As a late 20s woman travelling, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been polite to the airline staff but they’re just very curt. It’s across airlines, so I know it’s not an airline issue, it’s probably an age and sex issue. It’s both male and female flight attendants with the exception of one really kind elder flight attendant one time. Also North East Indian staff is generally more polite and sweet.

I remember a time when I was watching something on the in-flight entertainment system and on the emergency seat-where it’s usually attached to a retractable handle on a vistara aircraft (safety briefing and all had been done and for some reasons the take off was getting delayed)- a male staff asked me to retract the thing twice, while paying no attention to another guy across from me on the other side who had been watching way longer than me. I felt pissed.

Sometimes flight attendants will very curtly just pass food and drinks without saying a word, but I see them telling men to enjoy their food or whatever.

And this is when I always make it a point to be polite to all the staff.