Even though I gave up flying 7 years ago, I thought I saw myself working the flight the other night. No, I wasn’t hallucinating. However, the young male flight attendant working the cabin reminded me so much of myself that I had to do a double take. It was like being in a parallel universe.
As I boarded and got settled in my seat, he breezed by and said “Hi Sly!” For a moment I thought “How does he know me?” He looked slightly familiar yet I couldn’t recall his name or how we had met. As boarding progressed I noticed that he was engaging, smiling, and proactively assisting customers with their carry-on bags as they settled in. He seemed to really enjoy himself. Even during the live safety demo he was having fun. During the beverage service he made chit-chat with customers he interacted with. When he was within earshot I heard him say to the passengers he served, “my pleasure.” It was pure, genuine, and heartfelt. When he got to me I received the same level of customer service delivered to those before me.
Upon arrival, I made it a point to wait until all passengers had deplaned to speak with the flight attendant who had truly caused me to take notice of his customer service skills. As I approached he said “Hey Sly! You taught my Service From the Heart class.” That was the missing clue I was looking for. I went on to tell him that I enjoyed the flight and that I had noticed his ability to deliver great customer service. I gave him specifics: his smile, approachability, eye contact, his genuine use of the phrase, “my pleasure.” He thanked me and said, “this means a lot coming from you”. He told me that he had never considered being a flight attendant until I spoke of my time as a flight attendant during a class I was facilitating and he was attending. He said he was happy he became a flight attendant and enjoys his job. I was moved, flattered, and felt grateful to have been on this flight. I was also moved in that I had touched someone’s life in such a positive way.
I hope his career as a flight attendant shapes up to be everything he wants it to be. May his level of professionalism and passion for the job inspire someone else to raise the bar on delivering excellent customer service.
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