Sometimes I think flight attendants are true heroes. On the first leg of a Qatar Airways flight to Cambodia last year I found myself seated next to a man who steadily drank his way through a couple of beers and a whiskey, becoming increasingly loud and obnoxious, grabbing at my arm and trying to start conversations. Noticing my growing discomfort, a flight attendant swooped in. She quickly located an empty seat between two women, and calmly moved my belongings for me so I could slip away to my new spot with no fuss.
I thought back to how grateful I’d been for her swift and efficient response when, earlier this week, we reported on an aggressive and unpleasant passenger on a British Airways flight. The incident on the plane went viral, with the passenger who filmed it praising the flight attendant for handling the incident firmly, calmly and with poise. This man wasn’t simply being rowdy; his behaviour descended into shouting, vicious swearing and pushing. Despite covering these sorts of stories again and again, it still shocks me that this is what flight attendants have to deal with while carrying out their jobs.
