idea to get involved. Or maybe since it's a free ride especially as a jumpseater, one stipulation is to assist the cabin with problems. Lastly, WTF is wrong with annoying people? Seems to be on the increase as time goes on.
Flight Number 1: 2 guys behind me (late teens?) are poking each other like children and then playing a game of trying to reach and grab the sports section from my newspaper (WTF??). I was in an extremely groggy state as I had minimum rest and 5 legs/7 hours that day, so I made no effort to deal with the situation. I'm sleeping most of the flight and I feel kicking behind me on final approach and actually something brush up against my head.
Flight number 2: I'm on a red eye and one guy in front of me is loudly drunk and he is loudly talking with the guy next to him who is totally sober. Another thing I should mention is that in all these cases nobody else speaks up about the problem. This guy is dropping F bombs and what have you. As a jumpseater on another airline, how is it perceived if I confront a similar issue in the future?
Flight number 3: Again, I'm looking for some rest, but the guy (early 20s) next to me keeps on trying to talk to me even though I'm in a groggy state. Making stupid comments like dude man, look at the snow. Now I have all the respect for military personnel and sacrifices they make, but this guy loudly announces that he's on military leave and this is the last chance he'll see snow for a long time before being shipped again. This isn't said in a somewhat depressing fashion, it's said in a stoned like look-at-me fashion. With this guys intelligence, good luck to his fellow soilders.
Flight number 4: 3 girls probably in early 20s loudly talking and giggling about stupid immature s**t most of the flight. Coming into Houston, girl goes on and on loudly about how she needs a cigarette in her pathetic worst than Demi Moore scratchy voice. This is in the last row and there's a flight attendant in a jumpseat immediately behind them. Again, no one else complains and the FA says nothing.
Flight number 5: Flight Attendant won't shut up over the PA on a 9PM to midnight flight. WTF! Nice person, but the announcements were very lengthy, extremely detailed, and very annoying. Also, he taps me on approach to wake me up in my groggy state (from being awaken multiple times from these annoucements) to let me know were going to land in 15 minutes. My seatback was already in the upright position and what the heck do I need to be awake for during the landing? People were softy saying to themselves "jeez, shut up" after the FA made his last announcement.
Inconclusion, I am looking for strategies (changing seats was not an option as almost all the flights were full). I wear custom earbuds that block out quite a bit of noise, but they can only do so much without me cranking the volume to hearing damaging levels. Is it just the rules of society that we accept that some people are annoying? Once again, nobody else in anyone of these cases to my knowledge said anything to these people or the FA. As a jumpseater or nonrev on my airline or other airline, is it worth me confronting the situation? Does anyone else have similar experiences where they did in fact confront the situation and successfully deal with it? As someone getting a free ride, I just don't know if it's a good idea to get involved. Or maybe since it's a free ride especially as a jumpseater, one stipulation is to assist the cabin with problems. Lastly, WTF is wrong with annoying people? Seems to be on the increase as time goes on.
