Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

I have never had a passenger make me cry before.

Until yesterday.

The Mean Man (MM) called me a liar, told me I did not do my job professionally, and yelled at me in front of the entire plane.

Now normally, it'd be like, "whatever". But we were super busy, the provisioner in LAS had not stocked me with enough supplies and I was scrambling to get everything I needed to serve a full plane in 40 minutes. And to top it off, we were going from LAS to SNA, as in the O.C. on a Friday night. As in high maintanence. As in SoCal. As in it's all about me. As in "I'd like a cranberry/club soda mix with 3 ice cubes and a twist of lime AND an orange juice with NO ice. No ice, did you get that? No ice. Oh, and a chilled water".

Yeah, California people are DEMANDING. Who cares if it's a 40 minute flight with a full plane? It's all about them. Forget serving everyone else. It's ME ME ME.

Anyways, back to the MM.

He was about the 6th person to board. He sat in the 2nd row. About mid-way through the "A" boarding group, the Ops Agent brings me two kids who are UM's (unaccompanied minors). They are boys, ages 7 and 9, and they are both crying. I feel sorry for UM's that cry. I really do. So I try to talk to them and let them know that I'm here to make the flight as comfortable as possible. I smile, I get down on their level, I try to make them feel special.

The boys want to sit together. Normally, UM's preboard. But since they came on mid-way through the "A" group, finding two seats together towards the front is a bit tricky. UM's are supposed to sit as close to the front as possible in a row that has a tray tables. That nixes the front row. The next row that has two seats available is Row 2, nex to MM. So I tell them to sit there. The MM tells me that the seat is saved for his fiance. Now, you know if you've ever flown us, we have open seating and it's on a first come-first served basis. But fine...I look for another row. But the next row that has 2 seats together is past the overwing; too far for the kids because they'll be out of my section. So I tell him that the kids will have to sit there. He huffs and puffs and tells me he was on first and he shouldn't have to move. I told him he didn't have to move, as I only need the two seats.

"Well, what about my fiance?"

"What boarding group is she in, sir?"

"B."

"Well, she can sit in another seat, or you can move further back and have better luck sitting next to her."

"I was here first."

"But I need these seats for the children."

"But I'm saving a seat for my fiance."

He just doesn't get it. These kids are MY responsibility and they are going to be in MY section.

He doesn't move. He doesn't get up. He just sits there. So I ask him to please get up to let the kids in the row.

"They can crawl over me."

"WHAT?"

"They can crawl over me."

"No sir, they are not crawling over you."

Now imagine a grown man, sighing loudly and making a huge show of unbuckling his seatbelt. That's what MM did.

The kids get into their seats. And we finally resume boarding since dealing with MM has caused a delay in the boarding process.

Fast forward to my taking drink orders.

I ask him what he'd like to drink. He wants a Diet Coke and adds that he "wants my name." I tell him. After I finish my drink orders, I ask him if there is a problem. That is when he proceeds to tell me I am a liar because there was a row with two seats available 3 rows back. I told him, that yes, it appeared that way, but there was a small child in the window seat that was partially hidden and, unfortunately, the only alternative was to put the two UM's in his row. He continued to call me a liar and when I tried to explain to him why the kids needed to be in my section, he told me I was a liar again.

Oh. I'm sorry. You know my job better than I do. I must have missed the memo that said UM's could sit in the back.

There was no pleasing this man. Then he said I handled it unprofessionally and that he was done talking to me. The whole front section of the plane heard him.

"Sir, what boarding group was your fiance in again?"

"B"

"And you're aware we have open seating and seats are taken on a first come-first served basis?"

SILENCE.

Yeah, I thought so...

Plus, what kind of man boards the airplane and leaves his fiance out in the cold? What kind of man doesn't move to the back so he can sit with so-called fiance? I never saw him even "explain" the situation to a woman.

I did my service, it was a super quick flight, and I barely got all my drinks out. I hate when the passengers don't have enough time to drink them lesiurely. I hate when they have to throw them down the back of their throats like nasty cough syrup. I think in my whole time here, I have only not gotten all my drinks out like 3 times.

So my frustration at not being able to get the drinks out faster, coupled with the crappy stocking job the provisioner did, and combined with the MM, I just started crying in the galley. I'm sure there were hormones involved as well.

I was flying with two straight male FA's and they were like, "Do you want us to kick his ass?"

I did want them to. But of course we can't do that. Even if he deserved it. I even had other passengers tell me what a grouchy old man he was.

When we landed, I took the two boys off and their dad signed for them. MM walked off the plane like he was in a hurry. No waiting for a fiance. Just took off towards baggage claim. I'm pretty sure the "fiance" was just a ruse so he could have an empty seat next to him. What kind of man not only won't board with his fiance or move so he can sit with her, but then runs off the airplane without waiting on her? She probably didn't exist. And if she does, well, he's going to be a crappy husband.

What a liar.