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Atlanta's airport does not improve. It only gets bigger and its food more expensive. I still like its train that will take you from terminal to terminal, but if you're going to take off or land from the far end of the concourse, it is indeed really far. Somewhat like walking from Denver to Peru only more crowded, sweatier, and much louder. While the personnel is efficient and sometimes very kind, they are rushed and don't meet your eyes. It is, and I realize how ridiculous this sounds, kind of a lonely place to be.
The other side of the Atlanta Airport coin on this trip was meeting a pretty blonde from Jacksonville, Florida on her way to Indianapolis. She'd missed her connection (very easy to do) and had been sitting at gate T6 hoping to catch a flight. It had been five hours, and she was still friendly and cheerful. I don't know her name, but I hope she's having a good time in Indy.
On flights where the attendants have time to get from one end of the plane to the other, Delta gives you these teeny, tiny bags of Sun Chips that make you want to run into Sam's Club and see if you can buy a barrel of them. Crack in a bag. Not that I've ever tried crack anywhere, but those are so good!
We talk so much about loss of freedom. The haters want to be free to hate, the shooters want to be free to shoot, 1st Amendment never-mind-the-intenters want to be free to lie, alternative genders want to be free to be, lots and lots of people want freedoms only for their chosen demographics. And everyone feels as if their own personal freedoms are being taken away.
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Would I rather have everyone meet my eyes and want to have conversation? Sure would. But at the end of a week when I got to see a dear friend, got to have dinner and fail miserably at trivia with some of my family, and got to come home to my favorite place on earth...well, I'm feeling pretty grateful. And pretty free.
Happy Independence Day. Wishing you gratitude, celebration, and kindness. Be nice to somebody.
Having just retired from a job where every other week, (and sometimes, every week) I crawled onto a plane to fly off t9 a connecting flight to (insert almost any state name here), I can tell you that a great majority of the passengers, and airline employees were cautious, but positive. I always checked a bag - too many heavy things for this old, pudgy farm girl to haul! But people were nice, and most would engage in light conversation. There is hope for our country, and our world, but not if the common people don’t speak up. We must be heard for things to return to a balance.
ReplyDeleteBalance is definitely what's missing, isn't it?
DeleteI haven't been on a plane since before the pandemic, and I can't say I'm itching to fly again. Back in the day (long before I began to fly), air travel was comfortable and glamourous, and expensive. Most more people can afford to fly now, but it's kind of like riding a bus, only with more security. Glad you had a good time and made it back and forth safely.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and bus seats are bigger! :-)
DeleteI haven't been on a plane for yeas either, but the last time was the first time things went sideways. Ended up with a canceled flight after hours of waiting. I got a voucher for a hotel that night and rebooked on a flight the next day. It was 'interesting' but for the most part everyone was pretty pleasant and tried to be accommodating.
ReplyDeleteThat was my experience, too. Not everything was wonderful, but neither was ANYthing terrible. A win! :-)
DeleteWhen you have a positive customer service experience these days it makes a huge impression. We had a young man--probably in his early twenties--check us out at WalMart the other day. He didn't really do anything special, just was pleasant. We found the manager afterward to pass on a compliment for our checker. Management always seems so surprised when we do that, which leads me to believe that more people should take the time to give positive feedback. If you're ready to complain, shouldn't you be equally ready to compliment? And I, too, hate it when people in customer service look sullen and don't make eye contact. Either experience really can tip the scales on your day. You walk out feeling up, or you walk out feeling miffed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts again, Liz! Always a pleasure to read them!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! I love passing on the kudos, too. Everyone needs them and most of us--at least sometimes--deserve them.
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