I was standing in the check-in line last week watching two travelers lose their composure at the desk agent. One was a single mother traveling with a toddler. The other was a business traveler with an airline status tag hanging from his backpack like a merit badge. Both were upset. Both raised their voices. But I had more patience for one than the other. The mother was anxious, you could see it in how she held her child, how her voice cracked when she explained her situation.