TICKET reader Ramsey Qubein (far left) spent a day working behind Delta's gates at ATL
(Ramsey Qubein is a young buck frequent traveler and blogger and says he has long read and admired The TICKET. He reminds me of me when I was 31– eager to jump on any plane at any time no matter what, and a sponge for every tidbit of travel information I could get my hands on. Ramsey and I met at a media event in London recently and he told me about his turn behind Delta’s gate counters at ATL. I asked him to share a little bit of his experience with The TICKET. –Chris)
Spending an entire Sunday at the airport is not ideal for most people, but I jumped at the chance to learn what takes place on the other side of the mysterious counter as a Delta gate agent in Atlanta. Delta invited a group of about 40 frequent flyers and Internet bloggers to undergo this unique exchange with its frontline employees. With 300,000 annual miles and over 4 million lifetime miles at Delta, I know the airline well. This experience, however, was an eye opener.
Gate agents have multiple tasks including driving the jetway, opening the door, arranging wheelchairs, directing passengers to connecting gates, clearing standbys, boarding new passengers, gate checking bags, and getting the flight out on time. If the flight delays by even one minute, they are held accountable and must face their supervisors.
I was shocked when people approached my clearly marked gate to ask if this was the gate for some other city. Or ask me to look up their gate despite information screens 50 feet away. Finding a bathroom, getting directions to the escalator, locating an electrical outlet, and asking what time boarding begins pummeled us all day even though signs are plastered all over the airport.
You can be as efficient as possible, but one mistake causes the house of cards to crumble…>>
There is little time for bathroom or coffee breaks. In Atlanta, the planes just keep coming, especially in the section of Concourse B known as “Little Beirut” because of its location in a hectic and frenetic part of the airport. These gates (B1-B18) can accommodate a wide variety of aircraft so it sees more departures than elsewhere. Any time a plane’s original gate is not available, operations will send it here. You have to be pretty experienced to work these gates!
Remembering the codes and computer keystrokes for changing seats, clearing standbys and upgrades (a process rigorously controlled by the computer with little room for sneakery), clearing seats from late-connecting passengers or those who no-showed, and printing boarding passes was quite a feat. Thankfully, I made a cheat sheet.
I learned a lot about humanity that Sunday: how rude people can be to complete strangers; how lazy people can be without utilizing information around them; how hilarious people can be with their “know-it-all” attitudes. Some people handed me their boarding pass with their teeth if their hands were full. Others jabbered into cell phones without acknowledging me. One even yelled at me to pick up their child’s toy!
There were nice people too. Those that thanked me, wished me a nice day, and even said I had a nice smile! In my one-day experience, I encountered two medical emergencies, one soiled seat, one mechanical delay, four upset customers (who arrived off a delayed flight to begin with and proclaimed “I will never fly this airline again,” a phrase gate agents know all too well), and two unfriendly Detroit flight attendants who accosted the agent for not opening the door fast enough.
Gate agents are busy, but even a simple smile can make their day. Help them do their job efficiently, and, in the end, you’re doing the entire plane a favor by departing on time.
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I certainly synpathise with the Gate Agents numerous problems and responsibilities. However, as a former frequent traveler (retired), I’m sometimes really appalled at gate agents lack of concern for the CUSTOMERS problems (e.g. late flights and missed, last flight connections). On July 27, American’s DFW gate agent closed the doors and released our connecting flight early, without any regard for thir AA connecting passengers. For this very reason, I’m not at all sympathetic about THEIR problems. American Airlines didn’t seem give a damn about their connecting passengers on their LAST FLIGHT of the day to Atlanta – even though we arrived at the proper gate five minutes BEFORE SCHEDULED departure. American’s gate agent left my wife and I stranded at DFW until their NEXT (DAY) flight. Shameful. Hotel accomodations for the night, not American’s problem. We’ve NEVER had this kind of shabby treatment on Delta or Airtran. More than once, when we arrived at the departure gate late, have Delta and AirTran opened the door to allow us to board.