At 30,000 feet, passengers who take a nap on board may assume they can only be disturbed during emergencies. However, one incident onboard seemed to bother a traveler who only wanted to take a nap, but was “aggressively” woken up by a flight attendant because of an alleged American Airlines (AA) breakfast policy.
Recounting his experience on Reddit, the passenger said there were still 80 minutes until the plane landed, which was a good time to nap amid his “limited sleep opportunity.” Flight attendants in the comments, though, said waking up a passenger just to ask about breakfast was never a rule.
American Airlines Flight Attendant “Aggressively” Wakes Passenger Up For Breakfast
American Airlines faces operational challenges, such as its recent cancellations and delays, which even its own pilots and flight attendants questioned. However, employee-passenger complaints are most common, including crew members who sometimes get into heated interactions on board, such as when a flight attendant terrified a disabled passenger during a service dog incident.
The recent incident, though, was rare, as it was about a breakfast rule that the flight attendant claimed was required. According to the poster, he was flying business class from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to London Heathrow Airport, and went to sleep after a meal service.
The next thing he knew was the flight attendant “jolted” him out of sleep, “aggressively” shaking his shoulder, and asked him if he wanted to have breakfast. He told the FA that he was sleeping and that meant he didn’t want breakfast, and to never do it to anyone again.
The FA, however, said American Airlines require to wake passengers up to ask about breakfast, which the poster found funny.
“I fly this route every few weeks, and that’s never happened before. I’m sure that’s not your official policy. Next time, please ask passengers when taking meal orders for the dinner service if they’d like to be woken up for breakfast or not,” the poster told the flight attendant.
He said the FA only walked away, but went to him again a few minutes before landing, saying, “I’m sorry about that, but again, it’s our policy to wake you up to ask about breakfast.”
“I still laugh thinking about how hard he was shaking me to wake me up. This wasn’t a gentle touch or nudge — this was a ‘I am 100% going to jolt you out of sleep, regardless of what part of the REM cycle you’re in’ action,” he said.
It was a rare incident on board, and many wondered whether the breakfast rule that the FA claimed was real or fake. TheTravel reached out to American Airlines for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
American Airlines Flight Attendants React To Alleged Breakfast Policy
The traveler’s account sparked online discussion after the flight attendant insisted it was an airline requirement. Self-identified American Airlines flight attendants who wrote in the comments on the Reddit post disputed the claim, saying it was never AA’s rule to wake passengers up just to ask what they want for breakfast.
One person who claimed he was an AA flight attendant said that it’s not a requirement, and they don’t disturb passengers when they are asleep.
“It is absolutely not our policy to wake people for breakfast. If you have a top-tier crew, they should ask you about breakfast when they take your initial meal preference at dinner. So they know whom to wake and whom to not wake,” reads one individual’s comment on Reddit.
Other passengers also find the alleged breakfast rule impossible, especially when the Do Not Disturb (DND) light is ON.
Specific Reddit Testimonials Of American Airlines Flight Attendants And Passengers
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“Definitely not a policy. We’re supposed to ask about meal preferences. There’s even an indicator on our preference sheet that we’re supposed to circle if you want to be woken up. Sorry, OP. I’d be pissed off too.” |
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“That policy sounds made up on the spot, like he just couldn’t admit he messed up. Waking someone in business class 80 mins before landing for a breakfast order is wild. Normally, they just leave a card on the seat or ask during dinner service, as you said. I work for an airline too and have never heard of such a rule, especially not the aggressive shaking part.” |
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“It’s not the policy. They have explicitly told us not to ask people when taking meal orders if they want us to wake them up for breakfast. If their DND is on, we’re not to bother them, and if they’re asleep during a service, we’re not supposed to wake them. The only time we’re supposed to wake passengers is for landing or if their seatbelt isn’t on when the seatbelt sign comes on or other safety-related issues.” |
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“I don’t believe it’s a policy, but I’ve seen FAs get berated for NOT waking someone up for breakfast (coach and business). It was really upsetting. Of course, being aggressively woken up is still annoying.” |
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‘Well. That’s definitely not our policy.” |
Some individuals, however, argue that flight attendants have no way out when it comes to meal service, as there are many passengers who get mad at the crew for not waking them up for breakfast.
Why Flight Attendants Sometimes Wake Sleeping Passengers
Passengers, especially on long-haul flights, hope for uninterrupted sleep. However, there are situations when flight attendants may need to wake passengers, especially when it’s critical to safety and other operational requirements.
Some common reasons include:
- Security and safety checks during critical parts of the flight.
- Landing preparations.
- Meal and drink service, although this is often at the flight attendant’s discretion, rather than a blanket airline rule.
- Medical concerns.
Waking up passengers for a meal service is not unusual, but flight attendants also consider the complexity of the situation if there is a need to wake them up or simply allow them to sleep.
As some commenters on the Reddit post who claimed to be American Airlines flight attendants said, waking up passengers to ask about breakfast is not an official airline policy, but other passengers also argued that it is left to flight attendants’ judgment or discretion.
TheTravel also reached out to a former flight attendant for comment, but has not received a response in time for publishing.
