Being Kind while Traveling
Please remember to be kind when travelling. Travelling will lose its charm at some point and long flight delays, odd eating pattern and lack of sleep will take its toll on you. You will be tempted to chew out the flight agent for not getting upgraded or the hotel service for taking too long to deliver your room service. Try to remember these items are out of the control of the staff member you are planning on berating. Everyone is just doing their job, and no one is going out of their way to specifically screw you over. The flight that is delayed for you is delayed for one hundred and fifty other people and yelling or cursing is not going to get the flight out of maintenance earlier. You accepted a job in consulting with travel expected and these delays will come with the territory, so please try to exercise some patience when things do not go perfectly.
A Little Kindness goes Along Way
Another classic consulting Thursday evening at the airport. A flight is delayed…flight delayed some more…flight finally cancelled. Passengers groaned as the flight cancellation was announced and began to line up at the customer service desk to determine their options on getting home. A large man who was visibly upset pushed his way through to the front of the line where he demanded a seat on the next flight out. The agent politely told him there was nothing she could do and the system would auto assign passengers based on availability. He continued to fume and mentioned his travel status with the airline while screaming at the poor agent. After a few minutes he finally gave in and stomped away, while still yelling curses at the agent, the airline and anyone in his way.
The gentlemen next inline walked up to the deflated agent and said “I guess there is no space on the next flight huh? It is, what it is. Sorry about that other guy”.
She looked up and replied, “one minute”.After a few moments of typing away on her computer she handed the gentleman a new boarding pass for the next flight out with a smile. It was the first I had seen anything like this occur but it really showed me in life that there are moments where “you catch more flies with honey”.
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