Gate Agents...
 

Why are gate agents so moody all the time? I recall a time when I was trying to non-rev from point A to point B and the gate agent couldn't find my name in the system and I tried to make a recommendation and she started literally making a scene in front of all of the passengers! Has anyone else had similar experiences or am I the only one that has been verbally assaulted by a gate agent :cool:? To me it always seems like a gamble with them, they are either irate or very friendly, no in between. All gate agent terror stories are welcome!

Agents either like dealing with people or believe that it is only another job, simple as that.

Reminds me when I worked on the ramp. Either you enjoyed the people and dealing with planes, or you just throw the lighter bags when loading as hard as possible, then went and wiped off sweat with the pax blankets.

I dont think Ive met a person who is angry at the world for being a flyer...

Well, I'd be ****ed off dealing with the general American public every day... especially when everyone has this sense of entitlement and acts like they could never be wrong... or heaven forbid the plane didn't wait for them to arrive! I usually don't argue with gate agents as it gets you no where (literally.)

But anyway, yes most of them are often rude to me, some are very helpful. I don't commute so I dont deal with them on a regular basis, but I non-rev alot.

I only had one truly bad experience, the rest were just minor annoyances. My folks were trying to nonrev home from Florida thru Atlanta and the gate agent told them the flight home was oversold. I happened to have a long layover that day and was watching on our company website on a page that has real-time seating assignment information. I could see that there was 6 seats open on the plane. My dad called to tell me they didn't make the flight and wanted to know what should they do (never non-revved before), so I told them to kindly ask her again if there were seats available. They did and the gate agent started screaming in the background. She told my parents in no uncertain terms she couldn't care less who I worked for, what I did for that company, what my computer said, or even if "He was Jesus himself!". She said that they weren't getting on because she said they weren't.

I told them to thank her and walk away to the next gate open where the gate agents weren't doing anything and ask them to check the flight. They did, and amazingly, there was 6 seats available and they were given 2 of them.

I had only 1 excursion with a gate agent that wasn't following the rules. It was on a commute from my home airport, and it was on one of my company a/c. I knew there was 1 seat open in the back, we have priority over others, even mainline, on our airplanes. She would not give up the seat, saying the flight was full. When they started boarding I counted 49 people get on the plane, so I politely asked her again for a ticket, which she said nope sorry. About this same time around the corner comes a mainline flight attendant, she didn't even have to stop and she was handed a ticket and down she went. Again I politely said to the agent that I had priority over her, as it was my company operating the flight.....followed by a nasty look and a "NO YOU DO NOT!" So a quick call to dispatch, followed by an ACARS to the crew, followed by the CA coming up and explaining to the agent and I was on. This gate agent is no longer a gate agent, and talking with the other agents (which I have come to know pretty well) they had said she was "asked to resign" due to her letting her friends on out of priority, as well as "sneaking" non-rev's on before paying pax.

I agree, however, I think that being a pilot and since we are all on the same team, that we should be shown a little bit more respect. I agree the best thing to do is say thank you and walk away, although it is very hard to bite your tounge sometimes! My friend told me a story of how he had to bribe a gate agent with gourmet chocolate to get on a flight once, haha!

This is used to pretty common, but because it is such a sensitive issue with high loads nowdays, most companies simply fire CSR's who get caught tweaking non-rev priorities. A few still do it, but most are afraid for their jobs.

If you suspect someone is doing this to you, and you are on your way to work tell them you will have to report it management as the reason you missed your show time. If they let someone on out of priority, they can't delete the evidence so they're going to get caught if anyone looks into it. I have seen managers meet an arrival airplane at the gate and hold deplaning until they get on board and physically verify who sitting in a certain seat.

I whole-heartedly agree. Many gate agents still think we are over-paid prima-donnas and dislike us for that reason. Of course, I've seen some pilots act like lunatics too when dealing with gate agents.

ATL gate agents are the WORST

I generally stay out of their way. I get the impression that anything we ask is a big hassle. I hate asking them to let me down the jetway. Once we had an agent columbus not show up to let us down. It was first flight of the day. So after several phone calls the one that was supposed let us down finally showed up, look she had been sleeping. As she opened the door she ask us if we were ready to send them down. Mind you the airplane is cold and dark. Capt just laughed and said we'll call you. Its unbelievable sometimes.

My mom has a theory that all people that work around the airport, in the airport, scheduling ETC ETC ETC (aka all people who stay on the ground) are ****ed off in general, bc we pop in and out and all over, and they stay right there....it really is true

Yeah, by all means be nice to them. Most are just trying to their job the best they can...and I don't think any of US want their job.

Speaking as a former "gate agent"----actually a cross utilized aka I can do anything agent---- I can understand why some are rude... especially towards pilots. I have been sworn at more by pilots because I did something in a way that they didn't like... blah blah blah... in fact I was sent in before a review board because a CA claimed that I took too long to pull the jetbridge up to the aircraft (mind you this was on a winters night in ND.... get it?)

Basically be nice and if they want to act like a pile of $h!t..... just walk away.

BTW DC-9 CA's at a certain company really need to work on their social skills and stop screaming so dang much.

DC-9 and ND. I think I can guess what company that is!;)

I had an AA gate agent get upset with me when I was trying to commute to work a couple of weeks ago. I was very polite and all she could do was complain and tell me how she didn't have time to be taking care of someone wanting to jumpseat. She felt that it was necessary to tell me over and over that I needed to do it at the ticket counter and not the gate. I just said "ok" and sat down after she finished. Needless to say that CA was right there and saw the whole thing.

As a commuter, I'm always overly friendly to gate agents. I can only imagine how miserable I would be if I had to do that job...where if YOU do a good job, everything is just as expected, but if ANYTHING goes wrong, you're the face the pax are going to throw under the bus. I've had a few agents give me a hard time, one DAL gate agent wouldn't let me down to the plane to ask the captain if I could jumpseat and I had to catch a later flight, but the vast majority of the time every gate agent I deal with is awesome.

I don't commute, and this is one of the reasons why.

There's no way I could do what they do. I was stuck at IAD on a mechanical delay on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. During that 5 hour delay I talked to quite a few of the pax waiting for our flight. Most were pretty mad, and with good reason. However when I explained my stance, and the fact that I had been sitting, waiting to go home (not being paid) after a four day during the holiday (my T-day dinner was a turkey sub from quiznos in ORD) they were pretty understanding.

However, in the gate agents' and CSRs' defense, when you're dealing with people in this capacity it's going to be negative every time. How often do people go to the counter to tell the agents how great their experience was?

I quit a job at Circuit City during college because of this. Working the customer service counter there after Christmas is hell. After being cussed out because I couldn't accept a TV for return without the remote for the 10298380398 time and trying to explain that if they needed a remote they should buy a $20 generic remote I came to the descision that simply clocking out and walking away was better than reaching across the counter and beating the crap of one of these idiots.

Gate agents deal with this dozens of times per day if everything is going well. When it hits the fan, it's probably thousands of times. You'd be ****ed off too. If you're professional, it will go a long way.

I would agree with that being a former ramp/ gate agent. I just wish people would get rid of what power trip there on an just do there job. An thats both sides of the table. As a agent, we shouldnt stroke pilots with the same brush, and pilots shouldnt go around acting as if everyone owes them something. Cuz i dont owe any pilot a damn thing other than the respect that i give everybody.

Tristar: why do u believe it is this way?????

I think all schedulers owe pilots a lot...j/k ftr

I just find it unfortunate that when you go out of your way to be friendly to someone such as a gate agent, you get it thrown back in your face (not by all, but a select few). You would think that they would be welcoming to the fact that someone actually has respect for them.

A similar deal happened to me once...Piedmont agent in PHL wouldn't let me on one of our airplanes because I hadn't checked in at least 30 minutes prior to departure. I apologized to him and tried explaining to him that I had blocked in just 27 minutes prior to departure and ran to the gate to catch the flight home. Guy wouldn't give me a JS pass so I got another one from a different gate, filled it out, and dropped the slip on the counter for him to do at his convenience and he physically blocked me from the jetway.

A quick wave to the CA on the flight deck and she came up and asked what the problem was. The agent started hemming and hawing to her and then told her "he can go down now". We would have left the gate early...but there were no rampers to load the gate-checked bags.:D

That wasn't in DFW was it? I had a similar incident with a gate agent trying to sneak a friend ahead of some pilots onto our airplane.

Never had a problem with any Flight Crew during my tenure as a Ticketing/Check-in/Gate/Ramper agent. Worked for both Virgin Atlantic and XJet in those capacities...

At any rate, people on power trips is not a good thing. It doesn't matter if it's gate agent, pilot, etc.

I heard this one from a friend-

Airplane is closed up, bridge is moving back and the ramp agent calls up.

"Ground to flight deck, we're all closed up down here, cleared to release"

The CA fires back, "Isn't there something you need to say" (Capt. just wanted them to state the by-the-book answer, "Preflight walk around is complete, bla, bla, bla..."

Not to be outdone, ramper quickly says, "I'm not saying anything different, we ARE standing by for the push."

CA gives in, clears the push.

Ramp clears start on 1 only.

CA starts 1 AND 2. Blasts construction folks behind, causing mayhem, damaged a few vehicles from the gravel in the blast.

Ramp un-hooks and says, "For 500 bucks I cleared you on 2, if you weren't a dick I'd do it for free."

Haha! That's classic

It's all about trying to see the big picture. Try to be one of the pilots who "gets it", and walk a mile in their shoes. A long time ago, in a Galaxy far far away, I was a Gate Agent in STL.....

There is a level five thunderstorm tearing the field apart. You can't see from the terminal to the end of the jetway, it is raining so hard. The flight is oversold, it is the last departure of the night, the crew has just timed out, the flight has cancelled, the outbound flights for the next two days are also oversold, and I am rebooking 142 irate passengers! (Yeah, I still remember how many an America West, all coach, B737-300 used to hold) Anyway, this moron is pounding on the podium with his fist, trying his best to poke me in the chest with his other finger, saying "Do you know who I am? I don't care what you have to do, but you will get me there tonight!"

While this is going on the crew is exiting the jetbridge and heading to the hotel. The Captain stops beside me, quietly listens to the rest of this guys tirade, then leans in, points to the jetbridge door with his thumb and says to this guy, "Hey buddy, the keys are in it, if you think you can handle it. Me, I'm going to the hotel, before the tornado gets here.", and walks on. The other 141 people in line, burst out laughing, this guy storms off, and the rest are then pleasant and polite. Now there was a Captain who "gets it". I wish I could remember his name.

:D Hahaha, that is classic! Some of these captains always have the greatest things to say in the knick of time. Probably just the years of passenger abuse they have learned a line or two in their day.

I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I always show up with a goodie for the gate agent, as well as the crew. You'd be surprised how fast that snarl melts away to a smile. I bring them a Starbucks, or a muffin, or a bag of cookies, etc.

IAH CAL agents are the NATZIS of the whole entire airline Industry............I would rather chew on mouthful of razorblades then ask them for anything. You want a speech on how worthless you are as a pilot, ask them to pre-board muwhaaaaaaaaaaaahhahahahahhaah

Its a shame it has to come to bribary haha, but I guess it will save you a headache. Ah, the risk of talking to gate agents! I should turn this into a gambling ring somehow...Bet on Red - Get your head bitten off. Bet on Black - Be greeted with a smile!

I guess it could be considered bribery. But I think of it as thanking a hard working person, who probably gets yelled at all the time from disgruntled pax. Sometimes it's the little things that make someone's whole day.

I woulda tried for $750 j/k


Great Story!

About 3 weeks ago, I was trying to jumpseat to LIT from ATL. The ATL gate agent was obviously having a bad day, and my utterly simple act of saying Hi seemed to pi$$ her off. I asked for the jumpseat and she ignored me. I asked again (very nicely). She commenced to treat me to a severe tongue-lashing about how she "ain't got time to deal wid no pilots who wants a jumpseat."

Little did Miss Congeniality know.......a Delta executive who was waiting on a flight heard her. He walked over and asked for her name. She gave him and attitude, but eventually gave him her name. He walked off and asked me for my name and introduced himself. He apologized for the way I was treated, handed me his business card, and thanked me for keeping a cool head in front of the passengers at the gate.

Oh......did I mention that the Miss Congeniality is no longer employed with Delta? I rec'd a follow-up email from the exec stating that she had been terminated for lack of "promoting the image of Delta".

Shocker huh?

If she had worked for united, she probably would have gotten a commendation.

There's only one thing that I got from that meeting with the DAL exec.

Why would anybody want to jumpseat to KLIT?

Duck Season in Arkansas........Duh?

got told profusely by a IAD United agent that my crew and I were **** out of luck and were not getting on the oversold plane, even though we were the only ones able to fly the return leg LoL

Just tell the agent that you'll be more than happy to wait for the next flight to the outstation, but you'll need their name so that you can tell Scheduling why the return flight will be canceled. Works like a charm.

I am a station agent at BNA for Eagle. We are cross-trained here so we do ramp and gate work. I believe that when it comes to non-reving, carma plays a big role. Therefore I do everything I can without breaking the rules to help out someone who is non-reving because I may be trying to non-rev out of their airport in the coming weeks.

A note about the pilots.

Most of them are great people who understand that I have a job to do as well. While others believe that they have the most important job at the airline because if they didn't fly the planes no-one would get anywhere but if it weren't for the airport agents no-one would be on their plane for them to fly or there wouldn't be bags in the cargo bin or fuel in the tanks or a fresh lav change to get the stink out or a bug wash so the pilots can see.

I am starting my Multi training next month with the goal of landing a flying job sometime next year. I just hope I can remember where I came from and how much easier it makes the agent's job if I am cooporative or give them a hand with the bags when they appear to be short handed on the ramp.

Are you in grade school?

no my moms a pilot idiot