Folks, please don’t treat airline representatives this way, because they don’t deserve it. I’m covering this because I think it’s interesting how the public’s lack of knowledge about how airline operations work often creates some deceiving narratives.
Continue reading: Ryanair Passenger Misses “Connecting” Flight, Goes Off On “Baldy” Gate Agent
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Two things:
1, The pax's behavior is by all means terrible and I am not on his side, BUT in Europe a lot of OTAs sell connecting flights with point-to-point lowcosts, yes, there is usually some sort of disclaimer hidden somewhere, but the man could have easily though he has regular guaranteed connection... Again this is not an excuse for the rude behavior... But I have seen this happen often...
2, I’m covering this because I think it’s interesting how the public’s lack of knowledge about how airline operations work often creates some deceiving narratives.. No, you are covering it because it's an attractive topic to get traffic on, maybe even rage-baiting, (thus the Goes Off On “Baldy” Gate Agent headline of article)
I would be pissed too. He was 5 seconds behind another guy and he was not let on. The agent didn't dispute the assertion that he was 5 seconds behind so I assume it is accurate.
Sounds like they're trained by AA gate agents in MIA.
Exactly what AA does everyday in MIA.
Saying being bald is “out of your control” insinuating being bald is bad or unattractive is a disgusting and peladophobic comment. #baldisbeautiful
Just remember that sometimes Gate agents could be jerks. I was transiting at MXP from domestic to International. I was temporarily using a wheelchair and the MXP wheelchair crew managed to delay me to almost miss my 3 hour connection. I was on my mobile speaking to the gate agent , in sight of the gate. When he asked me what I was wearing I said I was in the wheelchair. The SwissAir agent immediately told me forget it and closed the gate. I would not have been a delay because I was able to walk.
I and 4 other passengers were later driven out to another Swissair flight, going to the wrong city just to get out that night.
Moral of the story, never be disabled because the swiss discriminate.
If I were the passenger, I would be mad as hell. I’m looking at the video …. The gate agent did not make eye contact with the passenger, and had absolutely no understanding of how to deal with the public.
When the passenger got to the second agent, that agent was looking at his phone and not acknowledging the passenger’s situation.
I think under the circumstances, the passenger was holding it together as best as he could. And how else could he identify the gate agent of it than a physical attribute?
I’ve been around the block multiple times in terms of missing connections. I understand that gate agents only have so much authority and that passengers need to be at the gate X amount of minutes before the flight. I have no problem that this flight left without the passenger. I do have a problem with how the airline deal dealt with the passenger.
Folks, please don’t treat airline representatives this way, because they don’t deserve it.
If I am an airline passenger, I need to be somewhere. If you impede me in the process, I will be very upset. When I am upset, the word bald is the most polite word in my lexicon.
The point is that Ryanair clsoes the gates 15 minutes before departure
. So if your boarding pass is not scanned by then - bad luck, the handling companies are fined if they accept or board people after deadlines. Its sad but thats how Ryanair wants it. How it works when the flight is delay i dont know, what i know is that the boarding into a pre-boarding area or bus starts more or less when the incoming plane is about to land since we are talking 25 minutes ground time. Buying two separate tickets (despite OTA telling you your connection is safe) is not ok with such a short time in between. And his drama about staying in Krakow for a night... Krakow is a actually a very nice city...
The thing about Ryanair and other European low cost carriers is that they often close the gate before people have even started boarding the aircraft. To maintain their tight schedule for their turn arounds, they will scan boarding passes at the gate and line people up in what is effectively boarding pens. When gate closing time comes they may not even have released the floodgates to the aircraft yet, but for the gate agent to finish the paper work in time, the cut off is not flexible.
So basically be at the gate before the printed cut off time, or expect not to fly. Whether the plane is ready for embarkation or not.
In Europe it’s absolutely prohibited to film employees without permission. Am sick of idiots filming and posting their lives online. Ryanair has the right to prosecute him now for posting it. It’s not the US.
It’s embedded in their terms and conditions which clearly he couldn’t be bothered to check even when it’s clear during the booking process.
The agent was polite. Ryanair don’t sell connections. He even says he saw the last passenger board. He was late. He probably used race card. T—t
I've had an experience a bit like that boarding a KLM flight at BHX. The inbound from AMS had been delayed and we were going to be delayed- obviously most of us were connecting at AMS so minimising the delay was key. I was on a call, sitting maybe 20 metres from the gate and could see that boarding had barely started, yet there were final call announcements through the speakers. When I went to ask the gate agent what was going on, he said 'we're about to start boarding right now' and I responded 'alright, I am going to grab a coffee and join the queue' (the takeaway coffee place being literally a couple of metres from the gate), at which point he retorted that I absolutely couldn't do that because they were closing the manifest etc. I obviously complied as I wanted to catch my flight without any further disruption, but I did wonder whether they'd have kept the gate open for anyone turning up during boarding (due to the delay, we were already well past the gate closing time posted on the boarding pass).
This even happens with legacies, which makes it all the more absurd, since they'll still play the boarding group game. So your privilege as a Senator/HON Circle is to be first in a cold, drafty corridor and stand there for 20 minutes, while people in basic economy slum it in their comfy seats in a heated terminal. Thank you for your loyalty!
If I am a pilot, I need to maintain a schedule, which I do by working with a team of staff including the ground handlers. If you impede us in this process by not being at the gate by the specified time, we’ll have you offloaded and go without you. When you throw around an impolite lexicon, being offloaded will be the least inconvenient part of your experience.
You can board at anytime if you have status, you know. You don't need to board first and wait, plus dedicated business class luggage space is normally enforced.
While the guy is an ignorant idiot, let's also not forget that Google Flights massively contributes to the confusion ever since they started offering 'Self-transfer' itineraries by default, thanks to shady sites like Kiwi.com. They have absolutely no qualms about selling you a stitched-together impossible itinerary with just a small footnote that most people don't even understand.
The note should at least say something like 'Connection not guaranteed, at your own risk' instead of some vague BS about third-party protection. This is pure user deception.
If I was a luggage, I wouldn’t want to be offloaded because my owner is an idiot.
+1 on #1. People don't understand the risks of these combined itineraries even when there are disclaimers on the OTA websites. Last year, my friend texted me in a panic from Palma de Mallorca. He was flying MAD-PMI-HEL on a combination of Iberia and Norwegian, and came very close to missing the second flight, which was scheduled only once a week.
@Nic123, well said! I nearly always try to be the last person onboard. Unless the lounge is massively overcrowded, it clearly is a better place to wait in than an aircraft cabin, and even the gate area usually is more airy and comfortable than an aircraft seat (particularly when one happens to be flying short haul and/or in Y).
If you pay for a pig pen like experience you should fully expect to be treated like a pig.
The chances that the gate agent was a Ryanair employee? About zero.
The chances that this gate agent had the ability to do anything other than what the computer allowed? About zero.
Only an idiot books a connection on a low cost carrier on separate tickets with a 55 minute layover. A minimum of 1.5 hours and better yet 2 hours or more is better. The dude was looking to get either a quick flight or a cheap flight and got burned because he took a big risk. He is an idiot, full stop.
Ha Ha ,I learnt about this risk in 1966 when I flew London/ Malta and Malta/Tripoli on separate tickets but with only hand luggage . First sector was late and I missed the Tripoli flight and had to stay in Malta. Next flight was 24 hours later . Things have not changed since 1966 !!!
Is this not true? He arrived in a Schengen country from a non-Schegen country. He was connecting (though Ryanair is point-to-point only) to another Schengen country. He had to arrive, deplane, proceed through passport control into the Schengen area all in 50 minutes. But, remember he needed to do thst in 20 minutes as the gate closes 30 minutes before departure. Oh, if this posted promptly, his flight arrived 6 minutes late (on the 25th). So, he had 14 minutes to deplane/passport/walk to gate.
Let's be honest it is his fault as he booked it in two separate tickets with a short connection time. Even in one ticket it would be risky but at least if the airline wrote the one ticket they would have to do something about it.