Dramatic moment Frontier Airlines gate agent clashes with passenger over unexpected snag at check-in
Footage of a standoff between a Frontier Airlines gate agent and a passenger went viral after the flier showed up only to find he was required to pay a check-in fee.
The passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, said he raced to the airport in North Carolina for his flight to Boston with 50 minutes to spare, but was faced with a $25 fee upon check-in.
After a week-long business trip, the 45 year old father of three thought he had made it just in time but then found out he had unknowingly missed the airline's 60-minute check in window.
He left the electronic check-in point to speak to an employee, who informed him he was required to pay a $25 fee as per the airline's policy.
Before he began filming the interaction, he told the New York Post that the interaction became unpleasant as the staff who greeted him rudely insinuated it was his fault.
'They all kind of started chiming in, "Well, you should have checked the website," like not in a professional or polite way. They were like, "it was your fault for not checking the website. Sorry, it's on you,"' he said.
A 20-minute disagreement ensued before the passenger gave in and decided to pay the fine. He muttered under his breath as he reached for his wallet that he is 'never flying this sh***y airline again.'
'When I said that, the lady who I was talking to took a step back and gasped, and was like, "How dare you curse at me? I'm not checking you in. I don't have to check you in,"' he said. 'And my reaction was, "You will check me in." I think those were the words that I used.'
But by insisting he should be checked in, the gate agent 'shut off completely' and 'absolutely refused' to check him in.
It was then that two other Frontier gate agents pointed their phones at the passenger and said, 'You thought you were gonna get on your flight?'
What baffled the passenger was the response he had from the staff, as he told the Post: 'What was remarkable to me also is that not one person on their side took the professional route or the high road.'
'Listen, it's my money at the end of the day, and when somebody is caught off guard with a charge that they feel is in some ways unfair or unreasonable, of course, they have a right to express themselves,' he continued.
'It's not okay to be disrespectful of somebody for no reason, but I was not being disrespectful to them personally, in my opinion.
'I thought that they were being disrespectful to me out of the gate because I was complaining about a fee that I was completely caught off guard by.'
The passenger eventually even threatened to call police and the employees brought officers over to the check-in gate.
'I had a very, very professional conversation with two officers who were there and were completely empathetic. They 100 percent seemed to agree with where I was coming from,' he continued.
'I asked them, off the record, essentially, am I being ridiculous here? And they both with serious expressions, sympathetic expressions, shook their heads, "No, we see these sorts of disagreements with this airline frequently, and this is probably not gong to be the last one."'
The viral video sparked online debate as some people were outraged by the airline employees' attitude, while others blamed the passenger for his late arrival.
'I don't care who's right or wrong. The way that he's being treated makes me never wanna fly Frontier Airlines,' one commenter wrote.
'Wow the disrespect and unprofessionalism is maddening acting like it's a damn joke, total disgrace do better Frontier Airlines,' another said.
'Even if he is in the wrong the response is very unprofessional.'
'Every one of them should be fired. Frontier Airlines shame on you if you don't. Never fly Frontier.'
'Frontier requires you to check in at least an hour before or the system won't allow you to check in but their behavior is beyond unacceptable,' one wrote.
Another commented: 'It is required for anyone on any airlines to pre-check in if you're 30 minutes before your boarding and didn't check in an hour before, it sounds like he thinks that he is above the rules. It's policy.'
'Arriving 30 minutes before a flight is crazy though,' one said.
'Regardless of how wrong a patron may be, the unprofessional, incendiary behavior shown should be a cause for dismissal. The first step of de-escalation is empathy not teasing,' one comment read.
The passenger said: 'I'm sure I'm not the first person to have complained about a fee. I'm also 100 percent sure that I wasn't complaining in as extreme a way as others have.'
His ordeal ended with a $500 JetBlue ticket home to his family before he was reimbursed by the airline following a complaint.
A spokesperson for the airline said in a statement that they were 'aware of what occurred and have been directly in touch with the customer. The individuals in question, who work for a third party contractor, are no longer associated with the Frontier account.'
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