Due to my close ties to the industry, I try to keep up to date on the airline biz!! Just recently I came across a story that I think you all need to read. It is written by a United Airlines pilot as he shares his experience from what was just another day on the job for him and his fellow UAL co-workers. For any of you not familiar with some of the technical airline lingo in the story, don't worry, it really isn't the point.
A Glimpse of the Friendly Skies
By Captain Loren Bohnett, A-320 SFO
On
a leg home from Denver last December, we had some VIPs on board who
seemed as excited to meet us as we were them. The President of The
Greatest Generation Foundation, www.tggf.us,
was on our flight traveling out to HNL through SFO with a number of
Pearl Harbor veterans. All of these gentlemen stopped by the cockpit,
crowding in, in twos and threes to take a quick look, introduce
themselves, and shake our hands. Among them was an Air Corps vet who
flew B17s, 24s and 29s during World War II. He was impressed by all the
glass, but stated for the record that he preferred round dials; who was
I to disagree? According to the TGGF President, these gentlemen hadn’t
been back to Pearl since the end of the war, but they would be front
and center for the festivities this year.
As pushback time
approached, a flashing ACARS message got our attention; almost never
good news. Our minor EDCT delay had been modified for the worse and it
would be at least an hour before takeoff. The low clouds at home were
backing up the system again. A little research confirmed our fears:
these guys were not going to make it to Hawaii tonight as they would
miss the last flight out of SFO. Would UA delay the HNL flight? Not
likely. There was some hope though, if everyone could pull together and
make it happen.
We sent an ACARS note to Dispatch asking them to
involve the ATC Coordinator, explaining the nature of the assembly we
had aboard. As the leader of that group waited in the cockpit with us,
a look of concern on his face, a message came back: “How soon can you
be ready?” A plan had been hatched to add a few minutes of delay to
five other flights so that ours could be greatly reduced. Our new EDCT
came from Dispatch along with the plea: “don’t miss it!” Everyone
involved from our flight attendants, CS, and Ramp jumped into action
and we made our departure slot.
Our little piece of the Friendly
Skies ran like a first-rate airline that night, LCO or not. Everyone
involved stepped up and did their part efficiently and with purpose.
During the fast run to the west coast, as I keyed in our request for
assistance at SFO, Dispatch sent us another note. Everyone was in the
loop already and would be awaiting our arrival. Our gate assignment put
us directly across from the HNL flight and CS would be there to serve
as escort, we were told. After my flying partner greased our jet onto
28L, we arrived at the gate to find everything in place. A smiling CS
supervisor was in fact waiting in the jetway holding a stack of
boarding passes.
The best part of this story is still to come.
It turns out that back in Denver, one of United’s Global Services
customers overheard the travel plans and the importance of the trip our
veterans were on. This anonymous person got involved and stepped up as
well. Those boarding passes awaiting our arrival were all First-Class
upgrades, paid for by this customer.
Many take for granted the
incredibly complex task of providing safe transit that pilots perform
day and night, flight after flight. From my perspective, as Flight
Officers we played the usual leadership role, which is critical to
safety as well as to the customer experience. What was special this
night was that our extra efforts were well-received early on, which led
to effective coordination and a better solution. Employees across the
system were eager to help, motivated by the desire to honor this
deserving group of veterans.
For
me this was a glimpse of what our airline could be like every day for
every passenger. We have the equipment, the facilities, and, most
importantly, the people to provide this level of service and attention
on every flight. Unfortunately, such a renewal of enthusiasm across
this company would require a level of genuine appreciation, motivation
and leadership from the top that is sorely lacking today. My hope is
that we do experience this renewal, and sooner rather than later. For a
couple of hours, this was a great place to work.
A little side note from the Pilot's Union..............................
At United Airlines, there are managers and there are leaders. Managers track absences, fuel burns, APU usage, and brake releases. They question pilots’ decisions, ignore contracts, spin facts and generally do whatever it takes to put other people’s money into their own pockets. Leaders remember that our company is a service industry; that safety, service, integrity and responsibility bring back customers. Because of our responsibilities, pilots are leaders of this company. To paraphrase President Theodore Roosevelt, it is not the manager who counts. The credit belongs to the pilots who are actually in the arena, whose faces are marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strive valiantly and actually strive to do the deeds; who know great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spend themselves in a worthy cause; and who at the best know in the end the triumph of high achievement.













After many years of flying around the world, many of the flights with United, I have to say that the front line people were always very helpful. Inspiring stories like these renew faith in the potential of organisations despite the many hurdles that are put in the way of employees.
Posted by: Colin Campbell | 20 February 2008 at 03:52
Colin-Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Your words say so much!! I totally agree!
Posted by: Annie | 20 February 2008 at 07:55
After a number of trips back and forth between the west coast and Australia, I had been losing my patience and my respect for United as a company. This story however, makes me realise that there are good people out there, within any company, and often times are overshadowed by the powers to be.
By reading this, a bit of faith has been restored
Posted by: Stefan | 20 February 2008 at 22:18
Stefan-I am so glad I could share a story that shows the best in people. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Posted by: Annie | 21 February 2008 at 07:15
Thanks for sharing such stories. It is sometimes hard when traveling to believe that the airlines are nothing more then a flying money machines just there to seperate you from your money. Stories like these really help when the going gets tough.
Posted by: Richard Callaby | 24 March 2008 at 07:00