alexpgp | Tactics for a new era...

From Commentary in the Washington Times:

The captain had turned off the "fasten seat belts" sign, and announced it was OK to move about the cabin. The young man seated in the window seat next to me asked if I would let him step out to get something out of his bag. I did.

I stood back between the first class and the main cabin, looking out the windows. Suddenly, I heard someone shout, "sit down." And again, for added emphasis, "sit down." It was the flight attendant, standing behind a cart about 20 feet up the cabin in front of the cockpit.

The young man sheepishly sat down. As I went back to my seat, I saluted the rude flight attendant and said, "Yes, Sergeant Major!"

It turned out that one of the flight crew members was in the restroom. Guess there must be some new government regulation that requires passengers to be seated while the captain is in the john? [...]

"That's all fine and dandy, but that's no way to talk to a passenger," I said. "How about some politeness?"

"I am here to keep you safe," she declared pompously.

Seeing that it was a waste of time trying to talk sensibly to her, I said I would report her rude behavior to the American Airlines.

That was it. A verbal exchange that lasted less than a minute.

A few minutes before landing in Chicago, the flight attendant came over and handed me a piece of paper titled "Notice — Your Behavior May Be in Violation of Federal Law." The flight attendant had underlined the words, "threatening, intimidating or interfering with a flight crew member (Federal Regulation 91.11). I felt as if I were getting a ticket from a police officer

There was apparently some minor delay upon deplaning, during which the author of the piece was interviewed by airline officials, and while nothing bad ensued, there's nothing to say that the incident hasn't been recorded on a 21st century version of the "permanent record card" that teachers intimidated generations of students with, at least in my neck of the woods.

The lesson is clear: Since the damage was done (rudeness, in this case), there was absolutely no reason - aside from ego gratification - to tell the attendant that he was going to report her.

Cheers...