Originally Posted by
gonyon
Most of the gate agents I have dealt with were/are fabulous with the crews. Not as much with the paying passengers. They often seem dismissive, short and annoyed by common inquiries.
Just this week in Chicago there was a gate return/cancellation. As the passengers were approaching the gate podium after deplaning to ask what they should do, the gate agent started yelling at them. It seems quite simple to me that if the passengers were made aware of what their options were and how to exercise them before they got off the plane they wouldn't be approaching the podium at the gate. And even so, there is no excuse for yelling at a passenger, humiliating them.
The whole thing in Chicago was embarrassing. We can do so much better than that.
When we, as pilots (and even flight attendants) see something like this, it's our duty to email our direct supervisor and explain what happened. This way Rich or Ryan or whoever will forward it to the correct person, and the problem "may" get fixed. If we do nothing, we may see our careers go down the toilet. That's my biggest fear about this place. We can only upset so many passengers before no one will take a chance on us.