The US agents are the "low common denominator" in the world wide agent cross section. The US ones have a high percentage of not knowing their own jobs or procedures adequately. I wish you well in finding verbiage that will work for int'l jumpseat from the US. Try an agent with a red jacket, ask very gently for one, that should help. Just remember this quote and NEVER say it "If I as a pilot did my job as badly as you do your agent job, and knew as little about my job's range of required knowledge as you do, I would be dead in a smoking hole along with hundreds of passengers, and would have done so every day at work for the past 30 years(fill in your own number) , however you ONLY get to do that once".....Now you can think that for comfort when you get an exasperating agent, just don't let it creep out of the vocal chords.