On our recent United Airlines flight from the Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas, we had two highly professional stewardesses. On our short flight, these wonderful professionals were polite, helpful and obviously focused on making the passengers feel safe and comfortable.
I know that the hard-working folks who hand you a drink or a blanket had their titles changed years ago to flight attendant. But, we live in an age of air rage. The pastor’s wife of America’s largest church is being sued for throwing an elbow at a flight attendant. I’d like to suggest a return to the old title.
Earlier this summer, on an early-morning American Airlines flight to California, my family was hard-pressed to endure a flight attendant whose professional qualifications seems to be limited to actually “attending” the flight.
She showed up for her job, but was obviously not happy to be there. She let us all know it in several startling ways. We first noticed her when she humiliated a young traveler who had the audacity to bump into someone with her backpack. Our attendant yelled at her from several rows away in a voice so loud that the whole plane turned to look at the poor young girl, who quickly turned bright red.
I started to get a bit steamed when she rudely rebuked my daughter for not knowing that the list of breakfast options was in the back of the in-flight magazine.
This angry young lady left me with a lasting memory that was even worse. I had dozed off in my aisle seat (at 6 feet 3 inches, leg-room is a challenge for me) when I became painfully aware of her presence. She crashed her beverage cart into my knee so hard that it left a big bruise.
Friendly skies? I don’t think so. She never said she was sorry — she just gave me a dirty look for being in her way.
A major news magazine recently reported on the decline in customer service on airline flights. A flight attendant wrote in to suggest — I’m not making this up — that we should all be nice to flight attendants because, in the event of a crash, they might have to decide which passenger lives or dies. If you’ve been rude, you could be in big trouble.
I am 100 percent in favor of being kind to flight attendants. So, I suggest that the word “steward,” which has a rich biblical heritage, be reconsidered.
Pastors routinely teach about “stewardship” — to exercise care in the important things God has given us to do. In First Corinthians, chapter four, the Bible says that a steward is one who is faithful with what is entrusted to him. The term is one of honor. Since we entrust not just our comfort, but our lives to those who serve in airline passenger cabins, perhaps calling them stewards would remind them of the trust we have placed in them.
The vast majority of all flight attendants are hard-working, caring individuals. I am certainly sympathetic to serving in a profession where a few individuals undermine the reputation of an entire profession.
These days, however, the airlines seem to be doing all they can to undermine passenger satisfaction, so I offer this little suggestion: Go back to the old title for those who most directly affect their passengers. Bring back the concept of stewardship for those who serve the overcrowded, overbooked passengers whose satisfaction is at an all-time low. They have a tough job, and those who do it well should have a title that reflects their dedication.
