Insider Information
My husband, Barton and I just returned from a trip to Chicago over the holidays. Chicago, right. Six hours of flight delays, sitting in RDU airport. Everywhere we go, people remember Barton, not only because he has a disability but also because of his bright blue eyes and his smile. Since we need assistance boarding the plane, the airplane worker commented to us, “I remember you. I remember you, from last year. Ya’ll travel around, don’t you?”
Having information on the inside can be invaluable. Once the plane finally arrived from Chicago (the first four hours of delays), we were gathering our things when the boarding time on the screen changed multiple times in a matter of five minutes. What was going on?
Barton motioned to the special assistance staff member, who sat next to him when I walked away for a few minutes. When I returned, Barton had the entire story: a passenger needed to use oxygen on the plane from Chicago and the only technician that could sign off on the oxygen use was off duty. They had to track him down, another hour delay. Passengers were getting restless, and I found myself having more information than the flight staff, communicating the story multiple times.
Information on the inside is not only powerful, but it requires a heightened sense of responsibility. Who do you share information with and how you communicate that information becomes important.
By the time the technician was found and cleared the plane for take off, Chicago was under a Ground Stop, another hour delay. Once on the plane, Barton and I thumbed through the in-flight magazine. We noticed the page titled When your Flight is Cancelled. Just two years ago, we were stuck in the Dallas airport with over two thousand other people, for three days. We documented our story, we are writer’s after all, and sent it, uncensored, to American Airlines.
As we scanned through the information, we hoped that in some small way, along with other numerous reports and articles written about that horrid situation in 2007, we had an impact. Just as we were able to communicate with fellow passengers on our flight to Chicago, creating a micro-community.
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