I agree if there version of the story is correct maybe, just maybe they have a point. But knowing chronically late people, the people the world seems to cater to, to them 5 minutes is the same as 25 minutes when they aren't the ones waiting.
I think if they were waiting there with he rest of the people and it happened the staff would have been accommodating, sure as shat, they came running up to the gate frazzled when the last person was boarding and then wanted 10 more minutes.
Yup, just like when people make up numbers about their commute times from the middle of nowhereland/suburbia.
Yup, the Alaskan flight to Seattle probably was full of people that had on-going connections (Seattle is one of the big hubs for Alaskan). So if I was a frequent traveler I would see this as a sign that Alaskan respects those that have boarded on time and wants to make sure they get me to my connecting flights.
I think this was a case where a little compassion and understanding would have avoided this situation. The first person the gate agent handed her ticket too refused it as they understood. Besides when do parents know when thier kid is going to have an accident.
Why the hell should the airline have compassion for people who cleared security 20 minutes before takeoff? If they had been there an hour like before like everyone else, than you show some compassion.
Had they been there earlier they likely already would have been on the plane when this happened (planes usually board 30 min in advance), and it could have been dealt with the onboard washroom with no one missing their flight.
These parents are clowns. Bringing a baby through security with less than 20 minutes before a flight. As someone already mentioned, I can't believe they would even bring this up to the media given it makes them look foolish.
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When we first moved to St. Albert our teen had a hard time fitting in because of money and it was hard on him. Now he is good, but it did not go away with just a loving hug — his status was accomplished once his friends saw our house and other possessions.
I know, I know - painting people with a large brush and all . . .
I like the comments section of their blog. It starts with supportive comments but is quickly over-run with the opinion that is most strong here, and you can see where some comments have been removed by them. I guess they could care less now, since Alaskan caved and gave them their money, boo-urns!
I like the comments section of their blog. It starts with supportive comments but is quickly over-run with the opinion that is most strong here, and you can see where some comments have been removed by them. I guess they could care less now, since Alaskan caved and gave them their money, boo-urns!
Good to hear the parents got thier cash. I wonder what disiplinary actions will be taken against said employee. Maybe a course in customer service.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dion
I think this was a case where a little compassion and understanding would have avoided this situation. The first person the gate agent handed her ticket too refused it as they understood. Besides when do parents know when thier kid is going to have an accident.
Are you serious? This is about catching an airplane with interconnecting schedules for thousands of people across hundreds of miles - not a dropping your kid off at daycare.
The situation actually could have been avoided if they had showed up on time.
It's true the kid would have most likely crapped himself at the same time, but had the parents showed up earlier they would have been given preferential boarding and the accident would have happened on the plane.
It annoys me that the parents can't see this from the airline's perspective. As already mentioned, they have connecting flights to make and a delay of even a few minutes causes problems for a ton of people. I have a friend who works for WestJet scheduling the times pilots can fly and if anything like this comes up it can have ungodly consequences.
Being a parent is (normally) a choice you make in life. To assume everybody should bend over backwards to accommodate you is selfish. Of course we don't know why these people cut it so close ... perhaps they are chronically late or perhaps the kid threw them a curveball. Regardless, it isn't the fault of the airline.
When we first moved to St. Albert our teen had a hard time fitting in because of money and it was hard on him. Now he is good, but it did not go away with just a loving hug — his status was accomplished once his friends saw our house and other possessions.
I know, I know - painting people with a large brush and all . . .
It's also that same community that produce this little gem:
Bottom line, this whole 20 minutes thing is BS. I'm sure this was one of those 'mad dash' to the airline gate caused by poor time management beforehand by the parents where they cut it so fine that an unexpected variable did them in. Not sure where I'm getting this from but it just seems to me that these are the types of people who would complain to the manager of a restaurant over some mundane detail with the hopes of getting a deal off their meals.
On the other hand American carriers are horrible in pretty much all regards around customer service. If you look at what it costs Americans to fly domestically you would know why. Their leg room is cramped the most, they have unforgiving terms and conditions, they charge for the most basic of services, and their inflight experience is by far the worst. It is a culture shock for people who are used to flying Westjet or Air Canada.
Last week leaving the Houston airport for New Orleans, we arrived at the gate just after the boarding call (still a good 30 minutes before take-off) because our restaurant meal took maybe 5 minutes more than expected in the terminal. They were just about to give away our seats as we walked up, because they also sell a crap load of standby seats. To ensure that these standby ticketholders get to their destination, they just wait for an existing ticketholder to slip up in the slightest way timewise to give up their seats for standby flyers.
Moral of the story: Show up at the gate before boarding, not takeoff! Especially with US carriers.
Sympathy for people who miss the flight for any reason = 0.
It goes to negative territory if it comes out that the kid cried durring the flight. Children under the age of 3 should not be allowed to fly.
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Sympathy for people who miss the flight for any reason = 0.
It goes to negative territory if it comes out that the kid cried durring the flight. Children under the age of 3 should not be allowed to fly.
You've managed to hit one of my pet peeves! No, not kids on flights, but people who are too stupid to handle their own experience on a plane. Whether or not you have a quiet, comfortable plane ride is completely dependent on you. There is no way to control your surroundings, so you need to find a way to control your personal space.
Noise isolating headphones are cheap. If you want a quiet flight you can pick up a pair. If you're too cheap to buy a pair I feel you've lost your right to whine.
Annoyed because a baby cried the entire time? Your fault. Annoyed because that chatty woman yammered on about her cats for 5 hours? Your fault. Annoyed because the guy next to you wouldn't stop snoring? Your fault.
People need to go places and sometimes those people have kids. Whether it impacts you is totally on your shoulders.
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You've managed to hit one of my pet peeves! No, not kids on flights, but people who are too stupid to handle their own experience on a plane. Whether or not you have a quiet, comfortable plane ride is completely dependent on you. There is no way to control your surroundings, so you need to find a way to control your personal space.
Noise isolating headphones are cheap. If you want a quiet flight you can pick up a pair. If you're too cheap to buy a pair I feel you've lost your right to whine.
Annoyed because a baby cried the entire time? Your fault. Annoyed because that chatty woman yammered on about her cats for 5 hours? Your fault. Annoyed because the guy next to you wouldn't stop snoring? Your fault.
People need to go places and sometimes those people have kids. Whether it impacts you is totally on your shoulders.
Absolutely. It's not like these are people who intentionally infringe on others during flights like the people who reek and fatties who spill out into your seat.
You've managed to hit one of my pet peeves! No, not kids on flights, but people who are too stupid to handle their own experience on a plane. Whether or not you have a quiet, comfortable plane ride is completely dependent on you. There is no way to control your surroundings, so you need to find a way to control your personal space.
Noise isolating headphones are cheap. If you want a quiet flight you can pick up a pair. If you're too cheap to buy a pair I feel you've lost your right to whine.
Annoyed because a baby cried the entire time? Your fault. Annoyed because that chatty woman yammered on about her cats for 5 hours? Your fault. Annoyed because the guy next to you wouldn't stop snoring? Your fault.
People need to go places and sometimes those people have kids. Whether it impacts you is totally on your shoulders.
Wow congratulations, you've just excused rude behavior. I get that people can't control their snoring, thats whatever, but if you can't stop your baby from crying, maybe your baby shouldn't be flying. If you can't shut the f up after I politely tell you that I don't need to hear about your cats, or your spoon collection then you have a problem, and maybe you should lose some weight or wear a low cut top so I have something to look at while you yammer.
You don't have the right to smell like a$$ on a plane, take a shower, you don't have a right to lean on my shoulder, or intrude on my personal space GTFO.
Oh and if you don't quit farting I'm going to throw you out the fricken window.
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