Question: "Your are not boarding tonight, you're being deported", for asking gate agent's name?
Jan 14, 2020, 4:24 pm
#46
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: YYZ / LHR
Programs: AC SE100k
Posts: 262
Whatever happened to “the customer is always right”? I’m not sure I would have handled the situation as calmly as the OP did. We’re not sheep; we’re paying customers and we ought to be treated as such. Apologists should find a time machine and go back to the early 40s in Europe where they’d fit in better.
Years ago I had a confrontation with an AC gate agent (my phone autocorrected to “hate agent” and I debated not correcting it), and upon asking for their name, they insisted (and confirmed by their supervisor when I asked for the supervisor to be summoned) that their collective agreement with AC gave them the right to not divulge their name to passengers. Lunacy. This was a big reason why I switched from AC to OneWorld for about 15 years. Now that I think about it, this may have been pre-bankruptcy for AC so I don’t know if their collective agreements were renegotiated when they went under (one would assume so).
Years ago I had a confrontation with an AC gate agent (my phone autocorrected to “hate agent” and I debated not correcting it), and upon asking for their name, they insisted (and confirmed by their supervisor when I asked for the supervisor to be summoned) that their collective agreement with AC gave them the right to not divulge their name to passengers. Lunacy. This was a big reason why I switched from AC to OneWorld for about 15 years. Now that I think about it, this may have been pre-bankruptcy for AC so I don’t know if their collective agreements were renegotiated when they went under (one would assume so).
Jan 14, 2020, 4:51 pm
#47
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ideally YOW, but probably not
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Posts: 1,826
We'll probably never know what exactly happened with the OP and the agent (non-verbal communication says a lot too). But while most of my AC staff interactions are great (or at least okay) there are certainly some who, and maybe they are just having a bad day, are not above losing it and badly overreacting.
Jan 14, 2020, 5:02 pm
#48
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,886
He could have ben "deported" to Canada, sort of. Because he had already passed US immigration.
I once had my flight changed while at the gate (cancellation) and the new flight involved a stop in Canada, rather than one in the US. So I had to turn around and pass Canadian immigration.
I once had my flight changed while at the gate (cancellation) and the new flight involved a stop in Canada, rather than one in the US. So I had to turn around and pass Canadian immigration.
Jan 14, 2020, 5:09 pm
#49
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: YYC
Programs: BA bronze, Aeroplan peon
Posts: 4,744
Even if that possible, it's not a decision a gate agent is empowered to make. If his clearance to enter the US is being rescinded, only a US CBP official could make that decision.
Jan 14, 2020, 5:16 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SEMM / HH Diamond
Posts: 3,158
(re)-reading over that thread now, things seemed pretty ambiguous right up until post 90. This thread isn't there, yet
Jan 14, 2020, 5:20 pm
#51
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SEMM / HH Diamond
Posts: 3,158
To be clear (and fair): the belligerent passenger in the other thread was not allowed to fly. The OP in this thread, was allowed to fly -- so I'm not trying to assert the two situations were identical.
I'm just observing that sometimes, people may believe they are behaving reasonably ... and other observers may have a different perspective.
I'm just observing that sometimes, people may believe they are behaving reasonably ... and other observers may have a different perspective.
Jan 14, 2020, 7:27 pm
#52
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: YVR
Programs: United Silver, Bonvoy Titanium, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 378
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Years ago I had a confrontation with an AC gate agent (my phone autocorrected to “hate agent” and I debated not correcting it), and upon asking for their name, they insisted (and confirmed by their supervisor when I asked for the supervisor to be summoned) that their collective agreement with AC gave them the right to not divulge their name to passengers. Lunacy. This was a big reason why I switched from AC to OneWorld for about 15 years. Now that I think about it, this may have been pre-bankruptcy for AC so I don’t know if their collective agreements were renegotiated when they went under (one would assume so).
Years ago I had a confrontation with an AC gate agent (my phone autocorrected to “hate agent” and I debated not correcting it), and upon asking for their name, they insisted (and confirmed by their supervisor when I asked for the supervisor to be summoned) that their collective agreement with AC gave them the right to not divulge their name to passengers. Lunacy. This was a big reason why I switched from AC to OneWorld for about 15 years. Now that I think about it, this may have been pre-bankruptcy for AC so I don’t know if their collective agreements were renegotiated when they went under (one would assume so).
Jan 14, 2020, 9:03 pm
#54
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Jan 15, 2020, 12:41 am
#56
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Ugh I hate how nested quotes don't work.
I don't think a frantic passenger would be able to tell the difference between the two words.
I bet if I asked American Bovine or canadiancalf to write down what I'm saying, and I said "They told me I was being deboarded at Pearson", there's a good 80% chance they'd think I said "deported". And that's with the benefit of context, for two people who hold top status in various airlines and have to put up with explaining airline and AC minutiae all the time. For anyone who's never heard the word "deboarded" used around a flight (i.e. most people), I'd bump that number up to 99%.
The only reason it took so long to be suggested in this thread is that the words LOOK different. They do not SOUND different.
"Deported" makes no sense. "Deboarded" is completely correct if the GA wanted to prevent the OP from flying after scanning his BP.
It's like being adamant the baker told you he'd given away his flower, and you somehow concluding they were referring to something other than the white powder used in every baked good. On FT, it confuses people. But I guarantee the baker said "flour", not "flower".
I don't think a frantic passenger would be able to tell the difference between the two words.
I bet if I asked American Bovine or canadiancalf to write down what I'm saying, and I said "They told me I was being deboarded at Pearson", there's a good 80% chance they'd think I said "deported". And that's with the benefit of context, for two people who hold top status in various airlines and have to put up with explaining airline and AC minutiae all the time. For anyone who's never heard the word "deboarded" used around a flight (i.e. most people), I'd bump that number up to 99%.
The only reason it took so long to be suggested in this thread is that the words LOOK different. They do not SOUND different.
"Deported" makes no sense. "Deboarded" is completely correct if the GA wanted to prevent the OP from flying after scanning his BP.
It's like being adamant the baker told you he'd given away his flower, and you somehow concluding they were referring to something other than the white powder used in every baked good. On FT, it confuses people. But I guarantee the baker said "flour", not "flower".
Jan 15, 2020, 2:12 am
#57
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: SYD, Australia
Programs: VA Silver, QF FF, Priority Club
Posts: 921
Ugh I hate how nested quotes don't work.
I don't think a frantic passenger would be able to tell the difference between the two words.
I bet if I asked American Bovine or canadiancalf to write down what I'm saying, and I said "They told me I was being deboarded at Pearson", there's a good 80% chance they'd think I said "deported". And that's with the benefit of context, for two people who hold top status in various airlines and have to put up with explaining airline and AC minutiae all the time. For anyone who's never heard the word "deboarded" used around a flight (i.e. most people), I'd bump that number up to 99%.
The only reason it took so long to be suggested in this thread is that the words LOOK different. They do not SOUND different.
"Deported" makes no sense. "Deboarded" is completely correct if the GA wanted to prevent the OP from flying after scanning his BP.
It's like being adamant the baker told you he'd given away his flower, and you somehow concluding they were referring to something other than the white powder used in every baked good. On FT, it confuses people. But I guarantee the baker said "flour", not "flower".
I don't think a frantic passenger would be able to tell the difference between the two words.
I bet if I asked American Bovine or canadiancalf to write down what I'm saying, and I said "They told me I was being deboarded at Pearson", there's a good 80% chance they'd think I said "deported". And that's with the benefit of context, for two people who hold top status in various airlines and have to put up with explaining airline and AC minutiae all the time. For anyone who's never heard the word "deboarded" used around a flight (i.e. most people), I'd bump that number up to 99%.
The only reason it took so long to be suggested in this thread is that the words LOOK different. They do not SOUND different.
"Deported" makes no sense. "Deboarded" is completely correct if the GA wanted to prevent the OP from flying after scanning his BP.
It's like being adamant the baker told you he'd given away his flower, and you somehow concluding they were referring to something other than the white powder used in every baked good. On FT, it confuses people. But I guarantee the baker said "flour", not "flower".
Jan 15, 2020, 5:02 am
#58
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 302
Key point here is "normally" pronounced. Maybe properly is better. YPMV: your pronunciation may vary.
Jan 15, 2020, 5:11 am
#59
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Prince Edward Island
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Posts: 1,582
Agreed. If the agent had any sort of accent, that may have blurred the difference. Or if the listener was unfamiliar with the term deboarded, it would be natural for him to think he heard "deported".