Curious:

When you are in line for an agent at the gate (or at the ticket counter), do you wait for him/ her to call you over, or do you go into position as soon as the agent's previous customer leaves?

I usually wait until the agent is ready and calls me. I find that often, even after the passenger leaves, the agent is still finishing the reservation. I can only imagine how an agent might dislike it when a pax stands staring at them at the counter while the agent is unable to help.

Anyway, I was at SFO the other night on way to LAX. Four agents were working the gate. I was next in line. One left. Of the three agents, one was processing standbye's, one was finishing with a customer, and one was on the trying to get her previous customer a confirmed seat off the waitlist.

I waited there patiently for an agent to be free. Two more agents left. There was just one left! I waited 15 minutes. Long line behind me. NO ONE BECAME FREE!!!! So I just went up to the counter.

The agent said, "Can't you see we're trying to get a flight out?"

Hmmm, should I know better next time?