I always try and accommodate myself on the way to the airplane seat. I use the Metrolink and subway system to get to LAX from a southern California suburb. I print my boarding pass from home. Upon arrival to the airport at the bag drop off is where you pay to check in your bags and drop them off at the counter. But you have to already have your boarding pass.
The man in front of me in line didn’t realize that he needed the boarding pass BEFORE the bag drop off. As the ticket agent was telling him this, he started to yell and cuss in bad words. It seemed like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and wanted to fight every “no” he got. The agent told him nicely that he needed to go to the ticket kiosk and print the boarding pass. The man dropped his bag in front of the agent very angrily and left the bags there. The agent said, next… that was me… I checked in my bag and the agent was very nice. I told him that he did a great job handling the man’s attitude and thanked him for servicing me. I walked away thinking I would not want his job as it seems that any job within the airline industry must be one of the hardest jobs to have in the world…
– Paul
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yep…it, seems like a smile and pleasantries do go a long well. And, many times if you are nice and polite, the airline personnel will go out of their way to help you.
However, it works both ways. I have met some very disgruntled airline employees that do not care about the customer. And, because of their attitude, it provokes the paying customer to anger….whereas, if both would have been polite….they could have worked through the issues.
Problem is, customers have to go through the necessary evils of security…then have to deal with missed connections, cancelled flights, etc… oftentimes the difference between making a flight or not, could mean to the business traveller, making a sale, and paying his mortage. To the vacation traveller, it could mean missing the cruise that they have saved for, and planned for all year…..so, it is a big deal. Many airline employees don't get this.
The airline employee on the other hand, is oftentimes overworked and underpaid. They feel management screws them by taking big bonuses when the airlines are losing money, and while they go for years without a raise….as a result, they are unhappy, and make no bones about letting the customers know.
So, it is a terrible downward spiral….and, once one in the party goes negative and bitchy, it makes the other one do that too.
That's my rant.
Luckily, in your case, the airline personnel seems to have acted professionally and handled the manner with great aplomb. Kudos to them.
I have traveled on several different airlines and gone through many different airports and have yet to encounter a plesant airline employee. Regardless of how horrible their job is they are the ones who choose it.