For anyone who has racked up the frequent flier miles, we will tell you that it isn’t all glamour and fun. You may get a fresh mint on your pillow at night, room service and fresh towels each day, but rarely does that compare to the comforts of home. I started to think about my travel experiences and while I am blessed to have seen many great places and meet many great people, I also remembered a few memorable plane rides, some good, some not so good…But for anyone in business today (or yesterday), the fact is that stuff happens and some things will surprise you. It is all about how you approach the situation. Did you slow down to appreciate the good things–no matter how small they are–and did you handle the surprises or the rough trips with a bit of grace? This blog highlights what can happen–good and bad.
- The international flight where the two passengers next to me proceeded to drink their way through the flight. They were heading to the US to attend a philosophy symposium. They weren’t disorderly, I was no longer interested in talking (to anyone) after an hour into a nine hour flight. Drunk sophists. Not as educational as you might think. And try as I might—sleeping through the whole flight didn’t work. No vacant seats either. Imagine my disappointment for not realizing sooner that my exit strategy–said nicely and without malice–was the statement “I would really love to meet your family if I am in Sweden. I’m thinking of going this summer.”
- The elderly gentlemen who talked about his daughter and grandchildren throughout the two hour flight, only to put his hand on my knee (three times) as we neared the end of the flight. The grandfatherly persona was gone. Forced into the whispered statement (again said nicely) “If this continues, I am going to have to ring for the flight attendant” finally put an end to that. You would think that handing someone their hand with a quiet and polite “Sir, please keep your hands to yourself” would suffice.
- Delays, delays, delays. Too many to count.
- Screaming child for four hours in the seat behind you. Need I say more? Actually I feel sorry for the parents, who are generally mortified.
- The flight attendant who brought me extra chocolate (and I didn’t even ask him) after serving the plane a snack! That was a good flight.
- Sitting at the wrong gate while your plane is boarding.
- Any trip where the flight attendants bogart dessert, cookies, snacks and trail mix for me is considered a good flight!
- The FedEx pilots (I was jump seating) who woke me up at 5:00 a.m. so I could see Singapore at dawn as we landed. It didn’t sound that exciting until I went into the cockpit and looked out the window. A panoramic view of Singapore: The water was completely still, as smooth as ice; anchored ships sleeping quietly near the shore; small clusters of puffy white clouds drifting quietly above the water, and the sun was just breaking. It was a bird’s eye view of a city just waking up.
- Reading the USA Today article on the SARS epidemic and stopping to watch medics carry a passenger off the plane. Once airborne, we were told, “when we get to Minneapolis, we’ll advise you of her medical status.” Read: “We’ll let you know if we have to quarantine the plane.”
- Cancellations, cancellations, cancellations. Too many to count.
- Sprinting onto the plane as they immediately close the door behind you. Thankful to get the last seat and feeling as though the passengers feel you’ve delayed their flight by five hours.
- A young child (she was nine) who morphed into match maker for daddy during the flight. I inferred that she didn’t like daddy’s fiancé (who was not on the flight). She also had a sugar rush near the end of the trip. (I might have given her some extra cookies…)
- The hacking, coughing and sneezing woman who sat next to me during a flight and did little to minimize the air contamination—also during the SARS breakout. I almost strapped on a barf bag to minimize the spread of germs.
- The airport sprints (in heels, with luggage) to catch my connection.
- Renaming airlines if they were especially problematic on certain days.
Travel is sometimes about the journey, and in others it is about the destination. What I’ve learned is that there is always another flight if you missed your connection, the crying child feels worse than you–despite your impaired ear drums–and someone is going to cough and sneeze on you during a flu epidemic. How you handle it is up to you…
