En route from a friend's wedding in Tampa, I had an unlikely and nearly surreal air travel experience this weekend.
Some 30,000 feet above the earth, I was in near disbelief by what was happening. This sort of thing was never questioned in a pre-9/11 era, but lately it's been all over the news. I don't know that I'll ever look at flying the same again.
I had outstanding airline service.
As airlines continue to nickel-and-dime customers for legroom, soft drinks and checked baggage, very little is expected from air travel outside of getting there safely. (We gave up on the whole "on time" expectation years ago.) Amid an economy resembling something akin to a Picasso painting, it's the little things making for great customer service these days. Moreover, it's an understanding customer who is going to end up with the most welcoming service.
I pity airline employees. Say what you will about career options, but these people deal with more mindless crap in a day than most of us experience in months. Travelers, as a whole, are assholes. Stand around a gate during a delay or - FAA forbid - a cancelation, and you'll suddenly meet the cockiest group of air travel experts who've never flown a plane in their lives.
Looking to score free travel, I volunteered my seat home on an afternoon flight for an evening flight Sunday. I approached the gate agent and stood behind a fellow New York-bound passenger flinging her Blackberry about while playing 20 questions about later flights. I observed the agent grow increasingly irritated until Blackberry girl left the podium having not heard any acceptable options.
I looked up at the agent as I stepped forward, and simply said, "Hey, sounds like you need some help." I humored the agent's position, made sure she knew I recognized her as a person with feelings and subtly cracked on the impatient fellow passengers. Within 45 minutes I had a $400 travel credit, meal voucher and first class boarding pass for the later flight.
We treated each other with extraordinary levels of civility and both ended up for the better. I had prizes, and she got her flight out on time without involuntarily denying boarding.
In the air to and from Tampa, the story was the same. Flight attendants smiled, joked and seemed to recognize that consumers still have a choice in air travel companies, or air travel in general. I was cordial in my requests and never seemed to be ignored. Maybe it was an act, and that's fine with me. I left those planes feeling better than when I'd stepped into them, and that's a mighty impressive feat in air travel today.
A genuine smile and an authentic "Please" and "Thank you" go a long way in customer service. Flight attendants use these phrases every day, but (on other airlines) their drone-like inflection sucks any believability out of the "kind" requests. The typically irritable customer service agents at the gate and ticket counter are not necessarily comforting bodies prior to stepping into a 500 mph missile, either.
Anyone in customer service - tech support to restaurants - could be guilty of this offense. Bad days, sickness and personal issues can drive one's tolerance and patience to nil. We've all been there, so understanding is a valuable asset when working with others.
That understanding, when coming from both sides of the service counter/aisle/hotline, leads to a successful and enlightening experience for everyone involved.
If brand loyalty is a rarity in the air travel industry, perhaps the greatest tip of the cap I may offer is to acknowledge the company I praise.
Thanks, Delta.
Write to Dave atheydave@bewilderedsociety.com
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