Airport Worker Serves Up A Dose Of Reality To Over-Entitled Family Cutting In Line
Interview With Author
Working at an airport means finding a balance between following strict rules to maintain order while also relying on common sense when needed. This can sometimes be difficult to do, especially when passengers start to feel overly entitled.
One redditor, an airport employee, turned to the internet for a verdict about how she handled a family with kids. The worker denied them priority when dropping off their bags because that particular airline did not have a policy to prioritize children. This, however, caused a spot of drama in the queue. Read on for the full story and to see what other internet users had to say about the entire situation.
The author of the post, who preferred to stay anonymous, was kind enough to answer Bored Panda’s questions about entitled passengers and what it’s like to work at an airport. You’ll find our full interview with her below.
Things can get quite chaotic at the baggage drop-off point, especially if the airport is understaffed
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)
One employee explained why she denied priority access to a family with kids, starting a discussion online
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
The employee thought that the family was behaving in a very entitled way
The author of the post shared how she followed the rules to the letter. Priority access, at the specific airline that the OP was helping at the time, was reserved only for business class passengers, as well as people with reduced mobility who needed wheelchair assistance.
Overwhelmed with work, the airport employee ignored the family with kids who thought that they’d get priority when dropping off their bags. A small conflict ensued after the airport employee told them that they couldn’t cut the line.
“I’m sick and tired of families DEMANDING to be serviced first. Your life choices don’t entitle you to special rights!” the redditor vented on the r/AITAH subreddit. She stressed the fact that this all took place at bag drop-off, not while boarding.
Many readers supported what the worker had done and how she shut down the passengers’ entitled behavior. However, some people were unsure if she handled the situation in the best possible way.
Some redditors pointed out that the OP could have prevented the entire drama by taking a moment to communicate to the family that they didn’t have priority when she saw that they were queuing up in the wrong lane. We’d love to hear what you Pandas think about the entire situation, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
“They get away with such behavior once or twice so they find it acceptable”
We were curious what the airport employee’s first reaction to the family with children was. “My first reaction was to ignore them, as I had seen my colleague earlier explaining they had no priority,” she told Bored Panda.
“I saw them moving from the middle of our queue to the queue of another airline: they lifted the ribbon that separated the two lines, so I knew it was deliberate,” she said.
“I can’t think of a reason why passengers feel entitled at all, but in my experience, they get away with such behavior once or twice so they find it acceptable,” the author of the post shared her thoughts with Bored Panda.
“Maybe they think they’re smarter than everyone else? I don’t really understand the logic behind entitlement overall.”
Meanwhile, Bored Panda wanted to hear what advice the employee would give anyone hoping to start working at an airport. She explained what some of the issues are.
“It’s normally a good job and I enjoy it a lot but the industry suffers from understaffing and we don’t get paid enough for the responsibilities we have,” she warned.
“But if someone is focused and likes to interact with people from all around the world, it’s a good job. It’s mentally stimulating and gives you a chance to meet new cultures and behaviors but might end up creating stereotypes,” the OP told us.
“It also shows you how common some problems and behaviors are,” she said that, whether for good or ill, this is something that shows just how similar people from all around the world are.
“My advice is to be ready to work hard and be very patient. You’ll meet new people and make new friends and you will surely never be bored. But be prepared to get tired a lot,” the redditor said.
“Also never let anyone take advantage of your kindness. That’s the biggest challenge. With frequent holidays it can be worked through,” she said that people skills, lots of patience, focus, and having an open mind are essential.
Good communication and problem-solving skills are essential for airport staff
According to PPR, one of the UK’s leading technical recruitment businesses, some of the most important qualities for airport ground staff include the ability to plan and organize well, as well as top-notch soft skills. This is something to keep in mind if you ever plan to work at an airport.
The latter are things like flexibility, the ability to solve problems, teamwork, interpersonal skills, and a sense of responsibility. Meanwhile, good communication may be the most important soft skill to have in this workplace environment.
“As a member of airport ground staff, you will likely communicate through various methods including, internal intercoms, telephone systems, e-mail, face-to-face, and various other specialist computer systems. Communicating within an airport environment will also include inputting the correct information regarding passenger and luggage details and completing any documentation which may be required,” PPR explains exactly why this is so essential.
Staying calm under pressure and handling customer complaints well are also invaluable
Meanwhile, the Aviation Career Hub stresses the importance of customer service skills for those aspiring to become passenger check-in officers.
On top of that, employers value workers who have excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to stay calm under pressure. The latter is especially useful in situations where you have to deal with customer complaints.
How workers handle passengers is important because it affects the reputation of both the airport and the airline. People who get treated poorly may choose to take their business elsewhere or file a complaint.
The airline Ryanair, well-known for its cheap flights and sometimes questionable customer service, has recently seen a lot of negative coverage in the news for how it treated its customers. The BBC reported how a family was forced to pay 165 pounds to check in at the airport, even though they’d done so before. Meanwhile, the airline also charged an elderly couple 110 pounds to print their tickets at the airport.
Some internet users were fully on the airport employee’s side. Here’s what they said
Other readers, however, thought that the situation wasn’t as clear-cut as it might seem
My husband and I used the priority seating for the first time on United flying home recently. My husband uses a cane due to severe back pain and after a bad hotel bed, standing in the long security line then walking to the furthest gate, he was done. I felt so bad for him as he was shaking in pain. He just needed to sit and get settled with his seat back for a few precious minutes before take off.
Pain is very debilitating. I'm in a similar state to your husband!
Load More Replies...
We only get priority as we book special assistance for my son (led through security, board the plane first, use the special assistance check in desk). More and more places are recognising the sunflower lanyard which is great. However without booking special assistance, we would just have to suck it up. But if there is no priority for families then they just have to wait.
Entitlement nowadays is ridiculous. It was intended for people who need a little more time getting settled without the craziness of everyone rushing on board. I'm all for that. But having a kid isn't a priority. I always had priority boarding when I flew a lot with tons of miles. I never took it. While everyone was fighting to stand in line to stand in line on the jet way to stand in line on the plane, I'd stretch, make phone calls, and have a last bathroom call. Too much drama to get to an assigned seat.
Load More Replies...
The person in que that allowed the entitled family to cut in front of them had NO BUSINESS speaking for everyone that was in line BEHIND them. That is just bull! Go to the back of the actual line. Again, as OP said, the rest of the world shouldn't have to suffer because of your life decisions. No one forced you to have that many children or take them on a plane. Follow directions and stop thinking you are special.
I would have told that "Good Samaritan" that he is free to give them his place in line... if he takes their place at the back.
Load More Replies... Terrible entitled behaviour. If I'd been in that queue and someone ahead of me let them cut in like that there would have been trouble. I hate queueing as much as the next person, indeed probably more than most due to chronic pain issues, but would never expect any such special treatment. Edit: I guess they might have been let back in where they had been previously, so maybe not so bad, but even so...
TBH I see family entitlement a lot nowadays, not only at airports. I've seen parents with kids trying to bully their way to the beginning of the line at supermarket checkout or harassing single people out of restaurants because they were sitting alone at a table the family wanted to sit at. In one case a mother even made her baby cry on purpose by picking it up and holding it when it was already fidgeting. She literally went "Look I have a crying child I demand to be served first."
Agree, horrible. Yet, over here in restaurants, there are usually small tables for singles and larger ones for families or groups. So you are (asked to ) seated accordingly. It's very entitled for a family to take 2 or 3 smaller tables - the other way around as well. When one or two people occupy larger tables. Unless the waiter tells one otherwise of course. But usually, a waiter will ask how many people and then show you where you can ( and cannot) sit. And in places without waiter - it should be common sense to do so...
Load More Replies...
The YTA disturb me... it seems a lot of people think this is fine behaviour. Most people who get bullied by a cutter will give in. Its just so much easier than the confrontation. Never makes it right
"We're greatly contributing to murdering our planet by selfishly creating multiple copies of ourselves. Us breeders should get priority over all the considerate humans!"
I hate when people let more than one person go in front of themselves. You are now asking EVERYONE BEHIND YOU to wait longer so that you can feel good about yourself . let one person go , fine . But when you are allowing mor than that you're being an AH to everyone else.
I miss the good old days where parents told their kids to sit still in their seat and use their indoor voices and the kids actually did it.
There was a reason kids were well behaved in the "good old days": corporal punishment.
Load More Replies...
NTA. I have 5 kids. I chose to have 5 kids with my wife. Yes, it was a little tough when they were young but that was on us. I cannot believe some of the entitlement these days.
For people with kids: Treat situations like this as an opportunity to teach your kids that sometimes you just have to be patient and wait your turn. The parents in this article are teaching their kids to bully people into letting them cut in line—-not a good lesson if they want to live in the world with the rest of us. We don’t always get immediate service and satisfaction, sometimes we have to wait for our turn at it. And sometimes good things come to those who wait, patiently.
"Half the flight is families." So... does that mean the family's demeanor was, "We're a family. We deserve to be better then the families."?
As long as it is a flight with booked seats, I think it would be best to let in the disabled first, so they would not have to stand so long. And the families with little kids last. My kids would rather jump around for a bit longer and play than wait inside the plane where they can't do that (because - you know- sit still and behave). And when it is a family flight, I suppose everybody just needs to wait their turn.
I agree with you but this was bag drop off where everyone still has a wait at the next stage, they're not at the cooped up in the plane part just yet! Plenty of time to still burn off some energy.
Load More Replies...
I’ve never had problems at airports or airlines, even when traveling with young kids. For some reason if you’re patient and understanding to the overworked staff, smile at the flight crew when boarding and just act like a normal human being should, staff is really nice in return. And very happy to help you out if you need extra assistance.
I say that OP is NTA. If it were me, I would've gotten security involved before the other passenger let them cut in line.
I prefer to board last, especially with my kids. As little time as possible in that tin can
For the person who doesn't understand why people rush to board a plane, I hardly ever fly and can think of two reasons why: 1) not every airline has assigned seating and 2) there's limited capacity for carryons and checking your bad can be a hassle, at best, and a nightmare at worst.
Just because you can't figure out how a condom works does not make you special.
"all over the world", but definitely not in Germany. Must be somewhere in space then.
How is this even being reposted.. Op works at the counter at an airport and experienced a weird little power trip. No one gives a hoot. Its the blandest, simplest c**p Oh, you didn't let them cut in line at your check-out? You must be so BIG. Why was this nonsense in my newsfeed?
My husband and I used the priority seating for the first time on United flying home recently. My husband uses a cane due to severe back pain and after a bad hotel bed, standing in the long security line then walking to the furthest gate, he was done. I felt so bad for him as he was shaking in pain. He just needed to sit and get settled with his seat back for a few precious minutes before take off.
Pain is very debilitating. I'm in a similar state to your husband!
Load More Replies... We only get priority as we book special assistance for my son (led through security, board the plane first, use the special assistance check in desk). More and more places are recognising the sunflower lanyard which is great. However without booking special assistance, we would just have to suck it up. But if there is no priority for families then they just have to wait.
Entitlement nowadays is ridiculous. It was intended for people who need a little more time getting settled without the craziness of everyone rushing on board. I'm all for that. But having a kid isn't a priority. I always had priority boarding when I flew a lot with tons of miles. I never took it. While everyone was fighting to stand in line to stand in line on the jet way to stand in line on the plane, I'd stretch, make phone calls, and have a last bathroom call. Too much drama to get to an assigned seat.
Load More Replies... The person in que that allowed the entitled family to cut in front of them had NO BUSINESS speaking for everyone that was in line BEHIND them. That is just bull! Go to the back of the actual line. Again, as OP said, the rest of the world shouldn't have to suffer because of your life decisions. No one forced you to have that many children or take them on a plane. Follow directions and stop thinking you are special.
I would have told that "Good Samaritan" that he is free to give them his place in line... if he takes their place at the back.
Load More Replies... Terrible entitled behaviour. If I'd been in that queue and someone ahead of me let them cut in like that there would have been trouble. I hate queueing as much as the next person, indeed probably more than most due to chronic pain issues, but would never expect any such special treatment. Edit: I guess they might have been let back in where they had been previously, so maybe not so bad, but even so...
TBH I see family entitlement a lot nowadays, not only at airports. I've seen parents with kids trying to bully their way to the beginning of the line at supermarket checkout or harassing single people out of restaurants because they were sitting alone at a table the family wanted to sit at. In one case a mother even made her baby cry on purpose by picking it up and holding it when it was already fidgeting. She literally went "Look I have a crying child I demand to be served first."
Agree, horrible. Yet, over here in restaurants, there are usually small tables for singles and larger ones for families or groups. So you are (asked to ) seated accordingly. It's very entitled for a family to take 2 or 3 smaller tables - the other way around as well. When one or two people occupy larger tables. Unless the waiter tells one otherwise of course. But usually, a waiter will ask how many people and then show you where you can ( and cannot) sit. And in places without waiter - it should be common sense to do so...
Load More Replies... The YTA disturb me... it seems a lot of people think this is fine behaviour. Most people who get bullied by a cutter will give in. Its just so much easier than the confrontation. Never makes it right
"We're greatly contributing to murdering our planet by selfishly creating multiple copies of ourselves. Us breeders should get priority over all the considerate humans!"
I hate when people let more than one person go in front of themselves. You are now asking EVERYONE BEHIND YOU to wait longer so that you can feel good about yourself . let one person go , fine . But when you are allowing mor than that you're being an AH to everyone else.
I miss the good old days where parents told their kids to sit still in their seat and use their indoor voices and the kids actually did it.
There was a reason kids were well behaved in the "good old days": corporal punishment.
Load More Replies... NTA. I have 5 kids. I chose to have 5 kids with my wife. Yes, it was a little tough when they were young but that was on us. I cannot believe some of the entitlement these days.
For people with kids: Treat situations like this as an opportunity to teach your kids that sometimes you just have to be patient and wait your turn. The parents in this article are teaching their kids to bully people into letting them cut in line—-not a good lesson if they want to live in the world with the rest of us. We don’t always get immediate service and satisfaction, sometimes we have to wait for our turn at it. And sometimes good things come to those who wait, patiently.
"Half the flight is families." So... does that mean the family's demeanor was, "We're a family. We deserve to be better then the families."?
As long as it is a flight with booked seats, I think it would be best to let in the disabled first, so they would not have to stand so long. And the families with little kids last. My kids would rather jump around for a bit longer and play than wait inside the plane where they can't do that (because - you know- sit still and behave). And when it is a family flight, I suppose everybody just needs to wait their turn.
I agree with you but this was bag drop off where everyone still has a wait at the next stage, they're not at the cooped up in the plane part just yet! Plenty of time to still burn off some energy.
Load More Replies... I’ve never had problems at airports or airlines, even when traveling with young kids. For some reason if you’re patient and understanding to the overworked staff, smile at the flight crew when boarding and just act like a normal human being should, staff is really nice in return. And very happy to help you out if you need extra assistance.
I say that OP is NTA. If it were me, I would've gotten security involved before the other passenger let them cut in line.
I prefer to board last, especially with my kids. As little time as possible in that tin can
For the person who doesn't understand why people rush to board a plane, I hardly ever fly and can think of two reasons why: 1) not every airline has assigned seating and 2) there's limited capacity for carryons and checking your bad can be a hassle, at best, and a nightmare at worst.
Just because you can't figure out how a condom works does not make you special.
"all over the world", but definitely not in Germany. Must be somewhere in space then.
How is this even being reposted.. Op works at the counter at an airport and experienced a weird little power trip. No one gives a hoot. Its the blandest, simplest c**p Oh, you didn't let them cut in line at your check-out? You must be so BIG. Why was this nonsense in my newsfeed?
81
41