Is Goodness Communicable?

Four Flights and four airports in 72 hours. I must admit I had anxiety about air travel in a time of the surging new Omicron variant. But, armed with my handy disinfectant wipes and an N95 mask, I was determined to make this travel commitment in the safest way possible. An additional layer of anxiety was all the media attention given to the perils of “ugly flight behaviors” and what seemed to be an evolving culture of ‘antagonism’ on planes…much like life these days with our feet firmly planted on the ground. My experiences navigating airports, delays, weather challenges, too close for comfort seating, and human behaviors in general were LIFE AFFIRMING. I am overwhelmed by the goodness of the human spirit I witnessed.

1. I did not see ONE, not even one tiny moment of uncivil or disrespectful interaction. People were amazingly kind and patient. Checking in was pleasant. Multiple American Airlines employees asked to assist. They all looked me in the eye and asked, “Are you doing all right today?” “How is your day going?” Actually, this pattern was so clear and consistent that it makes me think specific training or emphasis on assessing the emotional states of passengers was intentional. From TSA personnel to the lady at the newsstand, the kindness quotient was way above 10! “I will put your coat on the conveyor belt while you get your shoes off.” “Oh dear, that diet drink is not very cold, let me reach towards the back and see if I can get you a colder one.” For personnel that we know are overworked, covering shifts of their colleagues who are ill, sometimes the only individual guiding the plane to the gate in the cold, and likely not always treated so kindly….the service was excellent and I felt these folks genuinely cared about my experience.
2. I DID NOT OBSERVE ONE IRRITABLE, MEAN, FRUSTRATED passenger. To the contrary, it felt as though a spell of kindness had been dropped on my entire travel schedule. Folks helping each other in lines and with ticket issues. On one flight, an elderly woman and her non-English speaking husband had seats in separate rows. The husband was flustered and the wife was emotional in trying to explain to him they were not sitting together. Before the flight attendant could intervene, two young people (maybe returning to college from break) offered their seats so this couple could sit together. Passengers within earshot started clapping….evidence we all long to witness this ‘good.’ “Let me put your bag up for you.” “Would you prefer the window?” Not one mask observed below the NOSE! When our flight to DC was delayed and finally landed at a different gate from where it was scheduled, the pilot asked passengers who did not have a connecting flight to stay seated and allow those of us who did to exit first. There was immediate chatter throughout the plane to identify those who needed to depart quickly and others moved and secured bags to make that happen! NOTE: I have heard this request before but never seen it actually happen…much less witness passengers organize it. Even our friends in first class stayed seated to allow others to exit. One passenger was handing out Starbucks cards to employees. I witnessed at least two exchanges where he randomly gave these cards and thanked the employees. At this point, I was powerfully impressed by my fellow man and so when the denouement of this trip occurred at the Wilmington baggage claim, it was a sign I needed to write about it. After only four bags had cleared the baggage carousel, lights went off and buzzers sounded and it came to a stop. Passengers were standing around for several minutes when a maintenance-uniformed man appears with his radio. I was thinking my perfect humanity scorecard was about to get blown as a very deliberate passenger marched up to the maintenance man. “Can I help you? I don’t mind helping lift the luggage up or getting it on a cart?” Immediately, several other young men echoed this sentiment and they all started discussing a plan. And then, the buzzers and lights started up and baggage begins to roll! Appearing as if the humans had just passed the test in order to make the mechanism work.
3. Kudos to American Airlines, Wilmington International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and Reagan Washington National Airport. While staffing was obviously lean, service was premium. Clean bathrooms, friendly personnel, and a permeating culture of kindness. Absolute systems of efficiency and effectiveness!
   

I’ve been delinquent in posting since I started this blog a year ago. My original intent was to focus on “spread” during the pandemic. I never dreamed a full year would pass and we would still be in the midst of this exhausting experience (in some ways even more exacerbated by such divisive political views and ever changing guidance about how to protect our families and stay healthy). While initially, I worried the pandemic would quickly resolve, especially after vaccines, and this topic would be diminished, here we are. My weekend travels have inspired and encouraged my faith in common decency and kindness of the human spirit. These stories rarely resonate within the news cycles and I felt a tremendous obligation to share them with you. Four flights and four airports in 72 hours. Abundant acts of goodness….everywhere.