When customer service means contempt

After a brutal nineteen hour work day in the hinterlands of New York state on Friday,  I was all kinds of ready to head back home early this morning.  It was, however, a trip I approached with a bit of trepidation, as I was flying back on an unnamed Tempe, AZ-based airline.  My luck with them ran out a long, long time ago and it's been nothing but bad ever since (just read a couple of the older posts in the blog - you'll get a flavor for what's gone horribly wrong with said carrier and me).  Anyway, I had to fly unnamed carrier because of the lack of options at the little airport from which I was departing.

Two flights today, short ones, so I was hoping it would be OK.  Checked in and my pre-reserved seats had been cancelled (insert resigned sigh here).  But that was OK as I was able to get decent seats back.  First short flight on one of the pretend jets was uneventful.  Had enough time at my connecting city to stop in said airline's club.  When the agent asked me if I needed the wi-fi password, you could see his eyes already rolling into the back of his head.  He was elated when I told him I didn't.

After a quick break in the empty club, I went down to my gate.  The gate agent decided that the microphone wasn't necessary.  Instead, she chose to scream at all of us.  She screamed each and everyone one of her announcements.  Delightful!  So she yells at the first zone to board, and I'm in that zone and I approach Our Lady of Perpetual Yelling.  She scans my boarding pass then looks at it, scans it again, and says, "You supposed to be in First Class."  I think, 'Nice, a freebie upgrade.'  So I say, "Great! Can I get a new boarding pass?"  She looks at me and says, "No.  You in seat 12F, an exit row."  End of story.

Now I was not expecting an upgrade.  I'm not entitled to upgrades on this airline.  My expectations were so low that the fact my first flight had even operated and that my second one was on-time, I was overjoyed.  I wasn't bothered by the completely indifferent agent in the club.  But all it took was Our Lady of Perpetual Yelling to confirm that contempt is STILL the name of the game at this airline.  I really don't think I've ever seen anything like it, except at this carrier. 

Bottom line - I am home safely.  And I'm reminded that I never want to find myself making contempt my mantra and way of life.  Not a good way to live.