I had the pleasure of being asked to sit on the Inside Sales Advisory board for Royal Caribbean International. They flew me to Fort Lauderdale and put me up at the Diplomat Country Club and Spa. It was a beautiful resort, especially for those golf and tennis lovers. That evening Royal Caribbean took us to their production studios, the only one of its kind in the industry, where they produce their amazing on board shows. We had the privilege to see a show that will be debuting on the Explorer of the Seas very soon. The cast has never preformed in front of an audience, but without costumes and fancy set work, the performance was incredible! It is called the West End to Broadway, for those of you not familiar with London, The West End is their version of Broadway. Anyone sailing on the Explorer in the coming year should not miss this show!
The two day event was packed with knowledge, a little bit of "WOW", and networking. I truly feel honored to have been asked to participate.
Here comes the good part! They transported us back to the airport for our return flights, as we all hated to say goodbye, we were certainly tired and ready to return to reality.
As I approached gate E5 for my US Airways flight, I realized this is going to be a very full flight. It was 5:30pm, and our flight was to depart at 7:25p. Around 7:00pm, the gate agent announces the plane has a slight pressurization problem, which they are hoping will fix itself. Not sure how it fixes itself, but what do I know... He also mentioned there were weather issues, so of course, I whip out my blackjack and start checking the weather. Only to find out there are no weather conditions, but as we all know, that is a standard reply from the airlines when there is a delay. At 8:00pm, he announces the plane is definitely broken and another plane is on its way from Philadelphia arriving at 10:40pm. If they can find a pilot, we will be taking off at 11:30-11:45pm, which means everyone will miss their connecting flights in Phila. requiring them to spend the night. He promises to update us in 30 minutes as to the exact details. Guess what transpires next? You guessed it... a line of angry, tired, irate passengers screaming what are you going to do for ME!
I decided to stay seated on the floor by the counter to have front row seats for the show. A teenager traveling alone is crying to her Mom on the phone, a Mother is trying to get to her daughter's wedding, a lady who just likes to yell and scream is in the middle of the line, all while a mother with her three very young children waits patiently for the news. It turned into complete chaos with everyone screaming at once and kids crying. The amazing gate agent never raised his voice and listened to each and every one of their stories. He was a SAINT!
Meanwhile, as I hear each persons plea I think to myself, I am supposed to be chaperoning my daughter's 1st field trip in the morning. My daughter was so excited and looking forward to it. Guilt is setting in, but I know in my mind, these things happen! I called my friend and co-worker Shannon to see what my options were, and she volunteered to pick me up in Philadelphia at 2:00am. Is that a great friend or what?
HERE IS WHERE KEEPING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE HELPS ALL SITUATIONS!
All of a sudden, I hear a woman at the counter telling the SAINT in a nice calm voice "just get us a mini-bus and forget the hotel vouchers", there are eight of us that need to get to Binghamton,NY. US Air could not offer them a flight until 1pm the next day! By the way, none of the eight knew each other until they commiserated in the line.
The Saint says that is a great idea, I will take care of it! Now this is delivering the "WOW"...
After it is all arranged and they are calmly sitting down, one of the women(irate screaming woman in the line) asked me where I was going. I told her Allentown and that a great friend was picking me up. She said "you are coming with us". As I look at her in bewilderment, she explains that the bus is dropping another woman off at the Allentown airport and there was plenty of room for me! Needless to say, my great friend was happy to return to her cozy bed.
Midnight arrives and we are finally seated on the plane and ready for take off... After a bumpy ride we land in Philadelphia at 2:30am, the "bus crew" claims their luggage and away we go.
4:00am I arrive at the Allentown airport and say goodbye and well wishes to my new friends!
Moral of this story:There are truly nice caring people in this world trying to make a difference and make the best of a bad situation! Stay positive, remain calm, and never judge a book by its cover!
p.s. high five to US Airways
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