Behind the scenes- Airline agents

Behind the scenes- Airline agents

by | Oct 13, 2021 | 0 comments

My last blog post tried to prepare travelers for the reality of Covid restrictions and holiday travel.  I want to focus on holiday travel and travelers’ role in the overall experience in this post.  We have all heard the horror stories of unruly passengers and the obnoxious behavior that affects many others.  Here are a few behind-the-scenes realities of airline agents I’d like you to be aware of next time you travel.  I hope your knowledge will make you a kinder traveler.

Airline ticketing agent.

This person is probably your first point of contact at the airport.  The ticketing agent checks your bag or handles any airline-related issue before you are even through security.  Ticket agents are responsible for ticketing, baggage, complaints, cancellations, lost luggage, weather delays, and other traveler problems.  They enforce rules made by the company, and they don’t personally make up rules just for you.  And yes, they can be fired for not following the rules.  So, when it comes to their livelihood or your demand, guess which takes priority?

Here are a few things I think they would like to tell you but can’t.
  • No, we can’t just give a free upgrade, it’s a computerized system, and big brother is watching.
  • Don’t be late and take responsibility for your poor planning and actions.
  • Saying no is not being rude. We are following the rules made by the company, not by us.
  • You get more with honey than vinegar. Treat me right, and I will do the best I can.
  • If you’re rude and yelling, do you think I want to help you?

Gate agents.

The gate agent is the person who, as the name suggests, works your departure gate.  If you have traveled recently, you may have noted that there is usually only one or two gate agents at the departure gate.  Due to airline cost-cutting, gate agents often work alone.  They must meet the inbound flight, coordinate unaccompanied minors and wheelchairs, answer passengers’ questions, clear the standby list, process upgrades, and board the plane.  If this seems like a lot of work, that’s because it is! Additionally, gate agents are also required to get the airplane out on time. This means getting every passenger onboard and seated before the airplane doors can be closed for departure.

Here are a few things I think they would like to tell you but can’t.
  • We can see everything about your ticket, including how much you paid, when and where you paid. Lying about how expensive your ticket was or that it was a first-class ticket is pointless.
  • On an oversold flight, we do have the discretion to move passengers to first class. However, the choice is usually automated and based on fare price or elite status. In rare cases, your behavior or the way you are dressed helps inform my decision.
  • My boarding time decision depends on plenty of factors. Is the airplane clean? Does it have enough crew members? Does air traffic control have a hold on the boarding process? There are many other reasons, and staring at me or crowding the boarding area will not make the decision faster.
  • We are accountable for getting the flight out on time except in the cases of weather or a mechanical delay.
  • The computer system shows how many people are connecting and their chances of making the flight. Delaying the flight for just a few passengers is often not an option as the airplane must be at its destination at the designated time.

I know that traveling is stressful for passengers, but it is also stressful for the agents who work with hundreds of passengers daily. The airport is fast-paced and hectic, and there is rarely time for bathroom breaks.  Give grace and practice kindness to your agents next time you travel.

If this has made you think differently about your previous airport experience, let me know.

5 Flight attendant annoyances

5 Flight attendant annoyances

by | Dec 28, 2020 | 0 comments

There are many things that flight attendants find annoying. Some are more annoying than others, and some may not be an annoyance based on the individual flight attendant. The following are some that I still remember as being annoying to me. For disclosure, these are from my lived experience as a flight attendant.

1.Coffee: Having been raised and based in New York as a flight attendant, if a passenger said, “regular coffee,” I understood it to mean coffee with milk and sugar. If they said, “light and sweet,” I like most flight attendants had no idea how light to make the coffee or how many sugar packets the passenger needed. Some passengers meant just a drop of milk, and others wanted half milk, half coffee. Deciding how many packs of sugar meant sweet to a person you’d never met was a pointless guess at best. Like passengers, flight attendants are people from all over the country and the world; knowing each passenger’s specific coffee requirements was most times an exercise in futility.

2.Aisle Passengers. Most passengers prefer aisle seats because of the ability to have a little extra room. This preference was often a perception that overlooked the fact that the aisle they assumed to be extra space was the flight attendant’s working space. Airline service carts could be a hundred pounds or more and somewhat challenging to maneuver. Weighted down with beverages or food to serve the number of people on board, often proved a challenge for a flight attendant to operate. Aisle passengers often extended their body parts into the aisle, and it was not uncommon for the cart to inadvertently hit a passenger. In many cases, the passenger got angry at the flight attendant without considering that the service cart was at least 3 feet long and even higher. Hence, the flight attendant seeing over the cart, and the extended body part was unreasonable at best.

3.Touching. Passengers often think it is ok to touch or poke a flight attendant to get their attention, which is often very annoying to flight attendants. A flight attendant call light is within every passenger’s reaching distance, and using this is much preferable than to be poked. Moreover, a hand wave or similar gesture is universal regardless of language. Having your body nudged several times a flight could be rather annoying.

4.Lavatory doors. They are not automatic, and standing in front of them will not make them open. Often passengers would stand in the lavatory area waiting for flight attendant instructions on how to open the door or be told whether it was vacant or not. Bathroom doors, like every other bathroom door elsewhere, has a lock. Unlike most bathrooms, airplane bathrooms have instructions, and most often, if not in the native language, there is visual signage. Along with signage, airline lavatories also have an occupied/unoccupied sign, which in most cases are red and green and are universally understood to mean the same everywhere. To be seen as a bathroom attendant is very frustrating to flight attendants.

5.Asking “where are we?” Flight attendants walk up and down the aisle, usually positioned several feet above the window level. Furthermore, like most passengers, they cannot pinpoint locations 30,000 feet above the ground. Yes, several landmarks are apparent to some, but flight attendants do not have the luxury of sitting and looking out the window on flights, nor do they have an inner GPS. Your guess is as good as theirs.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse behind the scenes. These are perceptions of my lived and actual experience as a flight attendant. I hope they’ve been eye-opening and will make for more happy travels.

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