A Self-Proclaimed Princess Refused to Follow Orders. The Flight Attendant’s Comeback Was Royalty.
We have all experienced that incredibly frustrating moment when someone gets the upper hand in a verbal showdown. You walk away, and it’s only a few hours later that the absolute perfect, devastating comeback line finally pops into your head. Most of us just aren’t quick enough to deliver a sharp zinger on the fly.
But every once in a while, you witness someone who possesses such lightning-fast wit that they drop a legendary line at the exact perfect moment.
I was on a packed domestic flight where our section was being looked after by an incredibly fabulous, outrageously flamboyant flight attendant. He had an infectious, theatrical energy, and his witty banter easily put the entire cabin in a fantastic mood as he served snacks and cocktails.
As the aircraft finally began its initial descent, he came strutting down the aisle to perform the final safety check.
“Alright, lovely people!” he announced into the cabin with a dramatic wave of his hand. “Captain Marvey has just informed me that he’ll be landing this big, scary metal bird shortly. So, if you could all just pop your tray tables up right now, that would be absolutely super!”
He began walking back up the aisle, double-checking the rows, when he noticed an extremely wealthy, well-dressed, and exotic-looking young woman who hadn’t moved a single muscle. Her tray table was still completely lowered.
He paused at her row, leaned in politely, and said, “Oh, honey, perhaps you couldn’t hear me over the roar of those big, brute engines, but I need you to raise your tray table so the main man up front can pitty-pat us safely onto the tarmac.”
The woman slowly turned her head, looked him up and down with an icy, arrogant stare, and said condescendingly, “In my country, I am a Princess. And a Princess takes orders from absolutely no one.”
Without missing a single beat, the flight attendant snapped his fingers, leaned in close, and shot back:
“Well, sweet-cheeks, in my country I am a Queen, which means I officially outrank you. Tray up, bitch.”
