Agent

[Atlantic]

Yesterday I landed in PHL early by about 20 min. The gate RIGHT next to mine was going to where I live. If I get on this plane it will save me an hour of hanging around. I get off my plane and walk to the boarding check in for the BOS flight. I walk up to the check in, NO px. around and watch the agent flipping tickets and doing something with the computer. It's 12 min. before departure. After standing there for a min. or so,and KNOWING she knows that I'm there, I ask "can I get on this flight?" No answer, just flipping tickets.
"Is there any one on the jump seat I ask." Still flipping tickets. No answer. Now it less than 8 min. before departure. No responce from this agent. She then ripps the tear sheet of the printer, looks at me and says the flight is closed. She then walks away and down the jetway. And I'm right behind her. "Where are you going she asked." Down to speak to the Captain. "He's not in charge of this flight<I am." Oh yea babe I say to myself, you say that to the Captain and youre in a real jackpot. I intoduce myself to the Captain, ask to sit on the jump seat (open) and he says no problem. Then she starts screming in the galley, for all of First Class to hear, and every moose in Maine to hear for that matter."I have to enter him, the flight is cloosed." And more , and more , and more. And while this is going on, it's stlll before departure time. The Captain had a very short conversation with the agent.
I sat on the jumpseat, and that was that.
Agents: the Captain can accept a late boarding J/S, and do everything over the radio to load control. No imput from the agent is needed.
This agent was wrong.

 

[fatherabraham]

Atlantic,

GOOD for you. YOU did the right thing. Battles of authority like these have been fought over and over 4-ever. My experience leans toward gate agents being the worst @ challenging fellow employees. I am sure they have some valid reasons why, but it has caused me and my family/friends unecessary grief several times and I nonrev very little. Shame on that particular agent and likeminded agents.
Remeber the Golden Rule.

 

[Hope777]

Yes the agent was wrong, but the Captain cannot input the Jumpseat rider into the computer and neither can load control. That is a Function of Customer Service. So when you call operations, the operations agent must get in touch with C/S to input your Jump Seat rider into the count. That Count in turn gets sent to CLP. Now if the flight has been closed out by C/S, they must make a phone call, have them (CLP) reopen the flight so they can add you to the count.
Bottom line is that the agent was wrong, however, it is not a easy as you think to add you to the count.

 

[USAirBoyA330]

On this subject......
Why in the heck is USAirways still in 1977 counting tickets? We are the only airline it seems that doesn't have Ticket Readers. It would clear up dup seats and let the agents deal with other things like passenger needs and jumpseaters instead of flipping tickets.

 

[USFlyer]

On this subject......
Why in the heck is USAirways still in 1977 counting tickets? We are the only airline it seems that doesn't have Ticket Readers. It would clear up dup seats and let the agents deal with other things like passenger needs and jumpseaters instead of flipping tickets.

Thank you! I've been waiting for someone to bring this up. How much could it possibly cost to implement these, especially in the larger stations and hubs?

 

[Atlantic]

Thanks Hope,
And you may know more about this than I. Tell me this: If the Captain calls Load on the radio, tells them to add an ACM, and gives the name of the ACM, load can't make the entry in their computer and then send the w/b via ACARs to the aircraft reflecting the ACM? If I understand you, you say load has to call back to the gate and have them put the ACM into the computer, and the send the message via computer back to load. Are you sure?
Not that I doubt you, but I go back to work tomorrow, and I'll call load to find out this works. It just seems to me that if load has to call back to the gate to get a computer message that they allready know by a radio call, it's double work.

 

[Atlantic]

Hope.
When I say Load, I'm speaking about CLP. Just so you know who I'm talking about.

 

[Atlantic]

Piney,
When I first started, there was a outline of the cabin at the boarding area. As each px checked in, the agent would pull a sticker of the outline of the cabin, put it on the boarding pass, and give it back to the px. At the end of boarding, the agent would count the mumber of blanks, subtract that number from the total number of seats and give that count to the flight crew. It was allways balls dead on. Over the years we have tried outher ways of counting. None of them is worth a damm. 6 out of 10 times the count is wrong. Go figger.

 

[Light Years]

I cant believe we still dont have gate readers. Onning seats in confusing and time consuming.

This agent was stressed and took it out on another employee. She forgot the golden rule. Most of our agents would not do this.

 

[UsPerfEngr]

Atlantic,

Yes, CLP / Dispatch / Captain can take care of all the planning numbers via ACARs. However, if I am not mistaken, Hope is refering to the RES passenger manifest. A customer service agent must add a jumpseat rider's name to the passenger list just like any other passenger. CLP / Dispatch cannot do this. They can only add active crew names to the flight release. The laws require that the identity of everyone onboard be known. The flight is not always "closed" once the gate enters the final counts. CLP, Dispatch, and of course the Captain have the final say on when a flight is closed. But once the gate agent enters their final counts, the system tries to "Auto-close" the flight and send the Radio-closeout. If anyone is to be added to the manifest after the gate sends (what they thought to be final numbers) then CLP must overide the "Final" and re-open the flight. I'm pretty sure this is how it works...

 

[phillyguy]

but do the kiosk issue b/p have bar codes on them? I know the online check in ones do?

 

[Atlantic]

Light,
You're right. Most agents are 100%. And I say that from both working flights and from time to time non-reving.
But stressed? Name me a craft that isn't? Get in line babe!
I shever to think how she treats paying px.
I go through PHL tomorror. What a gass if she is working my flight! Oh yea, I'll bring it up.

 

[Light Years]

Atlantic, you were absolutely correct in this situation and if you do see this agent, you should say something.

 

[Atlantic]

US,
And forgive me, but I may be over my head on who is what when they are added.
BUT, ACM is not a px. They are an additional crew member,(ACM). But like I said, I'm going to work tomorrow and get to the bottom of this. And I'm not ragging on anyone, unless they are to lazy or stuck on stupid to be at least "normal" to a fellow employee.

 

[thepoohbear]

The main problem was that in some of the larger cities or hubs an non rev is treated just a little bit better then a cockroach. It would have taken her 1 sec to acknowledge the person and they could have added him on the list and into the count before closing out the flight. BEEN THERE ......DONE THAT. :huh:
But he should'nt have followed her down the jetway either.

As for the gate readers.. don't ask for them too soon. As soon as the show up there will be less and less of us.