Ask at the Gate
What the gate agent can do for you, and the words that get it done.
I stood behind the podium for 32 years. Eighteen chapters on seats, bumps, missed connections and wheelchairs, and each one ends with the exact words to say, and what to say if they say no.
- Sit together on a full flight without paying for seats
- Get the wheelchair on every leg, not just the first
- Take the cash when they bump you, not the voucher
$39.99 today, was $59.99 · 30-day money back, and you keep the book
01
How it works
No box in the mail, and no account to set up.
The honest math
What one trip costs when the airline gets its way.
Seven moments from the book, for two people on one round trip. The numbers are about, and the book shows the arithmetic.
Without the book Per trip
- Bumped, took the first offer: two vouchers $600
- Missed connection, bought two new tickets − $1,040
- No wheelchair at the connection, a night at a hotel − $420
- Canceled, paid our own hotel and meals, two nights − $480
- Bag didn’t come, no report filed − $310
- Paid extra to sit together − $190
- Carry-ons checked at the counter − $180
With the book Per trip
- Bumped, asked for the cash the rule sets $2,150
- Rebooked for free on the next flight, food only − $30
- Chair waiting on every leg, a tip and a snack − $45
- Asked for the hotel and meal vouchers − $40
- Report filed before leaving, receipts paid back − $40
- Asked for seats together at the right time − $40
- Gate-checked for free, one bag paid − $45
Ask at the Gate, chapters 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 15 · 14 CFR Parts 250, 254, 260 and 382 · DOT cancellation and delay dashboard
Difference, with the book: about $3,900
03
Look inside
Real pages from the book. This is what opens on your phone at the airport, in type big enough to read without your glasses.
← swipe to see more pages →
04
What’s inside
Eighteen chapters in four parts, two printable companions, one file. Every chapter ends the same way: the exact words to say at the podium, and what to say back if they say no.
- When the seats open up again, and why “no seats” on the app is not the last word · p. 9
- Check in and board with no smartphone, and how to reach a real person · p. 17
- The bag you can’t lift: gate-check it for free instead of paying at the counter · p. 25
- A wheelchair at the connection, not just at the start, and the code that gets it there · p. 32
- What the agent’s screen lets them do, so you ask for things they can actually give · p. 49
- Sitting together on a full flight, without paying for the seats · p. 57
- Cash, not the first voucher, when they bump you, and how the agent picks who goes · p. 87
- Canceled? Name the exact flight you want, instead of asking what’s available · p. 97
- The missed connection, and who has to get you home · p. 105
- What “controllable” means, and why it gets you a hotel · p. 113
- The bag desk before you leave the airport, and the cap on what they owe · p. 121
- The complaint letter that gets paid, ready to fill in · p. 130
And that is a fraction of it. Eighteen chapters, two companions, 179 pages, and the words to say at the end of every chapter.
05
Get your copy
$39.99 once. No subscription. Yours to keep.
A PDF on your phone about thirty seconds after you pay. Nothing ships. Print it at home if you like paper.
Ask at the Gate
- 179 pages, eighteen chapters, the official source under every rule
- Instant PDF download, on your phone about thirty seconds after you pay
- The exact words for the podium, and what to say if they say no
- Two printable companions: the script card and what they owe you
- 30-day money back, and you keep the book
Secure checkout · One payment, no subscription · Nothing ships
Goes with it
The Airline Cheat Sheets and The Cruise Rule Book by Thomas Ashford, from the same small team
the other two come to $35 together instead of $66.99
Don’t want all three? Build your own bundle →What readers write me
Frank Lawson
I’m Frank Lawson. I worked the gate for 32 years, most of them at a big hub, at the podium right in front of the jet bridge. I boarded the flights, I picked who got bumped, and I found the seat that “wasn’t there.”
I’m retired now. I don’t work for an airline, and nobody pays me to say anything.
I wrote this book because I watched good people take a $300 voucher when they were owed cash, and walk a whole concourse when a wheelchair was theirs for one sentence. Everything I would tell my own sister is in here, and so are the words to say.
The podium is just a desk with a person behind it. Most of what you need, you only have to ask for.
Frank
Questions people ask before they buy.
Is a paper book coming in the mail?
No. It is a PDF. That is a book you read on a screen. Nothing comes in the mail. It is on your phone about 30 seconds after you pay. Want paper? Print it at home or at the library.
I’m not good with computers.
That is fine. You tap one button and the book opens. No account. No password. Stuck? Write to me here. I will help you, or give you your money back.
Is this a subscription? Will you charge my card again?
No. You pay one time. That is all. No monthly fee, ever.
What if I lose the file?
The link is in your email. Open the email and tap it again. Lost the email too? Write to me from the email you paid with. I will send it the same day.
$39.99 for a book?
If they bump you off a full flight, they can owe you up to $1,075 in cash. Page 87 shows you how to ask. That one chapter pays for the book many times. And you have 30 days to get your money back. You keep the book.
Can’t I find this free online or in your videos?
Some of it, yes. But it is spread over many airline and government pages. Here it is all in one place, with the exact words to say. Right on your phone at the gate.
I’ve flown for years. Is there anything new?
Most likely. Do you know when seats open up again before boarding? Or what to say to get a hotel when they cancel? Most people don’t. I watched them miss it for 32 years.
Does this cover my airline?
Yes. Bumping, refunds and wheelchair help are federal rules. They apply on American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue and every other U.S. airline. When an airline does it its own way, I tell you.
I only fly inside the U.S. Do I still need it?
Yes. Almost all of it is about flights at home: seats, bags, the wheelchair, bumps and delays. Only one chapter is about flying to another country.
I don’t live in the U.S. Is this for me?
Yes, if you fly to or from the U.S. On a flight from a U.S. airport, U.S. rules cover you. The words at the podium work anywhere. If you only fly inside Europe, this book is not for you.
08
Still deciding?
Ask me anything here. I read every message myself, and I write back.
