Amazing that economy class arrives (almost) at the same time as first – Photo: Ben Granucci | AirlineReporter

One conversation between a passenger and a colleague of mine went, ’œHow long does it take to fly to Los Angeles?’

’œAbout 12 hours.’

’œOK, and how long does it take in economy?’

’œAbout 12 hours; it’s the same airplane.’

’œI’ll need to think it over, I’ll call back another time.’

’œYes, sir, economy and business travel take place in the same dimension.’

A couple years ago, I worked at the reservations call center of a major airline. Though every aviation-related profession comes with its share of strange, funny, and horrifying stories, I believe that call center agents get very close to knowing how passengers are thinking and feeling (good and bad). Maybe due to the the personal disconnect of talking on the phone, people often said things they might not be willing to say ’œin real life.’ I wanted to share some of the more memorable (i.e. funny/horrid) stories that happened in my call center. Since these stories are true, the carrier that I worked at will remain anonymous.