my first run-in with a gate agent today. Was trying to get a ride on airtran from atl-lax. when i flashed my id she says without giving me a chance to introduce myself..."you're just going to have to wait...im behind with a long list of standby pax. matter of fact, the flight is oversold....there is no way you are getting on!" no jumpseat offered!!! I wanted to report her to immigration!!

 

immigration what does that mean cuz she was a A$% automatically makes her an illegal immigrant?????

 

Calm down...

 

my bad! wrong choice of words! I was just irate! didn't mean anything by it! im over it now

 

I mean, I get what you're saying. Gate agents aren't appreciated (by the general public), their job sucks, people yell at them all the time for no reason. However, I don't think that constitutes any appreciable argument as to why many of them feel they can take their frustrations out on pilots. I haven't been doing this for too long, but when I have a bad day I still always at least have a smile for the gate agent and I really don't see my attitude being less friendly over time. I don't enjoy being reprimanded and berated in front of passengers. If you don't enjoy your job, then get another one where you don't have to deal with people. There are many, many jobs in an airport environment that let you deal with inanimate objects that perhaps won't irritate you so much.

All that being said, your one run-on sentence is I think my favorite post of all time on this forum, and I'm not even being sarcastic. It's like one of those youtube things that you just watch over and over and it just gets better with each view. I'm considering having it made into a bumper sticker and putting it on my kit bag.

 

HAHAHA!! Brilliant! I have another friend who has a "Student Driver" bumper sticker on his.

 

you know, i am a leader of ramp rats/gate agents and i totally understand what the pilots go through although i am not a regional pilot. me, being a needle in the haystack, am not trying to heal the world starting with this forum but the truth of the matter is that more gate agents and pilots/flight attendants need to put themselves in the other one shoes. I can go on and on like the previously posted run on sentence on who and why I've denied boarding to but non could've said I was power tripping. Training from Comair encourages agents to accommodate non-revs as if they were paying passengers. They should not be singled out and should be treated as one would like their card/buddy pass holders to be treated including themselves.

Now there are some non-revs, including pilots, who think they are God themselves and try to bully their way onto the aircraft. There are some pilots who act like diva, *****y, million mile members. All in all, gate agents go through alot(they get dumbass questions, screamed at, threatened, and even have to duck from a right hook every now and then) because we are the first point of contact. Not to mention the pressure to close out on time. One would more or less know the good ones and the bad ones at their frequent cities. Just keep in mind their end of the story.....

 

[quote=ACEAV8R;287251] the truth of the matter is that more gate agents and pilots/flight attendants need to put themselves in the other one shoes.
quote]

I agree with you, dealing with the dumb *ss public can drive you up the wall, but I too worked as a gate agent and never verbally abused any non-rev pax! That's just me I guess.

 

Today we were waiting on an plane to get in. After standing at the B gates in IAH for a half hour with the plane "just around the corner" the FA and I were thirsty. There wasn't any place to get something to drink near by so I walked out to the closes plane of ours, about 40ft, and asked the FA there if she could hand us two diet cokes. They were still loading bags on the plane so it wasn't going anywhere. Anyway I grab the drinks and go back to our spot right inside the door. When I walk in the agent walks up and gets in my face and while looking mad says, "Did you just walk out to that plane only to get drinks?". I said yes that we were thirsty and there wasn't anything else around. She starts yelling at me in front of passengers telling me how the flight is already delayed and how me going out there is slowing things down. Then she yells more about how Continental owns those cokes and I, a pilot, isn't allowed to have any. I couldn't believe it. She grabs my badge around my neck and starts writing down my name and employee #.

She says how she's calling the company on me and turning me into CAL. I told her she was in no position to ever talk to a crew member in that tone, esp in public, and I'd let her know when I need to talk to her next time and until then to keep it shut. Just to put the nail in the coffin as she was walking off I got her attention to make her turn around then told her to start boarding my plane. Felt kinda good. F her.

 

Thatd be pretty funny if the FA ran out of diet cokes for the pax on that flight

Very professional of you. Keep up the good work chief.

Just to be clear, its not "your plane". As far as you are concerned it is Continental's airplane. They may not own the metal tube but they own all the seats inside it (and yes, they also own the cokes) and those seats are your only reason for being there. So next time you get a chip on your shoulder remember why you are there. Was the gate agent wrong for yelling at you in front of passengers? Yes. Do you look like a bigger a$$ when you sink to their level? Absolutely. So again, keep up the good work. Just one more reason for those agents down in the refugee camp to love you CHQ guys