A few posts up it was indicated how dumb pax can be.

A few weeks ago I was waiting by the check-in desk at SYD for them to open, anxious to get mrs uk1 up to the lounge for a pre-flight meal and booze.

Over the next 30 minutes or so a few people queued behind me and a large queue snaked it's way around the very clearly signed "Fast Bag Drop - FOR PASSENGERS WHO HAVE ALREADY CHECKED IN ONLINE - ALL OTHER PASSENGERS SHOULD USE DESKS XYZ". I was frankly impressed by the number of people checking in on-line compared with a year ago.

Just before the desks opened a burly BA agent called out: ""This area is for Fast Bag Drop only and for PASSENGERS WHO HAVE ALREADY CHECKED IN ONLINE - ALL OTHER PASSENGERS SHOULD USE DESKS XYZ".

Out of the 70 or so customers in the Y queue around 60 shuffled away to join the backs of the queus at the correct desk. They were now at the back of the queue whereas if they had joined the correct queue in the first place they would have been at the front. Everyone else in the F queue behind me dissapeared. And so did the C queue. One person behind me started an argument with the desk person that they should be allowed to stay in the F line because the Y queue was long and they had once bought an F ticket.

As the 10 remaining people in the Y queue shuffled there way to the desks a line monitor walked along the line asking each person for their printed BP. Out of the 10, 7 indicated in perfect English that they had not checked in. 3 people remained. I asked the burly BA aganet if this was the same every day as the signs were so clear and I was genuinely shocked. He told me it was like that every day. How dumb can people be?

It is my general experience that rudeness amongst staff is extraordinarilly rare. And the once or twice I have encountered it, I've put it down to something I don't know about. All of us have bad days. Sometimes we've just heard some bad news. Sometimes we react to someone else who has just been rude to us and it takes a little time to shake it off.

It is my overwhelming experience that you get great service if you are a great customer and less if you are not a great customer. That is life. Crew are not servants. They are not "lesser" beings than PAX. They are on the same path as you.

Take time to read their name on their badge and use it. Ask for things nicely. Say thank you. Share some humour. Those few small things will make all the difference.^