Laughing My Head Off at 20,000 Feet
Laughing My Head Off at 20,000 Feet
A week and a half ago, I experienced what many air travelers also may have at one time or another, when I traveled to Kansas City, MO for the first of three speaking presentations for the week. I had booked a flight on Delta that would put me where I needed to be in plenty of time for the association's reception that evening. After the passengers boarded the plane and the plane backed up from the gate, it stopped. We sat and sat. Then, the pilot came over the intercom and announced that our plane was too heavy to fly (this was a new one for me).
For the next forty minutes, we sat on the tarmac burning fuel so that the plane would be light enough to fly. For those of us who had connecting flights, well, we didn't make them because of the delay. So in Detroit, me and my new friend, Jennifer - whom I discovered was also flying to Kansas City from Indianapolis - sat in Detroit and waited for the next flight.
Finally, when it was time to board the new flight, we did and then stayed at the gate for what seemed like an eternity. Then, this pilot came over the intercom and announced that the bracket on the plane's fuel door was broken, and we would be sitting there for another hour and a half as the plane couldn't be fueled until it was fixed. Fortunately, Delta allowed the passengers to get off the plane. After a nine hour adventure, we finally got on the plane and make it to our destination, Kansas City.
On Thursday, I made another trip to Missouri - this time St. Louis - on American Airlines. The plane ride to St. Louis was good and uneventful, but the return flight after my third presentation on October 3rd was a memorable experience. It was memorable not in the fact that the plane was delayed or the ride was bumpy. It was memorable due to one person, Jason the flight attendant.
During the safety instructions, Jason lip synced to the pre-recorded female voice. He also gave several facial expressions during the safety dialog, which garnered loud laughter from all of the passengers. His small gesture of adding humor and putting airline passengers at ease made our flight experience more enjoyable and took the tension out of flying and all of the hassles that go along it. Though it's my preferred method of travel for longer distances, I found Jason's sense of humor to be a breath of fresh air. The tone for the rest of the flight was one of smiles and laughter from the passengers.
For those folks and customers that you come into contact, how do you make them feel? Do you go the extra mile to make their purchasing experience a positive one; do you smile when you greet someone in the hallway or on the street? In what way can you make someone else's day just a little bit better, especially when the person may be having a bad one? Jason's actions didn't cost any money do make the passengers' days a little brighter. But, the customer experience was memorable and enjoyable that likely earned many repeat customers on American Airlines.
The Golden Rule is do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I encourage you to go one step above and beyond. Not only does it make you feel good that you made someone's day, but also you may have made a loyal friend or customer in the process.
Until next time, be your best always,
Darcy
P.S. Welcome to the 250+ new subscribers from all over the world! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to forward it on to others who may enjoy it, too.
Posted by Darcy Keith at 10/13/2009 7:57 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Brain Injury Assocation of Missouri Jason the flight attendant motivational speaker Darcy Keith inspirational speaker TBI survivor traumatic brain injury traumatic brain injury survivor
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Brain Injury Assocation of Missouri Jason the flight attendant motivational speaker Darcy Keith inspirational speaker TBI survivor traumatic brain injury traumatic brain injury survivor
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