Service Without a Smile is Hardly Service

I went on vacation to Florida in mid-May, hence the reason why I haven’t written in a while (I’m keenly aware that’s no excuse for not writing).   However, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to write about since my return.  Work has been slow and not much has been going on.  The Rock and Roll Marathon came and went without as much as a hiccup.  Sure I had to practically drive through Mexico to get to work on the day of the marathon, but besides that, work has been quite void of any noteworthy stories. 

But as my writer friend tells me, there’s always a story somewhere.  So I thought back about my vacation and I realized I do have a service industry related story. 

My flight attendant was extremely rude.  Not only did this offend me as a paying passenger but it also offended me on a deeper level as someone who makes a living in the hospitality industry.

The poor guy next to me thought he was going to be sick.  He was gripping the puke bag and his head was on the table.  I thought for sure he was going to loose it at any second.  The flight was turbulent and the captain had ordered people to stay in their seats.  But this guy clearly needed help.  He got up once and went to the lavatory.  The flight attendant got on the speaker and reminded everyone to stay in his or her seats and then reminded us to only ring the service button for emergencies.  The sick man returned to his seat, looking slightly better but mostly defeated and annoyed.  His wife asked him, “Was that announcement referring to you?“  I asked him if he needed a 7-Up or ginger ale.   He said a ginger ale sounded good.  I pushed the attendant button.  I looked back at her.  She gave me the death stare and mouthed, “Is this an emergency?”  I nodded yes.  She reluctantly came over.  I said, “This man is sick.  He needs a ginger ale or something.”  She actually made the “Ugh” sound and walked away.   

I couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed.  It’s her job to help people be comfortable on their flight.  It’s her job to help a sick person in need.   This guy wasn’t rude in any way and yet she decided to be rude and show how annoyed she was right to our faces.  Perhaps she was having a bad day or a bad shift.  But that’s no excuse to treat someone like that.  I have bad days at work; rude and awful guests and I still have a smile on my face because it’s my job. 

Negativity is like a nasty virus.  It spreads very quickly.  Once the flight attendant was rude, we became irritated.  Because of this, we were on a short fuse, potentially taking our anger out on the next stranger we encounter… and so on.

As I try to do with everything in life, I try to turn a negative situation into a positive one.  This nasty flight attendant became a reminder of how important genuine hospitality truly is.  Even though I wasn't actually working, I helped this poor guy out.

And that's serving humanity, no matter which way you look at it.  ~ HK ~