Canarsie

Interestingly enough, while there were experiences as gate agents the four of us shared in common, we found that not only did we each have wildly varied and different experiences as gate agents between each other, but I was amazed at how each of the three flights at my gate were very different experiences as well.

Also, when making gate announcements, you may “ad-lib” and even use some humor, if you like. However, the gate agent with whom I worked cautioned that “a gate agent must know his audience.” For example, it might not be a good idea to play around with the passengers at the gate of an early Monday morning flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

What pleased me was that the gate agents with whom we worked revealed when they were de-briefed afterwards that they enjoyed this experiment as much as we did. Not only would they do it again, but there are many gate agents who want to do this as well.

Finally, for those of you who want to “walk a mile” — and that is literal, we found out this morning — in their shoes, be prepared to answer their questions of understanding how the mind of a frequent flier passenger works as well as asking them questions about the role and thought process of a gate agent. I found that not only did we understand each other significantly better by the time my “shift” was over, but that we grew much closer than at the start of the “shift” six hours earlier.

Again, the experience far surpassed my expectations...