By
Doug Kennedy
May 10, 2011
Having been a frequent traveler averaging well over 100,000
miles a year for 20 years, I was in my early years convinced that that
absolute
hardest job in the travel industry was the lost luggage attendant at
baggage
claim. I didn’t think there could be anything
else that would bring out the worst in people than being involuntarily
separated from their possessions for a few hours. But that was in
the Pre-911 era. Although the lost luggage desk is still a
tough place to work, I’ve lately observed that an even tougher job to
report to
every day can be working airport screening for the TSA.
It’s hard to think of a travel industry job that has drawn
such overall negative publicity, especially lately with all the talk
about body
scanners and the alternative of full body pat-downs. Having
myself been on a morning departure
flight non-stop to NYC on the morning of 9-11, I have always been
extremely respectful
of the airport screener. I’m just thankful
they are there trying to improve safety, even if the systems and
procedures
they use don’t always make sense to me.
It seems the last several months has brought even more
negative attention from the media about the TSA screeners, so I feel
like it is
a good time to share some positive examples of where I have experienced
hospitality gestures being warmly extended.
- More often than not the officer who checks my ID
and ticket addresses me by name; someone on the line usually always
wishes me a
good day.
- As a business traveler, it can sometimes be
frustrating when those who don’t travel much have prohibited items
causing
re-checks. I’m both thankful and amused
when I fly out of Terminal One in my home airport of Ft. Lauderdale
because
most days there is a large, imposing man with a loud booming voice
speaking to everyone
in line… “Come on now, someone here has
a bottle of water in their carry on. Who
is it? Who is it? Which one of you has a laptop computer
they
forgot to take out? Let’s get it out now
so we don’t have to re-check.”
- Flying out of Myrtle Beach I dropped my driver’s
license between the screening tables.
It was no small effort for the TSA officer to move several tables in
order retrieve it, but she was so polite and friendly instead of
scolding
me.
- Flying out of Pensacola (not a small airport)
the TSA officer at the screening point noticed my flight number as
being one
that was cancelled. This saved me time
in getting to the front counter for re-booking, instead of me clearing
security
and then finding out.
- Flying out of Miami I encountered an unusually
long wait time, which probably would have caused me to miss my
flight. The TSA screener reminded me that I could go
to the security entrances at one of the gates to the left or right,
where the
lines were much smaller. Thanks to him I
made that flight!
- Returning out of San Diego, my Delta Million
Miler luggage tag got caught in the conveyer belt. I didn’t
notice but thankfully a TSA officer
did and got it to me. I paid a lot of
dues to earn that tag and appreciated getting it back.
- When flying out of New Bern, NC, I didn’t
anticipate there was no kiosk to print a boarding pass. Nor did I
imagine that the check-in counter
would only be open for like 8 minutes, then the attendant goes back to
do the
boarding. I had been outside making a
phone call and found myself stuck on the wrong side of security without
a
boarding pass, with the check-in closed.
Thanks to the kind TSA officer who told the airline gate/desk attendant
about my situation, they re-opened for me and I made it home that
night.
Aside from noticing how well I’ve been treated, I could
easily list dozens of times when I have seen TSA officers being
extremely kind,
empathetic and patient with those who require special screening, such
as the
elderly, the very young, and those with special needs. I’ve seen
them brush off rude remarks made by
passengers about the procedures and equipment, which can’t be easy to
do.
Of course no organization is perfect and I have also seen
some TSA officers be unfriendly, un-empathic and downright curt.
Overall though my experience has been a
positive one, so I will just conclude by saying thank you to the
honorable men
and women who for the TSA and who perform their jobs so well despite a
lot of
negativity.
|
Doug
Kennedy, President of
the Kennedy Training Network, has been a fixture on the hospitality and
tourism industry conference circuit since 1989, having presented over
1,000
conference keynote sessions, educational break-out seminars, or
customized,
on-premise training workshops for diverse audiences representing every
segment of the lodging industry. Ee-mail Doug at: [email protected] |
.