Flight attendant comes up with quick and smart solution for passenger pretending to be vegetarian

Being a flight attendant is not an easy job. It's a demanding position that requires both physical and mental endurance. Moreover, they are entrusted with the safety and well-being of passengers during flights. What makes the job even harder is dealing with passengers who are difficult. Reddit user u/Troikos had a delightful story about how they handled a passenger who lied about being vegetarian to get a specific food item.

The employee mentions that they have been part of the industry for over ten years. They say, "Any issues that crop up during my work day, I will bend over backward to accommodate people if I can." However, the attendant states that some people always lie to get what they want during flights. These include faking injuries, fake birthdays, to maybe get an upgrade or to be pampered.

It has resulted in many passengers trying to take advantage of the system just so they could get what they want without any repercussions or having to pay. The flight attendant then shares a particular instance about a "fake vegetarian" they had on a flight. The passenger happened to be in the economy part of the plane, seated in the second row from the back.

As the flight attendant reached the passenger to serve them an in-flight meal, he insisted that he wanted pasta, which was vegetarian. They write, "I apologized and told him due to popular demand, we had run out in the middle of the cabin, but we had the chicken option instead if he wanted that." Almost instantly, the individual replied, "I'm a vegetarian. Last time, they brought me a meal from business class, so I will just wait for that." The attendant would have helped him but decided not to because of his arrogance.

The flight attendant was also reasonably sure that the man was being unnecessarily picky. They recall having cleared a finished packet of "smokey bacon crisps" from the man and the snack was not vegetarian. The user managed to maintain a friendly demeanor and said that it was "unfortunate" that he didn't pre-order a vegetarian meal and they would see if anything could be done.

They then went to the Business Class and First Class sections to ask if they had any meals that they could spare. The flight attendant ended up putting together a pseudo meal with a few leaves and a bit of dressing from what they found in first class. They went to the passenger and did not let him see the actual meal and said they had run out of vegetarian options. He began to respond, at which point the user held up their hand and said, "However, I managed to go one step further and I got the last vegetarian meal from First Class."

The flight attendant then showed the passengers the meal they had put together and they were shocked. Seeing the meal, he said, "I wanted something hot. I'll just have the chicken then." The user stated they would feel "awful" giving him chicken, considering the passenger was a "vegetarian." He relented and said it was okay. They served the chicken, which had dried up a bit by then.

They conclude the post by saying that he should have pre-ordered vegetarian meals if he really wanted them. The flight attendant also mentions that the same rule applies to people with specific dietary needs. People on the site loved the user's witty response to the man's request and shared their thoughts in the comments section. u/OtterBurrow said, "I pre-ordered the vegetarian meal once. It was a plate of iceberg lettuce with a packet of dressing."