A Paycheck Weekly, Insults Daily

BoeingBoy

BoeingBoy

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Nov 9, 2003
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Industry Employees: a Paycheck Weekly, Insults Daily
By BARRY ESTABROOK

Published: February 15, 2004

BURST of loud swearing caused José Gomez to glance up from his computer terminal at a US Airways gate at the Charlotte, N.C., airport on Nov. 1. A burly, red-faced passenger who looked about 40 was rushing through the concourse, using every profanity imaginable to express his dissatisfaction with the airline, Mr. Gomez said.

Article

Jim
 
Who wants to bet that this guy was a US1? I am a US1 myself and am regularly embarrased by other US1s who crowd the podium, argue about the size of their luggage, stand in the aisle reading George Bush biographies high for the entire plane to see them, not accepting their coats during landing "for just 5 more minutes please." I suppose the Chairmen from Hell stand out more than the rest of us but lordy they can be an embarrassment.
 
The sad part is that I don't find this surprising. It nevers ceases to amaze me that my children (all 7 yrs. and under) have better manners and dispositions than most adults. There is absolutely no respect for others anymore. We need to start setting examples with these types of people and start throwing their butts in jail and slapping hefty fines on them to boot. Just as most schools have zero tolerance, public transportion and any service related industries, should enforce a zero tolerance policy. If their Mommies didn't teach them better as they were growing up, perhaps we can teach them now - the hard way.
 
Piney,

I have always been a "service" person - be it teaching, waitressing, dept stores, airlines, etc. and I appreciate your candor in your post and how you handled the situation. I only wish more people would step up to the plate. Here's something that might make you smile.

As mothers sometimes do, I had to run to the store for a few necessary items while my husband was with the kids. I purchased a total of 10 items. Some of which were larger. While checking out in the express line (12 items or less), the older woman behind me proceeds to berate the cashier for allowing me to go through her line. I listened for a few short moments before my blood boiled. Here's the monologue that preceeded, " Ma'am if you have a complaint about the items I purchased then you address me. If you would have paid attention, you would have noticed I bought only ten things. A piece of advice, if you would attempt to get your head out off your arse and keep your nose where it belongs then perhaps you would be a happier person."

I grabbed my bags and walked out.

The moral of the story? Sometimes calling someone on their outrageous behavior pays off. Two weeks later I was in the same store with my husband and the same cashier that checked me out taps me one the shoulder. Apparently the woman came back to the store the next day and apologized to her and asked her to extend the same to me if she should ever see me.
 
I always look out for families in Orlando. Often elites crowd the gate and when the GA announces 'families with small children' the poor families are stuck behind some egotastical fat buttocks'ed US1-3s in business suits that need to spend a few hours a week in the YMCA. I've often seen families and also elderly folks on crutches that move slowly peering around the business suits wondering what to do and often not doing anything. Often I clear the way loudly for them.

The only thing, is, Piney, when I sit down in FC after telling everyone else to step aside, I'm the bad guy. People mutter insults to me under their breath in FC in these situations and snicker at me. They don't cheer me.

And you know what? I enjoy it. I started a whole thread about not crowding the gate on Flyertalk last year, and, you know what, lots of people came into that thread and said that they did not care and would continue to do so and if I were rude to them would call security on me.

That's why I'll never join the cockroach club. Too many US Elites are absolute flat-out jackasses - as witnessed on Flyertalk.
 
I hope Dave reads these post. I am so sick of passengers now just write Daves address and you have to respond to lies that they write. Yes it is a bad day when the flight cancels and no other flights, but the lies these folks put into their letters is a joke..........
 
flyin2low said:
The cops didn't witness the battery event.
Click to expand...
The police don't witness a lot of crimes, but they charge criminals none the less. I take it there were other witnesses, right? I still don't understand why they didn't charge this guy. Can anyone from law enforcement shed any light on this?
 
BoeingBoy said:
Industry Employees: a Paycheck Weekly, Insults Daily
By BARRY ESTABROOK

Published: February 15, 2004


Article

Jim
Click to expand...
From the article...

"Mr. Edwins agreed in mid-January to a program called deferred prosecution that will require him to undergo an anger management evaluation, perform community service and report to a probation officer. In return, the charges will be dismissed."


If I had been the judge here, he would be picking up trash in the CLT airport for a long time and he could use his frequent flyers miles to get there.

USHenry I, like you, find some of my fellow US1's to be a little more than I can take. I have on at least two occasions, told them to chill out! There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior toward the folks on the front line. :angry: Now BBB would be another matter! :up:

I had real "female dog" get on a flight about two months ago and just raise all kinds of heck with the F/A because all the over heads were full and then refused to check her bags, then demanded to be re-routed all the while threatening the crew that she was a US1 and was going to have their jobs. All this was amazing since she boarded with THREE minutes before the door was supposed to close. Of course we are now 15 minutes late taking off.

She leaves and we take off. As soon as the F/A gets out of the jump seat, five other US1 all have their business cards out to give him and all are willing to back up every professional action he tried to implement to make this woman happy, but to no avail. To think that a F/A would even have to respond to any phone call she made or letter whe wrote makes me sick. I was truly embarrassed to have a CP tag on my bags.
 
Longingforpeidmont: The truth is, if that lady does write the Company and complain, regardless of the 5 US's backing the F/A up or saying something nice, we still have to see our supervisors and respond to the incident in writing. Regardless if it happened 3-4-5 months ago on ????flight out of ???city. I keep alot of records of all my trips so I can go back to try and remember what happened, when and where and how. Even my Manifest.

Problem is: She will get rewarded for her BAD BEHAVIOR. The company does it all the time. :down:
 
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ktflyhome,

"Problem is: She will get rewarded for her BAD BEHAVIOR. The company does it all the time."

You've hit the biggest problem on the head.

One of my niece's worked in consumer affairs for a time and she described the job as "being the advocate for the customer. Absent any evidence to the contrary, the customer's word is gospel". As you say, if any of the people described in this thread took the time to complain, they probably got a letter of apology from the company and some form of "freeby" to make up for their "bad experience".

Since hearing how comsumer affairs works, I have made it a practice to have "my" F/A's write up an incident report on any "altercations" that happen on the airplane. It may not make any difference, but at least the company has "the rest of the story" if they do get a complaint letter.

Jim
 
Until such time as the courts and companies refuse to allow such behavior, it will continue. Mr. Edwin should have been charged and put in jail to be someones girlfriend for the weekend. He might come out of the country jail a little more docile. I hope the gate agent filed charges, then got a lawyer to sue the company and Mr. Edwin claiming they couldn't work out of fear of passengers and the company for failing or guard their safety. Siegel doesn't care because, a gate agent with a bloodied face doesn't cost him anything other than "the cost of doing business." And another thing. the airline should be able to blacklist people at THEIR OWN discrection. This a-hole ought to be taking the bus . . . . at least until Greyhound blacklists him also, or he takes a swing at some guy on the bus and get his teeth rammed down his throat for his trouble.

This kind of stuff continues because the comanies and courts allow it to. In a lot of other countries there are insult laws. In the distant past, I thought they were kind of stupid, but given the rapidly increasing vugality and courseness of society now, I think they are a good idea.
 
I know the agent who was hurt by this jerk. This jerk should be spending time in jail.
All I can say here is if he had attempted this with me, I probably would not be working now. But I guarantee this jerk would think twice before he hurts the next airline employee if he were still breathing.
As for the airport police not much I can say on a public board except they need a lot more training......
 
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