DALLAS — They operate on the frontlines of the airport - they book your tickets, grab your bags, and help you at the gate. And sadly, they are not immune from the recent spike in physical and verbal abuse directed at airport personnel.
We've all seen the videos of unruly passengers inside planes and it's no different in airports.
"There's frustration, tired... I've had a lot of members crying," said Anetra Session, who is with Communication Workers of America 6001. Session represents over 3,500 passenger services personnel in three states, including Texas. "There's been members who want to quit and I'm like, 'just hold on, it'll get better,' she said.
The Federal Aviation Administration says 1,017 investigations have been initiated this year alone of verbal, even physical, abuse from travelers. Experts feel this number is quite low and does not accurately depict the number of cases seen.
Session and CWA 6001 had the idea to create three PSAs to educate the public about the phenomenon. The hope is the public understands that the person trying to re-book your flight is a human being.
"We're people. I'm someone's daughter," said a woman seen in the ad. Session tells WFAA that a majority of the people in the video are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Right now, the flight attendant unions are pushing for a federal no-fly list and a stop to to-go alcohol.
Anetra says it's not any one thing that is leading to this misbehavior. She says it's the masks, the alcohol and also just people.
She agrees with travel experts who say there is a different crop of travelers who are boarding planes nowadays who are not aware of the rules.
"They couldn't leave and couldn't travel and once travel opened back up everybody just flooded; passengers who sometimes don't know how to act. They don't know the nature of the business," said Session.
Expect the videos to show up on your social media channels if you're in or near an airport.