Frontier Airlines Stranded at airport after Frontier refused to let me board plane with my family at the gate Denver Colorado
I had been traveling from Washington DC to Salt Lake City with family after Christmas Vacation. I carried with me a backpack and a rolling suitcase. During the layover in Denver, when it was time to board the plane, my sister and I were stopped at the gate by the Frontier employee because she insisted that my rolling suitcase was too large and needed to be checked. I pointed out to her that Frontier Airlines had no trouble fitting my bag in the overhead compartments from DC to Denver, so the employee insisted that I have the bag measured at the metal measuring thing by the gate.
I was very willing to have the bag measured, but as I rolled it over I made a comment to the lady that I preferred the bag not be checked because there were fragile things in it (which is precisely why I made sure to carry it on the plane with me). She brought over a cardboard box for measuring purposes and placed it next to the suitcase, insisting that the bag was not to be larger than the cardboard box. My sister and I pointed out that the bag and box were exactly the same size, but the employee rudely and loudly cut us off, insisting that my bag was indeed bigger, before taking my bag and throwing it haphazardly onto the metal carry-on measuring thing. My sister and I were appalled at this treatment.
As we watched the lady roughly shove and wedge my bag down to somehow 'prove' that it was much to large for the limited space on the plane, I loudly protested that I had told her the bag was fragile. She responded by droning on about company policy as she took the bag and threw it onto the floor. I told her that I was shocked at this treatment from Frontier and that she had no right to be throwing my bags around so irreverently and disrespectfully. She continued to loudly cut me off and said that I could either check the bag under the plane for a fee or get out of the way so they could close the gate. Grudgingly I took out my credit card and offered it to her, but she did not take it. Instead she continued to loudly explain company policies, bag sizes, etc. and I needed to follow the rules. I demonstrated that I was trying to comply with her rules by offering my credit card but she would not take it. She threatened to close the gate and repeated that the plane would leave without us. I grew so frustrated with her refusal to take my card, that close to tears I finally said, "Please shut up and take my f*** card! We can't miss this flight!"
The employee's immediate response was that I was not allowed to board, but that my sister was. My sister said that she would not leave without me so the lady simply said that she would close the gate on both of us. I protested and begged her to at least allow my sister on the plane. A manager came over to see what the issue was, and after I had explained it to him the female employee insisted that I would not be allowed on the plane until I apologized to her for my language. In tears, I apologized and then begged her to let us both on the plane. She then responded that it was too late, the gate was already closed (keep in mind that this lady had TOLD me I could board once I submitted to begging and groveling, and once I did she said I was too late; this in itself is an explicit and humiliating abuse of power).
My sister was now also almost close to tears. Only with her begging, along with the frustrated protests by some angry passengers who had witnessed the entire altercation, Frontier Airline allowed my sister through the gate. But they still would not let me board the plane with the rest of my family. Keep in mind that the employee had told my sister and I after I apologized that the gate was already closed, and then she let my sister in. But she spitefully would not let me through with her.
Many passengers who had witnessed the scene began yelling at the airline to let me through. Some witnesses began chanting "Do the right thing! Let her in!" People recorded the incident with the camera phones and I hope that they post them on the internet to prove how abbhorant Frontier Airlines really is. One seventeen-year-old passenger had been recording the incident and an employee shouted at him and told him to step away or she would call the police. When his mother confronted the staff member, the staff member threatened to not allow her or her son to board the plane that they had paid for, simply for recording a video.
To cap that off, Frontier had the audacity to explain to me that it was no fault of theirs that I had missed the flight; I should have checked in with them earlier to get on the plane (even though I waited for hours after a delay, and got in line and waited patiently like EVERYONE ELSE). Frontier gave me a coupon for a nearby hotel, but when I commented that I could not afford even a discounted hotel stay, their simple response was, "Well, the airport is open all night long."
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Tyg
Pahrump,Nevada,
POWER!!!!
#3General Comment
Tue, December 31, 2013
You fail to realize that these are PEOPLE with jobs to do. You are like that orange juice commercial where the flight attendant tells the passenger that they have to turn off their computer and the JACK*** says" But Im in first class". Its called self-entitlment. YOU feel YOU are that much more important then the people you deal with. Well guess what buddy, YOU just got shown how UNIMPORTANT you truly are.
You dont go around running your mouth off. You dont go around running your mouth off at people who have the POWER to stop you. YOU being the self important jack*** in the whole situation, present your credit card like its some "magic ticket". Like the poor person checking the baggage is going to have the time, or equiptment to just swipe your card right there4. Then you top it all of by insulting them. Then you wonder WHY the wont let you get on the plane. You get what you give in this world. Im betting that poor airport worker had enough of customers LIKE YOU!!! You think youre the only a****** they had to deal with that day? No, you were probably the hundreth. And as such you showing YOUR arse, they showed theirs. And look who won. The poor little airport worker. Guess that shows YOU where YOU stand in society.
What you need to take from this, is important. That person you are dealing with. Be it the kid at the local fast food outfit, or some poor register clerk, or even at the airport, THEY ARE PEOPLE WITH FEELINGS!!!! If you hurt those feelings then they will use WHATEVER power they have to gety back at you. So maybe you should really look at HOW you treat others. Im not saying go christian. I AM saying perhaps you need to review YOUR actions. No individual WILLINGLY gives over to anger, they have to be pushed into it. Now maybe your so used to the passive aggresive attacks that YOU dont see it anymore. But its there. Its written ALL OVER your post. Nice little passive aggressive asides. You play an excellent victim, but unfortunatly this is a situation of your own doing.
Try and treat people better and you will find that they respond in kind. They are ONLY people and NOT robots. They go home to their families. They go home and feed the cat. The point is they are just like you, in that they have a job to do and have to deal with other people.
Robert
Irvine,California,
What a...
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, December 31, 2013
If you were to look up the definition of Drama Queen/King in the dictionary you would find a picture of you right next to it.
First of all what was the exact dimensions of your bag?
Also, why as you are trying to infer, would an employee in an attempt to prove that the bag was too big try to shove and force it into their metal measuring box. Did they somehow see your face and take an immedite dislike to you? Was this some old High School rival that wanted to get even? Really there has to be some reason why this employee would turn mean. As it would be simple that if it didn't go in the box it was too big and you needed to pay. The shoving and pushing it into the box sounds more like what a passenger would do in order to prove it would fit.
Oh and the size has nothing to do with it fitting in the overhead bin(well not exactly). It is because the overhead bin is meant for more than one bag if everyone had one that still fit but was bigger than they allow they would not be able to fit all of the carry-ons in the bin. So it is very possible that this leg of your trip was a much fuller flight and carry-on space is limited. Where they let it slide on the first leg, but this one they needed to enforce the limitiations.
The employee's immediate response was that I was not allowed to board, but that my sister was. My sister said that she would not leave without me so the lady simply said that she would close the gate on both of us. I protested and begged her to at least allow my sister on the plane.
- Umm..they were going to let your sister board..it was your sister who said she didn't want to. So exactly who were you protesting and begging to?
She then responded that it was too late, the gate was already closed... Only with her begging, along with the frustrated protests by some angry passengers who had witnessed the entire altercation,
- Wait a minute..if the gate was closed..just how many passengers did they not let board?
People recorded the incident with the camera phones and I hope that they post them on the internet to prove how abbhorant Frontier Airlines really is. One seventeen-year-old passenger had been recording the
incident and an employee shouted at him and told him to step away or she would call the police. When his mother confronted the staff member, the staff member threatened to not allow her or her son to board the plane that they had paid for, simply for recording a video.
- So out of all of these people videoing the incident, not a single one came up to you offering to give you a copy. After all it appears you have Internet and most likely e-mail. Oh but as an FYI unless you were trying to do some "setup" the video would not show the entire incident. It would not show the initial events of them saying you needed to check your bag.
Oh and no I am not an employee of this or any other airline.