Flight delays can be frustrating, so it’s understandable that passengers sometimes lose their patience. That’s why I think the actions of one American Airlines gate agent are particularly commendable.
In this post:
American gate agent in Birmingham gives positive pep talk
An Instagram user shared a video of an American gate agent giving a little speech prior to a recent flight. Piecing together what we know, it appears that the flight in question was on Sunday, April 6, 2025. Specifically, it was AA5270, from Birmingham (BHM) to Charlotte (CLT), operated by an American Eagle CRJ-900.
The flight was severely delayed — it was initially supposed to depart at 8:17AM, but ended up taking off at 3:43PM. Obviously a delay like that is extremely frustrating. However, before the flight boarded, the gate agent walked into the gate area and gave a rather passionate speech to passengers:
“When you get on that aircraft, let me tell y’all something. Don’t get smart with my flight attendants. Be nice to them. They have a hard day just like we do. The same aircraft that’s coming out, the same people that are on that aircraft, it’s the same people that have been waiting as long as you wait, or maybe longer. So, please, y’all, please, I’m asking, do it for me, be nice to them.”
There’s a baby crawling on the floor during her speech, so she interrupts it to say the following:
“Hey, you on this floor. Nuh uh, now, where you going? Look, don’t be on that acting up, we know you’re gonna get all the attention.”
You can see the video for yourself below.
Huge kudos to this American gate agent!
This is honestly my favorite kind of gate agent to have working a flight, and she has such good vibes. So many gate agents are indifferent and seem like they don’t really care, while this woman obviously cares. Let’s be clear, what she’s doing here is totally selfless. It doesn’t directly impact her how passengers behave toward the crew, but she’s trying to pay it forward, and look out for others.
I also think she strikes the perfect tone. Like, if this were just some meek little talk, it wouldn’t work. This woman is basically telling people how they need to behave, or else. And good for her, because I think she got the message across.
Clearly I’m not alone in being a fan of this gate agent, because a flight attendant leaves the following comment on the video:
She is so dope! I love her!! I enjoy her working my flights out of Birmingham Alabama! Extremely personable and genuine!
Also, the moral of her story is correct. Yes, of course passengers are frustrated by delays. But flight attendants are the worst possible party you could be taking out your frustration on.
It’s possible they’re reserves who were just called in to work a flight, and had nothing to do with the initial delay. It’s also possible they suffered delays just as long as you did, and odds are good that they weren’t even being paid for much of that time, since they often don’t get paid extra during delays.
But of course they’re an easy punching bag for passengers, since they’re the face of the airline.
Bottom line
An American Airlines gate agent working a delayed flight begged passengers to be nice to flight attendants, pointing out that they’ve been delayed as long as the crew has. All too often passengers take out their frustration on crew members, so I really appreciate the way in which she looks out for her colleagues. It’s nice to see people who care about their jobs, and others, as much as she does.
Has anyone had the pleasure of being on a flight this American gate agent in Birmingham was working?
If she worked in another carrier, the pep talk would be better received. From my perspective, I despise AA so deeply, that such a talk after a 7h delay would only make me angrier. Nothing personal to what seems to be a very nice woman.
It is very true what the gate agent said - air crew hate delays just as much as passengers.
Personally, I wouldn't give such a speech.
In my 20+ years of flying for a major European airline when passengers get antsy and kick off about delays etc I have learned to not take it personally. They are directing it more at the uniform more than anything else. It is just part and parcel with...
It is very true what the gate agent said - air crew hate delays just as much as passengers.
Personally, I wouldn't give such a speech.
In my 20+ years of flying for a major European airline when passengers get antsy and kick off about delays etc I have learned to not take it personally. They are directing it more at the uniform more than anything else. It is just part and parcel with the job. I let people vent, acknowledge their feelings and then it's generally done and dusted.
Mr Ben
I always read your report in its entirety
I never miss it
I enjoyed reading feed back of all your
Valuable readers and travellers
I really appreciate the gate agents
Interest in addressing the passengers of delay flt in order to keep them happy
And cheerful in flight by appeasing them
It is a good thing which I appreciate
Thanks
Natarajan Sivsubramanian AI
That's no way to talk to customers.
I think she did fine for the most part, but I don't like the last part where she was picking on the toddler though.
To quote the late, great Joan Rivers, "Oh, grow up! It's a joke! It's FUNNY!". And I'm sure the baby didn't even notice.
I know it's a joke, but still, I don't appreciate it, and I don't agree those who do not appreciate it are not grown-ups. If I were the parent, I would have asked her to respect my child, even if he doesn't understand.
@ernest:
Respect is earned that given. What has your child done to earn respect? Simply being born?
@Justin Dev
Everyone deserves to be respected, yes, simply for being born. I don't have a child and obviously am not talking about my child, but the one at the end of the video. He doesn't deserve to be picked on.
Ben is one of the best aviation bloggers out there. It's clear that this reader falls for the click bait from vftw and doesn't appreciate objective views of airlines. Comparing these two bloggers is like comparing the National Enquirer and the New Yorker.
@FlyerEsquire
If you are referring to me as "this reader," you are completely wrong. I agree Ben is one of the best aviation bloggers, if not simply the best. I read most of his articles, way more than VFTW ones, and have been doing that for years. I simply wanted to say I did not like the last part of what the gate agent did. I have nothing against the earlier part of her...
@FlyerEsquire
If you are referring to me as "this reader," you are completely wrong. I agree Ben is one of the best aviation bloggers, if not simply the best. I read most of his articles, way more than VFTW ones, and have been doing that for years. I simply wanted to say I did not like the last part of what the gate agent did. I have nothing against the earlier part of her comment. I don't understand where your comment is coming from and even wonder if you watched the video.
Kudos to the gate agent and it's sad she has to tell adults how to behave in a public place. But the number of toddler like adults is staggering. Such speech would have been inconceivable in 1970 so that's how far we've come as a species. A baby crawling around on dirty carpet says it all.
My rant being said I wish gate agents would give more information and enforce order. Can't tell you the number of times pre boards line up and it suddenly becomes a free for all.
She didn’t “have to” say anything. This was WN behavior and would annoy me if I was at the gate.
And you think what AA doesn't get ULCC type flyers? You need to come to MIA.
I mean, kudos to the American gate agent — she clearly went above and beyond to salvage what looked like a chaotic situation. But let’s be honest here… you wouldn’t need a motivational pep talk to keep the cabin from becoming a war zone if this were Delta.
Delays happen across the board, sure. But the difference is how often, how badly, and how consistently the airline handles it. Delta builds in redundancy and staffing...
I mean, kudos to the American gate agent — she clearly went above and beyond to salvage what looked like a chaotic situation. But let’s be honest here… you wouldn’t need a motivational pep talk to keep the cabin from becoming a war zone if this were Delta.
Delays happen across the board, sure. But the difference is how often, how badly, and how consistently the airline handles it. Delta builds in redundancy and staffing strategy precisely to avoid things like a 7-hour delay on a regional jet. I can’t even imagine Delta passengers sitting in Birmingham for half the day waiting for a CRJ-900. That’s not “operational resilience” — that’s amateur hour.
And while everyone here is applauding the “vibes,” no one’s asking why American operations let it get to the point where the gate agent had to step in and beg people not to lose it. That’s not leadership — that’s damage control.
So again, credit to her — she did the best she could. But if you’re celebrating this like it’s some gold standard of customer service, maybe you’ve just been flying the wrong airline.
I once had a delay on an DL RJ from JAX that approached a similar time frame so yes it can happen.
Nice AI post. Tim “Done” with the voice changer technique? Anyways, at least the plane landed right side up.
Ah, the classic “must be Tim or AI” dodge. When you can’t counter the point, attack the poster. Meanwhile, Delta’s running a real operation — not handing out pep talks for 7-hour delays.
some people wear their airline loyalties so close to their chest that anything positive said about someone else or negative about their own airline is worse than an attack on their mother.
Um I did counter the point - you would know this if you also used AI to analyze comments. Upside down airplane. Also, she didn’t “have to” say anything, she decided to for whatever reason.
@NickW or Nick W It sure is getting funny now whether you are TD or not. First, your previous username was Nick W and not NickW. Second, with Nick W it was registered as a guest but with NickW now it is registered as a new member. Third, the photo looks photoshopped or AI generated or it may even be from some model with the photo that you get from buying the photo frame. This...
@NickW or Nick W It sure is getting funny now whether you are TD or not. First, your previous username was Nick W and not NickW. Second, with Nick W it was registered as a guest but with NickW now it is registered as a new member. Third, the photo looks photoshopped or AI generated or it may even be from some model with the photo that you get from buying the photo frame. This is why people question if now Nick W the guest and NickW the new member with a generated photo are still just the one and only TD.
Slow news day?
I respectfully disagree. Her attitude and message are indeed spot on, but this is also emblematic of the "nobody's fault" approach to customer service that airlines have adopted.
No matter what inconvenience or indignity you have suffered, nobody you will talk to is ever responsible in any way. The buck doesn't stop anywhere.
So while she is absolutely correct that passengers shouldn't gripe at the flight attendants, it's a bit rich to lecture paying passengers...
I respectfully disagree. Her attitude and message are indeed spot on, but this is also emblematic of the "nobody's fault" approach to customer service that airlines have adopted.
No matter what inconvenience or indignity you have suffered, nobody you will talk to is ever responsible in any way. The buck doesn't stop anywhere.
So while she is absolutely correct that passengers shouldn't gripe at the flight attendants, it's a bit rich to lecture paying passengers on what is expected of them.
Seems to me that passengers as a whole really do need a timely reminder about how to behave when they travel. Delays drive everyone nuts, but it's uncommon for those delays to be caused by the gate agent or the cabin crew on the inbound. It's the same level of pointlessness as having a tantrum in the waiting room at a doctor's office - the receptionist has no control over how long their boss takes...
Seems to me that passengers as a whole really do need a timely reminder about how to behave when they travel. Delays drive everyone nuts, but it's uncommon for those delays to be caused by the gate agent or the cabin crew on the inbound. It's the same level of pointlessness as having a tantrum in the waiting room at a doctor's office - the receptionist has no control over how long their boss takes with the people in front of you. If you're unhappy, you're not being held in custody against your will and are free to leave at any time.
in other news, VFTW has published web traffic data and OMAAT is down 29% year over year.
VFTW is up 47% according to the data they published and is the second most frequent travel related site behind TPG
what gives, Ben?
@ Tim Dunn -- Tim, thanks so much for your concern. I've put some thought into it. I've had so many people tell me that they've stopped reading the comments section because of you, so maybe it's time to try a new direction. Let's give you a few weeks off, in the interest of improving my business. I'll let you know if I change my mind.
There's a lot more nuance to the situation than...
@ Tim Dunn -- Tim, thanks so much for your concern. I've put some thought into it. I've had so many people tell me that they've stopped reading the comments section because of you, so maybe it's time to try a new direction. Let's give you a few weeks off, in the interest of improving my business. I'll let you know if I change my mind.
There's a lot more nuance to the situation than what's presented, but I've explained that to you in the past, and you're clearly not interested in learning.
THANK YOU!!!!
Big fan of OMAAT—been reading for *years* but never really get into the comment section. But this response is enough to make me take the time to leave a comment—thank you. Literally, it's so bad that it makes me think fondly of the days when Debit was the resident comment troll lol
Thank you very much. Please I am one of those who finds him insufferable. I try to skip his comments but it's everywhere. Please block him and all his aliases
Ben:
As annoying as Mr Dunn can be most of the time, I think there are several others posting comments who are truly offensive. Comments posted by all of us need to be reviewed regularly and deleted when appropriate.
Amen Ben! Thank you.
Tim gets a "time out" for several months hopefully.
Oh snap! He dunn pushed it too far! LOL
I think Ben and OMAAT are doing more than fine LOL - when the CEO of Air France personally invites you to review their new First Class product, you know you are doing something right...just saying
tacrum43 - nailed it.
Awesome, Ben. Great business decision.
VFTW is horrible. I have no idea how anyone can take anything Gary says seriously. TPG is also going downhill with their pop-up asking for your email address to read and lack of comment section.
I stopped reading him a while ago, but if traffic is indeed up on his site, it's because of the clickbait article he writes
I stopped visiting TPG be because of their popups and requirement to give them your email to read anything. As for VFTW, Gary loves to show his bias, at least ben does his best to be objective, but we are human
TPG seems unable to write an article without providing 10 credit card application links. And they won't include certain cards when they write about "cards with X benefit" if the card doesn't give them a payment.
I think Freq Miler has increased in readers because they seem to do what is best for the reader, not themselves.
TPG went downhill the moment they stopped flying and just purely became a credit card website
@Powerball Winner IIRC, someone here said that TPG removed it because of complainants from someone even more insufferable which was DCS.
@Tim Dunn,
Tim, you only exist because of Ben. Without OMAAT there is no Tim Dunn.
Seems like accurate data given the source. "my traffic is up and my competitor is down based on my own analysis"
Oh Ben - SNAP! Congrats on a great business decision, and as for Timmy? In the words of Emperor Palpatine - “Your journey…nears its end”.
How tacky. Somehow this isn't necessary in Europe, I wonder why.
Sarcasm is difficult to discern through the written word.
But your comment is clearly sarcasm.
If only MIA is like this.
MIA needs WWE refs...not gate agents.