20 replies to this topic

[georoc01]

Interesting article on the power of ticket agents..

http://www.cnn.com/2...ents/index.html

[ScubaDrew]

Ouch, I got the special screening coming back from Cozumel. I was nice to the ticket agent despite having been up all night and having a dream vacation cut short by a storm. Maybe it was the last minute travel. It sucked...

[Scubatooth]

oh this is so tempting but my true feeling expressed would violate the TOS.

that article has been making the rounds for a while and has been discussed on other forums. needless to say its true but its not the whole story generating complaint letters from customers in your HR file makes for a short career. Good way to know if you got changed is to select your seat online and print the boarding pass before getting to the airport. Then if it takes the agent longer then 20 secs to change your seat assignment you might to start wondering.

Dew - you got SSSS because of the last minute ticket to the states because of the storm, it makes no sense like x-raying shoes for explosives but you can thank Kip Hawley for that.

Edited by Scubatooth, 14 November 2007 - 03:04 PM.

[finGrabber]

Good way to know if you got changed is to select your seat online and print the boarding pass before getting to the airport. Then if it takes the agent longer then 20 secs to change your seat assignment you might to start wondering.

That only works if the airline doesn't have a last minute change of aircraft...for example, an aircraft change from an S80 to a 737; your 11B aisle seat on an S80 becomes a middle seat on a 737

also, I don't believe the part of the article where the passenger says that TSA confirmed the ticket agent marked her as 'select' If anyone here really believes that TSA has that much access into any airlines check-in systems, well, I don't believe it.

[Scubatooth]

with equipment changes all bets are off, this hasnt been known to trip the SSSS it just makes for more work for doing seat assignments by the GA/TA. Been there had that happen, not fun but it happens.

Actually getting the SSSS to hit comes from the "No Fly List" and from last minute walk up/cash. irregular operations re routes plus some other wired reasons but the ticket/gate agents can do certain things in the system to make the probability very high of a SSSS . some of the reasons are listed in this thread on flyer talk. Then here is a google search on the "SSSS" or Special Security Screening Selectee

Edited by Scubatooth, 15 November 2007 - 11:24 PM.

[finGrabber]

Well, don't be rude to the ticket agent if you don't want someone with more power than you controlling how enjoyable your flight is

I've been on the 'otherside' of these conversations, 'tooth....there really is more than 1 side to any story; if you're rude and yelling/screaming/insulting then you deserve to sit next to the bathroom

or get screened by TSA; like it or not, violent/rude/condscending behavior gets you a first class ticket into that line

the only thing you can reliably do about that is treat people with respect all the time

[secretsea18]

Well, don't be rude to the ticket agent if you don't want someone with more power than you controlling how enjoyable your flight is

I've been on the 'otherside' of these conversations, 'tooth....there really is more than 1 side to any story; if you're rude and yelling/screaming/insulting then you deserve to sit next to the bathroom

or get screened by TSA; like it or not, violent/rude/condscending behavior gets you a first class ticket into that line

the only thing you can reliably do about that is treat people with respect all the time

What you say it true, however, the SSSS (stupid as it is) being added by the ticket agent in retaliation to a passenger's behavior is an abuse of "power" and is not appropriate. Sitting in the middle in the last row, maybe .... but not the SSSS. And yes, irreg ops, last minute flight/ticket schedule changes may trigger it, as the computer sees it as a "last minute ticket" and ALL of them are are SSSS plus the "no-fly list" that you can't get off of, nor has anyone I know ever gotten a response from a comment card from TSA.

[finGrabber]

Well, don't be rude to the ticket agent if you don't want someone with more power than you controlling how enjoyable your flight is

I've been on the 'otherside' of these conversations, 'tooth....there really is more than 1 side to any story; if you're rude and yelling/screaming/insulting then you deserve to sit next to the bathroom

or get screened by TSA; like it or not, violent/rude/condscending behavior gets you a first class ticket into that line

the only thing you can reliably do about that is treat people with respect all the time

What you say it true, however, the SSSS (stupid as it is) being added by the ticket agent in retaliation to a passenger's behavior is an abuse of "power" and is not appropriate. Sitting in the middle in the last row, maybe .... but not the SSSS. And yes, irreg ops, last minute flight/ticket schedule changes may trigger it, as the computer sees it as a "last minute ticket" and ALL of them are are SSSS plus the "no-fly list" that you can't get off of, nor has anyone I know ever gotten a response from a comment card from TSA.

I agree that SSSS really doesn't do anything other than validate the TSA's job, however, if the passenger is threatening the ticket agent then it is appropriate. The 'no-fly list' is an extention of SSSS, as far as I know.

I have worked in travel for nearly 20 years and yes, I've been threatened many times, called every name in the book, been asked "where can I find you at", what city do you live in, "I'm going to come find you and when I do...". In these instances, it is not abuse of power at all.

and a last minute ticket is one where you buy it the day of and probably will result in SSSS; airline schedule changes and irreg ops, to my knowledge, don't because that's the airline doing it, not the passenger

[WreckWench]

If you threaten an agent for any reason you should be screened as I would see you as a threat to my safety and that of other passengers.

I think that this ability is valuable for agents. If I were an agent and you seemed suspicious to me I would like a way to alert TSA to take a closer look. If this were abused then that would be another case. Abuse might be a high % of people flagged by a specific agent. Or a customer that was clearly wronged, had involved a supervisor and then found that they were 'flagged'. This could be construed as abuse and should be followed up upon.

All in all I think this article implies that MANY agents are abusing the system when in fact I doubt that is the case.

I have flown hundreds of flights on MANY different airlines and I can not recall ever having any of the issues that this article tries to sensationalize.

Have I had issues...yep. But none that would cause me to think that an agent was to blame. But then I'm never mean to them either. They have a thankless job and for the small amount of effort to be nice...you will get more than you will lose.

And in fact...I can list a huge number of ways that agents have gone ABOVE AND BEYOND the call of duty to help me out when it was critical. Its a shame that doesn't sell eh?

Trust me...this article is overblown in my mind but certainly points out things that can happen. However what it reallys says is be nice to the agents and follow the rules and you'll be fine. Duh!!

[georoc01]

I have watched the powers that ticket agents have, especially when it comes to rebooking you when misconnect. I had a case where there were two of us in line, both going to a concert in another city and misconnected. When I approached the counter I was told there was nothing they could do. The person behind me, who was originally scheduled to fly into a city an hour away from the concert city, was then booked onto the next flight out, and had their ticket changed to be into the city I was supposed to be flying into.

Being nice, and being a frequent flier on a single airline does make a huge difference on how the airline treats you.

[cmt489]

If you threaten an agent for any reason you should be screened as I would see you as a threat to my safety and that of other passengers.

I disagree. While I try to make it a practice to be nice, I have on more than one occasion had the agent that has rubbed me the wrong way by being rude, unresponsive or otherwise unprofessional. How is getting angry at that person's conduct in anyway making me a threat to anyone's safety on the plane?

A perfect example, when I was visiting George last year, the airline decided to cancel my flight with no warning and no reason - there were no storms in the area and the incoming flight had landed. I have later learned that they will do that if they feel the flight is not full enough.

I found out about the cancellation when I checked the airport website for departures and my flight wasn't there. I called the airline and was, needless to say, upset and panicked. The first person I dealt with was no help at all - offering no solutions. I did get very mad. I hung up and tried for a new agent who was amazing. She stayed with me on the phone trying to work things out during the enture drive to the airport. When I got to the airport (and chastized for being "late for check in" on the flight she had gotten me onto), she asked me to pass the phone to the ticket agent at the desk, told them they were to override everything and then got them to manually issue me my transfer ticket for a flight that the computer was blocking her out of (since I was on a rewards flight). She was outstanding and, I regret, that I didn't have time to get her information to send in a letter of praise for her assistance.

Would I have been a threat to anyone after the first agent I talked to? Absolutely not. It was her refusal to try to do anything that infuriated me, not the airline or the flight.

Come to think of it, when going through security that day, I had been flagged for extra checking by TSA. Now I suspect it was the first agent and not the fact that I was checked in a few minutes late that set that off.

And I agree with Robin - this is an abuse of power based upon a perception over a telephone. In person is one thing but the over the phone agent should have not authority whatsoever to issue these kinds of searches on passengers.

[finGrabber]

And I agree with Robin - this is an abuse of power based upon a perception over a telephone. In person is one thing but the over the phone agent should have not authority whatsoever to issue these kinds of searches on passengers.

Telephone agents who use the Sabre system don't have the access to ever flag you during the check-in process;

it was most likely due to arriving a little late; I do think the airlines have to 'select' a certain percentage of passengers every day so it could be that you just happened to be the one who got chosen.

oh, and if you send a letter to their customer relations department and give them the data from your ticket, they can probably find out who the agent was who helped you; back in the 90's, American put all their past date reservations on micro-fiche so their customer relations could help passengers after their flights

[georoc01]

And I agree with Robin - this is an abuse of power based upon a perception over a telephone. In person is one thing but the over the phone agent should have not authority whatsoever to issue these kinds of searches on passengers.

Telephone agents who use the Sabre system don't have the access to ever flag you during the check-in process;

it was most likely due to arriving a little late; I do think the airlines have to 'select' a certain percentage of passengers every day so it could be that you just happened to be the one who got chosen.

oh, and if you send a letter to their customer relations department and give them the data from your ticket, they can probably find out who the agent was who helped you; back in the 90's, American put all their past date reservations on micro-fiche so their customer relations could help passengers after their flights

Yeah, the system can randomly select you. As a frequent flier, it happens to me every once in a while. In fact, if you fly through smaller airports where you get to know the personnel, I have had them apologize as they hand me the tickets with all of the SSSS on it.

I'm still hoping they eventually put in a regular flier system for those of us who travel at least once a month.

[secretsea18]

And I agree with Robin - this is an abuse of power based upon a perception over a telephone. In person is one thing but the over the phone agent should have not authority whatsoever to issue these kinds of searches on passengers.

Telephone agents who use the Sabre system don't have the access to ever flag you during the check-in process;

it was most likely due to arriving a little late; I do think the airlines have to 'select' a certain percentage of passengers every day so it could be that you just happened to be the one who got chosen.

oh, and if you send a letter to their customer relations department and give them the data from your ticket, they can probably find out who the agent was who helped you; back in the 90's, American put all their past date reservations on micro-fiche so their customer relations could help passengers after their flights

Yeah, the system can randomly select you. As a frequent flier, it happens to me every once in a while. In fact, if you fly through smaller airports where you get to know the personnel, I have had them apologize as they hand me the tickets with all of the SSSS on it.

I'm still hoping they eventually put in a regular flier system for those of us who travel at least once a month.

I am a very frequent flyer, too. The only time, since we "won" TSA, I have ever gotten the evil SSSS was last summer when I had to buy a ticket less than 12 hours before flying as my sister was having emergency brain surgery! Big airports, small airports, no difference.

BTW, they already have the "regular flier system" you are interested in, it's called CLEAR. You get the privilege of paying ~$100/year to give them private personal information about yourself, AND then still wait in a line! NO WAY!

If they only actually did things that increased security, like check cargo in the plane hold, instead they are fixated on checking our ID (something that the airline does to protect revenue, as tickets are non-transferable), X-ray our shoes for explosives when Xrays are unable to detect explosives, and don't even get me started on the "war on water".

Michelle, it is most likely that your original ticket got cancelled out, and they issued you an entirely new ticket at the counter, thus qualifing you for the SSSS grope-fest.

[ScubaDrew]

BTW, they already have the "regular flier system" you are interested in, it's called CLEAR. You get the privilege of paying ~$100/year to give them private personal information about yourself, AND then still wait in a line! NO WAY!

Got a better idea! Xrays can detect knives, dogs can sniff out explosives better and faster than machines, and Uncle Sam taught me how to fight pretty good, and at 6'5" 230~ pounds, I make a nice door. Xray teh bags, sniff the passengers, and give me a first class upgrade to the bulkhead, show me who can get by, and I will make sure no one else does.

Or we can go with Penn Jillette's "Bacon and a Kiss" Airline...