Originally Posted by
kale73
Perhaps a mod can move this to the "biggest lies" thread.
I've had it done recently, and proactively, by both GAs and, I presume, the "system". Just a couple of weeks ago, missed a connection at IAH, went to a kiosk, saw that I was confirmed on the second available flight and on standby for the first. Standby cleared.
The following week, a late arriving aircraft at LAS could possibly have made me miss a connection at SFO. Went to the GA, mentioned that I had a connecting flight to SEA, she said 'You should make it, but I'm holding you a seat on the [time of next flight] to be safe.' I did, indeed, make the originally scheduled flight.
Generally GAs are given much more leeway than reservations agents (phone) to do something. It is assumed that because the GA is working under time pressure, is on-the-spot to assess the situation, has the customer in his face, and he/she may need to bend the rules at times. The same is true for UA Club personnel.
When I worked for Continental, hundreds of reservation agents were fired every year for not following company policy. There are huge numbers of applicants for a small number of positions. Unlike pilots, flight attendants and mechanics, res agents are not usually unionized and have no recourse. I met many ex-res agents who were bitter because they had been fired for very minor infractions which objectively would seem to be in the company's best interest. Reservation agents were fired because the average number of seconds they spent per customer was too high.
Every transaction a reservation agent makes can be traced back to him/her and the computer systems extensively monitor everything they do for violations.