Originally Posted by
Gnopps
I am absolutely with you here and am one to ask the same question when I read reports such as these
I don't know what else to add here though. We didn't have any interaction prior to him asking me, the only thing I could add is that it took some moments between the curse and him pushing past me during which I explained that I do not believe he was entitled to move past and for him to please see the guard if otherwise.
By saying "Non-confrontational" I mean that I did not try to escalate the situation beyond saying no.
.. and I was trying to be non-confrontational in
my post
You most certainly confronted the pilot, though i'm sure you were not overtly aggressive about it. Although his response was unwarranted, rude and totally unprofessional, and you felt bruised, maybe its something to chalk up to experience.
Sadly, even the smallest element of passive aggression can be a red flag to some temperaments and in certain situations, and for a pilot fresh from the adrenalin of the flight deck that might hit a trigger point.
Years' ago, doing volunteer work in west Africa, I tried the same thing with an army man who marched to the front of a queue for short-supply tickets to a gig (long story): he clicked his fingers and I was marched away. No harm done, but I've chosen my arguments more carefully since
