Witnessing a fit of rage in the air is never pleasant, but a former flight attendant has revealed something that will bring some comfort: that cabin crew have been trained to implement a psychological negotiation technique to calm persistent passengers. problematic.
Former Emirates stewardess Marika Mikusova, who has written three Books The Diary of a Flight Attendant about the five years he spent working at 38,000 feet, he revealed to MailOnline Travel that the technique is known by the acronym LEAP. These letters denote the four stages of the method: “listening, empathizing, asking, and paraphrasing.”
During the first stage, the flight attendant is all ears.
Czech Marika, 35, explains: ‘First we listen carefully to the passenger without interrupting him. If the passenger is seated, it is a good idea to crouch down so that they do not feel that we have a psychological advantage by standing and looking at them as if we were their parent, teacher or any authority figure. Smart, huh?
“So if you see a flight attendant kneeling in the aisle who doesn’t smile but simply listens attentively to the passenger and occasionally nods her head, you know what it is.”
Is it important to agree? Yes, show empathy (stage two).
Former Emirates stewardess Marika Mikusova (above) has revealed the technique cabin crew are taught to calm angry passengers.
Marika, who lives in Prague, reveals: “By nodding, we let the passenger know that we understand their anger and that we are willing to solve the problem.”
Body language is also crucial.
Marika continues: ‘It is difficult for the passenger to believe that we are trying to find a solution if, for example, we keep our arms crossed.
“By the way, listening and not interrupting is usually enough for the passenger to vent their frustration and not make it worse.”
What if the passenger is still angry? It’s time to move on to the next stage: asking.
Marika says: ‘We can ask the passenger open-ended questions (e.g. “what”, “where”, “when”) to get to the root of the problem. This has the advantage of giving the complainant the opportunity to fully express his or her feelings.’
Marika, pictured in Dubai, reveals that cabin crew “listen, empathize, ask and paraphrase” when dealing with angry passengers in the air.
Diary of a Stewardess is a Behind-the-Scenes Look at What It’s Really Like to Work at 38,000 Feet
So, it’s time to summarize.
“In the end, we played a kindergarten teacher,” says Marika. ‘So we are summarizing the information that the passenger has told us to let him know that we have been listening all along and we understand his point. Meanwhile, the passenger nods or corrects us as appropriate.
‘Most people are feeling incredibly relieved right now. The passenger feels like a winner. Although we are totally exhausted. However, at least we could have avoided something worse: bad language, physical assault, destruction of the plane. You never know.’
What if the passenger is seriously aggressive?
“For those who are aggressive, we have not words, but actions and useful equipment in our restraint kit,” says Marika.
Marika Mikusova’s book The Diary of a Stewardess is now available. Click here to request a copy. You can find Marika on Instagram. here.