Airports can tax your patience, especially when faced with someone like the woman I encountered at JFK. She was loudly FaceTiming on speaker without headphones and ignored when her small dog made a mess on the floor. An elderly man pointed it out; she insulted him and refused to clean.
At security, she cut the line claiming to have PreCheck and demanded priority because of her dog. She refused to take off her boots, threatened lawsuits, and complained nonstop. Later, she yelled at coffee workers and blasted music from her phone.
At my gate, she blocked three seats and continued her loud conversation. When her dog scared a toddler, I decided to act. Sitting next to her, I casually engaged her while other passengers watched, relieved someone was handling it.
I left briefly, then told her the gate was changed to Paris, not Rome. She quickly packed, walked off upset, and took the dog with her.
The gate grew silent, and passengers silently thanked me. Peace returned, and she never came back. Sometimes a little cleverness makes all the difference.
