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Nashville airport cop threatens to arrest stranded passengers waiting to rebook cancelled Southwest flights
An airport police officer allegedly threatened to arrest passengers for trespassing when they were stranded at the Nashville International Airport amid widespread holiday flight delays. In a video, posted on Tuesday by former state house candidate Brad Batt, an officer can be heard saying, “You will be arrested for trespassing.” All around him, a group of dismayed passengers tries to explain that they no longer have valid tickets for the nearby gate because of problems with their flights. “Are… (www.msn.com) और अधिक...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Curious to know if anybody has experienced this with say Spirit? You would think with all of the jokes at their expense that this would be a regular thing.
Cop should be fired.
for?
I hope that when I next come over the the USA, I manage to avoid South West. We are just retiring and the last thing we need on our flights is an uncaring incompetent airline. SW knew they had a problem brewing and their management did nothing but send a cop who could not cope. Where was the customer service team? What were passengers supposed to do? Build igloos in the parking lot?That is not looking after your customers and not what I normally find in the USA. I already blacklist two UK airlines, BA and RyanAir here in the UK. No service, no business is my motto. Hope SW execs are reading these messages as it has been a PR disaster from this side of the pond. I guess in a few months when the sun is shining, memories will be very short?
See - this is where knowing only part of the story can make comments like this reveal the lack of depth of some people.
The rest of the story is that SWA was very short staffed at Nashville, had other flights coming in from parts of the country that were not affected by the storm, and was not able to handle the stranded passengers and those incoming flights at the gates. So - the staff started referring people back to the ticket counter to get rebooked, and a bunch of the passengers decided to start raising holy hell & raging at the gate agents. After about enough of that, and the passengers completely unwilling to relocate to the ticket counter - they needed to call for assistance in getting people moved to where they needed to be.
Of course the officer understood the situation and frustration of the passengers - but there is nothing he could do to help that, and the passengers were unwilling to follow the instructions given to help themselves... so - he did what needed to be done, knowing full well he would be the most hated man in the airport, and on the internet for doing so.
He was assigned to the airport for a reason. It is to keep the peace at the airport... a bunch of irate passengers barking at gate agents who are trying to manage the aircraft is not peace. The city owns the airport and the companies that inhabit the airport are the rightful tenants and agents of said airport. If they want people trespassed from part or all of it - then they are within their legal right to do so - and the officer is required to enforce that.
Anything past that is a civil matter between the passenger and the company, and needs to be handled through the company's procedures or civil litigation. Anybody who hangs that on the officer's neck is squarely in the wrong. End of story.
The rest of the story is that SWA was very short staffed at Nashville, had other flights coming in from parts of the country that were not affected by the storm, and was not able to handle the stranded passengers and those incoming flights at the gates. So - the staff started referring people back to the ticket counter to get rebooked, and a bunch of the passengers decided to start raising holy hell & raging at the gate agents. After about enough of that, and the passengers completely unwilling to relocate to the ticket counter - they needed to call for assistance in getting people moved to where they needed to be.
Of course the officer understood the situation and frustration of the passengers - but there is nothing he could do to help that, and the passengers were unwilling to follow the instructions given to help themselves... so - he did what needed to be done, knowing full well he would be the most hated man in the airport, and on the internet for doing so.
He was assigned to the airport for a reason. It is to keep the peace at the airport... a bunch of irate passengers barking at gate agents who are trying to manage the aircraft is not peace. The city owns the airport and the companies that inhabit the airport are the rightful tenants and agents of said airport. If they want people trespassed from part or all of it - then they are within their legal right to do so - and the officer is required to enforce that.
Anything past that is a civil matter between the passenger and the company, and needs to be handled through the company's procedures or civil litigation. Anybody who hangs that on the officer's neck is squarely in the wrong. End of story.
He was trying to get the people to the front counters “Right now,” the officer continues. “To the unsecured side. The ticket counter will help you with any questions you have. You have no ticket. You don’t need to be on the secured side. Let’s go.” People can be handled at the front counters than the gates. He didn't use the right words but use your common sense people!
Now now - don't go trying to confuse the issue with truth and reality. They don't like that on this site.