An award should go to the United Airlines gate
agent in
Denver for being smart and funny, and making her point,
when confronted
with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as
cargo. During the final
days at Denver’s old Stapleton airport, a
crowded United flight was
canceled.
A single agent was rebooking
a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly, an angry
passenger pushed his way to the desk.
He slapped his ticket down on the
counter and said, „I HAVE to be on
this flight and it has to be
FIRST CLASS.“
The agent replied, „I’m sorry sir. I’ll be happy to
try to help you,
but I’ve got to help these folks first, and I’m
sure we’ll be able
to work something out.“
The passenger
was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers
behind him
could hear, „Do you have any idea who I am?“
Without hesitating,
the gate agent smiled and grabbed her public
address microp
hone. „May I have your attention please?“ she began, her
voice
bellowing throughout the terminal. „We have a passenger here at the
gate WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his
identity, please come to gate 17.“
With the folks behind him in
line laughing hysterically, the man glared
at the United agent,
gritted his teeth and swore „F— you.“
Without flinching, she smiled
and said, „I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll
have to stand in line for
that, too.“
