Saturday 31 May 2008

I So Hope This Is True

Another snippet from the office email.

An award should go to the Virgin Airlines desk attendant in Sydney some months ago for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.

A crowded Virgin flight was cancelled after Virgin's 767s had been withdrawn from service. A single attendant was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travellers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, 'I HAVE to be on this flight and it HAS to be FIRST CLASS'.

The attendant replied, 'I'm sorry, sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out.'

The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, 'DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?'

Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address microphone: 'May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please,' she began - her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal.

'We have a passenger here at Desk 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Desk 14.'

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the Virgin attendant, gritted his teeth and said, 'F*ck You!'

Without flinching, she smiled and said, 'I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to get in line for that too.



Don'cha you just love it?

25 comments:

David said...

Oh my God, this made my night!
Thanks !
So funny, off to tell the family this story,

JayBee said...

Must be apocryphal but .... if only ....

Mopsa said...

Who was he?

Debra in France said...

Superb!

One of my clients was a pilot and he told me a story of a man on a flight who had a heart attack. The cabin crew performed CPR on him, got his heart going again, and the aircraft made a diversion to the nearest airport to get him medical attention.

A few months later the airline receive a letter of complaint from the man, saying that he was sueing the airline as the cabin crew had cracked 2 of his ribs while doing the CPR.

The airline replied by saying 'no problem sir. We will contact our laywers. But we have 250 or so passengers who would like to sue YOU, for delays to their journey'.

He was never heard from again.

She's like the wind said...

Superb, how very controlled, she had obviously dealt with may angry customers. xx

The Draughtsman said...

Ελά! Just great! She showed real cool. And that's COOL.

travelling, but not in love said...

Very funny. I must remember that one next time I use that line....

I've learned my lesson so many times with check-in staff. I'm as sweet as pie these days (mainly because I always check in on-line).

When I was a travel agent in Solihull (many many moons ago) I used to ring the airline up and request crap seats for people I didn't like....they always obliged.

Swearing Mother said...

Glad to give you a laugh David.

Hi Calum, absolutely!

Hello Mopsa, not sure who this guy was. Sounds like a bit of an arse to me.

Debra, can you believe someone would do that? There's no accounting for folk.

Hi SLTW, I bet she was waiting for the day someone said that to her, she must have had that answer ready and waiting for years.

Norman, you are quite correct. She must have felt SO good afterwards.

Swearing Mother said...

Travelling, oh how I wish I could get my revenge on awkward customers just like that.

Expat mum said...

I've heard this one before but because it's about an Australian you somehow know she had the balls to say that! Brilliant!

Cath said...

That is wonderful! I want lessons from her.... she's brilliant.

Nice to see you on form - sorry I've not been over in a while. Just can't keep up.

Maggie May said...

I wonder who the hell he was! I wish I had the ability to think quickly & give sarcastic witty answers at the drop of a hat. I always think of something suitable to say long after the event! Oh Well....

Millennium Housewife said...

Excellnt, LOL funny! MH

Nora said...

I love it, she had some gumption and a very quick mind. Good for her, she deserves an award.

Swearing Mother said...

Expatmum, the girl just had to be an Aussie, didn't she?

Hi Cath, this blogging's a time-consuming hobby isn't it?

Maggie May, sometimes I wish I could keep my mouth shut until after the event, but it never happens.

Hi Mil Housewife, nice to read you.

Nora, think we should invent the "Perfect Put-Down" award especially for her!

Working Mum said...

Brilliant! I wish I had that kind of wit.

Swearing Mother said...

Me too Working Mum. I usually manage to say something, but it's not always appropriate if you know what I mean.

Gone Back South said...

That's hilarious - and I bet when he made it on the flight the crew spat in his meal. Re. your comment on mine ... no I'm a Scorpio! But I still don't like to be unsettled like this.

merry weather said...

Hi Listless One - I love that attitude! I'm far more lazy these days too. What the heck, life's in the moment!

This story is marvellous, very cheering. I've had my fair share of coping with adult tantrums - treat others as you would like to be treated yourself is what I learned then.

Take care funny lady!

Mean Mom said...

Good for her! Nice to hear of someone with the right attitude! (Maybe she'd handed in her notice and it was her last day, or something!)

It's my birthday (7th June) and I'm having a 1950s virtual birthday party. You are very welcome to call by, if you have the time!

Frog in the Field said...

AWEsome, bloody brilliant!!
You've made me cough and choke laughing........

Unknown said...

Glad I dropped in, funny as f**k !x

Swearing Mother said...

Hi GBS: Bet they did spit in his food, at the very least! (Ugh).

Hello Mean Mom, Many Happy Virtual Returns, will be over!

Hi Frog: It's good to laugh, even when it makes you cough.

KP! How lovely to read you again.

Frog in the Field said...

Oh, well thanks for the sympathy...never mind it's painful (sob!)

A Mother's Place is in the Wrong said...

What a great true story. If only I could think of responses like that on the spur of the moment. M :-)