Sunday 17 May 2009

No escape at the airport

As the season sets in the tourists are really starting to annoy me. Not my tourist...just the others.

On Friday I went to the airport as I always do. I have a horrible polyester uniform which I am forced to wear and with my white shirt, navy skirt and red scarf, heels and clipboard I do look like I may work there...but I don't. There are so many tour operators walking around with their variety of uniforms: blue shirts, purple scarves, green skirts, red shirts....I know it may be confusing for guests at the airport BUT come on! Just because we are wearing scarves and waving clipboards around does not mean we speak a thousand languages and we are there to help you.

I was standing by the departures last week...not because I had to since I am only at the airport to spy on our drivers in arrival...but I had nothing else to do and was speaking to some other tour operators who were guiding their guests to the check in desks. I thought I may as well help them so I was assisting some old British people when one old, lone man had the cheek to get angry at me! I had told him to go to desk 3-5 and then he heard the other girls telling people to go to 1-5. He marched back up to me (wasting valuable queuing time) and asked me why I had failed to mention desks 1 and 2. I told him that there were less people on 3 - 5 so I thought it would be easier for him...well no it was not! He went and waited at the end of a long line of people by desk 1 just to spite me.

After that episode I decided to stand back and help no one...or so I thought as I realised I was now standing under the television screens with the check in desk numbers on them. I was suddenly bombarded by French, Spanish and German people asking me to point them to their gates...well I think that is what they were saying since I speak none of those languages. I went and hid after that.

Please, if you see someone at the Naples airport wearing a red scarf, blue skirt and white skirt DON'T come up and ask me where your check in desk is...as I will most likely 1) tell you I don't speak the language (even if you are speaking English) 2) I will purposely tell you the wrong information just to get back at you for bothering me 3) if it is near the end of the day I will yell at you even if you don't speak the language I am screaming.

4 comments:

Gil said...

If we go to Naples in June or July I promise not to ask any questions of you! Aren't people amazing, that they can even be rude when looking for a favor?

Kataroma said...

I have to admit that if I saw someone in that getup waving a clipboard at the airport I'd assume that they knew where the checkin desks are and if I couldn't find them I'd probably ask. Sorry!

Bitter Chocolate said...

Reminds me of a Czech saying that goes something like 'every action of kindness is followed by a well-deserved punishment' Of course it's meant ironically. We're not cruel, just sarcastic :) Good luck with the tourists, I would have strangled them already if I were you.

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Hi Gil,
If you go to Naples in June or July come up to me and I-ll make sure to be nice. Just tell me who you are first!!!

Hi Kataroma,
I guess I can understand that I look like I may work there, but the most annoying thing is when people just start speaking these random foreign languages that I do not speak.

Hi Bitter Chocolate,
I have been close to pushing my customers into on coming traffic...but have witheld them temptation thus far!