If the female passenger was originally ticketed that way, and you needed a change - this could have required a ticket reissue for you, which would be subject to time restrictions that she wouldn't be subject to because she was flying her flights as already/originally ticketed.

Reaching out via Twitter is different than the online comment/complaint form.

I never said I was an expert. I was just trying to understand and share my knowledge with the community. I haven't checked a bag on AA in years so I didn't want to be presumptive and apply DL principles to AA, regarding the details of what's on the bag tag. But if any agent rips off tags and its not due to their error with the tags, it is being escalated on the spot, either with management or law enforcement. Leaving and going outside (where SkyCaps know nothing about ticketing) wouldn't help.

Anecdote: I recently had a DL Manager do something similar with bag tags, but it didn't affect my ticket as I had completed travel; he didn't explain and when I asked why he stated "because you are speaking to me." That made no sense. He didn't resolve my problem and was rude. Thus, I asked for and was given the Station Manager's phone number; 5 minutes later he was on the floor talking to me, and a few minutes after he emailed me a $200 voucher - that I didn't request - as an apology and a thank you for bringing the challenges to his attention in a professional and polite manner.

First, very, very bad move to grab a phone out of someone's hand - likely assault and battery for snatching someone's phone from the person's hand an destruction of property. Two simple misdemeanors.

That said.....the fact that two passengers were being p**sy over their tickets did not help much. That an entirely different name than the names of the two ticketed passengers appeared on a ticket would have raised a red flag to most front counter agents. If the agent had a a cooler head, he would have let the photo be taken and then taken it up with the station manager - noting that a clear ticket discrepancy existed and that the passengers were attempting to pull a fast one.

As to a $275 charge, it was probably a $150 ticket change fee and the differential between the ticketed fare and what was basically a walk up fare....

I'm suspicious when I hear that an agent five kiosks away could hear what the passenger was saying. I don't see how that could have happened unless passenger was shouting.

Airline agent comes across the counter at me and hits the phone out of my hand? 911. "Please send an officer to help me. I've just been assaulted."

This would be a good test of the cloud technology (if enabled by the user). Worth a check, if there was enough time between the passenger taking a picture and the agent lunging over the counter and throw the phone, if the picture was backed up to the cloud. If the phone only cracked, the underlying processes could still be working and the picture may have backed up to the cloud. Worth a shot - can the resident TPG blogger check this as well

There are definitely better ways of handling things, but it doesn't change the fact that customer-facing employees should not be going insane. Training helps. Plus, every person is not made to face the public, who can be EXTREMELY provocative. There should be a built in way for staff who are about to lose it to pass a customer off to another staff with a minimum of disruption. It beats this sort of bad PR and would probably help retention.

This, for sure. PHL is my home airport, so what goes on there is the norm to me. Yes, they will bark at you, point out every move they think you've made incorrectly in a rude way, "I didn't tell you to take your shoes off!!!" and generally demonstrate power at every turn. Interact as little as possible, be unfailingly polite even if they aren't, don't engage about their attitude and keep yours completely in check and you will make it through fine.

Nope, sorry. Not going to roll over for someone being a jerk. You get the same amount of respect you show me.

Probably $200 change fee and $75 SDFC fee

Why would security be called regarding fraud? If this was the first time the pax attempted this, it could either be denied or allowed by AA.

The only time worth calling Corp Security would be if its a pattern and the customer has been warned. But once? And calling it fraud? Psh.

Exactly! Passengers need to be aware too. This is what I was implying by questioning how an AAgent so far away could hear him. And it could be faster to just find an airport police officer then to call 911 - especially if you aren't from that area and aren't sure which tower your 911 call could be connecting to (it might not be the zone/police precinct assigned to the airport, which can respond the fastest)

Wow, they've really beaten you into submission LOL

Though, avoiding PHL altogether seems to be the better option... If you have to connect with AA, CLT and DCA are a complete 180 from the PHL cess pool IME.

Your responding to two different incidents. I explained quite efficiently how I was heard from 30' away. This was the transfer counter just outside of customs at DFW, not the normal public check in. I was the only PAX there and there were three agents manning the two contiguous counters I was at. 8' away there are two more contagious counter. 8' from there are two more. If you add it up, it's really only 16' feet away, I suppose. You've seen the contiguous counters that most domestic airports have, right? As for the phone, that's relevant to the OP. I merely had my tags ripped off of my bags after the agent leaped over the scale at me.

Beater (planes out of PHL) & Battery (by ticket agents). Only from Philly the city of brotherly love!