This happened in a certain airline, triggering a conversation about how and to what extent the passengers can be assisted and how far the labor responsibilities of the flight attendants stretch.
31-year-old Elissa recounted her story on a podcast, noting that she had asked a male flight attendant for aid because she was pregnant and had injure herself previously when she had been carrying heavy bag.
The Influencer Reveals How Flight Attendant Declined to Save Her
Elissa remarked that she requested to help her get her bag to overhead compartment, widely explaining to him the reason behind her request, claiming to be pregnant. He rejected her proposal.
Elissa mentions that the flight attendant informed her about checking her luggage if she cannot carry it up to the overhead bins by herself. She insisted that the bag is not that massive.
The incident left Elissa feeling insulted and shocked for she thought she deserved help due to the situation both of her pregnancy and her previous injury.
Defense from the Cabin Crew
After Elissa shared her experience several flight attendants replied to her comments on Instagram and explained that the airlines staff members are not yet on duty during check-in until the plane’s doors have closed. Therefore any injury sustained while assisting passengers with their baggage is unlikely to be compensated.
Some users, however, pointed out that Elissa was wrong in her actions. One commenter claimed that because she hurt herself while lifting the bag, she should have understood that it was safer to check it in instead of carrying it herself.
The commenter added that the fact of becoming pregnant does not mean that a person must be incapable of performing any type of household or day-to-day tasks.
However, not everyone was with the flight attendant. The reactions to Elissa exhibited that some users of social media sympathized with her. One woman stated that, if she was there, she would help Elissa immediately.
Why Flight Attendants May Say No to Assisting With Passengers’ Luggage
The issue raised above starts a heated discussion that has been ongoing for years in the sphere of aviation whether it is the responsibility of cabin crew to assist passengers in getting their luggage.
As for Garland, the representative of Communications Workers of America (CWA), the reason for flight attendants not to lift the luggage is due to the injuries that may result from the action.
Putting heavy luggage in the overhead compartments may cause stress to employees who do that often throughout the boarding process.
The conflict between what travelers expect in terms of assistance and what airline workers can do in order to stay safe is obvious in Elissa’s case.
Some passengers think that cabin crew should help those injured or pregnant or otherwise unable to lift their bags. Meanwhile, flight attendants may have to follow the rules and do not have the physical abilities to provide that help.
What happened in this case shows that passengers need to keep in mind their luggage when planning the flight. If they think that it would be hard for them to lift the bags, they are advised to pack lightly, find out about possible assistance beforehand, or check in their luggage before travelling.
