Passengers have been getting pissed off about queuing at the QANTAS check-in counters at Brisbane airport lately, to the extent that a staff member was slapped by a customer, another collapsed from stress, and yet another was removed from her post after being abused by passengers.

What grabbed my attention about this was this response from the QANTAS staff’s union:

"We have asked Qantas to put up signs stating that it is not acceptable to abuse staff and that attacking staff is illegal."

Wow!  People actually need to be told that this is not ok.  Amazing – the level of some people’s arseholery is astonishing.   I suppose its not really surprising, after all, I do see plenty of rude, aggressive dickheads in action all over the place.  Just think, these people are allowed to drive, vote, breed, etc.

The other thing that I found interesting was this – again from the union:

"You would be charged with assault if you did that on the street. But if you do it at the airport there’s a level of acceptance because of the queues,"

No, its not acceptable.  People who act this way should be refused service, and ostracised, to make it absolutely clear that acting the arsehole is not going to get them anywhere.

Now get this!

Last year QANTAS agreed to hire 90 more staff for Brisbane Airport, a decision that came after staff were spat on and abused when they left their posts to assist an elderly woman who collapsed and died in a long queue.   Real charmers!  Everyone of them should have been permanently banned from flying with the airline.

The response to the passenger (a woman!) who slapped the male counter staffer was that she was denied passage on the airline for 24 hours.  Pissweak!  I’d have blackbanned the bitch for good.