American Airlines Gate Agent Goes Viral for Pointed Warning to Passengers After Flight Gets Delayed by 7 Hours
“Don’t get smart with my flight attendants,” she said in a speech to the antsy passengers
Getty
Angry passenger talking to a gate agent at the airportAn American Airlines gate agent took an annoying flight delay and turned it into an opportunity to teach some passengers a lesson.
In a video shared to Instagram account @miawolferealtor on Tuesday, April 8, a number of passengers can be seen sitting in the waiting area at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama after their flight to Charlotte was delayed by seven hours.
While flight AA 5270 was originally set to leave at 8:17 a.m. local time, per the display board seen in the background, it didn’t depart until 3:27 p.m. local time on Sunday, April 6, according to Flight Aware.
Instead of letting tensions rise due to the hours-long delay, the gate agent shared some words of wisdom about having compassion when it comes to dealing with flight mishaps.
“When you get on my aircraft, let me tell y’all something. Don’t get smart with my flight attendants,” she tells the crowd. “Be nice to them. They have a hard day just like we do.”
Related: American Airlines Plane Turns Around After Passenger Reportedly Throws Fit Over Meal
Getty
Airport flight status boardThe agent continued her speech, noting how everyone has to deal with waiting around whenever an unexpected issue like this arises — not just the passengers.
“Believe it or not, the same aircraft that’s coming, the same people on that aircraft, it’s the same people that've been waiting as long as you — or maybe longer,” she says. “So please y’all, please, I’m asking you, do it for me.”
To break the ice, she then directed her attention to a baby crawling around on the floor and offered some advice for the little one.
“Hey, you on this floor,” she says to the baby, who starts smiling. “Where you going? Look. Don’t be on there acting up, because we know you’re going to get all the attention,” she adds as the crowd can be heard laughing in the background.
PEOPLE reached out to American Airlines for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Getty
Passengers waiting around at the airportThe user who originally shared the video echoed a similar sentiment in her caption, while also praising the gate agent for her positive message.
“PSA from American Airlines - be nice to the flight attendants, even the babies are listening !!! Preach it girl. Amen,” she wrote, tagging American Airlines. She also added the hashtags “flight attendant” and “delayed flight” at the end of her caption.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In the comments section, other users also commended the gate agent for her efforts.
“That’s right, you tell them,” one person wrote, followed by another who shared, “Love her, great job ma’am.”
Seemingly speaking from experience, one user added, “That is a people person. Great job Ms Gate Agent. I know I worked for a Major Airline for 43 Years . I know what you’re up against."
Read the original article on People
