I think I had the same woman in FAT, with an identical experience. Mary or Maria, I think.

 

I had a bad run-in with JetBlue once. I was in uniform and had talked with the FO in line for lunch and let her know i was planning on catching a ride. we chatted and all seemed nice. When i got to the counter the gate-agent couldnt find our code in CASS (we had just changed our code over) so told me I couldnt go. My fam was on this flight or I would have waited for WN, but I bought a ticket last minute, fairly cheap. Anyway, with my BOUGHT TICKET I boarded the plane, said hi to the FA and the FO was standing there so she introduced me to the CA. No big deal. Showed my stuff, thanked them for the ride and went back to my seat.
About 20 mins out the FA passes me and says the FO wants to see me after landing. OK. I go up after deplanning and the FO stands up, blocks me from the CA (in a manor that would suggest I was going to attack him!) and proceeds to tell me how I was rude and inconsiderate to the FA and if I ever wanted to get a FREE RIDE from them again I would need to learn some jumpseat etiquitte. I have been jumpseating for several years and never ran into anything like this before. I said Hi to the FA and the FO invited me up!! What was the FA freaking problem??
Anyway, I stood there dumbfounded about the whole thing and PO'ed as she told me they would have left me had they known I was so rude to the FA (again, with my PURCHASED TICKET). I really dont know what more the FA wanted from me, to show my badge and certs??
Not to be down on FA's. I really enjoy the vast majority of them and respect their job, i guess this one just needed a power trip that day. It still makees me mad.
Ok, Im done.

 

While traveling on a paid ticket, I volunteered my seat, got re-routed, a first class upgrade, and a ticket voucher. I was happy at the first class upgrade. After the one terminal sprint, I made the next flight with minutes to spare. As we were deplaning, I was the last out of first, and the FO wanted to know what airline I flew for, he'd seen my crew bag tags. Then he wanted to know why I was in first and another, more senior, pilot for our company was in coach. I knew he was looking out for us pilots in general so it was no skin off my nose to explain how it happened.

If a crewmember wants a confrontation, first you gotta tell them that you are a ticketed passenger, cut off the blowup in mid-spew if you have to, it'll save them the embarrassment. Then you gotta find out just how whatever person felt that they were slighted, power trip or not. Those on power trips or having bad weeks are quickly recognized by most captains, even the spiked hair, IPO-wearing ones. Be aware that whatever your response or actions before, during, and after the flight may be called into your chief pilot. Who knows, maybe the FO was having a bad day too as the FA, who didn’t get any last night, was ragging on the CA who then ragged on the FO and that night someone’s poor dog got kicked.

My worst experience 'commuting' was with AWAC. They would not positive space me out for the interview, don't even have service to their own base of operations, and couldn't get me a spot to get back home for likely days. Yet, for some of their other interview locations, they would PS folks out. I knew by the time I landed that the interview was for practice only, expensive practice, but still cheaper than Air Inc. If that is what they think of their potential employees, forget it.

 

Yeah, Maria's her name. Now when I see her in the terminal she won't even acknowledge me. Might have something to do with the IOR that I filed...professional, but scathing.

 

I have also had *some* trouble with SkyWest...but I would imagine most of it is "w&b issues..."
...yeah right

 

Skywest has treated me better than any other, including the Northwest family.

 

I had one in ORD, UA. I was fairly new to JS and knew that you have to be courteous however that day I just tired, wasn't feeling it. Showed up at the gate about 1 hour before departure time. Picture a chain smoking, alcoholic Denny's waitress, I show her my I.D and Passport with minimal conversation. She mispronounced my Eastern European last name, I corrected her in a non confrontational but somewhat firm tone. Maybe in her less then high school educated 50 year old mind she was thinking this 20 something son of a B$tch. Then, here we go, she claimed she couldn't find my airline in Cass the she said I was being denied. I told here I just jumpseated on UA 3 days ago, she said she didn't care she only believed the computer. I had to call the 800 number, the guy in the background said I was fine and to let him talk to the agent, she said she wouldn't talk to the guy because she didn't like the tone that I described the situation making her look incompetent, which I never did, I just said that she wasn't accepting me. So by this time the guy in the phone got angry and just hung up. Thankfully the CA showed up, I introduced myself, he went by the agent she explained what was going on. I told her try again one more time, reluctantly with the CA standing next to her she tried it again, what do you know the computer "magically" accepted me. Unbelievable. Anyways at this point I knew she was furious, I was getting on but she made sure I was the very last person on. Later found out that she was one of those high and mighty types, and overheard her talking to another customer about alcohol how she used to work at a bar. Very unprofessional person, even though it's been a long time I could probably still i.d her. What made me even more angry is that after the FAs showed up she went back behind the counter to tell them about me. When I went in to check with the CA he told me that the lead FA wasn't impressed with what I did. Inside I was boiling because I hadn't done anything, she was the one that was playing the cruel joke. It's hard to imagine that gate agents can play these games, especially with tired overworked pilots who are trying to go home.

 

I have seen pilots terminated over "accusations" that gate agents make.

Smile, say thank you, and retreat. No ride is worth your career.

Then, write a detailed letter to the airline's VP of Customer Service. They tend to take those things seriously--a lot more than local station management.

 

Had one of these idiots try to pull this on me in SLC. Funny thing was it was going from the secure (ramp side) to the terminal side. I was like aren't you supposed to try that going the other direction? He looked at me like I was stupid for a second and said "uh I guess that's a good point". IDIOT!

 

Did you see his correctly issued SIDA badge though? They like to walk around with fake IDs trying to bust people for not checking them while in the secure area. Had 1 TSA guy up by me with a badge listing his name as Santa Clause!