They just don't get it, being polite is foreign to them.
I arrived around 1:15 before departure, sat in the cue for 20min while the staff did as above, bugger all, finally got to the counter handed over my passport it was now 55min ETD and she took great pleasure in telling me I'd have to go to the bottom of the seniority list I explained I'd been in the cue 20mins to which she said basically bad luck.
The best bit, we discussed this for a few minutes and at the end she said you're on, it's open. Why even mention bloody seniority if I was on FFS!!!