FlySafair staff more interested in lecturing and scolding passengers than assisting them

I was booked in the business-class section, in the second row from the front. I had just returned from Europe and was travelling with both a laptop and a desktop computer as hand luggage. The laptop was in a laptop bag and the desktop computer was securely packed inside a standard cabin suitcase. The computer is expensive equipment that I require for my work, and I was not prepared to place it in the aircraft hold where it could potentially be damaged.

The trouble began before I even boarded. When I approached the priority boarding lane at the gate, the staff member assigned to that side of the boarding gate was leaning on the counter watching her colleague process the economy-class queue. At first, I thought she might be a trainee observing, or an assistant? She certainly did not look like someone on active duty the way she was d***** over the boarding desk.

There was nobody else waiting in the priority lane. Instead of standing up and checking my boarding pass, she curtly instructed me to go to the back of the economy queue.

I refused and placed my boarding pass on the counter, explaining that I was travelling business class and was using the priority boarding lane provided for that purpose. Only then did she suddenly stand up and begin doing her job. Apparently, she felt I looked like someone who is unfami**** with travelling and in dire need of education on how to wait my turn. Her conduct was rude, unprofessional, and offensively pedantic.

To add insult to injury a more serious concern arose once I boarded the aircraft. At the entrance to the aircraft I encountered the crew member who appeared to be the senior member of the cabin crew, judging by her uniform and all the badges she was wearing. From the outset I found her manner patronising and unnecessarily officious. Even after I told her that I was seated in the second row, she insisted on seeing my boarding pass before allowing me to proceed, like I am somehow intellectually disabled or something.

When I reached my seat, I was able to stow my laptop bag without difficulty. However, at the worst possible moment, the retractable handle on my cabin suitcase suddenly malfunctioned. The expanding handle unexpectedly jammed in the extended position. Only one half retracted while the rest remained extended. The suitcase itself complies with the normal cabin dimensions, but the protruding handle suddenly made it awkward to fit into the limited overhead space available in the first few rows. This was obviously not something I had planned or could reasonably have anticipated.

It was clear that I was struggling as I tried to fix my suitcase. Since the crew member in question, who was standing only a few metres away, was not coming to my aid I then asked here what I should do.

Instead of approaching me, inspecting the problem and taking control of the situation, she remained at a distance and began lecturing me about the sizes of the overhead compartments, what luggage could be placed where, what was permitted, what was not permitted, and why the first overhead compartment was smaller than the others, and on, and on, and on.

There was no attempt taking charge or proactively stepping in. None. No, instead she was lecturing me, which did not address the actual problem. She repeatedly also instructed me to "sky check" the suitcase and place it in the hold. I explained that this was not an acceptable solution because the suitcase contained my desktop computer worth R40,000, which I rely upon for my livelihood and which I was not prepared to risk having damaged in checked baggage.

I did not need a PowerPoint presentation on FlySafair's baggage rules or the dimensions of the overhead compartments. I needed a cabin crew member to help resolve an unexpected situation that arose during boarding.

The situation became increasingly embarrassing because the entire boarding queue was being held up. Most of the passengers were waiting because I was standing in the isle unable to stow my suitcase. Instead of saying something as simple as, "Please stand to one side while the other passengers board and I will come to help you resolve this," she allowed the situation to continue while still lecturing me from a distance. Everyone stood there waiting, while she was going on and on, and on, and on, telling me how it is and educating me.

At one point, another passenger became aggressive and shouted at me to get out of the way, saying that he did not care about my computer and that everyone else wanted to board. Your cabin crew member responsible for managing the forward cabin should have taken control of the situation before it deteriorated to the point where another passenger felt entitled to intervene and shout at me.

Fortunately, another crew member, Robin, then arrived from further down the aircraft. The contrast could not have been more striking. Robin immediately understood the problem, took control of the situation and found a practical solution. She directed me a few rows further back where the existing arrangement of luggage left sufficient space for my suitcase to be positioned safely with the damaged handle resting over adjacent luggage.

Problem solved. No lecture and no drama. She assessed the situation, found a workable solution and got boarding moving again. That is exactly what I would expect cabin crew to do.

My concern about your *********** crew member is not simply that I disliked her patronizing manner. It is that when confronted with a relatively minor but genuinely unexpected problem during boarding, she appeared unable or unwilling to take control of it. Apparently, she is wholly untrained and ill-prepared to deal with any unexpected situation that may arise in the cabin.

If she is unable to take control of something as mundane as a suitcase with a jammed handle, I believe it is entirely reasonable to question how effectively she respond under pressure when confronted with a genuinely serious and time-critical emergency situation.

Implementing rules and procedures is important. Being able to apply judgment, maintain situational awareness and take decisive control when circumstances do not fit neatly into those rules and procedures is equally important for cabin crew. There was an additional professionalism issue during the flight. The same crew member had an extremely loud conversation with Robin regarding internal training arrangements, disagreements about training dates, people allegedly being dismissed or resigning, and other private personnel and HR matters. This conversation was so loud that the entire front section of the cabin could hear every word. Passengers should not have to spend a 2-hour flight listening to cabin crew discussing internal employment disputes, personnel matters and disagreements about training dates like they are in the staff canteen. Again, Robin demonstrated a completely different standard of professionalism by at least making an attempt to keep her voice down.

When we landed, passengers were being disembarked several rows at a time. Because of the earlier luggage problem, I had planned to remain seated until most passengers had left so that I would not inconvenience anybody any further. To my surprise, Robin remembered my dilemma without being asked. She retrieved my suitcase herself and brought it forward for me so that I would not have to struggle with it again. This was very thoughtful, observant and professional of her.

I would specifically like FlySafair to recognise Robin for the way she handled the situation. She displayed exactly the situational awareness, initiative and passenger care that I would expect from cabin crew on any commercial flight. She is an asset to FlySafair.

I believe FlySafair should review the conduct and training of the other crew member concerned. I am happy to know that she is due for a training update soon, because she CLEARLY NEEDS IT.