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I realize I've been awfully quiet, but I didn't want to hear myself complain.
Mainertoo gives credit to JetBlue for changing the travel volume at our airport, because he had always said that they would, and he'd kept talking them up and saying we really needed them and was all excited when they came in. But with the exodus of female screeners which we've just had, and the liquids ban, and - even worse - now allowing the small amount of liquids, which confuses everyone to no end... well, it's just all coming together badly. Everyone's worked about as much overtime as they can stand and management is asking for more out of us. They're looking for people to come in at 9:30am - one of my co-workers did that, yesterday, and then worked until 10pm with us, and she drives at least a solid hour to get home. I don't know how she does it.
And I'm so tired of hearing the stupid customer tricks. I think it's understandable that passengers are confused and angered by the whole "3oz and all containers have to be in a single ziplock quart bag" thing - this regulation is ridiculously complicated. Most of us who've been here for a while think it would actually be kinder to the passengers to just take all the liquids out of their bag when the come into the checkpoint, toss them in the garbage and send the people on their way. It sounds heartless, but that way they wouldn't get the emotionally stressful scene of trying to convince us to let them keep whatever it is. No negotiating would mean less stress.
I, as much as everyone, am appalled by how many claim ignorance of the fact that a thing is a liquid/gel/paste/etc., etc... but I'm growing jaded. Like perfume - that was the first example, from way back when the whole thing first went into effect. Most perfume you can SEE sloshing around inside the bottle, so claiming it's not a liquid because it's in tiny drops when it comes out just doesn't make sense. We spend all friggin day having the same inane arguments over and over with people. "Hair gel isn't a gel!" "Uh. Hair GEL. GEL. Gel is pro-hi-bit-ed." It's mindblowing even once, but when it's over and over and over again all day you just... despair. You start thinking that the human race is obviously doomed. And that's when you're just a newbie, still relating these stories with a sense of awe.
There was a spot on CNN, yesterday, where they claimed that Maine is one of the top five smartest states. All of us there in the breakroom looked at each other in dumfounded confusion and then I said, "Well... most of the passengers are from away."
"Yes!" someone responded, leaping upon my suggestion as though this explained everything - "We could use that! 'We're sorry that these other airports didn't catch your liquids, but this is Maine and we're smarter!'"
And then that on top of all that there's the whole mentor thing. It's not the trainee. It's having to get in fights with people and get yelled at for needing to take some time with my trainee to finish his paperwork. It's just... I'm not getting any extra money for mentoring people, I'm not getting time off or anything. I'm getting like three extra lousy points toward maybe possibly getting a nickel raise someday. Woo woo.
But please don't think I'm complaining. At this point that's really not how I feel. I feel nothing at all, in fact. I'm so tired that I'm not even angry anymore. It's unfortunate that I can't maintain that and turn it into zen-like calm.
I'm REALLY looking forward to the party, tonight.
Mainertoo gives credit to JetBlue for changing the travel volume at our airport, because he had always said that they would, and he'd kept talking them up and saying we really needed them and was all excited when they came in. But with the exodus of female screeners which we've just had, and the liquids ban, and - even worse - now allowing the small amount of liquids, which confuses everyone to no end... well, it's just all coming together badly. Everyone's worked about as much overtime as they can stand and management is asking for more out of us. They're looking for people to come in at 9:30am - one of my co-workers did that, yesterday, and then worked until 10pm with us, and she drives at least a solid hour to get home. I don't know how she does it.
And I'm so tired of hearing the stupid customer tricks. I think it's understandable that passengers are confused and angered by the whole "3oz and all containers have to be in a single ziplock quart bag" thing - this regulation is ridiculously complicated. Most of us who've been here for a while think it would actually be kinder to the passengers to just take all the liquids out of their bag when the come into the checkpoint, toss them in the garbage and send the people on their way. It sounds heartless, but that way they wouldn't get the emotionally stressful scene of trying to convince us to let them keep whatever it is. No negotiating would mean less stress.
I, as much as everyone, am appalled by how many claim ignorance of the fact that a thing is a liquid/gel/paste/etc., etc... but I'm growing jaded. Like perfume - that was the first example, from way back when the whole thing first went into effect. Most perfume you can SEE sloshing around inside the bottle, so claiming it's not a liquid because it's in tiny drops when it comes out just doesn't make sense. We spend all friggin day having the same inane arguments over and over with people. "Hair gel isn't a gel!" "Uh. Hair GEL. GEL. Gel is pro-hi-bit-ed." It's mindblowing even once, but when it's over and over and over again all day you just... despair. You start thinking that the human race is obviously doomed. And that's when you're just a newbie, still relating these stories with a sense of awe.
There was a spot on CNN, yesterday, where they claimed that Maine is one of the top five smartest states. All of us there in the breakroom looked at each other in dumfounded confusion and then I said, "Well... most of the passengers are from away."
"Yes!" someone responded, leaping upon my suggestion as though this explained everything - "We could use that! 'We're sorry that these other airports didn't catch your liquids, but this is Maine and we're smarter!'"
And then that on top of all that there's the whole mentor thing. It's not the trainee. It's having to get in fights with people and get yelled at for needing to take some time with my trainee to finish his paperwork. It's just... I'm not getting any extra money for mentoring people, I'm not getting time off or anything. I'm getting like three extra lousy points toward maybe possibly getting a nickel raise someday. Woo woo.
But please don't think I'm complaining. At this point that's really not how I feel. I feel nothing at all, in fact. I'm so tired that I'm not even angry anymore. It's unfortunate that I can't maintain that and turn it into zen-like calm.
I'm REALLY looking forward to the party, tonight.
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From:
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Mainertoo had a guy yelling at him for taking a bottle of water away.
Guy: "It's WATER!"
Mainertoo: "It's LIQUID!"
You just have to wonder. It's not like they haven't been told by
the airline agents,
the person they drop their checked bags off to,
the person who stands at the side of the line,
the people who check the tickets,
the constant announcements on the airport intercom
AND the person who loads the x-ray.