Unfiltered Story #179749

I work in customer service at a large airline. There was one customer who was being very rude to me. I had attempted to explain several times that there were no seats available, but he refused to listen and had been ranting for at least ten minutes.
“I need to get on my flight! My son and I need to get on [a flight] so we can go home!”
“Sir, no seats are avail-”
“But I have to get home! Do you see my son? We’ve been stuck in this airport for ages and we need to get back! Put us on this next flight immediately!”
“Sir, I cannot, as there are no seats-”
“Did you not understand me? I need to-”
Behind him, a young teenage girl speaks up. “Sir, please, shut up.”
The man turns around, fuming. “No. Stay out of this, you little b*****. It’s none of your business. I-”
The girl raises an eyebrow. “You realize that you are being counter-productive right? There are several people in this line who got up when this nice lady asked for volunteers to give you a seat. However, you, by interrupting and not getting out of the way, are therefore preventing them from getting to the front of the line and giving you their seats.”
“I will not get out of the way until I get a seat!”
“Let me explain this to you.” The girl stands squarely on a linoleum tile. “This square is occupied, right? Can you stand on this square?”
“No.”
“Good. Now, there are people who are- or probably were- willing to give you their squares so you and your son could get home. They are in the back of the line. Meanwhile, by demanding that this nice lady give you a seat, you are implying that you wish to get a seat that does not exist. Does such a thing exist?”
“No.”
“Great. So I hope that you understand that you must get out of the way and let the nice lady serve other customers.
“You are a child. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I know how airlines work.”
“No, clearly you don’t. As for me being a child, I may be a minor, but I fly a more than 150,000 miles a year. This lady has been nothing but polite to you while you’re been extremely rude and cutting her off, demanding something that she does not have. This is by far the best customer service I have seen in the airline industry.”
“I will not get out of the way until I get my way!” He yells at her.
By now, a large crowd has formed. The line has grown considerably shorter. The girl gives a small smirk. “Sir, what is your flight number?”
“[flight number]. Why?”
The girl calls out to the whole room. “Who here was on flight [flight number] and was willing to give their seats to this gentleman?”
About a dozen people raise their hand. “And do you still want to?”
A collective “no.”
The man, now extremely angry, turns on the girl. “Listen, you little f****** b****, you probably just want to take my spot on this flight, right?”
“Actually, no. How long have you been stuck in the airport?”
“Days!!!”
I pipe in. “Actually, his flight came in at 5.” It is now 8.
The girl turns to him. “I have been sleeping in this airport for five days. I came up here to ask if there were any spare jackets in the lost and found I could use for a blanket. I too, am eager to get home to my parents.”
The man at this point loses control and moves to grab the girl, but she steps back and security, who were nearby, step in.
As they take the man away, I address the young girl. “That was amazing. Thank you so much.”
She shrugs. “It was no problem. He was being irrationally rude, and I won’t get fired if I run my mouth. I would like to extend the respect I have for all human beings from that man to you.”
Everyone who is listening laughs. I spoke to the manager, who had overheard the whole thing, and so in thanks, I got the girl a first class seat for her next flight and access to the members only area, where she could sleep. Now whenever she flies through this airport she drops by to say hi.