(January 2012) After I had introduced myself to Eric, the number one flight attendant for our Miami turnaround from JFK, he reluctantly conveyed some of the more annoying events from the same trip a day earlier. I told Eric that the copilot and I were commuters and that our primary purpose was to end the day safely and on time. No drama would be allowed. Then I broke my own rule.
First on the drama list was an overbooking issue. A friendly discussion with the gate agent as she escorted me down the jet bridge indicated that her math and the reservation computer’s math didn’t agree. Our flight was overbooked by more than her calculations had determined. I discovered later that part of the problem was the fact that maintenance had declared two seats inoperative because of electrical issues. The other problem would manifest itself in the form of six soon-to-be-upset passengers. More on that later.
