out of Denver this morning.

The gate attendant asks 4 times if anyone would check their bag, they needed to get 30 additional people to do it. I had my laptop with me, and I have a call as soon as the flight lands, so I didn't want to check it.

The fourth time they asked, I decided to help out. I took my laptop out to carry it, then I took my bag up to the counter and allowed them to tag it.

5 minutes later, I went to check in for the flight, and a new gate agent was there. She stopped me.

"Oh, you have a checked bag tag, you haven't paid for it I need you to pay."

I am always overly polite to gate agents, so in my politest tone I said: "Oh, sorry, the other gate agent said you needed volunteers to check bags. I didn't ask to check--"

She cut me off. "Sir, it doesn't matter. If you check your bag you have to pay, we don't get any benefit financially if you don't pay."

I stepped aside so others could check in while I continued the conversation. "I understand that, I actually would prefer to not check it, didn't you guys need volunteers--"

"Sir, you have to pay for it."

I was still polite. "That's okay, I'll just not check it, no big deal. Wasn't trying to make your life hard..." I tried to politely chuckle as I started to take the tag off my bag.

The flight attendant acted annoyed. Listen, I know people are rude to them a lot, I make a point to be extra polite. But she sounded frantic: "Don't take the tag off, we need people to check bags, and that's too big anyway it wouldn't fit in the sizer. You have to pay either way."

I've flown Frontier too many times to make that mistake. I smiled, feeling confident. "I'll happily size it for you."

"No, sir, you have to pay, don't make a scene, just go pay at the other table now. We're about to close the doors you'll miss your flight."

So I ripped the tag off, put my bag in the sizer, and put my hands out in a "see" gesture.

The person checking the sizes didn't know the battle I had just had. She said: "You're good" and waved me through. I didn't even talk to the other gate agent who didn't look at me, and I was the last one on the plane.

That was so weird. They don't even get $10 any more. My bad for offering to check my bag when they were begging people to do it 🤷‍♂️.

I condensed the conversation, I was talking to her for over 5 minutes trying to explain the other person was asking for people to volunteer to check bags. I was polite the whole time, lol.