^ And that, in summary, is the way things should be. No matter how stressy a day you've had, whether you've queued for 25 minutes at check-in, or whether you're trying to score an up*****, being nice to any member of airline staff is the way ahead - as well as being a matter of common courtesy. It costs nothing, and as some of the tales above perhaps illustrate, can benefit you occasionally too.

Sadly common courtesy and manners are something which a lot of people forget these days.