I work in customer service in baggage for an airline, and it’s always an interesting job, filled with lots of interesting people.
A man comes up to my counter and just stares at me blankly for a few seconds.
Me: “Hello, sir, how can I assist you today?”
The man continues staring. I pause for ten or fifteen seconds wondering if he’s going to speak and then waving at him in case he’s hard of hearing.
Me: *Speaking slowly* “Hello. May I help you?”
He seems to snap out of whatever he’s doing, slaps his baggage tag onto my counter, and gestures aggressively for me to hurry up.
Me: “I’m sorry, sir. I’m unclear about how I can help. Are you missing your bag? Did you miss your flight? Are you looking for something else?”
Passenger: *Snapping* “WHERE THE F*** IS MY BAG?!”
Me: “Okay, sir, I’m happy to look into that for you, but please refrain from using foul language here.”
I start pulling up the information about his bag and notice that he is flying out from my airport, instead of arriving from another city. This could mean that he either missed his flight or that he was denied boarding. Depending on which reason it was, and depending on how long the agent at the gate had to be able to action this for the guest, the bag may or may not have been pulled from the aircraft it was scheduled to go on.
Me: “Okay, sir, it looks like that flight just left. Did the gate agent send you down? Did they happen to mention if they were pulling your bags?”
The man just shrugs and doesn’t answer me.
Since I apparently have to play detective, I pull up his reservation in the ticket system — this takes about a full minute, which is why I didn’t do it automatically — to see if the agent at the gate has written anything. Sure enough, there is a note.
Note: “Guest didn’t bring ID. I denied boarding as per TSA rules, but guest would not give me his boarding pass or tell me his name so I could find his name to remove him off the flight. As such, I had to waste a few minutes narrowing down who had a seat but wasn’t scanned in. When I called him by his name, he confirmed it was him, and when I asked him why he had made that so difficult, he told me that if I was going to be a d**k to him for denying him the flight, then he would be a d**k, too. Flight was delayed out of the gate for seven minutes due to guest.”
Now recognizing who I am dealing with, I manage to confirm that his bag did not get removed.
Me: “Sir, are you still intending to fly to [Destination]?”
Passenger: “WHERE THE F*** IS MY BAG? Why does it matter if I’m still flying to [Destination]?! You people had better find me my f****** bag!”
Me: *Tired of his attitude* “Sir, because you didn’t bring ID with you, you were not allowed to board your flight. If that agent had let you on, she could have been fined. On top of that, because we didn’t have enough notice that you hadn’t brought your ID, your bag is on its way to [Destination]. I’m trying to help you, but I can’t do that when you’re being difficult. If you’re going to [Detination] at a later time today, I can get them to hold your bag for pickup. Otherwise, I can get it sent back here, but it won’t be here until tonight. What would you like me to do?”
The man looks at me, looks at my coworker (who has stopped what he was doing upon my outburst), and looks back at me.
Passenger: *Sheepishly* ” I’d like to pick it up in [Destination]. Is there another flight today?”
Me: “Yes, there are two more flights today. You’ll need to rebook upstairs at the check in counters as I’m only baggage. The next flight is in four hours. Is that enough time for you to get your ID?”
Passenger: *Quietly* “Yes.”
Me: “Okay, pop upstairs to the check-in counters to get the new flight information, and I’ll send the messages to the other airport to hold onto the bag and you can pick it up when you arrive. Remember to be nice to the people who are trying to help you!”
The man slowly walks away shaking his head.
Coworker: “Holy s***. Remind me not to poke Mama Bear in the future.”
Related:
Has Some Serious Bag Baggage, Part 9
Has Some Serious Bag Baggage, Part 8
Has Some Serious Bag Baggage, Part 7
Has Some Serious Bag Baggage, Part 6
Has Some Serious Bag Baggage, Part 5