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AA gate agent berates, prevents mom carrying on breast milk pump & cooler

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AA gate agent berates, prevents mom carrying on breast milk pump & cooler

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Old May 9, 2018, 1:50 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by DCP2016
Is it just me or have gate agents become more and more power hungry? People complain about FA's but I see it more and more with GA's. I can count negative experiences with FA's on one hand in my many years of flying, negative GA experiences take up both hands.

its called a post 9/11world. Some flight attendants use it as a way to exhibit power onto passengers.
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Old May 9, 2018, 7:01 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by enviroian
How could a female gate agent not know a breast pump is a medical device and not considered carry on luggage?
Oh, -- do we hold employees to different standards of knowledge depending on their gender?
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Old May 9, 2018, 7:08 pm
  #18  
 
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I didn’t see anyone say male attendants would be held to a lower standard.
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Old May 9, 2018, 7:18 pm
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by DCP2016
Is it just me or have gate agents become more and more power hungry? People complain about FA's but I see it more and more with GA's. I can count negative experiences with FA's on one hand in my many years of flying, negative GA experiences take up both hands.

Yes I agree I've noticed more surly GAs than FAs of late. I think its a combination of factors, full flights with pressure to ensure on-time departure, bag fees and that many US flyers bringing their every worldly possession in their carryon, more inexperienced/infrequent flyers, things like BE that disallow carryons and lack of OHB space after G4 that causes more gate checks. While I've never needed their services, I've seen and heard about how the DL "red coats" can be useful in situations where there's a CS issue at a gate - AA should consider having something similar.

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Old May 9, 2018, 7:27 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by swingaling
Someone with that little tact should not be in a supervisory position, let alone a customer-facing role.
What shocks me more is the AA rep's official statement.
“If that happened, it’s certainly not professional and not how team members should act,” she said.
If that happened? And who cares about professionalism at this point - we are talking about basic respect.
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Old May 10, 2018, 7:01 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by KBMIFlyer
I am glad I have a job where if I make a relatively small mistake it will not be plastered on the evening news.
Yelling "How many boobs do you have?" at a mortified customer in front of 50 other people is not a relatively small mistake. If that GA were running the podium at Ruth's Chris, or a check-in desk at The Four Seasons, she'd be fired on the spot.
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Old May 10, 2018, 7:06 am
  #22  
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One suspects that AA is unable to fire a GA on the spot, even if a supervisor/manager had personally witnessed the behavior.
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Old May 10, 2018, 7:26 am
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by honores41
Breast-pump mom 'humiliated': Know your travel rights, parents. A flight attendant refused to allow Dawnella Brahos to use her breast-pump, a violation of American Airlines policy.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/nati...482128151.html
Who is Dawnella Brahos?
(It is Kelsey Myers)
AA claims they will retrain. Sometimes you just cannot train stupid.
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Old May 10, 2018, 8:00 am
  #24  
 
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It's somewhat of a relief to see this discussion here and not front and center on the UA board.
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Old May 10, 2018, 8:02 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by DCP2016
Is it just me or have gate agents become more and more power hungry? People complain about FA's but I see it more and more with GA's. I can count negative experiences with FA's on one hand in my many years of flying, negative GA experiences take up both hands.
That is absolutely right!
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Old May 10, 2018, 8:22 am
  #26  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
One suspects that AA is unable to fire a GA on the spot, even if a supervisor/manager had personally witnessed the behavior.
Or maybe likely due to union protectionism.
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Old May 10, 2018, 8:31 am
  #27  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
One suspects that AA is unable to fire a GA on the spot, even if a supervisor/manager had personally witnessed the behavior.
Which goes to the root of the airlines' atrocious service image. Even well-intentioned managers (and there aren't many of those) have very limited ability to affect execution quality and drive consistent service delivery. When you have a column of apathetic front-line workers or virtual saboteurs like the GA under discussion here, it's a near-impossible service environment. The fifth columnists know it, too, or they wouldn't abuse customers and their own employer with such carefree impunity.
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Old May 10, 2018, 8:52 am
  #28  
 
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Unless there are multiple LAX supervisors with that relatively uncommon name, she's a complete nightmare. I don't understand how she hasn't been fired yet--I saw her berating several customers for asking simple questions.* I only remember her because I needed to take a later flight, and she insisted beyond insisted that there was no such thing as confirmed same day changes, then put me on standby for my desired flight as an RL rather than RV (I was EXP at the time). I noticed I was too far down the list and asked her to fix it, and she was absolutely furious.

*I'm not someone who says customer service agents berate customers just because they're being curt or snarky. I don't think I've ever seen an agent berate a customer except her, and I do mean berate.
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Old May 10, 2018, 9:54 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Not all women have babies, not all mothers breast feed, not all mothers who breast feed use pumps, etc.
Given:
Not all AA Gate agents do their job correctly, not all AA Gate agents are professional, not all AA Gate agents are even remotely competent, not all AA Gate agents disrespect certain PAX due to perceived social station, AA status, race, color, creed, et al, not all AA Gate agents even give a ... crap about PAX, etc.

However:
NO AA Gate agent will EVER be suspended/fired/terminated/taken out and shot, etc. for consistently doing their job incorrectly, being consistently unprofessional, being consistently incompetent, being consistently disrespectful (hello PHL & CLT), consistently screwing over PAX to the advantage of non-revs (hello LAX & SFO), consistently not giving ... a crap, consistently not knowing the rules, etc.

Welcome to the new America(n). I thank (the deity of my choice) that I now only fly when I choose to instead of doing 175-250 segments a year. My heart goes out to that still do!

As always, YMMV.
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Old May 10, 2018, 10:09 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by enviroian
Or maybe likely due to union protectionism.
1000% agree

But I also suspect the majority on this fora are successful/talented/skillful enough in life that they don't feel the need to be "protected" by the "u" word.

YMMV (but I don't care)

Last edited by Dallas49er; May 10, 2018 at 10:24 am
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