Airplane etiquette has officially left the chat. A flight attendant on TikTok is recounting a jaw-dropping moment that happened just this week. After being told there were no blankets on a 49-minute flight, a passenger asked if she could borrow the flight attendant’s jacket instead. Yes—her personal jacket. The crew member says she just walked away, proving once again that some travelers seem to think “in-flight service” means “personal butler at 30,000 feet.”
What Happened to Airplane Courtesy?
Since when did boundaries go extinct? Liz’s (@elizabethdarbe) TikTok showcases how just a 35-second clip can show all the ways manners have flown out the window. Her retelling of the recent experience has already reached 353,900 views. Liz starts the clip by saying, “Last night I had a lady ask me if we had blankets. I say ‘no, I’m so sorry, we don’t have them on domestic flights.’” Liz makes sure to note that this flight is less than an hour. The passenger then asks, “Can I use your jacket?”
Liz continues, “My jacket? Thinking maybe she meant her jacket out of the overhead and she wanted me to help her get it down.” The lady is undeterred, however. She responds, “Yeah. Can I use that as a blanket?” Liz simply walks away.
Why are Service Industry Jobs So Bad?
Since the pandemic (and some might argue that even before it), there has been a wave of workers and customers complaining about the service industry. Not only are there overworked and underpaid employees, but there are also customers who face rude interactions on plenty of occasions. In a popular subreddit titled r/AskMenOver30, a user asked if people have noticed how the service industry has soured in recent years. He recalls instances of rude or lazy interactions at restaurants. The comments, however, side with the employees.
One user shares, “Like others have said, you get what you pay for. In this case, paying service industry workers minimum wage will yield minimum motivation for workers to go above and beyond.”
Another says, “Customers suck, capitalism sucks, inflation, unstable housing….you expect happy ppl who want to serve???? Pay people a function wage, treat them respect, and give them work/life balance.” Liz’s viewers seem to agree with this sentiment.
What Do the Viewers Say?
The TikTok seems to have gathered service industry workers from all over the world. They swarm the comments section to share their similarly eccentric anecdotes with certain clientele.
One viewer shares, “I once gave a passenger my sweater because she was cold and when I asked for it back before landing she reached down and took it off her feet! Never again!”
Another says, “I work for public transportation and on one of my breaks i was snacking on apple slices and yogurt and a lady ask me if she could have some and put all her fingers in the yogurt and i just gave her the whole thing, for her to throw it on the floor.”
The next one says, “I am a NURSE and today I walked into a patient room and the WIFE asked me if she could have my HAIR TIE THAT WAS IN MY HAIR and then was CONFUSED when I said NO.”
We could include a hundred different stories, but this comment sums it up perfectly: “These comments are a great example of how certain people do not view service workers (any service workers – flight attendants, nurses, bartenders, etc) as actual real live human beings. It is SO bizarre, like who raised you?”
@elizabethdarbe imagine how tired we are #flightattendant ♬ original sound – liz darbe ✈️ flight attendant
The Mary Sue has covered similar crazy instances like this one. Like the time a waiter was told, “I hope Trump deports you.” Or, the time a flight attendant kicked a rude passenger off because he refused to say the word ‘yes.’
The Mary Sue reached out to Liz via TikTok direct message.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
