This might not have been a flight from hell for the passengers, but it sure was for the service reps who had the misfortune of being on the service desk this inconvenient morning.
I do a weekly cattle haul to Toronto out of Newark Airport and have been doing it for some time with a number of others that do the same trek. Early morning is usually a zoo and in most cases the flight gets out within a reasonable time, so you make the best of it. Well, recently the 6:40 was on the runway when the pilot decided to go back to the gate because of a problem. We get back to the gate and are told to disembark so the techs and mechanics can see what the problem is and determine if the plane gets a fix or we get another plane. Okay, the passengers are not too happy (me included), but you just kind of bite your lip and hope for the best.
Then a self-important dweeb glued to his iPhone marches up to the service desk and insists that they take his one piece of luggage out of the hold so he can go on the next flight. Picture going through luggage for 70+ passengers (gate check and check in) to get dweeb’s bag. The first rep politely explains the situation but to no avail. The dweeb loudly whines while texting away and telling the rep that the email he just received said it was doable so they must accommodate him. He gets another negative so what does he do? Go to the next rep. Same story and what does he do? Go to the gate agent. So this jerk thinks that 70+ pieces of luggage should be unloaded for his one piece so he can get on the next flight ahead of everyone else, which would also delay the next flight. He didn’t stop whining about his meetings etc, which was the situation most of us were in.
So we finally get on board and it’s about 8:30. I’m in my seat and I see this guy lecture the attendants as well as the pilot that he should have been able to remove his luggage. What the hell is wrong with some people? Well, it wasn’t a flight from hell for me and most others, but it sure was for the unfortunate folks that were in this self-important idiot’s line of verbal fire.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
You should have told Mr. Toomy that if he didn’t sit down and shut the hell up the Langoliers would come get him. 😛
Heh!
YES !
I can not tell you how many times I have seen this. At one time I traveled often to Cleveland, OH USA. They can get strange and sporadic weather there, clear in the afternoon and a near blizzard just in time for the flight home. I would see people absolutely tearing the Gate agent apart about the delay like they can not see the mass of snow falling outside.