Yesterday, I non-revved from DFW to IAH to attend to some personal business. I was listed on the 1635 flight back to DFW. I finished my business much quicker than I expected, and got back to the airport by 1230. I went to the ticket counter and asked if I could be added to the standby list for the 1415. "Sure, no problem" was the response.
Now, this is where the fun begins. And, I use the word fun with a certain amount of irony and sarcasm. I realized again yesterday that you could not pay me enough to be a gate agent at AA.
First off, we have given 2 of our 4 gates at IAH to United--we only have gate 27 and 29 left. (We used to have 5 gates, but we gave one to Frontier some time ago.) There is a broken plane at gate 29. So, only gate 27 is available for all incoming/departing flights.
1. The broken plane is the 1300 IAH-ORD flight. It is waiting for a part that is to be shipped down on the flight from DFW scheduled to arrive at 1550.
2. Agents working the 1415 flight to DFW are trying to rebook as many of the ORD pax as possible through DFW to ORD or their ultimate destination. (I ain't getting on, obviously. So, I buy a paper and sit down away from the counter.)
3. Due to weather between DFW and IAH flights are being sent from DFW out to West Texas, then south and east to IAH. So, the 1415 flight doesn't even arrive until 1420.
4. The agents get the 1415 out at 1454 (I was impressed) and they all left the area.
5. In the meantime, I'm checking the computer and, I am dropping further and further down on the standby list for the 1635 flight--DRXs mostly from the 1905 flight, and a few non-revs sneaking off somewhere and changing their travel class from D2 to D1.
6. Also, in the meantime the waiting area is getting more crowded as passengers for the next ORD flight and the 1740 flight to MIA begin to arrive.
7. About 1615 one agent comes back to the counter at gate 27. She announces that the 1635 flight is now delayed until 1730 (remember that the inbound flight is carrying the part for the broken a/c at gate 29), and "if you are booked on the flight and you have a connection at DFW that is scheduled to depart before 1845, please see me at the counter." A line of approx. 50-60 people immediately formed. In addition, people for the next ORD flight and the MIA flight just walk up to the counter without waiting in line and start the "I was told that my flight is going out of this gate, but the sign says that the flight is going to DFW. Which gate is my flight leaving from?" (Oh, and remember that most of the passengers from the 1300 ORD flight are still around and asking questions.)
8. At one point there were close to 100 people in the line at the counter.
9.I started working the line to answer the simple questions. "Yes, your flight to Miami will depart from this gate. However, it is delayed until 8:30pm. I understand that you are going to miss your connection to SCL. The flight from DFW to SCL was cancelled today, sir. It looks like your choices are to spend the night here in Houston, in Miami, or stand in this line and wait until the agent can check the Lan Chile flights. No, I can't do that. I'm a flight attendant. I'm paid to be cute, not smart." (Fortunately, most of the pax understood the joke.) "Yes. It is going to be a tight connection to PIA at DFW. Sir, the next ORD flight will get you to ORD an hour prior to the last flight from ORD to PIA, and there are seats available on the IAH-ORD flight (I'm not a complete RES moron.) The agent can rebook you on the ORD flight, but you will have to wait in that line over there." (Back to) "Yes, ma'am. This is the gate for the MIA flight, etc, etc." And, so on and so forth. There was also the revenue passenger on the 1635 who told me and/or the agent at least 6 times that she would need a wheelchair to get down to the plane and at DFW and at LAX (She was younger, and could walk better, than I. Once we got on the plane she had no trouble walking from her seat back to the lav and insisting on using the lav even though we had just closed the door and the prepare for departure had been given.)
10. The 1635 flight delayed until 1730 arrived at the gate at 1715. About this time a supervisor (or manager) showed up at the gate to help the one gate agent. (He had to be management. No line person would have been allowed to appear at the counter with their tie untied and their shirt tail hanging out in the back.
)
I got on the flight on a jumpseat. We pushed at 1751 (again I was impressed with how quickly the agent and the rampers turned the flight). We then sat on the runway until after 1900 waiting for permission to take off, but that's another story.
That agent is a real heroine. She handled all the passengers for all those flights (delayed ORD, delayed DFW, delayed MIA,, last ORD, and the last DFW flight (which ended up being delayed for over an hour) with good humor, professionalism, and an incredible amount of proficiency and skill. I sent an email to the V-P Customer Service this morning. NOTE: At my flight service manager's suggestion, I sent the email to the IAH station manager instead.
I still can't believe that there was only one agent at IAH after 4pm. Even if someone called in sick or whatever, I wonder why no other agents were asked to stay over? The company knew well in advance that all those afternoon/evening flights were delayed.
Are all the non-hub stations this understaffed?
Now, this is where the fun begins. And, I use the word fun with a certain amount of irony and sarcasm. I realized again yesterday that you could not pay me enough to be a gate agent at AA.
First off, we have given 2 of our 4 gates at IAH to United--we only have gate 27 and 29 left. (We used to have 5 gates, but we gave one to Frontier some time ago.) There is a broken plane at gate 29. So, only gate 27 is available for all incoming/departing flights.
1. The broken plane is the 1300 IAH-ORD flight. It is waiting for a part that is to be shipped down on the flight from DFW scheduled to arrive at 1550.
2. Agents working the 1415 flight to DFW are trying to rebook as many of the ORD pax as possible through DFW to ORD or their ultimate destination. (I ain't getting on, obviously. So, I buy a paper and sit down away from the counter.)
3. Due to weather between DFW and IAH flights are being sent from DFW out to West Texas, then south and east to IAH. So, the 1415 flight doesn't even arrive until 1420.
4. The agents get the 1415 out at 1454 (I was impressed) and they all left the area.
5. In the meantime, I'm checking the computer and, I am dropping further and further down on the standby list for the 1635 flight--DRXs mostly from the 1905 flight, and a few non-revs sneaking off somewhere and changing their travel class from D2 to D1.
6. Also, in the meantime the waiting area is getting more crowded as passengers for the next ORD flight and the 1740 flight to MIA begin to arrive.
7. About 1615 one agent comes back to the counter at gate 27. She announces that the 1635 flight is now delayed until 1730 (remember that the inbound flight is carrying the part for the broken a/c at gate 29), and "if you are booked on the flight and you have a connection at DFW that is scheduled to depart before 1845, please see me at the counter." A line of approx. 50-60 people immediately formed. In addition, people for the next ORD flight and the MIA flight just walk up to the counter without waiting in line and start the "I was told that my flight is going out of this gate, but the sign says that the flight is going to DFW. Which gate is my flight leaving from?" (Oh, and remember that most of the passengers from the 1300 ORD flight are still around and asking questions.)
8. At one point there were close to 100 people in the line at the counter.
9.I started working the line to answer the simple questions. "Yes, your flight to Miami will depart from this gate. However, it is delayed until 8:30pm. I understand that you are going to miss your connection to SCL. The flight from DFW to SCL was cancelled today, sir. It looks like your choices are to spend the night here in Houston, in Miami, or stand in this line and wait until the agent can check the Lan Chile flights. No, I can't do that. I'm a flight attendant. I'm paid to be cute, not smart." (Fortunately, most of the pax understood the joke.) "Yes. It is going to be a tight connection to PIA at DFW. Sir, the next ORD flight will get you to ORD an hour prior to the last flight from ORD to PIA, and there are seats available on the IAH-ORD flight (I'm not a complete RES moron.) The agent can rebook you on the ORD flight, but you will have to wait in that line over there." (Back to) "Yes, ma'am. This is the gate for the MIA flight, etc, etc." And, so on and so forth. There was also the revenue passenger on the 1635 who told me and/or the agent at least 6 times that she would need a wheelchair to get down to the plane and at DFW and at LAX (She was younger, and could walk better, than I. Once we got on the plane she had no trouble walking from her seat back to the lav and insisting on using the lav even though we had just closed the door and the prepare for departure had been given.)
10. The 1635 flight delayed until 1730 arrived at the gate at 1715. About this time a supervisor (or manager) showed up at the gate to help the one gate agent. (He had to be management. No line person would have been allowed to appear at the counter with their tie untied and their shirt tail hanging out in the back.
)I got on the flight on a jumpseat. We pushed at 1751 (again I was impressed with how quickly the agent and the rampers turned the flight). We then sat on the runway until after 1900 waiting for permission to take off, but that's another story.
That agent is a real heroine. She handled all the passengers for all those flights (delayed ORD, delayed DFW, delayed MIA,, last ORD, and the last DFW flight (which ended up being delayed for over an hour) with good humor, professionalism, and an incredible amount of proficiency and skill. I sent an email to the V-P Customer Service this morning. NOTE: At my flight service manager's suggestion, I sent the email to the IAH station manager instead.
I still can't believe that there was only one agent at IAH after 4pm. Even if someone called in sick or whatever, I wonder why no other agents were asked to stay over? The company knew well in advance that all those afternoon/evening flights were delayed.
Are all the non-hub stations this understaffed?
