I would say bypassing a boarding pass check is extremely poor judgement and you're lucky that the employee just grabbed your arm, especially near DC. Depending on how far you got across the tarmac, security could have been called and you arrested. Yeah, that's worst case, but but stranger things have happened.

I am not lucky to have been assaulted by an airline employee. That is a barbaric sentiment.

Edited to remove incorrect hyperbolic statement.

I was going to post about these. I was in that area a few years ago and one of the gates was boarding Charleston, SC and Charleston, WV from the same gate. What could go wrong!?

Most of the people working at these gates don't speak English very well this also leads to issues. As for boarding Charleston SC and Charleston, WV at adjoining gates - welcome to united express! Nothing they do should surprise you

1. calling it "assaulted" when someone grabs your arm is ridiculous hyperbole, on par with your use of "barbaric". You were not assaulted.

2. by your own admission you deliberately bypassed a boarding pass checkpoint. Here is the 21st century there will be consequences for that any airport.

3. you distorted what I wrote: "you're lucky that the employee just grabbed your arm". What I said is that you were lucky it was only the arm considering that you had bypassed a checkpoint. Violate airport rules and there are consequences. Go over the security fora and read the stories about pax thrown to the ground, bloodied, arrested, etc. for violating security rules. There are plenty of stories out there of people going where they shouldn't on the tarmac and being arrested.

One would hope a veteran would have better sense than to deliberately walk past a boarding pass checkpoint. However, someone who did walk past one and then assaulted an airport employee would likely be arrested, face criminal charges and have zero success suing anybody for damages. Make a bad choice, face the consequences: why is that hard to understand?

Also, where do you get the idea that any military personnel are trained to "respond immediately on instinct" with violence? Training teaches members of the military to assess a threat and respond appropriately, use of violence in response to someone grabbing your arm is contrary to military tactical training.

I admitted nothing of the sort, nor have I violated any security rules. I have never read a story on FlyerTalk or anywhere of anybody attacked as viciously as you describe in any airport in any century for any reason.

I don't think so: there are a number of people who are actually not literate enough to be able to read English, even if they speak English. Maybe you can have a look at the statistics about reading abilities in your country. It can be surpringly high, even in first world countries.

I was also asked once while traveling if I could understand English, I do not find it offensive, I thought that the person who asked me just needed this information to know how to deal with me in this situation and adapt to my communication abilities.

*may have thought
**would have had

Just a thought... not to be awkward, but is the fact that you are a North American born/ native English speaker stamped on your forehead? If not, then the only thing the agent had to go by was your looks, and you know as well as I do that people are reacted to based on their looks. I know that my ability to speak a certain language (English, German etc.) is not stamped on my forehead and therefore, since I manage to look like an obvious tourist, EVERY time I am in Europe I am asked almost once a day if I speak English because the other party wants to be able to communicate with me in the easiest manner possible. Just like if I were in Quebec... how can the other party just assume I speak French? I would never make such an assumption!

In this case the lady may have been trying to ensure that you were able to read English because many Asian travelers don't (conversely, it would be like assuming I can read Kanji or Korean which I don't), and often require a translator or language assistance -- that's a fact and not a generalization and for instances exactly like these when you have 000s of people speaking in tons of tongues, they have language assistance available at airports. Now if she was rude or condescending, that's a different issue and in that case, yes, she was being offensive.

So ultimately only you can answer the question which no one here can... Was she being condescending or was she genuinely trying to help?

I've never once had a situation in a multi gate scenario like this where more than one gate is open. In my experience in Europe, Caribbean, US and Canada I have always found they board one plane, then rope that off before boarding the next. Their seems to be very good procedures in place to prevent this from happening at every airport I've transited.
Maybe I'm wrong but active boarding on two planes from one gate like this doesn't seem common place or proper?

No, but I worry that some day I will and not figure it out until it's too late.

It was undoubtedly incredibly rude but I would not assume the malicious intent you attribute her.

I haven't boarded the wrong plane, but I did line up at the wrong gate and watched my plane depart without me. I was connecting through ORD and was supposed to go to gate 8. I was walking down the hall - sign says 2, people gathered outside... 50 feet further, sign says 4, people gathered... 50 feet later, sign 6, people gathered.... 50 feet later, people gathered.

I assumed I was at 8. It wasn't. It was absolutely, unequivocally my fault, and a total brain fart on my part. The gate agent said something about "delay," everyone groaned... I returned to the club.

It was 15 minutes later when I went to check flight status and I saw my original flight switch to "departed" that I clued in something had gone... wrong.

Thankfully the airline just laughed and scheduled me on the next flight. Cost me an extra night in a hotel rooom, and a confirmed upgrade. I figure it was a cheap life lesson.

Wow, lots of hyperbole in this thread. To the OP, you weren't paying attention and are lucky you eventually got on the right flight. Consider yourself lucky that that was the end of it. If you were offended by someone asking you if you could read English, I honestly recommend a thicker skin.

Time to lock this thread as I see no further value to the OP or to FT in keeping it open.
Obscure2k
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