Originally Posted by
vicontt
The amount of ppl in this thread seemingly suggesting that it's ok for a salaried employee to actively force paying customer to not do what they are perfectly entitled to do (board as close to 15 mins cut-off as they feel like, for any reason they want whatsoever) so that said salaried employee can go home earlier is amazing.
I welcome OP to ask for the GA's name and lodge a complaint with UA management, naming GA and highlighting that this is wholly inappropriate.
This is certainly what I would do.
No one has mentioned a salaried employee going home early. I suggested making someone's job easier by not engaging in a pointless argument and allowing them to wrap up a task. But if I could help a salaried employee to go home early on Christmas, and the only harm to me is boarding a plane 4-5 minutes earlier, I'd be delighted! And I think most people would be.
I also appreciate people I work with who engage in courtesies that help me get my job done with less stress or rush, and less hostility.
The suggestion that customers should feel free to make airline staff's jobs as difficult as possible because the staff gets paid a salary anyway is troubling- though not super surprising to see on here. You used the word "entitled" in your post, and that certainly seems apt.
The majority of posts in this thread aren't suggesting GAs can do whatever they want. They are recognizing that in this specific situation, a lot of us agree with OPs own assessment that he was indeed the 'jerk' in this situation.
Thanks to all of those in the airline and other industries that are working on the holiday, and an extra thanks to those dealing with difficult passengers- even if they are paid to do so.