Easier to travel light on attitude

I boarded a flight this week — a red-eye — heading east. It was hectic. The rabble of people queuing at check-in, a three-hour delay in the middle of the night, gate changes, broken baggage loading equipment, and being stuck on the tarmac sent many passengers into a tailspin. Some people were outright rude, but mostly everyone understood.

It can be easy to forget — and perhaps it feels better when we do, because let’s face it, the past couple of years have been nothing short of traumatic — but we are still reeling from the impacts of COVID-19.

At the airport, you could sense the pulse of fatigue-induced angst wafting through the air. It was palpable. But none more so than for the staff on the ground and those getting ready to take to the air — I felt for them.

Four counter staff were allocated to check in all passengers and their baggage on to dozens of flights that night. The same four staff were also responsible for ushering travellers who required extra assistance to their gate. That meant running backwards and forwards between the desk and security, and making passengers wait. When it was our turn to front the desk, the attendant let out a big sigh — though it was still quite early in the night at that stage.

“You poor thing, short-staffed, hey?” I said, as the man behind the counter printed out our boarding passes. “Short,” he exclaimed, as though that didn’t adequately capture the true extent of the challenges they are facing.

“Very short. We usually have three staff per flight, and we’ve only got four on to cover all of the flights leaving tonight. But at least the flights are going,” he said.

I thanked him for being there, so we could soon be with our family. I later saw the same man running from the counter at our gate through the airport, clearly trying to resolve some of the issues the airline was having that night. He took it all in his stride and I couldn’t help but send him and the crew silent echoes of praise, as they went about their duties all the while being hounded by the demands of the job, and some less than amenable customers.

We finally boarded. But due to delays at the check-in counters, some passengers were still boarding up to two hours after the flight was scheduled to leave. When we took to the air, cabin announcements revealed further levels of industry stress.

We were told that unsavoury behaviour will not be tolerated, and were asked to report any incidents to staff — fair call. Grunts of dissatisfaction rang out, though, as passengers were advised that their first choice of snacks may not be available due to industry-wide resource shortages — people, get a grip. Flying at this time is an unusual experience for customers and employees, alike.

But, as my mate quipped, “at least the flights are going”.

So, here’s a few tips to make your trip more enjoyable: be prepared, pack your own snacks, take someone with you if you need extra help, get to the airport early, expect delays, make plans for if it all goes pear-shaped, wear comfy clothes, and most importantly, smile.

We all love to travel, and we need experienced people to make it happen. So, please spare a thought for the airport staff and crews. They are doing their best under trying circumstances to help us take flight. Be gracious, and if you see stress on their faces, ask if they’re doing OK, and thank them for being there — the staff deserve our support, too.

This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 16 July 2022.