A Denver customer’s pre-flight check-in turned into a nightmare when he was denied boarding and publicly humiliated over a $25 agent assist fee.
The victim arrived 30 minutes before his flight and headed to the counter to check in, only to be slapped with an additional $25 agent assist fee. When he confronted the Frontier Airlines workers about the issue, they apparently began to exchange words. The workers adamantly refused to check him in, saying that he was late even after he agreed to pay the agent assist fee.
A viral video recorded by the victim shows him asking two Black female employees why they wouldn’t check him in, even though he had a right to board. However, one of the employees folded her arms and replied, “Can you please leave, sir? Can you please leave my personal space?“ before she threatened, “Make me check you in.”
Visibly upset, the passenger further pressed on, saying, “You literally work for a company that I bought a plane ticket from… This is not your personal space.” However, the employees adamantly refused, and one of them yelled, “You’re not getting on your flight!”
They then brought out their phones and began recording the flyer just as he recorded them. One of the employees also added that it was “company policy” and that they didn’t have control over the matter. However, they continued to taunt the customer, laughing at him and asking him to “get out of their faces.”
Towards the end of the video, one of the employees told the other to ignore the customer because they “ain’t gotta worry about it.” And the passenger replied, “You don’t have to worry about it? You’re literally not doing your job for a customer that has paid for a plane ticket to get home.”
Not bothering to reply, the employee jumped over the counter and walked away to attend to other matters, leaving her colleague to continue recording.
The TikTok clip has since sparked mixed reactions. Some social media users supported the airline workers, pointing out that they had check-in policies in place. On the other hand, others called the workers out for being rude.
One user pointed out the race of the employees with the comment, “And that’s why DEI got canceled 😂 🤣 💯.” Another remarked, “Even if he is in the wrong, the response is very unprofessional.”
One individual commented that the behavior of the airline workers should “not be tolerated.” The user added, “This is ridiculous. They are taunting customers,” while another replied, “A $25 what fee?! Cause why tf am I paying customer service to do their job?!”
Other individuals defended the employees, arguing that the customer arrived too late. “They are 100% right. 30 minutes before the flight is too late. It always has been and always will be. They handled it very unprofessionally, but he is wrong,” one user remarked.
Another argued, “Dude, they literally can’t check you in. You gotta get there early. Some flights have the door closed at this point.”
So far, Frontier Airlines has yet to release a statement on the incident. However, internet users remain divided on who is to blame.
