Flight Attendant Current
Time Pressure; Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Aircraft Equipment Problem Dissipated; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
The Number 2 and 4 Flight Attendants (FA) called to report strong odor in aft galley. I continued boarding while the Number 1 FA went in to speak with the Captain. She returned and said we were to continue boarding. I could hear the aft FAs calling Captain while we stood in entry area. The Number 1 would go in to cockpit to get updates from the calls. A deadheading pilot then came from the back of plane and went to the cockpit to speak with the Captain. There was some question about it being a urine smell and perhaps the cleaning of the lavs. We had neared the end and I walked through closing bins; etc. As I got to row 25 I smelled a very strong and pungent dirty sock smell. I went to aft galley and told them it was a dirty sock smell and where I began smelling it. I asked them to relay that info up front. The Number 2 and 4 wanted the Captain to come and smell because they disagreed with that assertion. I had returned to the front of aircraft and the Number 1 and Captain went to the back. When he returned he seemed perturbed that the Number 1 was not immediately behind him and wanted to close up. I said I would close the remaining overhead bins. The Number 1 returned and we departed. First; I believe we should have stopped boarding and deplaned the passengers and crew until the cause/type/potency of odor could be established. Following the operating procedures for deplaning at the gate would have allowed a quicker review of the situation and the concerns for safety until a definitive answer could be established while removing passengers and crew from a potentially harmful exposure.
We commenced the boarding and Flight Attendant #2 and I walked to aft galley and both smelled a noxious odor. I called the Flight Attendant 1; three times and she in turn told the Captain. He said 'it is probably a leaky trash bag or rotten food.' Flight Attendant 2 called the Captain directly and he again blew us off. We had a deadheading pilot also go to cockpit to relay information and when he got back; he said the 'theory is that it is a leaky trash bag'. We had been on the aircraft for 4 hours prior to this event as we brought the aircraft in from ZZZ. The fumes were coming out of air vents in galley and aft lavs and was going into c zone. 33 minutes after we first notified Captain; at the end of boarding; he came to the back and said 'I don't smell anything; we are going to ZZZ1'. With that; he turned and walked back to the front. Yes; the fumes had just dissipated by that point; 33 minutes later. There was no interaction; NONE. He obviously did not care about the noxious fumes in the aft section of aircraft. For 33 minutes; he continued to disregard every attempt to tell him what was happening in the back. He's a Check Airman; really? He's supposed to be the best of the best. I felt like my safety was jeopardized and I would never feel safe flying with him again. What if I reported smoke; would he say it is stale cigarette smell on someone's shirt? The one important bit of information he might need might come from the most junior Flight Attendant or even a new hire. In this case he had 4 very senior Flight Attendants and disregarded all of us when we made 5 attempts to get his help in telling him about the noxious odors. Captain obviously needs some intense CRM training. Maybe giving a check ride to another pilot and trying to manage fume events are just too much for him. It obviously was.
A321 flight attendants reported a communication breakdown with the Captain regarding cabin odor during boarding.