Punk’d on a Plane

Posted in A Day in the Life of a Flight Attendant | 3 comments

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Working in the main cabin is always an adventure. Usually, I just work first class and have to deal with the elite few who sit up there, but in the back.. all bets are off.

I was working New York – Las Vegas – San Francisco in the main cabin. My lead was awesome, someone whose been at the company forever (which made me feel better picking up the trip with her because I knew she’d be cool) and my other FA is one class junior to me (I love being LA based!). Anyway, boarding the flight to Las Vegas felt more like boarding a flight to Los Angeles. Everyone was needy, had an issue, upset, confused and lost. Of course we ran out of overhead bin space, and I was working the middle position and dealing with that situation now-a-days sucks. Dragging all of the bags to the front, tagging them, etc, and the passengers do nothing but think the bags will get lost.

Anyway, once inflight we began the beverage and meal service. In 4D we had a blind man and in 4F we had a regular guy not traveling with the blind man. The middle seat was open. I get to row 4, ask 4D what he wanted to drink and he says he wanted OJ and tequila; 4F asked for a coke. Rather then asking the blind man to search for his credit card I let it slide. It wasn’t worth the hassle. I serve the OJ and tequila and just as I turn back around to serve the coke to 4F I see 4F putting the OJ and tequila back on the blind mans tray table. He took a sip.

For a minute I was shocked. I didn’t know what to think. Could it be this guy was getting over on the blind guy knowing he wouldn’t see him take his cup to sip the tequila? Can/would someone REALLY do that?

So as I walked over to serve the coke I said, loud enough for everyone to hear “so what it good?” I was hoping 4D would question was what good.. so I could spin the convo over to 4F.. but 4F just shook his head yeah.. and 4D said nothing.

I went upfront and checked the manifest and they were traveling separately. So I pull the lead aside and fill her in on what I just saw and she was just as shocked as I was. I almost had to keep reconfirming to myself that I really did see that happen.

Anyway, we finish the service and I head to the front again to grab a trash bag and start collection when the lead pulls me aside to talk to me about the blind man. She started of by saying that she was concerned because the blind man got up to use the restroom and asked her whether or not she walked by him.. she said no. He said ..

Weird.. because someone just ran their fingers through my hair.

In shock she asked him whether or not he was joking.. he said he wasn’t. She quickly said that it wasn’t a crewmember but she would look into it. So now that I’m in the front it was time to put our heads together.

Thinking back to the OJ and now hearing his complaint of someone running their fingers through his hair.. we obviously looked at the guy in 4F. But really? Would he do that? So she started asking the people seated around the man.. and no one saw anything. They didn’t even see the OJ incident.

Then, it was time to bring 4F to the front for a talk. He said the blind man allowed him to sip the drink. We believed him. While she was talking to him.. I went out for another trash run.. as I walk past 4D he said again “someone JUST ran their fingers through my hair.” Okay, now I didn’t see anything and 4F is in the front with the lead.

4F returns to his seat and I tell the lead what the blind man said while 4F was with her.. and she said

I think we’re getting punk’d.

She wasn’t kidding. The plot gets thicker. As I head back to the aft, the blind man stops me and says “whats to eat?” So I tell him what I have left and 4F is listening in. Finally 4D makes the selection of our sandwich option and 4F chimes in with the wrap option. All of a sudden the blind man pulls out his credit card from his shirt pocket and says “I’m buying for him.”

Wait, what? You accuse someone of running their fingers through your hair and you’re now going to buy one of the suspects lunch?

I didn’t charge them for that either. But seriously WHAT was that about? The blind man made 1 or 2 more references to his hair.. but we never found or saw ANYONE touching him. Seriously?

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