Questionable behaviour - "con"

[Kip Powick]

Scuba 05, my daughter, just did a 3 day jaunt from YYZ to YYC and return on passes. She was well aware that “no soup for you” was in play and was pleasantly surprised when the I/C went to every “con” and advised them of the policy change and basically apologized that there would be “no soup for you”.

This happened on AC 117 when she went out west, and again on AC 120 when she returned tonight…however tonight.. she did note that a “con” with a “partner” who were sitting in the opposite row, and who were also apprised of the situation this evening, on the way back from YYC, decided to take a meal from the serving F/A anyway, and split it.

Scuba 05 said that shortly after they had devoured their meal the I/C came down the aisle and tore a strip off the “con” advising him that not only had he been personally told, by her, that meals were not available for “cons” or partners on a pass but that he was also an embarrassment to AC employees. She apparently also told him that “we are all in this together, and that she was doing her job and it was up to him to do his”. There was no rebuttal.

And we wonder where the abuse of the travel pass starts???

Poor show for a “con”, with a partner, on a pass.

Good show for the I/C.

[Guest Go Around]

I'm not so sure tearing a strip off a con in front of the general population is such a "good show". I'd say the medicine in this case was worse than the disease.

[dragon]

I think the Pass Bureau should have torn a strip off him or her, at the same time they revoked his or her privilege for life.

Not quite as sexy a job with no passes and personally, I’m tired of doing the time for someone else’s crime..

If you know what I mean. . .

[Guest Mtc.]

The policy also states that if any food is leftover, then seniority rules and the cons get fed... If in fact they were offered a meal, may they not have thought they were getting leftovers.... God forbid you question some of our Cabin staff !!!!!

[dragon]

just my opinion on how the story was reported, of course, pending an investigation.

[Guest propwash]

Let me get this straight. There's a grubby meal left over and is offered to a con, who then gets ripped by the i/c for breaking the airline. The i/c is an idiot.

By the way, use expedia.com when travelling. Better rates than 'family fare', pos space months in advance, maybe a better airline, no restrictions.

[Southshore]

The IC shot her mouth off with out knowing the policy.

From the horse's website

"Once the revenue customers have been served Inflight Service will endeavour to serve any remaining meals to contingent passengers in order of their boarding sequence seniority."

Perfectly reasonable.

sheesh

[Kip Powick]

(1) there was no meal left over, the con and partner were served at the same time as the rest of the pax, the serving F/A apparently did not know who were cons and who were partners. She was going to give my daughter a meal but my daughter told her she was not-entitled.

(2)The aircraft was not full, in fact there were few pax in the "con" seating area

(3) while a few of you feel the I/C was wrong in confronting the "con", I do not. The "con" knew the rules was advised and failed to do his part. Perhaps embarassment, if it happened, was justified.

(4)Perhaps the I/C should have apprised the serving F/As who was who but as an employee I would think common sense would prevail and the "con" would ask if all pax had been served.As far as I know, he did not...otherwise why would the I/C come back and see him?

(5) did a revenue pax miss his/her meal because of this .....I do not know.

(5A) I take exception to anyone badmouthing the back end crew. Unless you have had to endure some of the crap they put up with from "some" of pax and cons I would suggest you have no idea of what they go through.Just because you have done a few DHs doesn't mean you have seen what they go through everyday. We normally sit up in the pointy end and don't see all that goes on so before you make caustic comments about cabin crew think about this....would you like their job for the same pay??? I know I would consider it........but only if I had the same licence as James Bond.

[Guest Shibui]

Um... many other airlines have stroppy pax and cons yet their cabin crew manage to remain civil.

In point of fact, any F/A at my company who behaved in the fashion you described would have been fired. It's possible, I suppose, that that is one of the main reasons we are still in business and (shock!horror!) popular and profitable.

[Cargo Agent]

I get the feeling that those slamming the I/C would also take a meal even if a paying pax went without. They feel they are "entitled" to one.

[Wolfhunter]

This is the sort of thing that normally only happens to me. The I/C says, sorry not enough meals. I respond no problem. F/A comes along later and offers a meal anyway, I says to her I says, are you sure you have enough? She goes to me she goes, oh yes three people passed. Next up is the attack of the killer I/C… Get over it! I wasn’t that hungry and the food wasn’t that good! A public scolding tends to make the scolder look silly in the eyes of sensible people. Surely we have bigger problems than cabin boys eating strawberries. Want to rip up passes for life, track down a few of the folks that sell/trade them as commodities.

[Guest b52er]

Oh my god.......you can't be serious about the seniority issue.......can you?

[MCDU]

I think you're being harsh on the con. The F/As have a PIL and are supposed to know who gets what. Especially since two were sharing one meal, the cons wouldn't be going out on a limb to assume that they were getting leftovers. The error was on the part of the serving F/A, and, in any case, publicly chastising a fellow employee is in poor taste.

[Cargo Agent]

Oh darn, I forgot, It's always someone else that is at fault. Heaven help us if we had to be responsible for our actions.

The Great Canadian Excuse.

[Guest Doc]

Other than CONS have been told that if extra meals are available they will be given those meals in order of seniority. So is the CON now expected, after being handed a meal, to ensure it was given in proper order or that, in fact, it is an 'extra' meal.

All quite convoluted to me!!

[MCDU]

How about trying to be reasonable?

a)Who had the information regarding meals, cons and extras?

b)Who served the meal without checking the above information?

c)Who publicly scolded a fellow employee when a few quiet, private words would have sufficed?

This is not about assigning blame. It is about finding the root of the problem and correcting it in an effective and non-confrontational manner.

[Guest Dash eight]

Some good points made here... The I/C should have recorded his employee name or number and taken action after the flight not during as this loooks childish in front of the general public.

In any case who cares about getting a meal on ac from yyz to yyc? The menu hasnt changed in 10yrs... same old omlette and chicken or possibly fish....

[Guest CJ]

As a FA I would be appalled if one of my FAs spoke to a pax in that manner. It is the crews responsibility to ensure the correct people get meals. For a FA to publicly berate someone in the cabin is the height of unproffesional behavior. Regardless of the fact this person was a con, they were passengers to be treated with respect. It is this type of attitude the other paying passengers see in Air Canada employees all to frequently.

[Guest propwash]

My point exactly. Thank you CJ.

[Guest manwest]

A few years back I was travelling with a friend to Hawaii, on the yyc to yvr leg we had a really nice check in agent, then at the gate we had an even nicer agent taking our tickets who told me that the 12c seat was free and I could sit there instead of 12b, my friend was 12a. On the aircraft I sat in 12c and someone came with the boarding pass for 12c so I said I would move to 12b, that pax said the flight was *wide open* and she would seat elsewhere. Once airborne snack service was being done, light sandwich, apple etc, my friend got his, person across the row got theirs, and the fa turns to me and says rudely *we may not have a meal for you*, I replied it was not a big deal and I would not starve between yyc and yvr, she then asks me if I was AC staff I said no, she turns red and says she will try to find me something, I said no big deal just bring me a drink. I was appalled that one staff member would treat another assumed staff member with that type of rudeness all over a simple snack.

[Guest Rob Assaf]

In my 14 odd years of experience both DHing and travelling as a con, I've had the F/A or Purser QUIETLY say to me that they were short meals and they would serve me if any what was left over.

In the past, the PIL shows quite clearly who are revenue pax and who the "free loaders" are, name seat number years of service probably. I'm sure that our computer technology still has that capability.

It should not be up to the Con to question the F/A's about whether the offered meal is OK as we are supposed to be travelling incognito so the revenue pax don't know we are there.

Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[Wolfhunter]

I’m not so much appalled as shocked and awed when I hear or experience things like that. Where does it come from and to what possible end? From a job security perspective there are compelling reasons for not acting that way; seat swaps are only one. With my luck, the first time I tried that it would be directed toward the Vice-president of “blah” or the Director of “blah-blah”. Failing that, the seat swap would have occurred with some borderline psychotic who only required a slight nudge to provide all concerned a lasting lesson in air rage.

We are talking here about a small group whose effect far exceeds their statistical significance in a company the size of AC. We are better off without these folks me thinks.

[HHI]

Hello Kip,

The I/C -con exchange should have taken place in a non-public place. The aft galley comes to mind as a suitable place, and the serving F/A should have input in the exchange.

Cheers,

Henry

[Guest cabo]

Kip

Well said!

[Guest cabo]

Kip,

Well said!