"I'm not going to argue with you, sir." [HPN Agent Ignores 1P Baggage Policy]
Feb 20, 2012, 11:28 pm
#1
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"I'm not going to argue with you, sir." [HPN Agent Ignores 1P Baggage Policy]
I'm Not Going to Argue With You Sir
A United Comedy in One Act
A United Comedy in One Act
Scene: United's woefully undermanned check-in counter in White Plains airport.
Characters: Agents 1 and 2, both United agents, and snic, a harried traveler who just wants to get where he's going.
Agent 1: "Sir, your bag weighs 58 pounds. You'll have to remove 8 pounds."
snic: "Um, I'm a Premier Executive and ... "
Agent 2: "I'm not going to argue with you, sir. Either you remove 8 pounds or you'll have to step aside."
snic: "But a 70 pound baggage limit is a published benefit..."
Agent 1: "Step aside, please, and wait for the manager. Next in line!"
Agent 2 wanders over to deal with a different problem.
snic: Excuse me, are you the manager?
Agent 2: No, but what seems to be the problem?
snic: My bag weighs 58 pounds, which is within the Premier Executive limit, but he won't let me check it in.
Agent 2. One moment, please.
Agent 2 goes away and comes back, then whispers in Agent 1's ear. Agent 2 signals for snic to put his bag back on the scale, then prints out a baggage tag.
snic goes on his merry way, telling everyone who asked about his trip about his pleasant experience checking in with United.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Feb 21, 2012 at 4:25 am Reason: Removed profanity and added detail to vague thread title
Feb 21, 2012, 12:23 am
#2
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I'm disappointed to hear that the agents acted so unprofessionally. I would have asked for the station manager when the first agent started being a jerk. Not a way to treat a GM or a 1P 
Feb 21, 2012, 1:19 am
#3
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This is a dumb question, but were the agents you were talking to at HPN employees of United? Does that airport also have Airserv agents who print bag tags and move bags around (but do little else)?
Feb 21, 2012, 7:08 am
#4
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HPN is an express station, and I never had a good experience dealing with the desk staff there. I tried to complete a sponsored upgrade transaction at the check-in desk, and they would not allow me to do so because "she is working a flight and not available for anything else", even though there were no passengers checking in. 
On a separate occasion, the staff there issued a handwritten boarding pass, accused him of not checking in on-time, and botched the IDB and rebooked.
Worst in the system.
On a separate occasion, the staff there issued a handwritten boarding pass, accused him of not checking in on-time, and botched the IDB and rebooked.
Worst in the system.
Last edited by PTahCha; Feb 21, 2012 at 7:31 am
Feb 21, 2012, 11:38 am
#5
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There was a time, agents in White Plains were always ^
Most times, HPN agents try really hard, especially when presented with real or imagined problems.
Sometimes it takes a few minutes over and above what's normal.
dh
Most times, HPN agents try really hard, especially when presented with real or imagined problems.
Sometimes it takes a few minutes over and above what's normal.dh
Feb 21, 2012, 11:53 am
#6
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Every agent has a bad day and every system has below average stations. I just try to be empathetic to hardworking people trying to do a complicated job for little pay and high stress. FWIW, the last time I flew on AA (ex SFO) the agent hand wrote a BP.
Feb 21, 2012, 12:02 pm
#7
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Agreed. Problem is not the hand written BP. The issue is the employee did not own the issue and blamed the customer, which is not right.
Feb 21, 2012, 1:13 pm
#8
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So you got your bag on the plane and didn't have to pay anything or remove anything? You have a problem being the attitude? Welcome to new United
Feb 21, 2012, 3:56 pm
#9
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Feb 22, 2012, 7:23 am
#10
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This is more a problem with the airPORT, than the airLINE. HPN is one of the few, if not the ONLY station I know of where the customer service is actually handled by the airport. It might have something to do with the limited number of gates, etc., there, but it's a pain regardless.
It's also part of the reason why Southwest is pulling Airtran out of there. They want their people handling their customers.
It's also part of the reason why Southwest is pulling Airtran out of there. They want their people handling their customers.
Feb 22, 2012, 7:31 am
#11
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This is more a problem with the airPORT, than the airLINE. HPN is one of the few, if not the ONLY station I know of where the customer service is actually handled by the airport. It might have something to do with the limited number of gates, etc., there, but it's a pain regardless.
It's also part of the reason why Southwest is pulling Airtran out of there. They want their people handling their customers.
It's also part of the reason why Southwest is pulling Airtran out of there. They want their people handling their customers.
Feb 22, 2012, 7:48 am
#12
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http://crankyflier.com/2012/01/23/so...it-adds-seats/
Feb 22, 2012, 11:46 am
#13
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To clear up any confusion:
At HPN, ramp and boarding agents are indeed Airport Employees for all airlines, except for JetBlue. (Or JetBlue has dedicated Airport Employees for their flight, I do not know, but they wear JetBlue uniforms, while all other ramp/gate agents wear generic HPN uniforms.)
At checkin, every airline has its own "native" employees. -- I believe UA contracts with Air Wisconsin, but I could be mistaken.
As far as AirTran leaving, I have doubts in the validity of the "reports" you mentioned.
At HPN, ramp and boarding agents are indeed Airport Employees for all airlines, except for JetBlue. (Or JetBlue has dedicated Airport Employees for their flight, I do not know, but they wear JetBlue uniforms, while all other ramp/gate agents wear generic HPN uniforms.)
At checkin, every airline has its own "native" employees. -- I believe UA contracts with Air Wisconsin, but I could be mistaken.
As far as AirTran leaving, I have doubts in the validity of the "reports" you mentioned.
Feb 22, 2012, 12:57 pm
#14
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The best thing I can give you off-hand is in this article:
http://crankyflier.com/2012/01/23/so...it-adds-seats/
http://crankyflier.com/2012/01/23/so...it-adds-seats/
Feb 22, 2012, 1:53 pm
#15
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This is why I threw a qualifier (part of) in there, because I know that the airport's capacity is incompatible with their model, and that I don't receive their internal company memos, and even if I did, I couldn't divulge them anyhow. Thus, the only options I have are those that have connections to those in the know (like Cranky) or A.net---which is neither difinite, or wholly qualifiable---both of which qualify as 2nd hand information, so pick your poison.