A viral Facebook post about a Southwest Airlines gate agent is drawing strong reactions, with most commenters defending the employee even as the original complaint describes behavior that, if accurate, would be unacceptable from any customer-facing staff member.
Passenger Says Rude Southwest Gate Agent Was On “Power Trip” And Treated Customers Poorly
Traveler Wyatt Eiden shared a Facebook post describing a negative encounter with a gate agent. His account has spread quickly, generating thousands of reactions and comments. Here is the core of what he wrote:
“At gate E34 a 5’1″ gate agent was on the biggest power trip imaginable. He wasn’t just hurrying people and snapping at them, he actually made me step out of line and go all the way to the back because I didn’t have my boarding pass pulled up quickly enough. Keep in mind the flight was already delayed and no one gave us updates, yet he kept rolling his eyes, sighing loudly, and rushing passengers like we were the ones holding everything up. The way he barked ‘next!’ and waved me off like I wasn’t even human was beyond disrespectful. The nerve to treat paying customers like that while strutting around with the worst short-man complex I’ve ever seen. Absolutely unreal.”
The complaint touches on several issues we see all too often in modern air travel: poor communication during delays, passengers feeling rushed or dismissed, and tensions rising at the gate.
A Social Media Backlash…But Against The Passenger
Interestingly, most commenters on the post are siding with the gate agent. Many argue that passengers are often unprepared, that gate agents take constant abuse, and that the original poster’s remark about the agent’s height undermines his credibility.
Some variation of “try working a day in their shoes” appears repeatedly.
And yes, the “short-man complex” comment does weaken the seriousness of the accusation. Personal insults do not help any argument and make it easier for readers to dismiss the underlying claim.
But that does not resolve the more important question…
Was The Gate Agent’s Behavior Acceptable?
Even granting that travelers frequently act entitled and that gate agents have difficult, stressful jobs, the behavior described in the post (eye rolling, sighing loudly, barking orders, dismissively waving customers away) would be inappropriate if it happened as written.
Passengers deserve basic respect. Being frazzled or having a long day does not give an employee license to treat people like an inconvenience.
And if the flight was already delayed and passengers were not kept informed, the agent’s impatience would be even more misplaced.
So while the height insult was unnecessary and unfair, it does not automatically mean that the customer’s core complaints are false.
Southwest gate agents, like frontline employees across the industry, deal with crowded flights, tight turn times, and frustrated passengers. Many are overworked and under-supported. But this is exactly why professionalism matters even more.
If customers are expected to behave courteously, gate agents must model that same standard.
A gate agent who is visibly annoyed, condescending, or dismissive can sour an entire boarding process. A little kindness at the podium can diffuse stress and set the tone for the flight.
CONCLUSION
A Facebook post accusing a Southwest gate agent of being rude has gone viral, but most online commenters have dismissed the complaint because of its “short-man complex” line. While that insult certainly undermines the tone of the post, it does not automatically excuse the behavior described. If the gate agent really was rolling his eyes, barking “next,” and waving passengers away who could not produce their boarding passes quickly enough for him, that would fall well below the level of professionalism expected in customer service. Gate agents have tough jobs, but treating passengers with dignity remains essential.
image: Wyatt Eiden / Facebook
The pax is a worthless piece of —-. What does a GA height have to do with anything?
100% and a minority at that.
Remember, the liberal elite mob here won’t consider all the great things going on in this country because the guy responsible for most of it is “mean” to people, especially overweight women.
F this passenger.
I’m going to need more specificity about “great things”… At least you had some things to point to in Trump 1.0.
Typical Southwest. That is exactly my last experience with them and I promised to never fly them again.
Sure would be nice if we had air passenger rights legislation that compensated passengers for delays caused by the airlines; also, while I don’t condone misbehavior, airlines should also properly pay, support, train, and invest in their workers, including gate agents, who are often neglected.
“But, the plane is already delayed.” This also undermines the accuracy of the customer’s story. Every minute of delay costs the airline huge amounts of money, can result in expensive scheduling fixes, creates delays on down the line. This, plus height-shaming, plus the fact that unhappy customers often embellish the story… I’m inclined to go with the gate agent until the video comes out.
BTW, it wasn’t possible for Napoleon to have a Napoleon complex, as he was average height for that era.
Maybe something else was too short? That seemed to have been Epstein’s problem…
Hitler, too, they think.
I came here to say this exact thing 🙂