Something that should never happen!!!

RRPower

RRPower

Well-Known Member
I had this happen to me today and I just wanted to vent and I am sure it will be received two ways.

So I come in to ATL today on ASA. I will leave to/from/flt number etc out of it because that is not important. Anyway I decided that after the flight I would go and make small talk with the pilots and talk to them a little about the CRJ since I know so little about it and I am about to start flying it....

So we pull up and I let a bunch of people go by before going up and I was just going to ask the pilot who was greeting everyone as they got off if I could go and talk to the other crew member for a moment. (I have done this my whole life on Delta airplanes and they have all gone very pleasantly) So, the captain was flying so he was the one standing up there so I fnd an open hole and make my way up and this is how the conversation goes:

Me: Hi captain, would you mind if I poked my head in there (the cockpit) and talked to your F/O if he isn't busy?

Capt: (weird look on his face) Well who are you? (not in a nice way but as if he were talking down to me)

Me: uhhh (being caught off guard because I was expecting as all others had gone...yeah sure, go ahead) .....well just a passenger now

Capt: Well do you know him? (the f/o)

Me: Umm, no sir....

Capt: Well then what do you want? (in a very rude tone)

(Mind you, I was blocking the isle at this point and he was doing it in front of all of the passengers and F/A)

After picking my jaw off the floor, I stumble out that I just got hired and would be flying the RJ and never even had stepped foot inside the flightdeck and blah blah blah...anyway, he didn't get any nicer to me but he eventually let me in which incidently the F/O was nice but he didn't even look at me when I was trying to talk to him ( and no he wasn't doing ANYTHING but sitting there looking out the window) and he had the personality of a brick.

I was about to come unglued!!! I mean I was standing there in slacks and long sleeve dress shirt since I was traveling on my pass so I didn't look like a bum or some shady person. I was not upset that he did it to me because I really couldn't care less but I was furious that I very well could have been some paying passenger that was interested in flying and just wanted to have a friendly conversation and that would have not gone over well I am sure. If I was a paying passenger I probably would have written a letter to his CP complaining but since I am a pass rider and not only that but a new hire at another airline, that is somewhere I am not willing to take my career at the moment.

I just wanted some of your opinions about this. I mean, he didn't know anything about me so there was no reason for him to act like that. I think that was totally unexceptable regardless of what kind of day he is having. This incident just further fuels my fire to go out of my way in my new job to be nice and kind to anyone and everyone...
CHEERS
 
I dont have any insight on whether it was appropriate or not to do what the CA did, however, my experience with talking with crews and getting into the flight deck after a flight has been awesome. Every crew I have met has been more than willing to let me in and shoot the breeze. Particularly a TACA Airlines crew last Feb in Costa Rica. Even more so, a young Captain for Nature Air in Costa Rica actually went with me to the airport cafe after our flight and BS'd with me about flying in the states. Good experiences.

Sorry that gives no opinion about the post at hand though! HAHA
 
Well, situationally dependant......it sounds as though this crew was completely out of line. Now that being said, we only have your end of the story. I have no reason to doubt what you've stated as fact so again, I say it sounds as though this crew was completely out of line.

I'd be more than happy to have anyone up to the cockpit to chat. If I was busy......big deal. That just means I'd have to work a little harder to catch up when the passenger left. We're in the business of customer service. Don't like it? LEAVE the business! But don't give the rest of us a bad reputation.
 
some pilots still have that ego boost thing going on where they think they're "king of the world".. i wouldn't think much of it.

but technically, your right... that was pretty rude and shouldn't have happened that way.
 
Well, had you been on my plane I would have invited you right up and had a nice chat. What tools. Sorry you had to be a part of that. Not all crews are that way. Most are cool, so brush them off and keep asking!
 
All I can say is..

Welcome to the airlines..


I think his questions were ok..

Who are you?
Do you know him?
Then why do you want to talk to him?

However, they shouldn't have been tool bags about it.. I woulda talked to ya..




Everyone you sit in the cockpit with will not be cool..
Everyone you sit in the cockpit with will not like you..
Everyone you sit in the cockpit with will not smell good..
Everyone you sit in the cockpit with will not speak to you..
Everyone you sit in the cockpit with will X...
Everyone you sit in the cockpit with will not Y..
Everyone you sit in the cockpit with you Z...

I'll tell you what really sucks..

When you are trained to so something one way..
Then for the next 2 months you fly with guys who want it another way..
Then you do it the way the other guys wanted it and the new guy your flyin' with yells at you for it.. :)

It's fun stuff.. ;)
 
Thanks for all the comments, however I do not want this thread turning into "welcome to airline flying" and "you just get ready because you are going to fly with all sorts of those people" and everything else. I am well aware of how people are. I fly with one all the time....from the minute I step in the seat he starts complaining about something I have done and it doesn't end until I shut my car door....so as I said above, I can handle it. I was not upset he did it to me but more concerned that he did it to a PASSENGER. He didn't know anything about me which means he would have done that to any person and that is what I think is not right. When we shut that cockpit door, you can act however you want too, I am going to just sit over there with a smile, but when the door opens, you had better be pleasant to the passenegers and that is what I was complaining about.

And as I said, I have been flying Delta since I was born and we flew A LOT and so to say I have visted every cockpit of every delta plane I have been on would be an understatement and I have NEVER had a pilot say anything but "sure...come up here, stay as long as you want" so that is why this caught me off guard today.
 
Let me remind you of one thing. Since 9/11 and the fortress doors were implemented, there is a placard posted on the cockpit door: "Flight Crew Only." As a reminder, part of the F/A passenger brief is that passengers (you) must adhere to all placards and flight crew instructions.

Taken literally, unless you are an approved jumpseater, you have absolutely NO BUSINESS approaching the flight deck. Perhaps that's the "rest of the story."
 
Velocipede said:
Let me remind you of one thing. Since 9/11 and the fortress doors were implemented, there is a placard posted on the cockpit door: "Flight Crew Only." As a reminder, part of the F/A passenger brief is that passengers (you) must adhere to all placards and flight crew instructions.

Taken literally, unless you are an approved jumpseater, you have absolutely NO BUSINESS approaching the flight deck. Perhaps that's the "rest of the story."
Click to expand...

Even after the flight?
 
Velocipede said:
Let me remind you of one thing. Since 9/11 and the fortress doors were implemented, there is a placard posted on the cockpit door: "Flight Crew Only." As a reminder, part of the F/A passenger brief is that passengers (you) must adhere to all placards and flight crew instructions.

Taken literally, unless you are an approved jumpseater, you have absolutely NO BUSINESS approaching the flight deck. Perhaps that's the "rest of the story."
Click to expand...


Literal translations aside.......I believe outside of "inflight" situations, a passenger has very little impact on what goes on in the flight deck. I don't know of any hijackings, in recent history, that occurred at the gate.
 
Velocipede said:
Let me remind you of one thing. Since 9/11 and the fortress doors were implemented, there is a placard posted on the cockpit door: "Flight Crew Only." As a reminder, part of the F/A passenger brief is that passengers (you) must adhere to all placards and flight crew instructions.

Taken literally, unless you are an approved jumpseater, you have absolutely NO BUSINESS approaching the flight deck. Perhaps that's the "rest of the story."
Click to expand...


Read above...this was not an issue of a captain saying because of placards I am going to deny you...he was just being a power tripping ass hat, no more, no less.
 
I've flown on some of the regionals in the past year or so as a revenue passenger and have yet to have a cockpit crewmember say hello or goodbye to the passengers. And generally lousy or no PAs.

It was an ASA cockpit crew if I remember correctly that barricaded themselves in the cockpit during a multi-hour snow delay in ATL and left the one FA to face the angry crowd. And yes, that is how you guarantee an angry crowd, be too chickens&%t to even face the folks.
 
Pilotdude, they were idiots, and need to be flying boxes around . . . they don't have the personality to fly pax.

Unless you were smoking a joint and swigging a beer while trying to talk to them, there was NO reason for them to be such tools. Remember that when you're sitting up front and somebody else wants to talk to you.

I've flown on some of the regionals in the past year or so as a revenue passenger and have yet to have a cockpit crewmember say hello or goodbye to the passengers. And generally lousy or no PAs.
Click to expand...

You know, I've noticed that, and been wondering about it a LOT. Is it because they don't know that SHOULD be involved with the passengers, or is it because they think that their job starts and stops at the cockpit door?
 
flyover said:
I've flown on some of the regionals in the past year or so as a revenue passenger and have yet to have a cockpit crewmember say hello or goodbye to the passengers. And generally lousy or no PAs.

It was an ASA cockpit crew if I remember correctly that barricaded themselves in the cockpit during a multi-hour snow delay in ATL and left the one FA to face the angry crowd. And yes, that is how you guarantee an angry crowd, be too chickens&%t to even face the folks.
Click to expand...


I agree 100% Be a man (or woman) and come out from the cockpit and face the pax when things are going really bad. You'll get much more understanding from them than you would if you only talked to 'em from the PA up front.

I'm still new to the left seat and I can tell you I've already made several announcement to the folks in the back using the F/A's phone. People see you and have a better understand that you are trying to solve whatever problem it is you're having. Besides, makes for good customer service as well!
 
HE was probably some hothead who though your were gonna go criticize something about the flight. No excuse really though. Maybe next time just say "can i poke my head in to see the cockpit" rather then can i "talk to him" which sounds like you may have some critique.
For flyover, at least on the ERJ you cannont stand up and say goodbye to the passengers in that airplane. The FA is required to be there and if she is a large lady, and chances are she is, there her rear will fill the doorway and you are looking threw an armpit to say goodbye. If you tried to standup beside here no one could exit the plane. I think the CRJ has a little "hallway" though so its possible onthat one.
 
They probably had a 25 minute turn scheduled in Atlanta with a concourse and aircraft swap and just wanted to get to their departure. Cut them a little slack, they are dealing with some real issues within the company right now.
 
They were acting like toolbags! IMHO, I bet if you had worded your request differently, they might have responded in a kinder fashion. Example:

You: How's it going? I just got hird by AWAC and I was wondering if I could ask you guys some questions on the CRJ, if you're not busy and have a little time?

The CA now knows the reason you want to talk to them, so he can ablidge, turn you down due to crew time constraints, or be a complete toolbag like he was.
 
rausda27 said:
They probably had a 25 minute turn scheduled in Atlanta with a concourse and aircraft swap and just wanted to get to their departure. Cut them a little slack, they are dealing with some real issues within the company right now.
Click to expand...

No excuse, seriously
 
There are two sides to every story. Just like the "I got hosed" thread, I am sure there were details that were left out of that one as well.
 
Maybe I'm too new to all of this but, I don't get it.

MR.

Pilotdude3407 said:
I had this happen to me today and I just wanted to vent and I am sure it will be received two ways.

So I come in to ATL today on ASA. I will leave to/from/flt number etc out of it because that is not important. Anyway I decided that after the flight I would go and make small talk with the pilots and talk to them a little about the CRJ since I know so little about it and I am about to start flying it....

So we pull up and I let a bunch of people go by before going up and I was just going to ask the pilot who was greeting everyone as they got off if I could go and talk to the other crew member for a moment. (I have done this my whole life on Delta airplanes and they have all gone very pleasantly) So, the captain was flying so he was the one standing up there so I fnd an open hole and make my way up and this is how the conversation goes:

Me: Hi captain, would you mind if I poked my head in there (the cockpit) and talked to your F/O if he isn't busy?

Capt: (weird look on his face) Well who are you? (not in a nice way but as if he were talking down to me)

Me: uhhh (being caught off guard because I was expecting as all others had gone...yeah sure, go ahead) .....well just a passenger now

Capt: Well do you know him? (the f/o)

Me: Umm, no sir....

Capt: Well then what do you want? (in a very rude tone)

(Mind you, I was blocking the isle at this point and he was doing it in front of all of the passengers and F/A)

After picking my jaw off the floor, I stumble out that I just got hired and would be flying the RJ and never even had stepped foot inside the flightdeck and blah blah blah...anyway, he didn't get any nicer to me but he eventually let me in which incidently the F/O was nice but he didn't even look at me when I was trying to talk to him ( and no he wasn't doing ANYTHING but sitting there looking out the window) and he had the personality of a brick.

I was about to come unglued!!! I mean I was standing there in slacks and long sleeve dress shirt since I was traveling on my pass so I didn't look like a bum or some shady person. I was not upset that he did it to me because I really couldn't care less but I was furious that I very well could have been some paying passenger that was interested in flying and just wanted to have a friendly conversation and that would have not gone over well I am sure. If I was a paying passenger I probably would have written a letter to his CP complaining but since I am a pass rider and not only that but a new hire at another airline, that is somewhere I am not willing to take my career at the moment.

I just wanted some of your opinions about this. I mean, he didn't know anything about me so there was no reason for him to act like that. I think that was totally unexceptable regardless of what kind of day he is having. This incident just further fuels my fire to go out of my way in my new job to be nice and kind to anyone and everyone...
CHEERS
Click to expand...
 
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