[PHXFlyer]

+1 Silent Bob ^

I can personally attest to the fact that the 45 minute check-in time is strictly adhered to by all airlines operating out of LAS. On one trip there I was departing on Delta. I did not have any checked bags, but I missed the hotel shuttle which would have had me at the airport on time. No worries, I thought, I'll just catch the next shuttle and be cutting it close. I had already checked-in online the night before but just needed to print out my boarding pass at the airport which I often do.

When I arrived at the airport I dashed to use one of the check-in kiosks located in the mezzanine just outside the security checkpoint. At LAS they have generic kiosks where you can choose which airline you are checking in for and proceed with the process. Well apparently Delta's system wasn't communicating well with the kiosk and after three failed attempts I made my way downstairs to the ticket counter. Even the elite line was long and not moving very quickly and I discovered the issue was not McCarren's kiosks but Delta was having issues with their computers.

When I finally reached the counter it was about 25 minutes before the departure of the flight. I tried to convince the agent that since I had no bags to check and if I used the elite TSA line I might just make it before they closed the door. He wasn't having it. I was re-booked for a flight later in the day but then was able to change my schedule around and wound up flying back to Phoenix instead.

Could I have made it? Possibly. Could the agent have bent the rules and printed off a boarding pass to allow me to try? Maybe. Could I have pressed the fact that had it not been for the kiosk failure I would have made the flight. Definitely BUT I didn't because I realized that had I been on the earlier hotel shuttle the whole mess would have been avoided. Initially it was MY fault and I accepted the consequences for it. Which is why when I hear about people in similar situations who blame the airlines and not themselves I will jump to the defense of the airlines every time.

It is also amazing to me how many people label a customer service person in any industry as "rude" when they simply were not told what they wanted to hear and/or did not get their way. The customer isn't always right.