I am writing to formally express my concern regarding the extremely unpleasant and unprofessional treatment my wife and I received from the ticket scanner at Gate A9 for our 8:10 a.m. flight from Baltimore to Portland on August 31, 2026.

From the beginning, the employee’s demeanor was noticeably hostile, abrasive, and unnecessarily confrontational. She singled out both my wife and me and required us to check the size of our carry-on bags, despite not appearing to require the same of the other passengers around us.

I was wearing a sling due to recent collarbone surgery and explained that I was physically unable to lift my carry-on bag into the size checker. Rather than responding with basic courtesy or understanding, she immediately told me that I would need to check the bag because I could not lift it myself. I explained that my wife would lift it for me. Her response was particularly inappropriate and accusatory. She said, “Then what was that? Was that a lie then? Did you lie about not being able to put it in the bag checker?”

I found this comment to be extremely disrespectful and completely unnecessary. Questioning whether a passenger is lying about a physical limitation—especially when they are visibly wearing a medical sling—is an unacceptable way to address a customer.

Unfortunately, her behavior toward my wife was equally discourteous. After my wife’s carry-on successfully fit into the bag checker, the employee continued to interact with her in an unnecessarily harsh and antagonistic manner while scanning her ticket.

I understand that airline employees may have stressful or demanding mornings, but that does not excuse condescending, accusatory, or hostile behavior toward passengers. Whatever circumstances may have contributed to this employee’s apparent frustration or emotional demeanor, customers should not be subjected to it.

This interaction was an incredibly unpleasant and disappointing way to begin our vacation. We expected a routine boarding experience and instead encountered an employee whose behavior was unnecessarily confrontational, insensitive, and unprofessional.

I hope management will review this incident and address the employee’s conduct appropriately. Passengers should be treated with courtesy, dignity, and professionalism, particularly when a passenger has a legitimate physical limitation.