There is no excuse for a Delta agent cursing out a vile passenger.
Note the nuance of my previous sentence–I am calling the passenger vile, for reasons I will explain below. But there is simply no excuse to curse out even the most vile of passengers, especially if you are an airline customer service agent.
Ruhul Amin arrived in Portland on Hawaiian Airlines. His day had begun in Honolulu, but due to a delayed Delta flight he had ultimately been rebooked on Hawaiian.
Upon arriving in Portland, he proceeded to the Delta counter to claim his bag…for his original bag tag had been issued by Delta and he thought his baggage had been transported by Delta.
From what I can surmise, the agent tired to explain to the passenger that the bag had not arrived and he needed to file a claim with Hawaiian Airlines, since that was his final carrier.
Indeed, IATA rules mandate that the final carrier a passenger flies is on the “hook” for luggage if the carriers have an interline baggage agreement. Hawaiian and Delta are interline baggage partners. Amin should have visited the Hawaiian desk, no matter what his baggage tag said, as Hawaiian is technically responsible for retrieving his bag. It seems arcane, but that has always been my experience of how carriers handle lost or delayed bags.
Delta Agent Tried But Could Not File a Missing Baggage Report
Again, the bag had not arrived in Portland and the agent simply told Amin that he would need to file his baggage claim with Hawaiian Airlines. That is correct information. The agent even tried to create a claim but the system blocked him. Why? Amin had traveled on Hawaiian.
Amin apparently did not like that answer, whipped out his cell phone, turned the video recorder on, and began berating the agents. I hate his tone. I hate his smugness. We have no indication how patient agents were or how long they tried to reason with him before he began recording.
Instead, we just have a self-serving, one-sided account of the incident.
But the Cursing Was Not Justifed
The customer is NOT always right, but that does not justify coarse language. There is no excuse for the Delta agent losing his cool and he was rightly suspended.
In a statment, Delta said–
The actions displayed by this employee do not in any way reflect the standard of customer service and professionalism we expect from our employees. This conduct is unacceptable and we have reached out directly to the customer and apologized.
This is an appropriate response. Delta also offered Amin a $200 voucher.
Based on the three videos, it seems clear to me the passenger was unreasonable and provoked the agents. But professional customer-facing agents cannot take the bait. They just must resit. The angry agent should have walked away.
CONCLUSION
My take on this issue is different than others who were quick to condemn the Delta agent. I defend the agent’s anger…just not the way he handled his anger. I ultimately condemn the Delta agent, but also the passenger.
All humans deserve dignity and berating a fellow human against his will is not appropriate in any circumstance.
Delta did recover the bag and deliver it to his hotel. He still should have taken up the issue with Hawaiian first.
The Delta agent could certainly have handled this better. But I strongly suspect based on the video we have that this customer was looking to create a confrontation that could then go viral.
Your post is spot on.
Right way to handle that:
Delta Agent: “Sir, I understand you have a Delta tag when you started your day in Honolulu, but when your flight was canceled you were re-booked, by Delta, on Hawaiian. You flew Hawaiian and Hawaiian took over control of your bag.”
Vile Px: “But…..[insert non-sequitur here].
Delta Agent: “I’m sorry you were not given the Hawaiian tag, and I tried to file a claim with Delta but it won’t let me because we did not have control of the bag. It would be bad if Delta’s system let me file a claim because you would think a claim had been filed with the right airline but then Delta would never find your bag because after Hawaiian took control of it we have no right to get information on it. I can direct you to the Hawaiian counter. When you talk to them it may be best to just give them your name, ID, and your Hawaiian boarding pass. If you start by telling them about the re-booking they may not understand. It may be that your bag is in their office.”
….obviously that would not end it if the passenger continues to insist the Delta agent use The Force to conjure up his bag, but it would certainly make the passenger appear to be the aggressor.
Have to disagree with you on this one. The Delta agent was asserting his white privilege in the video, nothing more.
@mitch. Here we go again. “White privilege”? This has nothing to do with race. You’re a moron. Nice made up name too. Your maturity and lack of any intellect to compose a thoughtful sentence is truly astounding. With people like you we as a country are doomed.
No comment on the actions of either party. Customer Service Agents have it very tough and on a daily basis. Yes, it can always be handled better. My comment is on the policy. The DOT clearly states on its website:
Airlines are required to accept all reports of mishandled baggage, including reports of damage to wheels, straps, zippers, handles, and other protruding parts of checked baggage beyond normal wear and tear, even if an airline’s agent believes the airline is not liable.
The agent should and can accept a claim from this guest. They can look and try and track the bag. In fact, Delta does have the most technology regarding baggage tracking in the industry. There is a very good chance the bag did not travel with the guest, meaning it probably never made it to Hawaiian to be transferred on the flight the guest took.
The DOT has taken steps for just this situation. Delta takes the claim, calls Hawaiian, they open a claim as well and everyone is looking for his bag.
No, no, no. Your take on this is a bit silly. A vile passenger? Seriously? Why would he go to the effort of going to Delta in the first place if he knew the procedure and that his issue could only be resolved by the actual carrier?
The guy is quite calm, not hostile in any way; his tone is appropriate and so is his demeanour.
If the Delta people had explained the situation and the guy was still confused , the maybe they could have made a call on his behalf ( after all they did recognise their responsibility by finding and delivering the bag, did they not? ).
I wouldn’t like it if someone poked a recording phone in my face but working in customer service that must go with the territory.
The old guy just ‘lost it’ . What happens to him will depend on wether there is a pattern of such things or if this was just a ‘one off’.
But there is an element of blaming the victim in your post.
“Mitch” probably made the video. The internet brings out the worst in creatures.
It does not bother me one bit that the Delta agent cursed at the passenger. The passenger should show some respect to the Delta agent, if for no other reason than his age. I am so sick of entitled people baiting those who work in customer service then putting a camera in their face. It has to stop!