A bad case of bad attitude

6. Kill them with kindness. If you are really, really nice to those who are rude, sometimes you can wear them down and even improve their attitude. Besides, stooping to someone else's level of rudeness is beneath your dignity.

7. Choose avoidance. If you notice that one employee seems more disagreeable than the others, go to the nicer one. Why set yourself up for a confrontation?

8. Get a witness. If you are subject to extremely abusive behavior, ask anyone who witnessed it to corroborate your story. Get a short statement in writing if you can, along with a signature.

9. Keep calm. In a rational voice, ask to speak with a supervisor, manager or someone else in charge. Most of the time, that will be enough to end the abuse. Whatever you do, don't make a scene at the airport.

10. Take action. If you intend to make a formal complaint, get the employee's name and employee number, along with the names and addresses of witnesses. Write a letter of complaint and provide as many details as possible. If the airline gets a certain number of complaint letters, action will be taken against the employee.

Airline employees have had a tough time of it lately and are less apt to take your abuse than before. Mind you, we were never the appropriate target for your frustration over a bad air travel experience — it's not our fault that thunderstorms roll in or that your seat mate smells bad. But by the same token, you are not the appropriate punching bag for airline workers' job dissatisfaction, either. It's unpleasant and it's counterproductive because, in the end, you are the customer who pays our salary.

Still, these are trying times, so try to observe the Golden Rule and try not to bite the hand that feeds you — even if it is only a bag of peanuts.

James Wysong has worked as a flight attendant with two major international carriers during the past fifteen years. He is the author of the "The Plane Truth: Shift Happens at 35,000 Feet" and "The Air Traveler's Survival Guide." For more information about James or his books, please visit his Web site or e-mail him.

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