Sunday, August 25, 2013

Day in the Life of an Airline Ticket Agent


Recall a time when someone told you that you weren’t doing a good job. You probably felt attacked or unappreciated. It likely made you angry too.

Today, as I was waiting at an airline gate, I witnessed an airline ticket agent taking a verbal lashing. A young mother with a one-year-old daughter and two-year-old son demanded that her kids be assigned seats adjacent to each other. The ticket agent responded that every seat on the plane was occupied. She shouted, “My children can’t ride alone. So, what are you going to do about it?” A passerby tried to make a joke as he pointed to the young boy, “He is at least 15 months old and he can surely take care of himself.” The mother didn’t laugh, instead she escalated to a new level of accusation against the gate agent.

I agree with her that sitting near her children is important, but the agent was not the one who assigned the seats. He was doing what he could, including making an announcement on the intercom asking if anyone would be willing to change their seat in exchange for exit row seating.

Instead of thanking him, the mother insisted, “So, how are you going to fix this?” He responded that he is working on it. She said, “What does that mean? What am I supposed to do in the meantime?” He said to check back five minutes before boarding was complete. She told him that wasn’t good enough and demanded to have their seats moved immediately. With a little irritation in his voice he said, “I can’t just give you someone else’s seats. How would I choose who I was going to move out of their seats which have already been assigned?” She spun around on her heel, with the two kids in tow, and left the ticket counter in a huff.

I was next in line intending to ask for a new seat assignment closer to the front of the plane. After that verbal abuse, I knew he wasn’t going to be too excited to help me. I said, “You have a very difficult job.” He nodded his head and said, “Sometimes.” I thanked him for being patient even when he didn’t feel like it. I asked him about changing my seat and he told me all that he could give me was a middle seat. His next move was one I have never seen before. He asked me to come behind the counter and see the seats that were available. I thanked him for his courteous service and for trying to help me. He reassured me that my current seat was a good one even though it was in the second to last row of the aircraft where people line up waiting on the bathroom.

Today’s gift was to acknowledge the patient, kind behavior of someone who felt unappreciated. I know that sick feeling when someone is acting in a mean spirited way. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to help the gate agent know that some people are grateful for his efforts and that he does do a good job.

In Giving,

Robin

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