Comments on: Word on the Street — February 8th thru February 12th https://classicexhibits.com/tradeshow-blog/2010/02/14/word-on-the-street-february-8th-thru-february-12th/ Click to browse our trade show blog, with trade show ideas, tips and inspiration from the industry pros! Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:09:01 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.3 By: Reid Sherwood https://classicexhibits.com/tradeshow-blog/2010/02/14/word-on-the-street-february-8th-thru-february-12th/#comment-132 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:09:01 +0000 http://www.classicexhibits.com/tradeshow-blog/?p=2323#comment-132 Well, Kevin, this is one for the ages. I was traveling from Grand Rapids to somewhere….through O’Hare. The story goes as follows. There will be NO embellishment.

It was mid summer…Michigan can get a bit hot and steamy in the summer. Not like Memphis or Atlanta, but 95 with high humidity does happen a few days every summer…this was one of those days. There were storms in Chicago so we were delayed in Grand Rapids a while…almost 2 hours. American Eagle only flies regional jets so there isn’t very much room for things in the overhead compartment. That means that you check your carry-on plane-side and it is returned to you on the jet-way at your layover. Because of my status, I usually board first, which means that my stuff checked plane-side goes in first but comes out last.

Soooo…. I am the last guy coming up the jet-way and as I get closer to the gate and the gate-agent, I hear someone in a very, very heated voice (remember, I am not embellishing) “Ma’am, do you realize that because my luggage wouldn’t fit inside the plane where it is air conditioned, that it had to go under, in the luggage compartment of the plane?” I am now slowing down, because I love to watch these kind of things happen. The gate agent calmly replies, “Yes, I understand, what is the problem?” Mr. Heated Voice now takes the offensive. He says, “Do you realize just how few restaurants serve real butter anymore? NOT VERY MANY!” The gate agent has no choice but to respond with a total deer in the headlights look and says “Huh?”

Now Mr. Heated Voice is screaming pretty loud and says “You just don’t get it, do you? Every year when I take my trip I take a pound of butter with me and every year it has been fine until I chose your airline, where my butter couldn’t stay in the air conditioning.” The gate agent then asked the wrong question, “Well, sir, what would you like me to do?” Mr. Screaming-at-the-top-of-his-LUNGS answers with some visual aides to help her assess the situation. He opens his briefcase and starts taking things out and slamming them on the counter. “Look at my computer cord! Look at my notebook! Look at my car keys! Look at my cell phone! Every single thing in my briefcase is covered in melted butter and I want to know what you are going to do about it?” He got all that out without taking a breath and now successfully had butter soaked items all over her nice clean counter. She very calmly responds, “Sir, I am sorry, but I am afraid that the airline can’t be responsible for your butter melting, but I do certainly see the problem. Here are some paper towels.” Well, that just really sent Butter Man off the deep end, and he stormed off screaming something to the effect that he will never fly American again and this wasn’t over yet.

By now I have forgotten where my connecting flight is leaving from so I am going to ask the nice gate agent to check for me. I walked up and politely said…”Ma’am, I think you handled that pretty well.” To which she replied, I wanted to offer him a lobster, but I didn’t have one handy.” I laughed like crazy.

There are many that stick out like a sore thumb…but in my travels this one takes the cake!

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