NW Check in Clerk - Sarah Schmidt

Dear Editor

This has been two years since this incident happened but I am still vey very mad about this incident. Can you please post it.

I feel humiliated the way I was treated by Ms. Sarah Schmidt, aNorthwest check-in clerk at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airporton May 25th 2005. She almost did not let me and my mother fly sayingthat we were a "late check in" despite of the fact that we were standing online 2 hours prior to departure. She took more than an hour to check inon a perfectly good reservation and straight forward itinerary due toher incompetency and yet had audacity to blame us for the delay and notwanting to let us fly.

Here is more the detail -I was flying with my mom to Kathmandu via Tokyo and Bangkok from Minneapolis in NorthWest Airlines with frequent flier mile up to Bangkok and then on a separate Thai Airlinesticket from Bangkok to Kathmandu. And that is exactly what I said to Ms. SarahSchmidt when I handed the her mine and my mom's ticket and Itenrary.I was at the airport at 10:55 that day and had towait in line for 20 mins for my turn. The flight was supposed to leaveat 12:55 PM and the time was I about 11:15 or 11:20 when I handed herthe ticket and passports.From my assessment Mrs Schmidt seemed like a new or inexperienced employee because shekept asking for assistance from other clerks as she was enteringinformation on the computer.After few minutes she handed me the baggage tag for my first checked inluggage which I noticed was only checked up to Bangkok. Remember my finaldestination was Kathmandu.When I told her why she didn't check my baggage to Kathmandu she said she didnot know I was flying to Kathmandu and that I would need to collect my bags atBangkok and recheck in. I told her I was a transit passenger at Bangkok and that Iwould have to clear immigration if I were to collect my bag. To that shesaid "I CAN'T HELP YOU THERE I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO Bangkok. I DON'T KNOW"

Her exact words.A ticketing clerk from the back office came upfront (I forgot his name,he was probably mid 40s Asian looking gentleman) and showed her how shecould reroute the bag to Kathmandu with my Thai Airlines Ticket info. Duringall this while she kept getting stuck entering information in thecomputer and kept asking for help from other ticketing clerks. By thetime she finished me checking in, it took her 45 minutes and it wasclose to 12:10 She also kept asking me "How come you have Seoul on yourroute?" several times during the check in process. Each time I had toremind her that Seoul was in my return route and NOT in the departure route. (Theyhad given me (Bangkok - Seoul - Chicago - Minneapolis) for return flight.After she handed me the ticket she abruptly said - I can't let your momfly because it will be considered a late-check-in and there isnothing I can do. And the delay was because of me not having the right information.I simply could not believe it!!!

I told her that it would devastate all our travel plans if my mom couldnot fly with me and that it was a long trip for her fly alone. On top of that my mom is 60 hadcome here for medical treatment and was on medication. After few minutes of me literally begging to her andsaying "please have mercy on me M'am...please" she handed me and my mom'sboarding pass saying our seats were not confirmed and that we would have tocheck in at the gate to make sure we had seats and that it was not her fault in allof this.I did not want to argue with her at that time because that would have simplymeant that I would have missed my flight. I felt very humiliated despite ofhaving all the proper documentation for the flight.Few Points -* Even if she didn't heard me at the first time that my finaldestination was Kathmandu she should have noticed my Thai Airlines Ticket andat least wondered where my final destination was or should have asked mequestions before starting the check in process.* I am an Engineer by profession and I believe I communicate reasonably well. So I disagree that I did not provide her theinformation correctly that caused the delay.* Third point - when does one needing to be at airport "two hour prior todeparture" on international flight really start? Sounds like you have to factorin for an incompetent check-in clerk. I feel really humiliated that day and not a day goes without meremembering how I had to beg for to be able to fly.I wrote to NW and all they said was sorry for the incident and gave 10,000 miles as a consolation.