Easy Traveling

     How often do people complain about traveling, especially about the airlines?  Well I've been traveling almost every week for the past year, and I have to say that most of the airline personnel I've seen are actually pretty good.  Of course, like any job, there are some bad ones who seem sullen or bored, as if they just don't care.  But I've encountered even more who really seem to want to do a great job.

     Yesterday, I got home from a trip to North and South Carolina.  My US Airways flight from Spartanburg boarded on time and without issue.  We took off slightly early and landed in Philly about 20 minutes ahead of schedule.  We didn't have to wait for a gate or any gate personnel to show up and we deplaned quickly.  As I walked through the terminal on my way to baggage claim, I made a 10 minute stop at the US Airways Club and had a snack and a soft drink.  By the time I got to baggage claim, my bag was already sitting on the belt waiting for me.  As is often my custom, I went over to the baggage claim office and reported that I had no issues at all and thanked the agent for seeing that my bags came quickly and easily.  The agent seemed quite surprised to have someone stop in just to report good news, but after she got over the shock she broke into a big smile and thanked me for letting her know.

     I continue to be reminded on a daily basis that I'll see in the world pretty much what I'm looking for.  If I look for examples of dishonesty, poor attitudes, lousy service, pain, and misery, I'll surely see them all around me.  But if I look for examples of decency, goodwill, kindness, good service, and helpfulness, I see them everywhere I look.  Given a choice (and we all have a choice), I'd rather look for the latter.

     

A Few More

     I got home from Orlando this evening and this is the first chance I've had to blog about a few acts of kindness over the past day or two.  In no particular order, I'll write about them here.

     When I got to Orlando yesterday, after successfully retrieving my bags from baggage claim, I went to the US Airways baggage office down there and let them know that I wanted to report that I had no problems at all.  There were three or four people working behind the counter and they not only smiled, but they all gave me a big ovation.  They laughed and were appreciative to hear some good comments for a change.

     After dinner last night I went for a walk in the area surrounding the hotel.  It was a nice night and I found a frozen yogurt place where I could get a late night treat.  On my way back, a young man approached me and haltingly explained that he was from Puerto Rico, wasn't a beggar, but things hadn't worked out for him and he hadn't eaten all day.  He asked if there was anything I could do to help.  My first thought was to give him my Subway card from the other day, but I didn't see any Subway shops anywhere in the vicinity.  I went ahead and gave him $10.  Here again, who knows if he was just scamming me, but I don't think so.  Either way, he clearly needed some help and I could certainly afford to at least do something.

     When I got home to Philly this evening, I once again thanked the people in the baggage office after I had gotten my bags without issue.  I'm starting to like making that a habit.  It's such a simple thing, but it's sort of like reporting good news - so often overlooked, but worth telling.

     Lastly, when I was giving a talk this morning, there was a person in the audience who had a very cool company that helped create ways for families to spend more time communicating with each other, specifically around the dinner table.  I remembered that someone I spoke to when I was in Virginia recently was struggling with this issue in her family.  This evening I sent her an e-mail with a link to the site.  She'll likely be surprised that I even remembered, let alone took the time to reach out to her.  And by the way, here's a link to the site.  It's well worth checking out.

     OK - that's it for me tonight!

Airport Kindness

     I flew to Pittsburgh this evening and three things of note happened along the way.  Let me tell you about them and what I noticed.

     The first thing that happened was that when I first arrived at the airport in Philly, I noticed an older woman sitting in the area where the ticket counters were.  She must have thought I looked like I knew what I was doing because she stopped me and asked if she was allowed to have a water bottle in that part of the airport.  I explained to her how she could have it anywhere, just not as she went through security.  It occurred to me that an airport can feel pretty intimidating when you don't know the routines.  As a matter of fact, so can many other places.  I remember when I first joined the country club to which I belong, my friend who "sponsored" me did a great job of explaining the various unstated rules, routines, and procedures that "regulars" know as if it's second nature.  But when we're new, it can feel overwhelming as we try to avoid doing the "wrong" thing.  It sure is nice when people can anticipate this and take the time to demystify the situation and explain all those little things.

     The second thing that happened was subtle, but I think important.  When we were getting ready to deplane, the woman who was sitting next to me (I was in the window seat) asked if I'd like her to reach my backpack which was stowed in the overhead bin from which she was getting her own things.  I overheard multiple other conversations around me where people were being so helpful to each other and polite as well.  It was another reminder to me that most people really are kind and helpful to each other.  We're so quick to notice, talk about, and complain about the exception, that we fail to notice the kindness that surrounds us everyday.

     The third thing that happened was that I followed up on the commitment I noted the other day with regard to baggage claim.  When I got my bag with no problem, I went into the baggage office and let them know that I was there to report that I had no problem at all.  Once again, the person behind the counter smiled and said he appreciated getting good news for once.  I'll continue to do this as often as possible throughout the year.

No Baggage Problem Here

     Have you ever noticed that there are some things we're "supposed to" complain about?  These are things like food in college cafeterias, DMV workers, TSA employees, and airline baggage problems.  To be sure, they've all earned their bad reputations, for reputations like these have their basis in fact and real experience.  However, there's often a significant lag time between when these things improve and how long it takes us to acknowledge that improvement by letting go of our old paradigms about them.  I find this to be true about baggage claim in Philadelphia.

     The Philadelphia airport has long been considered one of the worst places in the country for baggage handling.  For many years, it wasn't unusual to wait 45 minutes or more for your bags to arrive after landing, and then you hoped nothing was lost or damaged.  As much as I've flown this year, however, I've noticed a real difference.  I've never had a problem with a damaged or lost item, and my bags have frequently shown up on the belt pretty quickly.  In fact, this was the case upon my arrival home today - so I decided I should say something about it.

     After I got my bag I walked into the US Airways baggage office where people line up to complain about their lost bags and try to resolve issues.  I went to the counter and told the person working there that I just wanted to thank them because my bag arrived quickly and with no issues at all.  I explained that they probably listen to complaints and problems all day long and that no one ever reports that there was "no problem."  I wanted to give them such a report.  There were several people behind the counter and they all smiled and really appreciated the good feedback for a change.  They wished me a merry holiday and I was on my way, having spread a little good cheer around.

     By the way, I've also noticed that there are plenty of TSA agents who are friendly and helpful, too.  Clearly there are many who aren't, but I try not to paint their reputation with too broad a brush.  As with most things in life, you see what you expect to see.  I see plenty of people trying to do the best job they can, and I try to acknowledge that whenever I see it.

No Problem At Baggage Claim

     I was finally returning home tonight after a week away, arriving from Houston into the Philadelphia airport.  Unfortunately, the Philly airport has a reputation for pretty slow baggage handling, and it's not unusual to have to wait 45 minutes or more for your bags to show up.  Expecting the worst, I settled in for the wait.

     To my surprise, not much more than about 5 minutes after I reached the baggage claim area, the bags started to come down the chute onto the belt.  And to make it even better, mine was one of the first ones out.  

     In the few minutes that I had to wait, I noticed the activity at the US Air baggage claim office.  This is where you go to report that your stuff didn't show up and to figure out what to do next.  I was thinking about what a tough job that must be, always dealing with people who are tired, cranky, and frustrated.  That gave me an idea.

     I decided that it might be nice for them to hear something good for a change.  So I went into the claim office with my bag, went up to the counter, and explained that I just wanted to say that my bag came in quickly, that I had no problem at all, and that I appreciated it.  And then I gave the guy behind the counter a Starbucks gift card to show my appreciation.  He was pretty surprised, and he'll probably tell that story to a few people over the coming days!

     Most of us are pretty quick to complain when there's a problem, and we're usually silent when there's no problem.  From time to time, though, it's nice to acknowledge people when things happen the way we want/expect.

Baggage Claim

     I was traveling today from Asheville, NC to Birmingham, AL (heading to visit my son Ben!), when I ran into a few difficulties.  As we landed in Charlotte (my transfer point), we sat on the tarmac for close to an hour waiting for a gate to open up.  Though I was barely able to make my connecting flight to Birmingham, apparently my bag was not, so when I arrived in Birmingham my bag didn't show up on the baggage claim belt.

     I waited patiently on line at the US Air baggage claim office and eventually learned that my bag was on the next flight out of Charlotte which was to arrive in another 30 minutes, so I obviously decided to wait around for it rather than have it delivered to my hotel in Tuscaloosa.  As I was waiting, the woman who was at the baggage office counter noticed that there were roughly 15-20 unclaimed bags (for some reason) still sitting on the belt.  She needed to move them all to her office where they would eventually be claimed.  As tired (and to be honest, annoyed) as I was, I went over and helped her move all those bags.  Working together, it didn't take long for us to get the job done.

     Obviously it wasn't up to me to help her do her job, but that's so often the essence of kindness - thinking more about others than ourselves.  There are so many opportunities when traveling to be frustrated and annoyed, especially when we're tired.  While it's always easier for me to say than to do, I find that if I can focus on finding someone to help, it reduces my own personal sense of frustration a bit.