In the wake of the highly publicized incident involving Steven Slater, American flyers express a high level of satisfaction with the way flight attendants perform their duties, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
One-in-four respondents think the actions of Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater were justified, while one third disagree.
In the wake of the highly publicized incident involving Steven Slater, American flyers express a high level of satisfaction with the way flight attendants perform their duties, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 773 American adults who have recently travelled on a plane, respondents were satisfied with most aspects of their last flight, including drinks (75%), restrooms (68%) their seat and leg room (56%), and in-flight entertainment (54%). Less than half of American flyers (45%) were content with the food they were served.
Flight attendants have a much higher rating, with more than four-in-five respondents saying they were satisfied with their appearance (90%), competence (89%), attitude and demeanor (88%), and availability (84%).
Passengers and Flight Attendants
About seven-in-ten American flyers (69%) think the average American passenger treats flight attendants with courtesy and respect "all of the time" or "most of the time." However, 29 per cent believe this happens "only some of the time" or "none of the time."
Nine-in-ten American flyers (90%) think flight attendants treat the average American passenger with courtesy and respect "all of the time" or "most of the time"—including 95 per cent of respondents over the age of 55.
The Steven Slater Incident
JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater has been charged with criminal mischief, trespassing, and reckless endangerment following an incident at New York’s JFK Airport.
Across the country, 52 per cent of American flyers say they have followed the Steven Slater story "very closely" or "moderately closely." While one-in-four respondents (25%) think Slater’s actions were justified, one third (32%) believe they were unjustified.
Respondents aged 18 to 34 are more likely to justify Slater’s actions (30%) than those aged 35 to 55 (21%) or those over the age of 55 (24%).
Risky Behaviors
Two-thirds of American flyers (67%) did not see anybody engage in four specific behaviors the last time they were on a plane.
However, almost one-in-four (23%) say somebody left their seat when the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign was on, 15 per cent recall a person using or trying to use their cell phone after the “Turn cell phones off” announcement was made, and 14 per cent say someone attempted to open the overhead bin when the plane was taxiing—an action that was widely reported as the catalyst for Slater’s incident. In addition, five per cent of American flyers recall a person cursing when addressing a flight attendant.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
