Cabin crew staff are the angels of the sky as they deal with drunks, brats, hens, stags and even the odd stroppy EastEnder
My admiration for hard-working flight crews on all of our airlines knows no bounds.
They have to deal with drunks, badly behaved brats, rowdy hen and stag parties and grumpy, stroppy adults who turn into tantrum-throwing toddlers when they step over the threshold of an aeroplane.
The cabin crew have to keep smiling while people spill their tea, barge past them on the way to the loo while they are trying to push heavy trolleys, and expect them to act as babysitters and care givers while they make constant, impossible demands.
In extreme cases they have to deal with every kind of medical emergency, and have even been known to have to deliver babies!
Once on a long-haul British Airways flight I had a bad turn due to a chest infection and was struggling to breathe.
The crew were amazing. They lay me down in the galley and gave me oxygen, but much more importantly, were calm, caring and reassuring throughout.
They continued doing their jobs, serving food and drink and sorting out many passenger requests and worries with real style and aplomb.
They completely defused a scary situation and I can’t praise them highly enough.
It’s a tough job where you have to be accomplished in so many roles and often passengers simply don’t appreciate it.
Increasingly, cabin crews have to act as diplomats or even referees with difficult passengers.
Just this week ex-EastEnders star Sid Owen was reportedly removed from a flight from Dubai to London after a row with a fellow passenger.
I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure what exactly happened, but apparently there was some sort of bust-up when the passenger in front of Sid reclined his seat, probably a little too far.
A fellow passenger claimed Sid then stormed up the aisle and complained that he had been slapped.
The crew tried to get them both to sit in seats at separate ends of the plane, but no solution could be reached.
After a delay they were both taken off the plane.
As someone who flies a lot, it is really annoying when the passenger in front of you reclines their seat because there isn’t a lot of room in the first place.
Being British we usually just roll our eyes or maybe even just give a quiet little ‘ Tut!’ to express our deep annoyance.
It doesn’t usually end in an argument or a fight, but obviously feelings were running high in this case.
You do, however, have to wonder if it would have all kicked off if they weren’t on a plane but in a restaurant, cafe, cinema or a shop, or any other public space instead.
I honestly think people check in their common sense at the same time they check in their luggage before they go through security and board their flight.
Increasingly they have to act as diplomats or referees