Pan Am Training Video: "Upgrade" (circa mid-1980s)
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2022
- This video was used to look at how to handle difficult situations. It was followed by a classroom discussion on how to handle situations better.
Filmed inside the aircraft mockup training classroom at the Pan Am Flight Academy in Miami, Florida. The flight attendant is played by Cindy Lonardo and the passenger in green is played by Susan Mayer and the woman in blue Cheri Leonhardt.
Special thanks to Linda Reynolds for saving a collection of safety and training VHS tapes from the Pan Am Flight Academy in Miami, Florida after the airline closed on December 4, 1991.
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I AM “KAREN.” This is when I was training manager and the flight attendant is my long time flying partner, Cindy Pritchard. My hair was so short because of a bad perm that I had to get rid of. I don’t know whether to laugh or be totally embarrassed. Cheri Leonhardt is the passenger across the aisle giving me the evil eye. Not sure who the disgusted man was. Cindy and Cheri were instructors.
Hi there! You should not be embarrassed at all. This is a great piece of Pan Am history and a time capsule to the 1980s. It is a true gem! Thank you for your service!
Karen you’re awesome and you look great! No reason for embarrassment.
I thought you was making a joke at first. I had to reread your message. That must have been a great time working at Pan Am in that era! I am not exactly young either... I do remember Pan Am
@@PanAmMuseum ABSOLUTELY !!! WE LOVE YOU ALL for this extra piece of history 🙌
You were great! Love it. I miss Pan Am
My real name is not Karen. It’s Susan. I felt embarrassed because I always thought I was such a terrible actress. We had a blast making these videos and it was an honor to be part of Pan Am flight attendant training.
You did a great job!
I thought you were amazing these are on the level of a sitcom at the time
You were terrific in that role! And we know it's not your real name. "Karen" is just Internet slang.
@@airodyssey Captain Obvious reporting for duty!
I think you did a great job.
"I spend a lot of money here"
'We have a wing seat for you, all the room you need'
"There is also room in the rear cargo bin. "
I love her flashing her frequent flyer card like it’s a badge
Don't you know who I am??!!
You know they don't just hand those things out right?!? Lol
@@ellathepug no and don’t care.
😂😂😂
The lady in blue behind is like "if she's getting an upgrade then I want one too."
YUP !!😂
That’s the FA’s point at 1:12
1:17 - That lady in the blue is like, "is she for real?"
My notes to recap.
1. Look at people eye-level to lessen their discomfort.
2. Offer possible solutions instead of just the denial of the request.
3. If all else fails, offer free soda. Americans love soda.
Another note is to use active listening, repeat what the customer says in your own words so they know you’ve understood them
@@Butlinsgvn6 Paraphrasing.
You don't pay for food or drink on a full service airline.
"Americans love soda."
Who doesn't?
In all honesty, these training videos have been really reassuring that obnoxious people aren't a new phenomenon. It's just so common now that you start to think they didn't exist before
Its just that we have endless videos of it now. They always excited.
I’m guessing you were born yesterday…
@@jnnx ^prime example of what I was talking about
Except today she would have thrown a bigger fit and gotten dragged off by the cops.
BUT I’M A WORLD PASS MEMBER 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣
*shoves card in face*
*see it?*
That economy back then has more room than domestic first class has today.
I was thinking that! Those coach seats look absolutely as big as domestic first class on almost every US carrier today!
The seats look so plush and comfy too. Today you’re lucky to get a thin piece of plastic for a seat ☠️
I liked the way she handled it the first time! 👍🏼
Agree. People are the way they are today because they didn’t handle it appropriately before.
Yup! Go fly another airline next time! You’ll be doing me a favor !
“Fine!”
Literally me as a customer service rep 🤣
i love how realistic it is, the 'do you know who i am', 'i'm more important that those that paid for first' and the other people in seats around them watching and listening.
Moving Karen to another seat also makes the trip more enjoyable for the person who was sitting next to Karen before.
No move the person sitting next to Karen to First Class, and Karen all the space she wants
It’s disheartening to know that there are actually passengers like this in the world.
And have always existed!
Lady in blue is here to WORK! Her acting skills are second to none.
Her necklace is as long as her entitlement 😂
I think the flight attendant handled it very nicely the second time: kneeling down, being empathetic, emphasizing on what she can do vs what she can't do. Reminds me of an "Airport" episode (BBC show from the mid-1990s) where a trainee flight attendant had to do the same role playing, but on British Airways.
These were the days before of Elite Status Levels, which is why they created them. But I still see customers trying ask for these requests. I'm Executive Platinum with AA.
No one should have to bow to a customer. 1950’s thinking. Customer is not king
@@chuckashton8924 Japanese think otherwise.
"I need to get some sleep on this flight. By the way, please bring me a Coke that's loaded with caffeine." MAKES SENSE LOL😂
In her defense, most Americans are ignorant about the crap that’s in their food/drinks.
@@dw4101oh we know. We just don’t care.
"I'm a WorldPass member, bitch! Move me to first class, on the double!"
"I'm really sorry"
"Oh, I'm sorry, you must be hard of hearing. I'm a WorldPass member!"
Yaa...that's the ghetto way of doing it.
I really wish they had further developed the character of the guy with the white tie across the aisle. He had "spin-off" written all over him.
🤣
She Like "Nobodys gonna know"
"They gonna know"
"How would they know?"
"They gonna know"
They're all listening right next to her!
If anyone has seen the Stanley Kubrick film, 2001, there are Pan Am logos on the space craft in orbit around earth. Presumably they thought pan am would last into the millennium.
Pan Am: “I’m so sorry, let me try to do what I can”
United: *so you choose death*
"let me try to do what I can"
Translated: I'm not doing anything you can do one. :)
I'm sorry ma'am but if you keep on like this I'll have no choice but to duct tape you to your seat and call the authorities. I hope you understand and thanks for flying Pan Am :)
That is the sad reality of airlines nowadays
Even though this is a training video the guy sitting on the aisle is looking at her like he's absolutely sick of her sh*t lol
That's her husband...
Omg. The look on the face of the lady in blue at the end is PRICELESS
Pleasantly pleased!
.. just loved this .. ‘lady, if you want to fly First, pay for it’ ! ..
“Smoking section” I can’t even believe we used to have those! 😳
Was towards the back of the plane. That was later on. I think the whole plane originally was smoking.
Flight attendant here and I really really LOVE my job but I can tell you there are still people like this lady nowadays and they’re worse than back then. Because not only do they carry their entitlement but they also carry smart phones which they use to post their victimization online about how poorly they were treated because they didn’t do what they asked for and they happened to a “loyal customer”.
Just as well you are adequately trained to politely handle such incidents.
I totally agree with you. However, flying today is a nightmare. Stressful and uncomfortable for most people. Airlines are trying to save money left and right, forcing people to spend 8 to 18+ hours in a seat with their legs 1 inch from the person in front of them. I'm 5'6" and around 140 lbs, and I don't feel comfortable flying economy. I can't imagine how bigger/taller people survive these long-distance flights.
"We have plenty of room for you to spread out.. on the left wing or the right wing. You choose."
This reminds me of an incident I observed on a PanAm flight from JFK to São Paulo, Brazil back in 1971. A passenger sitting in the row ahead of me was quite insistent to the fight attendant that he should be moved to first class. She handled the situation very well and he didn’t get the upgrade. How I miss the glory days of “the world’s most experienced airline”!
My dad had experienced something worse. Instead of asking, someone just moved to first class when he noticed an empty seat/row. But one of the flight attendants noticed his move. And told him, if he wants to sit in first class he would have to pay for the upgrade. The guy quickly moved back to his original seat after that. What I'm talking about happened somewhere in the last decade though. At least back then people bothered to ask first instead of taking advantage of the situation.
@@onee He left voluntarily? Nowadays security would have had to drag him back to the main cabin!
@@onee One time when I took an overnight flight on BA to London, a passenger did the same thing. I was in an almost empty Premium Economy and heard someone sit down a few rows behind me when the lights were dimmed. She managed to stay an hour until an FA came by and kindly told her she had to move back. Passenger tried to play off that it was her seat until the attendant asked to see her ticket. She left then but not before complaining that there were all these empty seats up here to be used. Being a flight attendant now is between a waitress/janitor/and bouncer.
@@MsTimelady71 I was in premium class coming back from Hawaii in a half empty plane. The FA announced you could move to another seat. Three people rushed to the premium seats when they originally sat in economy. The FAs chased them out real fast.
Here is a mechanical credit card machine. We will be charging $1000 for the upgrade.
Crossing one's arms (like in the first version) is always am immediate way of saying, "I am not going to agree with anything you say."
"Do you know who I am" syndrome - it's been around for decades, and has gotten far worse over the past 25 years. Oh how I loathed getting those DYKWIA passengers on full flights. There was NO appeasing them.
When literally no one on the flight knows who they are
I'm check in and gate agent in a huge airport, those kind of situations it's standard every single day, actually the majority of the passengers want different type of seats. The worst is that they can be very rude when you try to explain them that you can't upgrade them free of charge.in ten years I've heard everything, from bribe to threats not only for a better seat but also for the overweight luggage. The pick of all is the pendemic restrictions, it's like working in kindergarten sometimes.
That's because you have too many seats inside I can't even fit my knees. Because you're making fun of people. It should be illegal to put so many seats inside a plane.
@@zorilaz I agree. But Im just employee, I'm not doing the rules unfortunately
@@zorilaz Good grief. Take a train or boat then. The plane ticket, YOU bought, owes you nothing more than what they have.
@@billhosko7723 I just fly Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, they don't treat people like monkeys. Just so you know, when airlines buy a plane they specify how many seats they want inside. They do it on purpose. It's not what they have, it's what they are
@@zorilaz That's not really a alternative solution for crappy domestic airlines. Heck, even for international travel, a middle East layover doesnt make sense for most destinations.
Emirates/Qatar only make sense if you're flying between Europe and Asia, or the Americas and Africa.
I luv the sympathy crouch. Works wonders!
I love how 9/10 times the solution the flight attendants offer is bringing them a free drink. Sadly, nowadays you even have to pay for that...
Not true … I’m always nice to the FAs. I got moved from coach to business in flight one time… the business seat was broken so I moved to first. A two cabin hop !
No, no no. I'm not interested in that. Only first class will do. My meeting is in San Francisco. San Francisco! I need to spread out. I'm a WorldPass member.
I got moved from Economy to Comfort Class on Virgin Atlantic by a ticketing agent at DEL who called me up to her desk because she didn’t have anyone in her line (the line for the big shots who pay for expensive tickets). That was pretty nice! Another time on a Virgin Atlantic flight (I think LHR-DTW or IAD), as soon as the plane took off, everybody in economy bolted for an empty row in Economy Plus, I got a whole row! Then the flight attendants came round and made everyone go back to their assigned seat, unless they wanted to pay a few hundred for the upgrade to Economy Plus.
These vids are really cool to watch. Thanks for sharing them!
I love these videos
"Do I LOOK like I want a Coke?!?"
They would have smacked her silly if she had been on United.
This is interesting! Thank you for sharing!
These training videos are really cool and interesting! You can really tell the people acting have lived these experiences day in and day out 😂
Both the flight attendant and "Karen" did a great job in this training video.
So she a member of World Pass. BFD. Being a member means you know how to write your name and address down.
Part 1: American Airlines today
Part 2: Delta today
Deleted Part 3 when they throw her out of the plane at 35,000 feet: Spirit today
"I'm a world class traveller - ya . . . I'd like a Coke please" lol
These are so funny ! I’m glad the beige interiors have gone now days , or was that from the cigarette smoke
This was a training mockup at the Flight Academy in Miami-not a real aircraft interior.
Love that they're demonstrating how passengers always think those memberships are a passport to Shangri-La!
The higher you get, the more realistic you are. I was Delta Platinum and I did a lot of roundtrips JFKSEA. Departing JFK I wanted to pay my way into the Skyclub, the Skyclub agent couldn't get my payment to work, after a couple tries she said it must be because you're a Platinum and get in free. Returning from SEA I went to the Skyclub. Pretty sure I was getting ready to pay my way in but I forget. But first I said coming from JFK the agent told me I got in free as a Platinum - which I didn't believe, but I thought I'd check. So I was happy to get my freebie but knew what the actual rule was and didn't argue when faced with it.
Wow I see people using full sentences and not screaming. Different planet, I guess.
That lady in blue is a right curtain twitcher! Love her!
I picture June Cleaver in line with a tire iron.
2022 : Did you check in this pearl necklace?
If you want first class, buy it. Simple as that. Karen should have bought it.
On short flights the difference is sometimes roughly in line with the cost of checking 2 bags.
She was going to buy it (allegedly) but thought she knew how full the flight was going to be. Second runthrough the FA body checked her by offering to try to find an empty seat next to her, which would give her what she claimed to want. Faced with that, she couldn't quite summon up the gall to say oh no, I want the full first class experience without paying for it.
The problem was technology. Today, many airlines will sell upgrades on board using the duty free or food sales system. I know Air France/KLM will even let you upgrade with miles on board.
You know this was a "training" video!? DUH.
@@VL1975 I know.
@@straightpipediesel Back then, it was a different time. Back then, upgrade auctions were not a thing.
Susan did a great job I’m not going to lie Lmk when you post another airline familiarization video interiors-
Nowadays: "SONDRA! GIRL come here. This lady in 16E wants a upgrade!" *both flight attendants leave, laughing hysterically*
These videos are the reason Pan Am folded.
Karen: Can't do it or won't do it?
Me: both
I can do it but in your case I WON'T do it.
Karen is rocking those sideburns like a boss.
Isn't she the lady that was smoking in one of the other videos? These training videos are great.
I remember the smoking section with great fondness.
this is how we need customer service regularly. but the customers can be unreasonable no matter what. "it's the principal"
The irony is that most first class in the US these days are upgrades or frequent flyer miles people. Vert few US domestic flyers pay first class. I was one of them. First class in the US has been devalued greatly since the 1980's.
It's because the recession in the 90's led to companies putting out polices that banned most employees from first. Airlines devised the trick of "complementary" upgrades based on the explosion of fare classes. For example, if you want first, you buy a full-fare Y-class economy ticket that effectively costs the same as first, and if you have FF status, you're virtually guaranteed to sit in first.
That is unfortunately true on AA’s transcon (A321T), as well. My husband and I travel often in paid J (business) between JFK-LAX but, 9 out of 10 times, we end up involuntarily upgraded to F/first at the gate, presumably because their J seats get completely full w/ upgrades from coach. We ABSOLUTELY HATE their F product b/c the seats aren’t all that different from the J seats and, more importantly, we end up being separated by the aisle and can’t talk to each other. The ONLY benefit would be that you get soup, which you don’t in J…but the soup is nothing to write home about, anyway… [Usually, this happens at the gate as we board, and we once tried to decline the upgrade-and it caused them SO MUCH chaos, forcing them to shuffle other passengers around, so we now just say “thank you” and be grateful…for the soup…]
First class is pointless unless you’re flying more than 8 hours anyway. You don’t get the full experience. I haven’t flown international before but that’s the only time I’d pay for first class.
This is truly painful to watch. And the only difference between the 2 tries, is that PanAm stewardess still gave her shit but knelt down the 2nd time and gave her shit just a bit more politely.
I was surprised, I thought she was getting sent to first class lol
Absolutely wild to remember they had SMOKING AREAS..?!
Lady in blue is APPALLED
It’s 2022. Today, “Karen” would be slapping the flight attendant, threatening her, her family and the CEO. Then an all out brawl will happen where either the door depressurizes or someone’s teeth get knocked out across rows 12 to 15. Federal agents will be alerted and the whole plane will be diverted to Wichita for the night.
The drama continues . . . In Wichita Federal agents meet the arriving aircraft at the gate, the woman--now about to experience a total emotional meltdown--rambles on and on about this being a free country, allowing her to do whatever the heck she pleases. She refuses to comply with the agent's request to settle down or face arrest. She starts spitting, punching, and screaming expletives before she is brought to the floor in the aisle. She begins kicking the agents while screaming like an entitiled brat. Susequently she is tased and dragged down the aisle while the other passengers cheer as if they were attending a mud-wrestling competition. So continues another chapter in modern American air travel where no one knows what to expect next except the unexpected! Anything and everything may happen. It's like a modern-day daytime television tabloid talk show in the air, only without a host.
Opened the door and drop her over the Titanic - have a good swim.
Why do I feel United Airlines reused theses training videos but failed to let their staff see the second part of the videos so the staff at United never knew they were seeing what NOT to do. 😂 😂 😂
Once someone is seated in a particular cabin they cannot be upgraded. That was always the rule. All upgrading has to be done at the gate before boarding and when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
I have been moved up a class in the past while i was seated in coach. My dad and sister were sitting in business class on United to Hawaii in the late 80s. I was in coach and my dad asked if I could come up and sit next to them and they let me. My dad had 2 upgrades he was using but I didn't have an upgrade. We were on the plane when my dad asked and once the doors closed the stewardess came back and brought me up. I was in my 20s so it wasn't like I was a little kid.
My mum was upgraded by herself once after take-off. The adjustable headrest in her seat fell off and would reattach so the metal plate was exposed. There was not a single seat left in economy so they put her in the back of business.
@@samuel2291 well that is an exception as if you were not upgraded, it will violate safety rules.
@@canyonoverlook9937 Nice luck for you.
@@samuel2291 Yes, that's a special situation. Great.
Don't worry, ma'am, a seat will be opening up in about a couple hours just past door 1L for you. If you're unsatisfied with that and continue to be belligerent, we can even give you a free upgrade to Custody Class, which comes with a free pair of silver chain-link bracelets!
I'll try this next time on Ryanair.
She's a WORLDPASS MEMBER! How many times does she have to say it?! This denial of upgrade is why PanAm went broke. Did I mention she's a WORLDPASS MEMBER?!
They went broke because of bad business decisions they did in purchasing aircraft. Too many 747s not enough smaller aircraft.
@@appleiphone69 No fresh ideas since the 70s. Wanting to serve the world. But had no US domestic market. The German market broke away once the reunification was sealed.
I've flown over 3 million miles in my life and only got upgraded on board after asking for it once, and surprisingly recently (pre-covid). I was seated in a 747 bulkhead economy row on a BA flight from Heathrow to JFK. Three family members were seated in the 4-seat section with me. A daughter who looked to be roughly 14 was on the isle to my left, and her brother, who looked to be roughly 11 or 12, was sat directly to my right. The brother and sister were quarreling and wouldn't stop trying to wack each other across and over me. The sister would not switch seats with me when I asked her to, saying she didn't wish to sit next to her brother. The person who I assumed to be their mother was sat in the other isle seat reading her magazine and astoundingly did not intervene or say a single word. A flight attendant came out of the galley after hearing the commotion and saw what was happening. I looked at up her silently as if to say "please make this stop." She motioned for me to come to the galley and I said to her, "I will literally pay whatever the airline wants to upgrade right now, I honestly don't care how much. I simply cannot sit between these kids for the next 8 hours." She called the purser down to the galley and as luck would have it, a single passenger in the otherwise very full business class cabin had no-shown. The purser and the flight attendant whispered to each other briefly and then the purser looked up and smiled at me. He said, "well mate, you're in luck. We're going to do something we very rarely do anymore and move you up. This one's on us!" I have never been more grateful to an airline or an airline employee in my entire life as I was at that moment. But I'm pretty sure it was being very nice and offering to pay rather than acting entitled that got me that amazing gift. (Later on I chatted with the same flight attendant and she said half-jokingly that I had looked to her as if I might have a heart attack and they didn't want a medical emergency!)
These days passengers are much more unruly to airline staff. Airlines should require passengers to sign a legal contract upon reserving a ticket, promising no abusive behavior or violence of any kind. At the same time there should be government legislation for stricter standards requiring airlines to provide more seating space for passengers (or less seats) and more cabin crew to fulfill all in-flight duties adequately.
Read the fine print of your ticket. When you click purchase, you do agree to those things!
You say that but what if they told you to put on a mask or get vaccinated? They need limits on what they can do.
They do sign a legal contract. Even without the contract, it is illegal to threaten or commit acts of violence against anyone. If you get unruly on a flight, chances are you will be arrested when you land.
In Europe they already show videos about unruly passengers.
Unbelievable that they had to have this discussion twice god. Some people just don’t listen
In the 90's on many airlines, you could do a paid upgrade onboard.
I am world class member too.
Little did she know in the future all flights would be full and an essential part of the business formula.
Economy class in 1988 had no room? Economy class in 2022 hold my beer.
Delta would have solved this much easier…
Passenger: Can you move me to first class? I am Platinum Elite…
FA: Unfortunately we can’t… But please accept these two SkyMiles vouchers for 25,000 points. Can we offer you water or Coke?
Passenger: I want a Starbucks coffee.
FA: Sure, I’ll be back.
💀
Legend says that crew after seeing that obviously first class was fully booked, came back to the passenger and give her the good news that she can get upgraded in the lavatories or in the cargo hold. As a member of world elite that upgrade she got the options that perfectly suites her.
The flight attendant is definitely nicer than I would be. You want first class, book first class Lady.
Me: I don't care about food or drinks or room for legs or movies... I just want to be allowed to smoke a cigarret. 😂
21stC solution: pull out the hand held and say, 'sure can upgrade you for the small upgrade fee. Ok the fare difference is $1,845....will you be handling this with an airline branded credit card?"
BOOM ...game over.
When did they start offering upgrades in the air? Usually if you have cash you can upgrade if you want. I did when I was 14 on a school trip to Washington DC and it cost me half my spending money 😂😂 worth it though, it was over 3 hours so we didn't get full meal service but we did get choice of cake or brownie on a real plate 😂🤙
Ha, ha, during the whole conversation about the "full" flight and the stewardess offering to looking for an empty seat, there is a guy across the aisle from her with an empty seat next to him. Geez, you'd think for the purposes of the video, they'd fill every seat.
Wow how times have changed if that were today they would basically tell her tough cookies lady in so many words.
I waited until the end of the clip to hear the passenger say “please”
“We can’t move you up to 1st Class or Clipper, ma’am, but we do have some openings below in the baggage compartment or on the port side wing, umm kay?
I'm not Cynthia, I'm your dreaded KAREN!!
While there is literally a seat open next to her...she has her purse on it. I'm a DM on Delta...I see these people all the time...
Who would ever expect more than 1 seat
“Fine!”
Fuckin' good old days 👍
“Nobody has to know!” - says Karen, surrounded by multiple passengers that can clearly hear the conversation
1:46 She literally just stopped functioning when she heard that "Fine" from the attendant. She had never experienced that.
It was an important meeting, she was off to deliver marcellus wallaces suitcase
This is like a tarantino movie. Every passenger has a fully fleshed out backstory in the panam cinematic universe.
Have you watched our spoofs? 😂
4:31 That woman with the blue dress is having a good laugh at the silly request of the Karen thing. 😄
"nobody has to know!"
actress in the background: "I'll know."
2 Karens going at it in their natural habitat!!!!WOW!! The persistence from the Karen 1 is unreal!!
SAVAGEEE