I am sorry you had that experience. I have taken that flight many times since 9/11 and never had that problem before.

The problem as someone stated before, is since this is a small airport, some people think that you can show up 30 minutes before, and you can make your flight. Which used to be true in some cases.

The only reason why that supervisor would have done that, is that we only have one non-stop flight to Chicago a day, while there are many going to DFW

I fly mostly DL, AA and SW out of ELP, and never had that experience before.

Sorry you had a bad experience in the wonderful "Sun City"

Here's my solution, which I'm sure people will find a million problems with:

Have 3 special lines with dedicated agents on each:
- "less than 45 minutes before before departure"
- "45 minutes to 1.5 hours before departure"
- "1.5+ hours before departure"

Someone at the entry to each line checks tickets/flight times to ensure no cheaters.

People are only pulled to the front of the line in the 1.5 hours+ queue (so only people who got there at least 1.5 hours before the flight and waited in line are guaranteed to get checked in). Maybe also in the 45min to 1.5 hour queue... but then would people bother showing up more than 1.5 hours in advance? My guess is that people would, but it should be tested.

If you arrive less than 45 minutes before a flight and are not able to get through checkin- tough luck, you miss your flight. The 45 minute line should have a big sign that says "You are not guaranteed to be checked-in before your departure if you arrive with less than 1.5 hours before your flight."

ok, let the criticizing begin...

I've seen variations on this happen a bunch of times, and while I don't think they should have pulled away all 5 agents, if you look at it from the airline's perspective, it does make sense to try and get as many people on their flights as possible. I've got no problem w/ them pulling people out of line (at check-in or security) if their plane is about to leave. The vast majority of the times this makes my wait longer, as I tend to get to the airport quite early; however, once it saved my butt (pre 911). They are running a business. tls

I haven't done this, and I don't think I would, but:

I hate to say this, but this type of logjam is an argument for checking a bag. This gives the airline an incentive to get you to the gate as quickly as possible, and you know that the flight isn't going to close early if you're not there.

[This message has been edited by landspeed (edited 03-22-2002).]

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.

Sometimes it seems like my local bakery. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The problem of letting people check-in who have no intention of waiting on line is that you reward bad behavior and punish good behavior. The consequences of that is never good.

Airlines reward bad behavior all the time and rarely would anyone complain because most times it is to their benefit. This particular practice is sending the wrong message to those that can't get it together in enough time to get to the airport in a timely fashion. So is allowing people to carry on 3 bags though and I never hear anyone complain about that.

This has been a fascinating thread. Also, my first time to this section, interesting.

Couldn't most of us agree that at one time we are early? another time, we are the late ones? So it goes around.

Anyone who lives in a city like LA knows about traffic, and yes, it does affect making flights, and yes, I do take it into account. We all made a flight to Vegas, all coming from different directions, in my case, from work-trying to get as much out of the day as possible, and we made the flight via a miracle-flight was delayed. The LA traffic was jammed stopped. I figured we'd miss it, take the next flight.

I think we should be fair to everyone as we are usually on both sides of the coin. It is rude, for those concerned, and there are plenty!, who make it a habbit of running late and showing up, always, at the last minute. The airlines are rewarding them for that behavior and it says I am better than you. At the same time, I am grateful when they have done it for us, with the crowd in line cursing us.

I try very hard to keep on AA or the Oneworld airlines for my status-Platinum, easy check in, and perks. Lately I have had, without a choice, to fly someone else. Just grin and bear it. Always use skycap if possible. I didn't quite understand why you didn't use skycap in the first place!? Many of them now print you out a boarding pass, and you're done. Give them a big tip, and you know what!?, they've earned it.

Hope this helps and that AA works better for you next time.

------------------
Michael
AA PLT,1 MLN Miles+
HH GLD, SCI GLD, MM SIL
LE PRESIDENT ETERNEL DE CAMAIR-CAMEROUN AIRLINES :)

I think the real issue here is airport staffing by the major U.S. airlines. Prior to 9/11, the airlines, as a whole, simply demanded too much from too few agents. This problem has gotten worse since 9/11, as you have fewer employees servicing an increasing number of customers.

When I traveled to OZ last week, I was amazed at the number of check-in stations QF offered at its domestic terminals in SYD and MEL. There was hardly a wait even at the Economy Class counter, and this was during a labor action in MEL. And for the record, QF dedicated a separate check-in position for latecomers (basically they announced that all pax who have not checked in for QF XX should report to position Y).

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!)

There's an article in this Sunday's NY Times travel section:

The Joy of Cutting It Close
By LUCY FERRISS

I TELL my friends that my schedule was simply too tight, that I miscalculated, that the traffic was unbelievable, or even that I got the departure time wrong. None of these excuses, even when true, explains why I cut time so close when catching the plane or the train. I do it because I like to. I pay the price, and then I do it again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/24/tr...12000mio0iio7f

I think the solution is a combination of several ideas put forth in this thread.

First I agree that there should be different lines for passengers on the flights leaving A) within the hour, B) one to two hours off, and C) more than two hours, each with at least one dedicated checkin agent (maybe two for the "A" line). And the solution for making sure that everyone gets in the correct line is to set up a "triage" agent to direct people into the correct line. That way anyone who arrives late to the airport MUST use the "A" line. If they miss their plane because they got there too late and there were 50 people in the line before them THAT IS THEIR OWN **** FAULT. The others who arrive earlier do not have to worry about people cutting in line.
This way someone like me who likes airports can be guaranteed that when I arrive 1 1/2 to 2 hours ahead of time, the "B" line may be almost empty. (Sort of an elite check in for those who play by the rules)
This gets back to the title of the Thread. This procedure would not reward the wrong behavior but reward those who get to the airport early enough to reasonably make their flight. It would require people to take responsibility for their own actions.

And if you feel that your time is worth more than the others already in line, Pay them for jumping line. More arrogance is not needed at the airport!!!
Just my thoughts


[This message has been edited by mapsmith (edited 03-23-2002).]

>>> I LUV Qantas...

It's not always the passenger's fault. Sometimes you show up at the airport and there are unexpectedly long lines.

Sure, pax should arrive early enough to cover most eventualities. But what happens when the line is twice as long as it normally is because the airline is shorthanded that day, or the computers are running slow, or weather in another part of the country has messed things up?

I arrived at LGA for a US flight to IAD a couple years back and found lines with sevearl hundred people (from the coach check-in desk, through the maze, then all the way to the far end of the terminal). It took me about 4 hours to get to get to a ticketing agent.

I couldn't possibly have known that there was some lightning incident in Boston that was going to throw the whole northeast system into chaos.

Until we have some easy way of determining what's going on before leaving for the airport, it's tough to blame the pax. People who cut it close frequently will eventually get burned, but there are some innocent people who are victims of unusual circumstance.

d

>>> Hi Doppy, well said!!! 4 hours? I think you could walk to DC in that time, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Not sure if I would have taken that.

Next time, skycap, then go to the club, buy a day's membership if need be, and go from there.

When I flew UA, the lines were so long, and with carry on, went to Red Carpet Club and they sold/processed the ticket right there. Never would have made it had I waited, with a one flight a day type of thing.

The airlines are horribly understaffed. Maybe the Gov't can give them more of our tax dollars to hire new staff?! It is that or the underwater basketweaving analysis off Virignia that the money goes for. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Not to mention the $100 ashtrays. LOL