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Age discrimination

Age discrimination

Old Oct 21, 2008, 1:20 am
  #1  
Former user name: laundrian
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Age discrimination

I have posted something like this before, but this happened over the weekend that bothered me so much...

I am a 1K, 23 years old who just happen to look VERY young. I couldn't have passed for a high school student. I have a MBA and am working for a big company here in NYC. I travel a lot for work so having 1K is a huge bonus.

Last weekend, I went to the airport early to stand by for a morning flight to SFO from EWR...I got the departure card along with my BP for the confirm flight. I got to the gate and the GA was able to give me the seat. He then ripped off my BP for my confirm flight which I understand.

He called me up later and told me that I would not get on the flight because they changed us to a smaller plane and there won't be enough seats for everyone. He told me that he would book me on another flight. So I stood there, waiting for him to do so while he is helping out other customers. I then asked if I could have my original boarding pass back so I would go out of the security and do it myself at the ticket counter...

He then got all pissy, ripped up my BP and said me " Sir, I don't have time right now, you don't have a boarding pass anymore"

Me: " I did until you gave me my seat then ripped them all"
GA: " If you want, you are welcome to look through the trash"
Me: " OMG , you ARE SO RUDE. Is this how you treat your elite members? That is unacceptable."
GA: " You are disturbing me, I will call TSA and you could talk to them. Now go sit down" ( as he started to pick up the phone )

I am not making this conversation up, there were more to it but I don't feel like typing them all. I tried to looked at his name tag which he got even more angry. I told him I would write him a very nice letter.

He treated me like a child which I did not appreciate. I think if I was older, he would have never used that language toward me. I called to complain but from my experience, they don't really do anything.

I been flying out of EWR at least twice a week and I have ran into him along with his ".....y team". They are very nice to me now consider knowing that I am a 1K member ( they had no idea that I could be a 1K at such young age).

This is not the first time I feel that they treat me wrong because I look young. People have questioned me on how I got my status. Even fellow passengers gave me dirty looks when I board on the RC or sit in C or F.

All I ask is.... please dont judge the book by it cover. Yes I look like I am 17, but you don't know me. Just be nice...
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 1:24 am
  #2  
 
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23, 17, 84, 6, or 114 there's plenty of GAs in this system that I've concluded just aren't cut out for a customer facing position especially in one that involves the slightest bit of stress*. If it went as you say then my guess is the guys a an arse and your age had little to do with it.


*if your first response to someone being the slightest bit upset is to call security you qualify.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 7:37 am
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what does having an MBA have to do with the situation? is it written on your forehead?
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 7:49 am
  #4  
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Welcome to FT!

This type of situation reflects horrendous customer service, not age discrimination. I would let Continental know about it, but would not mention the age issue, since there is nothing in your original post to indicate that the agent was rude to you because you look young.

Your reaction (Me: " OMG , you ARE SO RUDE. Is this how you treat your elite members? That is unacceptable.") did not help the situation. Yes, it's frustrating. Yes, the agent was rude. But your response smacks of "DYKWIA?"

Mike
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 7:53 am
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The edit button does is giving me issues, so I'll add that the agent's threat to call the TSA was way out of line. I hate when employees use the TSA for a customer service situation. I might have just said, "OK, go ahead."

Mike
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 7:54 am
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Originally Posted by mikeef
Welcome to FT!

This type of situation reflects horrendous customer service, not age discrimination. I would let Continental know about it, but would not mention the age issue, since there is nothing in your original post to indicate that the agent was rude to you because you look young.

I am in complete agreement. The GA was behaving in an unprofessional manner, but it had nothing to do with your age.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 7:57 am
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Originally Posted by ryan182
If it went as you say then my guess is the guys a an arse and your age had little to do with it.
Agreed. Folks like this guy actually DON'T discriminate. They're a**hats to everyone.

I'm sorry you had a negative experience, and Welcome to FlyerTalk.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 8:10 am
  #8  
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Originally Posted by laundrian
GA: " You are disturbing me, I will call TSA and you could talk to them. Now go sit down" ( as he started to pick up the phone )
Regardless of your status w/ United, it was unnacceptable behavior by someone that represents the airline and is supposed to be assisting customers.

FYI, my new standard response to the threat of someone acting like a d1ck calling the police (or in your case the TSA) is to remain polite but say something to the effect of "Please do call the [police]. I have done nothing wrong and there are witnesses here to prove it [people start running]. I would love to watch you try and explain your behavior to them and for it to be documented for your employer and the public to read about." It's been a very persuasive argument on the couple of occasions I have had to use it.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 8:37 am
  #9  
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Originally Posted by laundrian
<SNIP> I am a 1K, 23 years old who just happen to look VERY young. I couldn't have passed for a high school student. I have a MBA and am working for a big company here in NYC.
Just curious, but were you dressed in business attire?

Originally Posted by laundrian
GA: " You are disturbing me, I will call TSA and you could talk to them. Now go sit down" ( as he started to pick up the phone )
At any rate, using the TSA as a threat is totally unacceptable.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 9:44 am
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I agree with the OP - it's age discrimination.

Unless you have had it happen to you - or someone you know well - you may not believe it.

I'd be polite, use the old "kill them with kindness". Don't stoop to their level - and be thankful that you'll look young forever while they get old and ugly
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 9:49 am
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bad attitude

You could have whipped out your 1k card and said, "Is this how you treat your 1k members?"

I was on a flight and this 1k dude was next to me in business class. They didn't have his food selection, and he said, "What? 1k isn't good enough any more?" He got his food selection no problem.

But there is also a point N965VJ made. If you show up in a blazer and a dress shirt, they tend to give you more respect. If you show up with a backpack, sweatshirt and jeans, people may not. I saw on a travel show where the guy said, "I always travel with a blazer." It definitely makes you look more credible, even if you're off to hawaii on vacation. However, if you're a woman, then it may be different.

But no matter how you were dressed or what milage plus elite leve you were at, that is absolutely unacceptable behavior. I would complain to United until I was blue in the face if I were you.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 11:55 am
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I am in my early 20s and I always travel in a blazer and/or proper attire as it is a proven fact (in my experience) that people take you more seriously and give you more respect and better customer service. Also, being cool-headed and polite earns you more respect than being an arrogant, obnoxious, and whiny Elite.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 12:10 pm
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Originally Posted by mikeef
This type of situation reflects horrendous customer service, not age discrimination. I would let Continental know about it, but would not mention the age issue, since there is nothing in your original post to indicate that the agent was rude to you because you look young.
You know an airline has too much control over an airport when people automatically assume that a UA 1K who mentions his 1K status to a GA is flying on CO.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 6:09 pm
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Originally Posted by SFflyer123
But there is also a point N965VJ made. If you show up in a blazer and a dress shirt, they tend to give you more respect. If you show up with a backpack, sweatshirt and jeans, people may not. I saw on a travel show where the guy said, "I always travel with a blazer." It definitely makes you look more credible, even if you're off to hawaii on vacation. However, if you're a woman, then it may be different.
Agreed. Dress makes a big difference in how you are treated.

The one exception to this is in computers--casual dress in a context where you would expect professional dress marks you as a guy who actually works with the machines as opposed to a manager but doesn't get the brush-off that would otherwise likely follow from not dressing to standard.

Jeans and a T-shirt have always worked fine for me at things like Comdex except for the fact that they would prefer talking to the suits. A suit represents more sales and they are a lot easier to impress with fluff. I never had the feeling that they didn't take me seriously, just that they correctly identified me as a small fish.
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Old Oct 21, 2008, 6:48 pm
  #15  
 
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Looking Younger than You Are

I feel your pain.

I looked like I was 14 when I was your age. Didn't look like a grownup until my mid thirties.

I've experienced similar bad treatment that, at the time, I attributed to age discrimination.

However, I'm not so sure anymore.

It is hard to know or tell with any certainty when people are treating you like a kid, providing bad customer service, or something else just as stupid.

Mrs runarut swears she gets different treatment by airlines because she is a woman. She believes that she is singled out because she is less likely to raise a fuss. (Underlying assumption is that women are less likely to raise a ruckus than men.)

Using her logic, young are less likely to raise a fuss than folks in their prime. Therefore, young are more likely to receive bad customer service.

My belief is that, in general, presentation (how you dress, talk, etc) has more to do with how you are treated than any other factor. Testing my theory is easily done at new car dealers. ;-)

In my life experience, the best solution is to focus on what you can change instead of trying implement change in others. There are things that you can do that improve the odds of good treatment. They can be difficult to figure out. The ones that work best for me required behavioral changes on my part. This doesn't require you to sell out and not be who you are. Think of it like driving a car. Can't drive the car effectively unless you understand the controls.

Also, different airlines have different rules for handling irregular operations. It may be that losing your seat was a matter of airline policy and not the arbitrary whim of a jerk gate agent. Study the forum for your airline to find out how best to position yourself during irregular operations.

Your only consolation is that when you get into your fifties, you may very well look forty as I do. I like looking young now. Sucked when I was in my twenties and early thirties.
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