Cabin crew assisting with luggage into overhead compartments

[Aulia Harun]

When was the last time a TG girl help you to stow baggage?

I agree. If you secure your seat and try to put your carryon in the overhead compartment and an SQ Girl happens to be next to you, she would immediately reach in to help you without hesitance. Isn't that amazing? If I happen to be next to an SQ Girl with a carryon, I would often help her with the load. I flew TG BKK-SGN and the F/As were nowhere near SQ's.

Imagine Singapore girls welcoming you onboard with the Thai wai and "Sawadeeka" LOL

I really hope the Thai SQ Girls do not do that, since it will be taking a more TG approach, SQ Girls are there to represent Singaporean hospitality.

[ycp81]

I respectfully disagree.

When was the last time a TG girl help you to stow baggage?

Interestingly, I heard that certain airlines do not encourage their cabin crew to help stow passengers' luggage but rather just to show them available stowage space. This is to minimize crew from suffering injuries, especially back injuries, in the long-run.

Certain airlines also do it for safety reasons, such as each crew member must be within a certain distance from an emergency exit door at all times during boarding.

[sqdazz]

Interestingly, I heard that certain airlines do not encourage their cabin crew to help stow passengers' luggage but rather just to show them available stowage space. This is to minimize crew from suffering injuries, especially back injuries, in the long-run.

Certain airlines also do it for safety reasons, such as each crew member must be within a certain distance from an emergency exit door at all times during boarding.

Correct!! Most US carriers wont help you, and it is for the injuries reason.

[kelvgoh]

May be OT but this is something I experienced a while back on an SQ flight.

We were boarding in economy and I just settled down into my seat and was chatting to a FSS. A Singaporean lady walked past with her hand luggage (hugely oversized if I may add) and dumps the hand luggage at the feet of the FSS, taps her shoulder and pointed to the hand luggage. Then the lady went to sit down.

The FSS, I saw, was just about to have tears well up in her eyes. I told her it's ok and I helped her stow that lady's hand luggage.

Whether service oriented or not, regardless of nationality, I don't think this kind of behaviour by passengers is called for.

[HUGE AL]

Correct!! Most US carriers wont help you, and it is for the injuries reason.

I believe it's more a case of laziness than an aversion to personal injury.

[jhm]

Interestingly, I heard that certain airlines do not encourage their cabin crew to help stow passengers' luggage but rather just to show them available stowage space. This is to minimize crew from suffering injuries, especially back injuries, in the long-run.

Not only that but IIRC for some airlines, if they do injure their back etc as a result, the airline's insurance will not cover them.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous that an able bodied person should expect any crew member to help him/her stow the luggage. It may sound a reasonable thing but multiply that by the number of pax who may ask each flight, the weight of each hand luggage (7kg is the official limit but usually far heavier) and the number of flights flown each day/week and you can then imagine how much long term back damage may be caused by doing this.

[jjpb3]

We were boarding in economy and I just settled down into my seat and was chatting to a FSS. A Singaporean lady walked past with her hand luggage (hugely oversized if I may add) and dumps the hand luggage at the feet of the FSS, taps her shoulder and pointed to the hand luggage. Then the lady went to sit down.

What atrocious behavior. It's sad, but I've heard from various CC that more than a few passengers seem to regard cabin crew as servants.

I believe it's more a case of laziness than an aversion to personal injury.

Given the kitchen sink approach that many US pax (I'm judging based on the accents I hear and conversations I overhear on my intra-Europe flights) seem to have with regard to carryon luggage, I actually think not assisting with luggage is a good policy. I grant that US carriers' luggage fees and baggage handling issues are partly to blame for this.

It seems to me that SQ is in a tough position: helpfulness of the cabin crew is part of their branding, but this positioning does expose the cabin crew to the risk of back injuries from luggage that far exceeds the allowed weight (which is a silly number, IMHO).

[fone]

Yeah, on my recent flight with my wife and we were both having severely overweight (and maybe oversized) carry on (2 pieces each). Being more familiar with US airline, I would have placed the luggages into the overhead bins myself, but the male FS placed my luggages in the overhead bin, while the female FSS offered to help my wife place hers (with my wife's help) in the overhead bin.

Very nice experience (I must say), with me getting too used to placing my (usually light) luggages myself into the overhead bins.

[jhm]

SQ Girls are there to represent Singaporean hospitality.

Whilst some airlines do brand themselves like this (e.g. MH = Malaysian Hospitality), I can't recall the same about SQ ? I've always thought the hospitality on SQ is particular to the airline rather than the country.

(If somebody tells me that I'm wrong, then I think I've been grievously shortchanged by one or two of the Singaporeans I've known over the years. )

[SQflyergirl]

I never get the SQ girls to help even when they offer - usually an SQ Boy or another gentleman will just come along and help - and besides, if you can't lift it yourself, you shouldn't be bringing it aboard.

[HUGE AL]

Given the kitchen sink approach that many US pax (I'm judging based on the accents I hear and conversations I overhear on my intra-Europe flights) seem to have with regard to carryon luggage, I actually think not assisting with luggage is a good policy. I grant that US carriers' luggage fees and baggage handling issues are partly to blame for this.

Yup. This is one of the more bonehead things they've done lately. Amazing how none of them care about their ontime departures anymore since said kitchen sinks are delaying EVERYTHING. Then again, when polled, the American public have said they want to be nickeled and dimed -- actually believing that their ticket prices will be lower if they embrace the new pricing!

...if you can't lift it yourself, you shouldn't be bringing it aboard.

[G_G]

Whether service oriented or not, regardless of nationality, I don't think this kind of behaviour by passengers is called for.

+1 it's totally unacceptable

[concept|infinit]

May be OT but this is something I experienced a while back on an SQ flight.

We were boarding in economy and I just settled down into my seat and was chatting to a FSS. A Singaporean lady walked past with her hand luggage (hugely oversized if I may add) and dumps the hand luggage at the feet of the FSS, taps her shoulder and pointed to the hand luggage. Then the lady went to sit down.

The FSS, I saw, was just about to have tears well up in her eyes. I told her it's ok and I helped her stow that lady's hand luggage.

Whether service oriented or not, regardless of nationality, I don't think this kind of behaviour by passengers is called for.

That's just horrible... And how did the lady react when she saw you assiting to help stow her luggage or did she just pretend not to see you?

I always get my hand luggage in myself. Would be a lot easier if people just stow their own luggage rather than the FAs having to do a lot more for pax who don't.. and I'll never let a stewardess stow my luggage, not very gentlemanly IMO.

[trekkie]

Whether service oriented or not, regardless of nationality, I don't think this kind of behaviour by passengers is called for.

Its a two way street. Frequent flyers would know that as much as comments here appear to side with cc, there are rotten apples within the ranks as well. Some service staff definitely take advantage of meek customers.I don't think i will dwell on that.

It would be unfair to blame pax for the kitchen sink issue for US as pax are simply genuinely trying to not pay the baggage fees, not taking overt advantage of situations. And the airlines have only themselves to blame for that.

[astroboy]

Its a two way street. Frequent flyers would know that as much as comments here appear to side with cc, there are rotten apples within the ranks as well. Some service staff definitely take advantage of meek customers.I don't think i will dwell on that.

Yes there are definitely bad apples in every industry, be it cabin crew, lawyers or doctors. But the numbers of service staff taking advantage of meek customers compared to staff being "punching bags" for unhappy, dissatisfied or just plain unreasonable customers? I think if you are in the service industry, you would know the ratio.

Furthermore, you as a customer, have the right to take your business elsewhere, if you are unhappy with the product/service. Front-line staff do not have this option. For cabin crew, being stuck in a metal tube with an unhappy pax, there is nowhere to go to "let off steam".

My wife was grounded for 6 weeks early on in her career after suffering a prolapsed disc in her back after helping a pax with his overweight bag. Lack of income during that period aside, she still suffers from backache on a regular basis even after she has already left the airline. And her doctors tell her this will stay with her for the rest of her life.

I can tell you that this is not an uncommon problem with many of the crew. Can you blame some crew then for hesitating to assist able-bodied pax with oversized and overweight carry-ons? And maybe the next time a petite FSS helps you with your bags, you could spare a thought for her, as she is still expected by the other 80-100 pax on her aisle to keep smiling even when struggling to stow their oversized and overweight bags.

I apologize if I seem emotional about this issue, as I see my wife struggle regularly with a legacy of her previous employment, and I know she does not blame her job nor her previous employer for it. On the contrary, she speaks of her time with SQ with great pride. I just wish that some pax can show a little more appreciation instead of indulging in "crew-bashing" whenever something doesn't go exactly their way.