[Trvlr]

I received my boarding pass a full 40 minutes before take-off with no checked baggage. However, due to the completely useless TSA deciding to justify their paychecks, I arrived at the gate 6 minutes before my flight was scheduled to take off. I was told that because I was 4 minutes inside the 10 minute cut-off for boarding that I would have to wait approx. FIVE HOURS for the next flight to my destination, even though the plane was sitting right in front of me with the gate tunnel still attached - i.e. I could have EASILY boarded the plane and made my flight. I sat and watched as passengers were boarded TWO MINUTES before the scheduled take-off of the next flight, and on the flight they put me on, TWO passengers were boarded THREE MINUTES INSIDE the 10 minute boarding cut-off time. These were the only two other AirTran flights departing that day. It is my opinion that my seat was sold out from under me and I was bumped to a flight which arrived SIX HOURS later to my destination that was not fully booked as it was a less desirable flight which arrived late at night rather than early evening. It is also my opinion that this inconsistent, discriminatory policy was utilized intentionally for profit by the female airline boarding agent who didn't have the guts to show her face at the gate again after she royally screwed me over. My first and last time flying AirTran.

[Jetliner]

The 10 minute cutoff time is there to 1- process standby passengers and 2 finish the required paperwork. If anything is going on that is taking a couple extra minutes then they will go ahead and let the passengers board if they are behind.

Even without luggage, the airlines are still advising people to arrive as much as 2 hours early. Any chance of letting us know what city this happened in, and on what day?

[airhead]

I agree with Jetliner. If all passengers were allowed to board just minutes before departure then those flights will take delays. The final processing requires that all passengers be present AT THE GATE or already boarded so that stand bys can be processed. Many things have to be COMPLETED minutes before the departure time. If you are not there then you are entered in the roll call as not on board. Get to the airport earlier and don't blame others for something you could have avoided. If the TSA really did hold you up that long then file a complaint with them and provide proper documentation.

[The_Judge]

Rules are rules............that being said, if the agent was any good at his job, 6 minutes is an eternity. Curious to know what the gate agent was doing for 4 minutes.....why the passengers didn't board at the 9 minute mark.

I guess you probably have no recourse, other than to not fly them, but as I said before....6 minutes is a long time to get one passenger on. Especially if the seat hadn't been filled yet which it seems it hadn't.

One other note.........you really should complain to TSA. They are technically the ones who held you up. If your quote of 40 minutes before is correct, that should have been plenty of time to clear security, in most cases.

[Trvlr]

Jetliner: The city was Las Vegas, and it was a Thursday (if memory serves). I can't comment as to your "2-hours early" claim, however I think you will agree with The Judge, that 40 minutes with no checked baggage is plenty of time to get a passenger on a plane, just as 6 minutes is plenty of time for a passenger to walk from the gate to the plane - hell, I sat and watched a plane I could practically touch sit still in front of me for 6 long minutes before it left. The time was on my boarding pass so there can be no argument there. I arrived at the airport about an hour before the flight left. You state "If anything . . . will go ahead and let the passengers board if THEY ARE BEHIND." So if the airline employees, who are BEING PAID to be there and are in far more control of their surroundings than a passenger, run behind on their duties that's okay, but if a passenger who IS PAYING to be there runs a few minutes behind, or is held up by airport security they get screwed? Methinks you are an intelligent person who now gets the core of my complaint. See below for more . ..

The Judge: "Rules are rules . . . " - apparently not. According to Jetliner, the rules are applied arbitrarily by the boarding agents, and this is the core of my complaint. The agent was a 'she' by the way, and curiously, almost all the power-hungry control-freaks I've encountered have been female - they bore an unsettling resemblance to the frigid nuns from Catholic school quite frankly, but I digress. I'm not sure what you are getting at with your time frame references, but I can tell you that when I arrived at the gate, everyone was already on the plane, and thank you for stating that six minutes is an eternity for any competent agent; that's what I thought, and is part of my complaint. However, instead of simply putting me on the plane during this time, the agent was too busy bumping me to another flight; hence my opinion that in fact the seat had been filled. Furthermore, if you read my post again, you will find that the 'rules' didn't apply to the only other two flights that day (including the one I was bumped to). As for the TSA, I have nothing but disgust for them, as did the service (non-airline) employees at the Vegas airport; they HATED the TSA people because they were arbitrarily abusive even to them. I had 5 hours to find out what complaints could be lodged, and who I should complain to. There is no way to 'complain' to the TSA (so I was told), other than the repeated comments I made while being subjected to their ridiculous exercise to the tune of "I'm missing my flight because of this, could you please step it up?" A very nice woman (surprise!) who had worked at the Vegas airport for years in the information/general customer service booth told me quite a few things about the TSA; some I already knew some I didn't - none of them were what you would call positive. She told me, as you stated, I really had no recourse other than to complain to the airline, which involved filling out a form that (as she informed me) would, for all intents and purposes, go nowhere and do nothing for me. Her assessment is consistent with other reports I've read on this website.

airhead: "If ALL passengers were allowed . . ." hmmm, interesting jump to hyperbole that isn't relevant to this post. I guess if ALL boarding agents were allowed to fall a few minutes behind in THEIR work flights wouldn't take delays? If you agree with Jetliner, then you also agree that I was at the airport in plenty of time - how about the airline employees and the TSA learn how to do the job they are BEING PAID TO DO properly before they point fingers at the passengers who, for all intents and purposes, ARE PAYING THEM. Don't blame passengers for inefficient airport/airline employees - again, the latter is being compensated for their time, the former is paying to have their time wasted. i.e. Telling a passenger they have to show up at an airport two hours early for an hour long flight to compensate for whatever problems the airline/airport staff may encounter is bad business, inconsiderate, and insulting. I have better things to do with the time I've already paid someone else to manage properly than use it to compensate for THEIR inadequacies. Your attitude reminds me of the banks existing today on taxpayer dollars that have the audacity to foreclose on same taxpayer's homes. Again, what the hell would a complaint to the TSA yield, even if it could be lodged? A free ticket on TSA airlines? Really, your predictable buck-passing is tiresome. Passengers have lives and schedules to follow too. Your moniker is appropriate, and your bias as a former self-serving airline employee is clear.

[The_Judge]

You've completely missed my point. What I meant by my timeframe was that any agent worth his (or her) salt could easily have gotten you a seat in 6 minutes. Using your point of view on the time, at 2 minutes before departure, passengers were boarded. That means either they didn't follow the rules and they showed up after you and they put them on or (more probable) they assigned them seats from a list and put them on. Depending on what type of passenger they were (standby revenue from a later or earlier flight or employees) they could have put you on and rather easily with 6 minutes to go. But if they were revenue passenger for the same flight you were who were also late but showed up before you (which I don't think happened) they would put them on first.

My point......you were admittedly late but the agent had time to put you on, IMO.

As for nowhere to complain to the TSA......this is directly from their website. Google is your friend.

How to contact TSA on other matters, such as watch list issues, claims issues, general questions, or to share your opinions or comments with us.

For additional information and contact information concerning watch list issues, please see the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program's webpage at: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/custome...ess/index.shtm.

For additional information and contact information concerning claims issues, please see the TSA Claims Management Office's webpage at: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/customer/claims/index.shtm.

To ask general questions or to share your opinions or comments with us, please see the TSA Contact Center's webpage at: http://contact.tsa.dhs.gov/default.aspx.

http://www.tsa.gov/research/civilrig...travelers.shtm

[The_Judge]

I forgot something and couldn't edit my previous post. I forgot (as I've been gone too long apparently) that with my airline, we were to close the aircraft door 3 minutes beforehand on domestic departures and 4 or 5 (can't remember) minutes before on international. So possibly, showing up 6 minutes before really gave the agent only 3 minutes to do the extra work. Still enough time but really shouldn't be asked to do it.

[Trvlr]

I'm with you now - I don't have the knowledge you do of the internal workings of an airline boarding system so I was a little unclear about all you were stating about the times. Thanks for clearing everything up. I believe I did get the part right where you stated in essence that the agent could have boarded me in plenty of time but chose not to at least, so we are in agreement. And, I think we both agree that the "rules" are not uniformly applied.
As for the TSA complaint, thanks for the heads-up on the website as it will be good for future reference (in case I ever fly out of a US airport again and they screw me over). I don't have the flight documentation any more as I didn't see any point in keeping it, so I don't think lodging a complaint at this point will serve me, but I wonder if I could have lodged a complaint directly at the airport at the time, and if so, what, if any, satisfaction would have come from it; the nice lady at the airport with years of experience seemed to think it would be just as fruitless as a complaint to the airline, otherwise I'm sure she would have mentioned the option. Regardless, it seems an awful lot of time and energy on my part to rectify a problem that shouldn't even exist; if as you suggest, perhaps the agent only had 3 minutes to do the extra work, but "really shouldn't be asked to do it", exactly how is it that I, as a paying customer, should be asked to spend 5 additional hours at an airport and several more in web correspondence for time and inconvenience I can't get back? Over three minutes of work some prima donna didn't want to do but was being paid to do? A possible flight delay of 2 - 4 minutes? And this is only IF she had a mere 3 minutes? The later boarding times I think reflect otherwise, and I think you understand why I will never book with this airline again.
And yes, Google is our friend. Cheers!

[Silent Bob]

I don't think you have recourse on the TSA complaint either. I honestly travel to Vegas whenever I need a breather, which is ten or more times a year and their checkpoints on any given day are usually packed, though they do a damn good job of shuffling people through, you can usually expect a wait of 30 - 40 minutes easy. Plus, depending on where Airtran is, you have to take the train to the main terminal. I don't fly Airtran, so I don't know where they are located, but their TSA? yea it's usually quite crowded.

[airhead]

I appreciate you comments and I hope others, including yourself learn from the bad and good experiences of air travel and take the posts on this site as a means of education.. So many people think the gate agent has control and that is not true. Since you want to use fancy words, I have questions. I am sure the majority of the general public may not understand what you are saying. The "moniker" (I appreciate your use of name calling) used deems appropriate if you have read any of my past postings.

How can I use a hyperbole if it is not relevant to the topic? Apparently my hyperbole is enough to excoriate a lengthy response in regard to your benevolence and I find that ironic, which I respect. I agree that it "should" be bad business, inconsiderate, and insulting to tell a passenger to show up to an airport so dern early. Yet, so many people still buy tickets and so many still show up late. Even with the worldwide declining number of ticket sales, millions are flying despite the problems. I don't get that.

The airline PAYED me to get the flight out on time SAFELY. Anything else in between was a headache which I was personally blamed for those who did clear through security in enough time or were not allowed to board. I hated that! You tell me what is right when you have a 5 stand bys waiting to get on board and the last few confirmed passengers have not showed up to the gate at the minimal time. In most cases, those stand bys were late for the last flight and if I let the next late passenger on, I have even more problems. What would you do? What is your answer? You can't board everyone. Most flights are full. Not to mention I am responsible for the next flight out in 45 minutes and I still have to work the weights for the current flight and confirm boarding status to the captain before it is allowed to take off! All this before the scheduled departure time. That does not give me enough time to resolve current passenger issues. Its not that I didn't care. I really did! My employer did not give me enough time, resources or training to do my job and some things have to give. I am so sorry, even though I was not your gate agent, but that is the nature of the beast. Which is why I no longer do that job, the other reason was dealing with ignorance on the passengers' part. I can handle that too if I was given enough time to do my job, but the personal insults crossed the line. It sucks both ways my friend.

Why was TSA so slow? Was it because the airport was crowded, or perhaps they were understaffed like usual. I realize that filing a complaint is futile but it is certainly better than not saying anything at all. Governments may be inefficient but they are consistent with keeping records and that has to count for something in the long run once we have people in Washington who know what they are doing and not wasting our tax dollars with issues that are apparently not helping the economy. By the way, I have no remorse on those who took home loans they could not afford. If you make $50,000 dollars a year then you have no business buying a $250,000 home in my opinion. Why should the tax payers pay for that? I did not vote in the presidents of the banks who approved of these loans nor did I vote for any of the Senators, Congressmen (except for one..he will not be getting my vote next time) and the current president who is trying "bail out" every large corporation with my tax dollars. If I screw up I on my bills, it is my responsibility to have prevented it or face the music. Maybe that approach is cold but I just don't agree with more debt to solve an awful debt problem that is threatening my home country!

"I guess if ALL boarding agents were allowed to fall a few minutes behind in THEIR work flights wouldn't take delays?" That sentence makes no sense at all. I understand typos though. Please clarify this one for me.

I really do appreciate your comments as I want to learn more from those who travel often. Hence my name. Good luck to you in the future.

[airhead]

For the record, I did not work for Airtran.

[bah humbug]

Once you are not boarded 10 minutes prior to departure, you are removed from being checked in. At that time stand-by passengers (revenue and non-revenue) are processed. Once the boarding door closes, the flight is closed. That means all paperwork has been printed and is on the way to the captain or is already in the hands of the captain. I know it sounds easy to just open the door and let someone on, but that means you have to be re-checked in, new paperwork has to be printed and taken to the captain. Nothing can be hand written like the old days, it all has to be computer generated...and that takes time. The door has to then be closed 4 minutes prior to departure so the captain can get clearance and push on time.

[justme]

I give up. I, as well as others, have tried to explain how the process works and why rules are in place. For you to think that airline employees have nothing better to do with their time other than track down missing passengers is ridiculous. In all reality the airline, AirTran in this case, did absolutely nothing wrong. Your complaint is with TSA and the airport authority because as you say, you were late to the gate because of security and a broken tram, both of which have absolutely nothing to do with any airline. There are so many things in your last post that are wrong, and I would love to "discuss", but it won't make a difference, so why try.

And just for your reference, I in fact do know the difference between a paramedic, a policeman, and a fireman. Here's part of the mission statement for Clark County FIRE DEPARTMENT: "At the Clark County Fire Department, we are proud to protect lives and property. Under a fine leadership of the CCFD command staff, our dedicated and well-trained crews respond to emergencies of all types - big and small, natural and man-made."

You'll notice it doesn't say, "We put out fires."

I hope your ocean trip is more pleasant than your attitude towards airlines and their staff.

[Trvlr]

justme: Once again, you have yet to respond to my original post - the issue here is the DISCRIMINATORY application of the "rules", and the prima donna attitudes of airline/airport employees - issues you have validated by the content and nature of your responses, while at the same time denying they exist. Instead of addressing these issues head on, you seem to want to attempt to prove that firemen don't show up in great numbers to put out fires. No one stated that firemen don't respond to emergencies of all types; simply that their primary purpose, WHEN THEY SHOW UP AT A LOCATION IN GREAT NUMBERS, usually involves the extinguishing of a fire - hence the big trucks filled with WATER, the HOSES, the FIREPROOF SUITS, and, if all else fails, the words "FIRE DEPARTMENT" painted all over their equipment. Let us not forget that where they sleep is called a "FIRE HOUSE". Furthermore, are you so obtuse that you genuinely missed the point of my comment about firemen, or are you completely incapable of addressing, or unwilling to address, the issues I present?
Actually, you have already admitted to being unwilling . . . so many things wrong with my last post that you'd love to, but can't name one . . . interesting.
Airport staff, and airline employees have better things to do than make sure passengers receive in a courteous, professional manner the services they have already paid for? (Just as GM employees have better things to do than produce quality vehicles the public wants to purchase . . .) Gee, I had it all wrong, employees in public production/service industries do have better things to do than actually serve the public in their industry; validate their over-inflated egos, collect government hand-outs, and arbitrarily abuse, and rip-off, the customers who fund their salaries. Perhaps there is another profession's mission statement you should be reviewing . . .

FYI: One thing the staff at Kingsford-Smith (Sydney) DID do (however, the entire experience was laced with abuse), was send someone, an airline employee to be specific, to GET ME OUT OF CUSTOMS/SECURITY when they (the airline employees) realized I was being needlessly held up for so long that I was going to be late for my flight. So, what I proposed in my last reply, and what you claim is impossible to achieve, IS ALREADY BEING DONE. What I suggest in my last post are possible ways to make this process more efficient.

Thanks for your kind wishes as to my future travel by ship - I'm sure the experience will be very enjoyable, as cruise line management, and employees, DO THEIR JOBS WELL ENOUGH AND WITH THE PROPER ATTITUDE that the industry does not require government subsidies to stay afloat (pun intended). I realize this may not be a fair comparison, but "fairness" doesn't seem to be something the airline industry is concerned about . . .

[oh my]

trvlr, sounds like you have a habit of being held up in security lines. LAS, SYD, when else? Maybe you've got a metal rod in a leg, or carry something that needs extra scrutiny that might take some extra time? I'm just wondering if your security issues stem from one thing in particular?

It seems like no matter what anyone tries to explain to you, you think of it as an excuse. The fact of the matter is there is a human factor involved in customer service of any kind. You have to know when to bend (or break, if necessary) the rules, and when not to. I've known flights that have been delayed because we were missing a wheelchair passenger, or a blind passenger. Because a disability is involved, the airlines don't want to run into problems with possibly denying a passenger boarding simply as a result of their disability. I'm just using this as an example of a situation that "breaks" the standard rules, and the reasoning behind the decision that another passenger might not be aware of. Stuff happens. That's life. There are a lot of things that go on in the process of boarding a flight. Unfortnately, not all flights go as smooth as silk. In fact, just the opposite is true. Each flight is different, and the situations that arise (whatever they are) are handled accordingly. The rules of "10m prior to departure the seats are dropped", "3m the door closes", or whatever they may be for that airline are what is supposed to be done. In a perfect world. We all know nothing is perfect. I'm not trying to make excuses for anyone. I have known some very pleasant gate agents, and some down-right rotten ones. It's possible you had the latter for the flight that you "missed." It's also possible that you had the former, and she was just doing the best she could to accommodate as many people as she could on the flight. I could run through several scenarios that i can think of as to why you were not boarded 6m prior to departure. I can also think of several scenarios that would result in passengers boarding within the 6 minute mark. I don't think that you want to hear any of them, though. The fact is, you do not understand how to work a flight. You can speculate all you want as to what you think happened, or why she did what she did, but the only person who knows what really happened on that flight, and why you were not boarded is the gate agent.

I realize this additional courtesy is too much to ask of the prima donnas occupying "service" positions in airports these days

Since you seem to be so big on helping us little people out by defining your big words, I thought i'd do the same for you. Here's the definition of discrimination:"treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit". I'm pretty sure your above quote is discriminatory. Pot, meet Kettle.

I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that I have to agree with others when I say that what happens between when you check in and when you arrive at your gate is something that the airline should not be concerned with. You are a big boy (or girl). You do not need someone to hold your hand from the ticket counter to the gate. You need to assume some responsibility for yourself, and stop blaming others for the fact that you missed your flight. If you think that being at the airport 2 hrs before your departure time is a ridiculous request, then don't do it. But if the result is that you miss your flight, then don't complain. I know 2 hours is a long time. Especially if the flight is maybe an hour or an hour and a half in duration. But that general rule is there for a reason. That you think it is so the airline employees and TSA can screw with you is unfortunate. You keep saying that you checked in in time for the flight. But you missed the flight, so obviously didn't check in with enough time. Technically, you checked in before the cut-off time at the ticket counter, but it doesn't seem that that was enough time to make your flight, does it? I know, I know, trains break, TSA harrassed you, blah blah. Maybe those 2 hours don't seem so unrealistic now?

I also think that any civil liberties organization that got wind of your ideas on how to keep track of people in the airports would be so far up your a$$ they'd come out your mouth. Asking for cell phone numbers? Tracking EVERY passenger through the airport? Riiiiight. And the beeper idea is priceless. I think, essentially, your boarding card serves the same purpose, don't you? It's got the time your flight leaves, the gate, and even your name on it, just in case you happen to forget. I know, it's doesn't have all the pretty lights on it, but i think it's a suitable subsititute. And most airlines in most airports page the people they are missing. "Final boarding call for AirTran flight 346 to Newark. Passengers Abdul, Smith, and Kramer please report to gate B3." I know you've heard those pages before. So to say the airlines make no effort to get missing people on the plane is garbage. Maybe you think we should chip people like we do our dogs, but with GPS, so that you have no responsibilities whatsoever? That way you would never be responsible for your whereabouts ever again. If anyone needed you, THEY could find YOU! Good luck in all your travels. I think you just might need it.

[Trvlr]

Oh my: quote - "sounds like you have a habit of being held up in security lines." - end quote
Really - based on what, relative to what? Being held up by airport security for frivolous reasons is quite common these days (this website is riddled with accounts of same), and, given the number of flights I've taken, experiences of this nature were actually relatively infrequent - though exceedingly unpleasant when they occurred. Interesting choice of words by the way - "habit" - would you also consider the statements "The people of Iraq have a habit of being bombed", or, "The children of Africa have a habit of starving to death" accurate characterizations of these events, or deliberate attempts at assigning blame where it doesn't belong? Pot, meet Kettle.

quote - "Since you seem to be so big on helping us little people out by defining your big words, I thought i'd do the same for you. Here's the definition of discrimination:"treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit". I'm pretty sure your above quote is discriminatory" - end quote
Doesn't surprise me at all that you are "pretty sure" the quote to which you refer is discriminatory; this conclusion serves your purpose, and your reading comprehension skills are severely lacking. The statement does not, as you suggest, classify all airport service employees as prima donnas; it asserts that additional courtesy would be too much to ask of those that are - and my assertion that airport, and airline staff quite often behave as prima donnas, is based on personal experience, and the "individual merit" (or lack of it) the employees I encountered displayed. However, a valid argument could in fact be made that all airport service employees are prima donnas by definition, given the parameters of their employment within the context of what is supposed to be a free market economy, and verified statistical data. Also, If you bothered to take the time to apply the definition of discrimination to the policies/activities you detail in the second paragraph (I'm not going to quote the whole thing) of your post, I'm "pretty sure" you'd find those policies/activities fall into the realm of what you have chosen to define as discriminatory. For that matter, the fact that the airline industry receives voluminous exemptions from rule of law, and massive subsidies, is again, by your own definition, a discriminatory practice (more on this later in my reply). This, once again, is the core of my complaint. Pot, meet Kettle.

I'd like to digress for a moment and sincerely thank you for your reply; you are validating my complaint in ways I couldn't have thought of myself, even though you may or may not be aware of what your own statements mean. I fear the latter to be the case.

quote - " . . . what happens between when you check in and when you arrive at your gate is something that the airline should not be concerned with. You are a big boy (or girl). You do not need someone to hold your hand from the ticket counter to the gate. You need to assume some responsibility for yourself . . ." - end quote
Interesting example of the hypocrisy which pervades the airline industry. Yes, I am an adult (I hope you consider it fair to substitute this term for your "big boy or girl"), so is every person who works in the airline industry, from the throwers to the CEOs, and, as you have stated, as adults, these individuals need to take responsibility for themselves, and collectively, the (the massive financial failure of) airline industry as a whole. Therefore, what happens between an airline's business plan and its viability (or lack thereof) is something that the taxpayer/consumer, or federal government, should not be concerned with. Apparently, the airline industry DOES IN FACT need "someone" to hold its hand from balance sheet to pathetic balance sheet - and that same "someone", is holding every single adult airline industry employee's hand as well. I've already stated who that "someone" is, and I find it patently offensive that the people with cups in their hands (airline industry employees) who fly for free, demand that the people who fund their very existence and must pay to fly (thrice over - the cost of the ticket, and the raw, as well as opportunity, costs they shoulder as taxpayers), compensate for the discriminatory policies and incompetence which have been mainstays of this industry for quite some time. Stop forcing the general public to continually support, and sacrifice for, an unscrupulous, deficient infrastructure of adults in a society that is supposed to be Capitalist. At this point, you might want to look up the term "prima donna". Pot, meet Kettle.

quote - " If you think that being at the airport 2 hrs before your departure time is a ridiculous request, then don't do it."
I have a better idea, how about the airline industry, and the "big boys and girls" who are employed in it, face the harsh realities of business the rest of us must face (unless you work for a bank or an American car company . . . but I digress), and learn how to sell their product/service in a professional, efficient manner on the level playing field of the free market? Hmmm, sound like Capitalism, or more to the point, the only way the airline industry and its employees will ever be motivated to innovate to the point of self-sustainability? I'm sure this is too much to ask, so I've actually already stated that I'm going to do exactly what you suggest - I'm no longer going to travel by plane unless I absolutely have to.

quote - "You keep saying that you checked in in time for the flight. But you missed the flight, so obviously didn't check in with enough time. Technically, you checked in before the cut-off time at the ticket counter, but it doesn't seem that that was enough time to make your flight, does it?" - end quote
Please refer to my previous reply where I explain the logical fallacy "slippery slope". It has been stated by a couple former airline employees, within this thread in fact, that I arrived in plenty of time to make my flight, even given the TSA debacle and malfunctioning train. The discriminatory and unethical policies of the airline, the sub-standard performance of this industry in general, and the lack of courtesy and actions of the gate agent, are ULTIMATELY to blame for my additional wait. Once again, this is the core of my complaint.

I'm going to focus particular attention on the last sentence of the above quote: quote - "Technically, you checked in before the cut-off time at the ticket counter, but it doesn't seem that that was enough time to make your flight, does it?" - end quote
This one is priceless; who sets the cut-off time at the ticket counter - the passenger or the airline? What is the purpose of the cut-off time? Gee, do you think it would be fair to say, that this is the time that the airline has determined is the boundary between "enough time to make the gate", and "not enough time to make the gate"? If the airline is incapable, with all of their experience with, and control over, what transpires in an airport between the check-in counter and the gate (I am referring directly to your "stuff happens" - "that's life" remarks), of determining what is "enough time" and what is not, exactly how the hell is it reasonable to demand that a passenger be capable of making this determination?

quote - "I also think that any civil liberties organization that got wind of your ideas on how to keep track of people in the airports would be so far up your a$$ they'd come out your mouth." - end quote
You really shouldn't engage in "thinking" - you don't appear to be very good at it.
Exactly how many civil liberties organizations do you see spewing from TSA agents' mouths right now? Or, how many TSA agents do you see seeking medical treatment from the painful rear entry? I would have thought my comment about the Bill of Rights being shredded the moment you enter an airport would have dissuaded you from revealing your utter lack of knowledge in this area to such an embarrassing extent. Do you know what a horrendous violation of your civil rights a "random search" constitutes? Are you familiar with the legal concept "probable cause?" I guess not, but you do seem to be very good at forming false analogies based on bodily orifices . . . more on your inaccurate "tracking" assumptions below . . .

quote - "Asking for cell phone numbers? Tracking EVERY passenger through the airport? Riiiiight."
Are you familiar with face recognition technology? Do you have any idea how many video cameras are already tracking EVERY single human being that enters AIRPORT PROPERTY these days, let alone the airport proper? Are you aware that your cell phone, and every modern cell phone produced already has a tracking feature built in, which you can't turn off? Don't believe me - pick up your cell phone, and go to "Settings", in the settings menu, you will find an option for "Location", select location, and you will find (on most cell phones - I can't say with certainty that this is exactly the case for every cell phone in the world) only two options: "911 only", and "Location on". The "911 only" option, to the best of my knowledge, DOES NOT eliminate tracking; it only limits access to the tracking information. How else would your provider know if you were roaming? How else would your cell phone know which tower to connect to? Ergo, if you have a cell phone, you are already being, and have been, tracked wherever your cell phone receives a signal! With regard to the airport, and passengers giving up their cell phone numbers at check-in; this could be optional, not compulsory like the TSA invasions of privacy. Furthermore, you are referring to a preliminary suggestion which I hoped would spur some kind of discussion as to how airline and airport staff can mitigate the effects of "stuff happening" on paying customers; this was not to be taken as something I've researched extensively, the viability of which I considered already proven. Silly me, why would someone in an industry that is guaranteed funding and special legal consideration no matter how much it sucks care about improving customer service . . .

quote - "I know you've heard those pages before. So to say the airlines make no effort to get missing people on the plane is garbage. Maybe you think we should chip people like we do our dogs, but with GPS, so that you have no responsibilities whatsoever? That way you would never be responsible for your whereabouts ever again. If anyone needed you, THEY could find YOU!"
Yes, I have "heard those pages" - I heard them when I was being delayed by the TSA stormtroopers in Las Vegas, I heard them in Sydney when I was being delayed unnecessarily by an ego-maniac Australian customs agent - and I pointed them out to the parties in question, but, like most prima donnas, they didn't care because they were getting what they wanted regardless of the cost to me. As I've stated, in Sydney, it took an airline employee to come and get me before the customs agent had to stop needlessly harassing me; in Las Vegas, no airline employee came to get me, so the pages, and my complaints, fell on the snide, deaf ears of the post-office rejects. A call to TSA can be just as easily made as an announcement over the PA system. Sometimes, because, as you have stated, "stuff happens", it behooves the responsible service employee to go that extra inch. Did you bother to read my anecdote about Outback Steakhouse? This would be an example of an employee in an industry that is not taxpayer subsidized appropriately taking responsibility for the "stuff which happens" on her watch, instead of forcing the customer to - this is the foundation of a successful service industry, FYI. How is it that this "extra inch" isn't too much to ask of a $10-an-hour employee with relatively little job benefits, or resources at her disposal, but it is too much to ask of an airline employee, and, why is it too much to ask of the airline industry that they utilize technology already employed to harass, control, and abuse passengers, to assist them as well? It wasn't too much to ask of the airline employees in Sydney (although any further courtesy certainly was). Have you figured out what "prima donna" means yet, and why it is such an appropriate label in these cases under discussion?
Your comments after the first sentence of the above quote are nothing more than self-serving "garbage" as you put it, and you can stick them where you won't find the civil liberties organizations to which you referred earlier. I never stated that the airlines "make no effort to get missing people on the plane" - I stated that their efforts in this area should be improved upon, and could be improved upon, with resources they already have access to and are currently deployed. The comments about chipping people like dogs are yours and yours alone; maybe you think cramming your own irrational hyperbole down someone's throat is a legitimate means of bolstering your incredibly weak, and now utterly invalidated, position?

quote - "Good luck in all your travels. I think you just might need it."
Was this supposed to be clever? Anyone who travels can use some luck, for as you have stated "stuff happens". Maybe you should regress to your fascination with bodily orifices and phantom civil liberties.

Anything else, or was this the best you can do?

[Trvlr]

justme and oh my:

FYI: "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by the age of 18." - Albert Einstein

[justme]

glad to see someone else has some common sense and agrees with me!