Posted on 07/23/2014 5:46:02 AM PDT by george76
MINNEAPOLIS — A Twin Cities man is upset about the way his family was treated on a Southwest Airlines flight because of a tweet.
Duff Watson says he was asked to de-board a flight from Denver to Minneapolis with his two kids on Sunday after an agent didn’t like a tweet he wrote about her service.
Watson and the agent had a disagreement before boarding initially.
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He’s an “A-List” passenger, which means he gets priority boarding. But a gate agent wouldn’t let his 6-year-old and 9-year-old board with him — so they’d all have to wait to board later.
“In leaving I said, you know, ‘Real nice way to treat an A-list. I’ll be sure to tweet about it,’” he said.
And that’s just what Watson did.
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Soon after getting to their seats, the family of three was asked to leave the plane.
“[She said] her safety feels threatened at this point because of what I tweeted,” Watson said.
Watson’s daughter, Lucy, said she feared for her father.
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Watson says at that point, his children started to cry. He doesn’t understand why his family was targeted.
“There was no use of profanity, there were no threats made. There was nothing other than, you know, a terse exchange between a customer service agent and a customer,” he said.
Watson says he was forced to delete the tweet.
(Excerpt) Read more at minnesota.cbslocal.com ...
I fly for business frequently but my schedule doesn’t really allow me to be near a computer 24 hours before so I get a seat.
I have never had any trouble with any of them. I know their jobs are really stressful so I do not need to add more. I treat everyone like I want them to treat me and it works.
“The airlines pretty much don’t give a crap about customer service and treat you like cattle.”
Customer Service does not extend to giving benefits to those who are not entitled to them. The guy was in the wrong in making a scene when the airlines refused to allow someone he was traveling with to accompany him during priority boarding. Sure, they were his kids but his kids aren’t entitled to anything just because they are his kids.
I’m curious about why the gate agent felt threatened after the Pac had boarded the aircraft unless the pac continued the confrontation after boarding.
Funny thing. Similar thread on a cruise line board about a guy who wanted to take his kids through priority boarding when they were not entitled. Kids were teenagers and one was 21.
Flying pretty much sucks these days on almost all US airlines. Crowded, dirty, full of surly tired stinky and sick people.
Add in the chance of being jailed for some petty argument regardless of who is at fault.
I hate flying on commercial airlines.
Yeah, after he was on the plane and about to be heading away from her at 600 mph. Maybe a case where everyone involved was an a-hole.
Many hotels now have kiosks in the lobby so you can print your boarding passes the day before.
Unfortunately that only goes so far when faced with arbitrary or downright ignorant flight crew.
In one case I was seated in an exit row next to a black lady. The black flight attendant walks up joking around and asks the black lady next to me if she’ll perform the exit row duties. She does it in a joking fun manner and the lady next to me answers in a joking manner.
Then the flight attendant comes to me and I answer in a similar joking manner. She gets all pissy and says I can answer yes or no or she’ll throw me off the plane.
I use online check in and get my boarding pass on my phone.
I like knowing where I’ll sit.
What about the cranky FA's, gate keepers and ticket agents? Surely you must have seen some of them?
I fly a lot and have seen the level of service/pleasantness deteriorate over the past few years. Maybe it's security, maybe it's the airline mergers but many airline employees are stressed and unhappy.
Getting pleasant service is a thing of the past. I was on a morning flight recently. The flight attendant *forgot* to serve coffee. She sat and read most of the flight. That was in First Class. Another one forgot to make sure the lav was empty before she had the pilot come out to use the lav. That's a major security issue.
So what?
Is it against the law to be an a$$hole?
Probably some feminazi asserting herself.
This is one of the reasons I no longer fly unless it is an absolute dire emergency.
Jump in the truck, carrying my own food, listening to Rush. Much better than flying.
First, just like illegal immigrants, most gate agents know the “magic words” that will force the process to flow a certain way. It seems that she used those words to allow the pilot to assert his (proper) authority.
I fly enough that I have had a Companion Pass for years - I get to pick someone to fly for free with me (wife, child, complete stranger, etc). We each get separate boarding passes - I am usually A16 - A20, my companion has to check in at T-24 to get theirs, usually at the start of B.
Proper etiquette is that we board according to our numbers, or I step back to board with them. Mr. A-List here tried to slip one past the GA.
Children under 5 get the privilege of boarding early with family members. Once they turn 6 - messy. No more families walking the plank together. That is common across all airlines, with multiple exceptions.
Southwest does allow families to board after A60, so it is not as bad a situation as non-fliers expect.
If he flies enough to get A-List then he should be familiar with the rules, including the rules for family boarding.
For Southwest boarding there are a couple of rules. “Blue cards” board first, then Business Select A1-A15 (if any), then A-List Plus (me), then A-List, then Early Boarding, then the “A61” boarders, then family boarding, then the poor souls that were unable to check in at T-24 hours.
Once on the plane he should have just walked towards the back to get three seats together and “saved” seats for his kids, or just waited and boarded with them.
While in the hearing of the gate agent the rules are simple - “Yes Ma'am/Sir” and “Thank You!”. All else leads to issues, which passengers will usually lose, no matter how much they fly.
I suspect that the Jerk Factor was at work here.
smartphone with wireless access will work nicely as well.
but you’re right - if you’re at the end of Group C on southwest, you’re in the last row with seats that don’t recline with less legroom. and usually some enormous human being occupying the middle seat who takes over half of your space.
I often don't bother to check in anymore unless I buy a ticket less than 24 hours before boarding. Just print one out at the airport.
I have lost my status on other airlines so I enjoy the full experience of legacy air travel.
What about the cranky FA’s, gate keepers and ticket agents? Surely you must have seen some of them?
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I simply don’t react to them. ‘Cuz I did not and will not push their buttons.
On average I fly domestically a handful of times and internationally once a year or so, so I don’t pretend I’m a frequent flyer, but the bad behavior I see comes from the passengers, not the staff. Usually.
I am always very polite to the gate agent.
What most people don’t realize is that flying in a commercial airliner is not the same as having dinner at a fancy restaurant. The airlines can kick you off the plane for almost any reason if they feel you are any sort of a threat. Best to sit down and shut up!
And BTW, a customer reward is useless if you can't use it, because they won't let your children board with you.
I fly a lot so I’m upgraded to most of the time. First is filled with frequent flyers and some of them are flying just about every day. These folks are usually not a problem. They know how to roll with the unexpected or block it out of consciousness.
The people who don’t fly a lot are the ones who usually get stressed and behave poorly. They don’t know the system, they don’t know their options and they feel out of control.
The only time I can remember seeing a passenger behave poorly in first class was a guy going to Las Vegas. He upgraded at the ticket counter to avoid paying a checked bag fee and then must have had A LOT to drink before he boarded. He was definitely not a road warrior.
I will say this - air travel these days is absolutely, completely unpleasant, and often horrendous. Every flight is full, every gate is full, customers and agents are usually worn out and surly. In flying Delta, US Airways, and American multiple times within the last six months, I had a flight leave on time exactly once. I would not want to work in the airline industry. On the bright side, I made it to my destinations safely.
Just because you are traveling with an A List member doesn't mean you get to board with them - even if they are kids. If your kids are 5 or under, SWA will allow you to board after the "A" group is finished. If this guy is an "A List" member, he knows this rule and was just trying to get on first with his kids rather than waiting to board with them later and, possibly, not be able to sit together.
I tried this once and learned that there is no negotiation. It is what it is. Instead of arguing with the gate agent, I now get on the plane first and save seats for my wife and kids who usually board with the "B" group. It's a screwy system but it's a lot better than when it was first come first served. People would get to the airport two hours ahead of their flight to board first. Meanwhile, I'm running to the gate at the last minute and end up in a middle seat, in the screaming infant section, even though I was flying more than 80 segments a year with them.
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