Originally Posted by
Stratosphere
There you have it.. As long as you do that it actually gets the agent off the hook..I am not an agent but I do remember at NW the agent will get some form of discipline if they do not get an on time departure even if the a/c is at the gate for another 30 mins as long as that door is closed and jetway pulled they are in the clear. Now if the Capt says I am not going anywhere until all the non-revs are on etc...The agent is off the hook and the delay goes to the crew and not the agent.
Here is one of the reasons why I believe it is so important to have a good working relationship with ALL of your fellow employees. It may not always be possible, because if someone is a tool (includes pilots obviously) and is going to make a power play then hand them some rope.
Luckily for us at Southwestern Trailways we have a work place environment that encourages cooperation among our employees. I have even served as a ramp agent with many of my fellow employees who are ops agents, station managers, and even a VP. While I am not saying other airlines have poor interpersonal relationships amongst their employee group, SWA encourages teamwork that I believe is second to none.
Many of us know how difficult it is to non-rev and recognize we must be helpful to those trying to exercise that privilege. I personally have been helped by CSR's and Ops agents so many times I can't even count them.
As hard as it is for some (Lambourne, et al) to believe I personally checkout the boarding situation on almost every flight to be as helpful as I can. If I see a jumpseater I make sure they are accomodated as best as I can. Especially offline JS's because they might be able to offer me a First Class seat now and then. We don't have that to offer so the least I can do is to try to get them onboard early and make sure they don't have to check their bag. I also make sure the Ops agent knows that if there are non-revs WE should accomodate all of them and not leave the gate with an empty seat. This is of course after I have made sure all of the crew duties I am responsible for are completed. I also take the pressure off of the Ops agent by making sure that a delay goes against me. Never once have I heard anything back about it.
Sometimes you must attend to your duties when the weather is bad or you have maintenance issues, etc. Otherwise some extra effort is possible.
The Oscar