One of the goals I was after when I moved to Paradise (aka Durango, Colorado) ten years ago was to live in a small town, where bureaucracy would hopefully be at a minimum. We still enjoy a nice small town atmosphere, though sadly some of it has been lost to bureaucracy in these ten years. But the clerks at the Post Office still greet me by name, my dogs are still welcome at my bank, and many transactions are still executed on a handshake. All these things make me feel valued and connected to my community.
Travel out of this remote location is challenging. Though we have a small airport, flying out of Durango generally adds a half day to any trip, as we need to connect through Denver or Phoenix to get anywhere else. The airport used to kind of sweet, though. You could pull right up to the curb to pick up your luggage. The security people were your neighbors, and were nice. The gal who operates the kennel where I board my dogs used to be welcomed into the parking lot to meet her customers. Parking was cheap and easy.
That’s changed. In a town of less than 15,000 (about 50,000 in the county), we now have a tiny airport with the bureaucracy of Logan Airport in Boston, where I used to live. I’m really sad about this. Despite 9/11, it’s really unnecessary. If it wasn’t so sad, it would be funny. TSA people acting like thugs, escalating parking fees and frequent cancellations and delays led me to finally drive to Albuquerque, four hours away, for today’s flight.
What a delightful surprise! I’m having a “minimal bureaucracy day”, and I’m loving it! At the ‘Park and Shuttle’ in Albuquerque ($4.00 a day), the shuttle driver courteously waited for me to gather my stuff after meeting me at my parking space. Upon entering Albuquerque’s Sunport, there was beautiful live music to entertain me and other airport patron, the Placitas Mountain Band. 2 guitars, a string bass, a fiddler (a lady in her 70’s, I’m guessing), an autoharp/banjo player, with 3 of them singing. The group invited requests from their constantly changing audience, and several in the audience sang along to bluegrass favorites. An oasis of humanity in an airport! Wonderful. I don’t feel like I’m a faceless number in a city airport – I feel like welcome guest.
As I thanked them for the serenade as I headed for the gate, a couple of the musicians called out “have a wonderful trip!” So did the ladies in the gift and book stores. This airport is working at customer service, and it is working! Airports can be one of the most miserable, dehumanizing places going, with uncomfortable seating and constant announcements and many employees of the airports and airlines looking at the patrons as objects, rather than people. The Sunport’s Got It Going On. I remember being in the Charlotte, NC airport a couple of years ago, and delighting in the occasional seating areas they have set up with white, wooden rockers, and nice natural light. It’s not so hard to brighten up these deserts of bureaucracy. And it’s so interesting to watch the affect on airport patrons. People smile more, interact, and seem much more relaxed.
I’m flying on Southwest Airlines today, instead of my usual United, Delta or American. Another pleasant experience! I’ve read that Southwest is the most profitable of the airlines, along with having the best record for on-time departures/arrivals and lost luggage. The Southwest employees seem genuinely happy, and are FUN! What a difference it makes in the ol’ Fasten-Seat-Belt-No-Electronic-Devices-Overhead-Compartment-Six-Exits-Oxygen-Masks speech when the presenters are hamming it up and being entertaining, instead of being boring, dry, automatons. As I write this, Joann Jackson, one of our flight attendants, surreptitiously put a little box of “Certified SWA Fun” on my tray table. Not everyone got one, and I’m feeling very special. Time Out while I open it…..
Turns out it’s a deck of cards. Hey, that’s fun enough. With smart purchasing, it probably cost Southwest an extra 20 cents or so to give me that smile. What do they get in return? A loyal customer, grateful for being treated like a fellow human being. I’ll drive 4 hours to Albuquerque again, to have what’s far too often a way miserable experience be instead a very nice one. I’d had some trepidation about Southwest’s famed “cattle car” boarding, where there are no assigned seats. But you know what? It worked just fine.
Southwest’s fares are very reasonable, and sometimes great. Not every seat is full on this flight. Nobody had to get bumped, and Southwest didn’t have to dole out a few free roundtrip tickets and have disgruntled passengers who couldn’t get where they were going. And they are turning a profit! Why aren’t the other airlines copying this business model? Even the logo on the bulkhead makes me feel good – a heart encircled by a set of wings.
I don’t know if every Southwest experience is this pleasant. But if it’s even close, I’m not surprised why they are successful. Do I think that these employees are less than “professional” because they joke around, smile, and ask if I want (heaven forbid) an extra drink or snack? Not at all. I think they are Uber-Professionals. Because they are getting the job done (flying me where I want to go safely, on time, with my luggage) while making me feel truly valued. While there are many nice people working for the other airlines, the constant Bureaucracy Barrage and posture that seems to be part of either the training and/or culture at these companies, too often dehumanizes both them and me when we interact.
In the quest of being “professional,” we must guard our humanity and individuality, the antidotes to bureaucracy. We must look each other in the eye, and see each other as another human being, with hopes, needs and dreams equal to our own. We must be professional human beings, not professional airline employees, real estate brokers, or coaches. Nothing has to be lost in terms of profitability and efficiency, and in fact, those objectives will likely be enhanced by remembering our connectedness, and taking every opportunity to be part of that, rather than distancing ourselves from it.
Our pilot just announced that we’ll be arriving in Los Angeles on time today. Very nice.
Postscript: My flight back from LA two days later was about 2.5 hours late, as the plane had a “bird strike” on the way in, and it was deemed unsafe to fly. It was inconvenient to board for an hour, then get off and reboard a different plane. But several apologies from the SouthWest crew and an emphasis on “better safe than sorry” made it tolerable.
What stories do you have to share about companies or individuals making a difference with Professional (not Bureaucratic) Human Beings?
Travel out of this remote location is challenging. Though we have a small airport, flying out of Durango generally adds a half day to any trip, as we need to connect through Denver or Phoenix to get anywhere else. The airport used to kind of sweet, though. You could pull right up to the curb to pick up your luggage. The security people were your neighbors, and were nice. The gal who operates the kennel where I board my dogs used to be welcomed into the parking lot to meet her customers. Parking was cheap and easy.
That’s changed. In a town of less than 15,000 (about 50,000 in the county), we now have a tiny airport with the bureaucracy of Logan Airport in Boston, where I used to live. I’m really sad about this. Despite 9/11, it’s really unnecessary. If it wasn’t so sad, it would be funny. TSA people acting like thugs, escalating parking fees and frequent cancellations and delays led me to finally drive to Albuquerque, four hours away, for today’s flight.
What a delightful surprise! I’m having a “minimal bureaucracy day”, and I’m loving it! At the ‘Park and Shuttle’ in Albuquerque ($4.00 a day), the shuttle driver courteously waited for me to gather my stuff after meeting me at my parking space. Upon entering Albuquerque’s Sunport, there was beautiful live music to entertain me and other airport patron, the Placitas Mountain Band. 2 guitars, a string bass, a fiddler (a lady in her 70’s, I’m guessing), an autoharp/banjo player, with 3 of them singing. The group invited requests from their constantly changing audience, and several in the audience sang along to bluegrass favorites. An oasis of humanity in an airport! Wonderful. I don’t feel like I’m a faceless number in a city airport – I feel like welcome guest.
As I thanked them for the serenade as I headed for the gate, a couple of the musicians called out “have a wonderful trip!” So did the ladies in the gift and book stores. This airport is working at customer service, and it is working! Airports can be one of the most miserable, dehumanizing places going, with uncomfortable seating and constant announcements and many employees of the airports and airlines looking at the patrons as objects, rather than people. The Sunport’s Got It Going On. I remember being in the Charlotte, NC airport a couple of years ago, and delighting in the occasional seating areas they have set up with white, wooden rockers, and nice natural light. It’s not so hard to brighten up these deserts of bureaucracy. And it’s so interesting to watch the affect on airport patrons. People smile more, interact, and seem much more relaxed.
I’m flying on Southwest Airlines today, instead of my usual United, Delta or American. Another pleasant experience! I’ve read that Southwest is the most profitable of the airlines, along with having the best record for on-time departures/arrivals and lost luggage. The Southwest employees seem genuinely happy, and are FUN! What a difference it makes in the ol’ Fasten-Seat-Belt-No-Electronic-Devices-Overhead-Compartment-Six-Exits-Oxygen-Masks speech when the presenters are hamming it up and being entertaining, instead of being boring, dry, automatons. As I write this, Joann Jackson, one of our flight attendants, surreptitiously put a little box of “Certified SWA Fun” on my tray table. Not everyone got one, and I’m feeling very special. Time Out while I open it…..
Turns out it’s a deck of cards. Hey, that’s fun enough. With smart purchasing, it probably cost Southwest an extra 20 cents or so to give me that smile. What do they get in return? A loyal customer, grateful for being treated like a fellow human being. I’ll drive 4 hours to Albuquerque again, to have what’s far too often a way miserable experience be instead a very nice one. I’d had some trepidation about Southwest’s famed “cattle car” boarding, where there are no assigned seats. But you know what? It worked just fine.
Southwest’s fares are very reasonable, and sometimes great. Not every seat is full on this flight. Nobody had to get bumped, and Southwest didn’t have to dole out a few free roundtrip tickets and have disgruntled passengers who couldn’t get where they were going. And they are turning a profit! Why aren’t the other airlines copying this business model? Even the logo on the bulkhead makes me feel good – a heart encircled by a set of wings.
I don’t know if every Southwest experience is this pleasant. But if it’s even close, I’m not surprised why they are successful. Do I think that these employees are less than “professional” because they joke around, smile, and ask if I want (heaven forbid) an extra drink or snack? Not at all. I think they are Uber-Professionals. Because they are getting the job done (flying me where I want to go safely, on time, with my luggage) while making me feel truly valued. While there are many nice people working for the other airlines, the constant Bureaucracy Barrage and posture that seems to be part of either the training and/or culture at these companies, too often dehumanizes both them and me when we interact.
In the quest of being “professional,” we must guard our humanity and individuality, the antidotes to bureaucracy. We must look each other in the eye, and see each other as another human being, with hopes, needs and dreams equal to our own. We must be professional human beings, not professional airline employees, real estate brokers, or coaches. Nothing has to be lost in terms of profitability and efficiency, and in fact, those objectives will likely be enhanced by remembering our connectedness, and taking every opportunity to be part of that, rather than distancing ourselves from it.
Our pilot just announced that we’ll be arriving in Los Angeles on time today. Very nice.
Postscript: My flight back from LA two days later was about 2.5 hours late, as the plane had a “bird strike” on the way in, and it was deemed unsafe to fly. It was inconvenient to board for an hour, then get off and reboard a different plane. But several apologies from the SouthWest crew and an emphasis on “better safe than sorry” made it tolerable.
What stories do you have to share about companies or individuals making a difference with Professional (not Bureaucratic) Human Beings?
