"Airport personnel mind your manners"

Sunday, May 9, 2004

Airport personnel mind your manners
By Adam Platt
The Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune 
   
 
Anyone who's watched the hit TV reality show "Airline" has emerged with
a revelation: Airline employees, some of the nation's most derided
workers, have some of the toughest jobs out there, and the source of
their discontent is us -- travelers. 

We get drunk while waiting for our flight; we're too fat to fit into a
single seat but we buy only one anyway; we pack essential medications in
our checked baggage; we try to carry 4-year-olds along as lap babies; we
schedule our arrival in Florida 90 minutes before our cruise departs.
Some of us even smell so bad they won't allow us on the plane. It's all
humorous, except to the folks who have to deal with the baggage of our
boorishness.

"Airline," which airs Monday evenings (and repeats throughout the week)
on A&E network, is filmed at Southwest Airlines' hubs at Los Angeles
International Airport and Chicago Midway.

Airports are tense places, now more than ever, and Southwest
acknowledged some reticence about capturing this mess for public
consumption. But the airline, known for its esprit de corps and friendly
culture, has emerged with publicity that couldn't be bought. The
Southwest regulars come off as almost Ghandi-like in their patience,
sensitivity and tolerance.

As a frequent traveler, I've learned to breeze through airports with a
minimum of interactions and difficulty (security notwithstanding).
"Airline" has taught me there's a world barely visible to those of us
making good time with our heads down.

It's a world where "people walk into the airport but leave their brain
in the parking lot," said local air travel savant Terry Trippler. "When
I watch 'Airline,' I see people who don't pay attention and don't
listen." Trippler said he believes the experience at Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport (MSP) isn't much different from what
Southwest endures in Los Angeles and Chicago.

And Southwest is an airline that makes money and isn't asking employees
for wage and work rule concessions. That's not the case at MSP, where
Northwest Airlines, the hub carrier, continues to hemorrhage with losses
and where furloughs, cost cuts and salary giveback requests are
commonplace. Add in the specter of terrorism, and you have the makings
of a stress-filled, morale-busted workplace.

"It's common to see abusive customers; it's rare to have a day without
one," said Northwest customer service agent Richard Lehmann, based at
MSP.

Lehmann, a veteran of more than a decade with the carrier said the
combination of reduced staffing and full planes has made airport work
increasingly demanding. He says Northwest (at MSP) employs a crew of
longtime employees who are often too deep into their careers to just
willy-nilly enter another field now that the job has changed. "It's also
electric and gets in your blood," Lehmann said.

So does travel, and more and more of us fly with regularity. If you're
reading this column you're savvy enough not to try to board a plane
drunk or put your heart medication in a checked bag. But there are a
number of other small steps travelers can take to make the experience
smoother and give the harried airport employee a break:

Dress the part: Better dressed people get more respect at airports
because their attire shows more respect. If your travel-wear is a tank
top and running shorts, or a track suit don't expect a lot of deference,
Trippler noted.

Keep documents organized: We need ID at check-in and security, but not
when we board (at most U.S. airports). Yet many of us approach the gate
with ID out and delay boarding while we slide it back into our wallet or
purse.

Check a bag, will ya?: Our penchant for carrying everything but the
kitchen sink on planes consumes outrageous amounts of time. My anecdotal
experience is that it takes U.S. airlines twice as long to board a plane
as it does in the United Kingdom or Australia because of carry-on
baggage hassles.

Secure yourself: Before you approach security have everything you will
need to remove already in an exterior pocket of your carry-on bag. Have
your laptop readily available and know if your shoes have a metal shank
(If so, you will need to send them through the X-ray.). They now sell
shoes without them, designed for frequent travelers.

Rely on the boarding pass: It's all you need. You can't get past
security without one, so why do so many of us ask the gate agent if it's
necessary to check in?

Wait for your row: Boarding before your row is called gums up the
process. Once inside, step out of the aisle while you prepare to take
your seat.

Know what fits: Too many of us knowingly carry bags on planes that won't
fit in the overhead bins, or we place them in the bin in a way that
keeps it from closing.

Turn off the cell phone: I hear too many people gabbing on cell phones
while the plane is taxiing for takeoff. Is your call so important that
the safety rules don't apply to you?

Take a complaint to the right people: If you're going to complain, be
aware that airlines are extremely regimented, and front-line staff are
constrained in their authority to waive fees, bypass ticket rules or
negotiate compensation. Virtually everything they do is tracked by
computer. "We have bosses and rules too," said Northwest's Lehmann. "We
want to help you, but don't assume we have the authority to solve your
problem." So, document the problem and contact the airline after you
travel. If it can't wait, ask for a supervisor. 

But never raise your voice: Travelers who resort to screaming and
ranting immediately forfeit all empathy and leverage. 

I can't guarantee my suggestions will make your next air trip wonderful
or even pleasant, but it will guarantee you're part of the solution,
instead of the problem.


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