Originally Posted by JDiver

While we get caught up in semantics and how we have (not yet) been caught if we fail to adhere to the requirements established by other nations - and many have other basis of law than English Common Law, which presumes innocence - let's not forget that arbitrary, small-minded, by-the-rules bullies do not restrict their activities to any particular airline or airport security program; they are also to be found as petty bureaucrats working immigration (and customs) queues.

One of those petty bureaucraps attempted to prevent me from leaving Ministro Pistarini / Ezeiza International Airport in Argentina last year - not because of any illegality or error, but merely because of my last name and she was sure there must be something underhanded about me. I won't even mention their analogues in, say, Russia, Laos, Cambodia... If you haven't run into one of this type, or seen someone crying or upset at a border or airport because they have been denied boarding or entry because of some small (and often "between the lines") reason, you just haven't traveled sufficiently yet.

The best way to prevent these issues is to travel with every "t" crossed, "i" dotted and requirement taken care of (and it still may happen, as it nearly happened to me at EZE). If I can not determine what requirements I must meet when I travel I should probably compensate a travel agent for their services - then it would be their responsibility to take care of the issue.

And I'll repeat, the AA Agent should be reported.

(N.B. Just for the record - there are no such things as a "Platinum Desk" nor "Platinum Supervisors" - there is only a Platinum line, answered and handled by the same CSAs who handle Gold or white card members. The supervisor deserves some acknowledgement and recognition for handling the stated situation professionally, IMO.)