I have traveled a lot in the
last year, flying from Tennessee to California several times, and in all those
flights I have learned something new in quite a number of areas. The following
conditions were experienced by me personally or by someone I’ve known.
·
Every flight was
full to capacity so everything had to be stowed overhead or under the seat; no
overflowing into the companion seats and no moving to a more comfortable
location because the airline I had chosen was “first come, first served.”
·
On one flight I
moved all the way to the last row to be near the rest room and I chose the
aisle seat so I wouldn’t have to disturb anyone getting up. Did you know the
last row doesn’t recline because the seatback is right next to the wall?
·
In one seat the
air didn’t work and my hot flashes took massive control.
·
In another the
tray table didn’t pull down completely flat so I couldn’t rest a book on it to
read and I certainly couldn’t place my drink on it safely.
·
A little
turbulence landed the spray from a soda can in my lap and on the flight
attendant as well.
·
A baby cried
throughout one flight, poor little thing, probably due to earaches. My ears
were also wreaking havoc with me but I
couldn’t cry.
·
My sister is
always concerned with head lice from passengers who have previously sat in the seat,
so I was afraid to put my head back. Ugh!
·
And of course
there is the inevitable layover that turns into delay, after delay, after
delay.
·
And the final
insult . . . luggage that doesn’t arrive until the next day—if ever!
FLYING IN JAPAN
Years earlier my daughter,
Kristen, was traveling to Japan to spend the summer with the family. Her flight
was delayed coming into the country and so she missed her connection to meet
us. When this reality set in, fear gripped her at one end of the route and us
at the other. This is what happened:
·
Kristen missed
her connecting flight into Nagasaki and knew before even landing in Fukuoka
that she would have to spend the night there. She didn’t speak Japanese and
didn’t have a clue what to do or how to communicate that she needed help.
·
Her father and I were on the other end waiting for her.
When she didn’t get off the plane, we also didn’t know what to do or where to
go to find out what happened.
·
As Kris deplaned,
an English-speaking airline employee was holding a sign with her name on it. They
had already made arrangements for a room near the airport, a shuttle to the
hotel, food vouchers, and a flight to Nagasaki the next morning.
·
At our end, an
English-speaking airline employee found us and explained what had happened to
Kristen. Arrangements had already been made to speak with her by phone (no cell
phones in 1993).
·
We returned to
the airport the next morning to find Kristen and her luggage had arrived
safely. We shared we each other our most surprised and pleasant experience of
customer service, Japanese style.
WE WERE THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED
AND EXTREMELY THANKFUL!
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