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Airline flight attendants reveal the craziest requests they have received from passengers!
Airline staff can have a flourishing alternate career as stand-up comics, says a friend who has worked at a leading airline for over 15 years now.
"I've met some of the most interesting passengers -- from extremely annoying ones to unbelievably sweet types -- but if we talk about it, I don't know how many of you would be willing to take it in the right spirit," says Mita*, former lead cabin crew at Jet Airways.
On International Flight Attendant Day, May 31, Divya Nair/Rediff.com spoke to flight crews to tell us about some of the most outrageous requests they've dealt with:
1. 'Can you hold my baby while I sleep?'
"A few years ago while flying from Delhi to Dubai, I met this middle-aged woman struggling to manage her toddler. After I helped her put the baggage away, she asked me if I could hold her son for a bit while she could get comfortable and fasten her seat belt.
"Mysteriously the kid stopped crying and even gave me a smile while I waited patiently for the lady to settle in. When she noticed her kid smiling, she instantly asked if I could hold her son for a little while so she could sleep for an hour," recalls Mita*, who used to work for Jet Airways.
"I was taken aback by her request, but politely explained to her that we are not permitted to do so and besides, I had other responsibilities.
2. 'Can you arrange a special cake for my wife?'
"While we get umpteen requests from guests to change their preference of food from vegetarian to non-vegetarian and vice versa, one gentleman walked up to us and requested to arrange a specific flavoured cake to surprise his wife on her birthday," says Sangeeta* who used to work for Etihad.
"We were mid-air so we offered a mini chocolate cake, but the passenger didn't look too pleased."
We know of husbands forgetting birthdays and anniversaries, but this one takes the cake, right?
3. 'Please get me an autograph from that actor'
It's not unusual for airline staff to fly celebrities. "Honestly, we get star struck too," admits Rajveer* who is part of the cabin crew at Air India.
"There was this one time when a gentleman demanded we get him an autograph from a television star who was flying business class with us.
"I explained him it was impolite to cause inconvenience to any of our passengers. Somehow, he felt it was a part of our job to make it possible."
4. 'Can you give me the WiFi password?'
On long international flights, certain airlines do provide wireless Internet for privileged customers at a cost.
"I don't know if this passenger was misinformed or was simply trying his luck. Ten minutes after we took off, he rang the bell and asked me for the WiFi password," recounts Rajveer.
"When I told him there is no WiFi on this particular domestic flight, he showed me some membership cards, trying to tell me that he has used it on other flights in the past. We explained to him that low-budget economy airlines do not have the facility, but throughout the two-hour flight, he kept insisting that we offer him free Internet, which was impossible."
5. The Entitled Influencer
In the last two or three years we have seen a lot of social media influencers taking videos and posting content online while on the go.
But according to AirAsia cabin crew Rita*, it is extremely annoying when they do things without taking into consideration the safety and comfort of fellow passengers.
Sharing the details of an incident, she says: "This influencer had booked herself on an AirAsia flight to Bali. First, she asked the ground staff if she could get upgraded from economy to business class without paying extra just so she could show her (social media) followers that it was possible."
"When I explained to her that there was no business class on AirAsia, only premium economy, she insisted I suggest options how to fly free on business class. And she wanted to record all of this live, while there was a long queue of passengers waiting to get their boarding pass and baggage checked in."
6. 'It's my father-in-law's 60th birthday. Can he co-pilot the trip?'
Flight attendants get the oddest birthday requests.
While some demand a free meal, wine and champagne, Mita remembers an incident where a young man placed an improbable request.
"This young man was travelling with his wife and an elderly gentleman.
"In the middle of the flight, they put on birthday caps, while the elderly gent cut a small cupcake. Some of the passengers and our staff joined in and wished him too.
"Suddenly, the man walked up to us and made a strange request. "As you can see, it's my father-in-law's 60th birthday. It was his childhood dream to be a pilot. Can you please request the pilot to allow him to sit with him and maybe ride for a few minutes? It will really make his day."
Although the elderly gent couldn't fulfill his childhood dream, the pilot was kind enough to make a special birthday announcement and recite some Bollywood dialogue to make him feel special, remembers Mita.
*Please note: Names have been changed to protect privacy.