If you ever have a difficult situation to manage,
you might consider the approach offered by this obviously well trained
Customer Service Officer. Indeed, an award should go to the
Virgin Airlines gate attendant in Sydney some months ago for being smart
and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a
passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.
A crowded Virgin flight was cancelled after
Virgin's 767s had been
withdrawn from service. A single attendant was
re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk.
He slapped his ticket down on the counter and
said, "I HAVE to be on
this flight and it HAS to be FIRST CLASS.
The attendant replied, "I'm sorry sir. I'll be
happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these people first, and
I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."
The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so
that the passengers behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I
AM?"
Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed
her public address
microphone: "May I have your attention please, may I
have your attention please," she began - her voice heard
clearly throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at Gate 14
WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS!
If anyone can help him find his identity,
please come to Gate14."
With the folks behind him in line laughing
hysterically, the man glared at the Virgin attendant, gritted his teeth and said, "
F... You!"
Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry,
sir, but you'll have to get in line for that too."