<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by writetorich:
I disagree.
When yo go to a Hospital Emergency Room, Is it first come- first serve? No. Of course not. Similarly an airport check in line is not a line at your local Bakery.
What happens when AA has to "reaccomodate" the Paxs who missed Chicago flight? It wrecks havoc in the system.
Where's the harm? The paxs who "cut" you made their flight as did you yours. Admittedly a small minority abuse this system, but Paxs still need to be prioritized based on departure time. Air travel is time sensitive, not merely first come first serve.</font>
There's a huge difference between a hospital and an airport. People who are forced to wait at the airport don't die. Most people come the airport by choice, and even if not, most people have some choice in terms of how early they arrive. I've never met anybody who decided it would be nice to visit the emergency room, or who decided to let their condition deteriorate before coming to the hospital so they wouldnt have to wait so long. (hey, if I lose a few more pints of blood I can go to the front of the line!)