I woke up at 6:40 a.m. to the sound of my wife saying, “Aren’t you supposed to be at the airport?” I flew out of bed, but as I rubbed my blurry eyes, I instantly knew that it was too late. For the first time that I can recall, I missed a flight and it was my own fault. I forgot to set my own alarm.
I proceeded to go downstairs and call U.S. Airlines to find out my options. The customer service representative told me that I would have to pay a $150 change fee + the cost of the new ticket. If you don’t know, buying a plane ticket on the day of travel is astronomically expensive. My $285 flight to Sacramento, California was about to cost me about a thousand dollars. This was not the news I was hoping to hear. I asked the rep if there were other options and he told me to get to the airport within two hours of the originally schedule flight and they might be able to do something for me.
I arrived at Detroit Metro Airport at 9 a.m. or 1.5 hours after my originally scheduled flight. There were many ways to play the upcoming conversation. In the end, I knew this was my fault and that I was at the mercy of the next U.S. Air employee. When Brenda said, “next,” I knew that I just needed to be polite and contrite. “I have never done this before, but I overslept and missed my flight this morning,” I began. “Although this is entirely my fault, I sure hope that you can accommodate me and not make this too painful.” I could tell that Brenda was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t give her any attitude or make any demands (she must get that all day – day after day). She proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes with me – looking at every possible option – and the options weren’t good. Everything was booked for the next 30 hours.
I could take a flight with 4 connections, which would take close to 15 hours or I could chance it by becoming a “stand-by” passenger on a flight that was overbooked. This was complicated by checked luggage and a number of contingencies. We talked about it and I decided on instinct that I should take the “stand-by” option. Brenda was so helpful and accommodating that I asked her if I could by her lunch. She told me that I didn’t have to, but I insisted and placed a $20 bill by her computer. After all, as I see it, she saved me about $700 in fees (what I call “Stupid Tax” when it is my fault).
She took my cell phone number and kept me updated. There were 114 slots and 30 minutes prior to take off, she called to say that 113 passengers had checked in. By rule, no one can get through security less than 30 minutes prior to take off, meaning that I was going to make that flight. I can’t tell you how relieved and excited I was. I needed to be in California for business and Brenda saved the day. I arrived in California a mere 3 hours later than my originally scheduled flight.
I do wonder what would have happened if I had been rude or demanding to Brenda. Would she have been so accommodating? Would she have waved those “change” fees? I don’t know, but I like to think that my honest approach and positive attitude altered the situation. While I was at the airline’s mercy, I still could control how I approached the situation and ultimately, the outcome. You might want to try this approach and see what happens.
In the end, 1) I sent a nice letter to U.S. Air regarding Brenda’s outstanding customer service, 2) Brenda got a nice tip and a good lunch because she was kind and helpful to a stranger and 3) I got where I was going without too much hassle. Here’s one more thank you to Brenda for making my day!
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
It is good a well spoke it gets into the subject an goes deep into it which I like this is a good webpage
This guy spelled “buy” wrong in paragraph 4, he spelled it “by”. The sentence says, “Brenda was so helpful and accommodating that I asked her if I could buy her lunch.”
I like the story because it help me not to have an bad attitude. Because when I go out to eat and they mess something up I get an attitude but now I know not to get an attitude.
this was a great story, I totally read all of it very thoroughly
It was great that the man wasn’t rude in any kind of way. Even though he was running late, and had to pay more money for his ticket. He kept a good attitude toward people. That goes a long way.
it shows that he has a great character and shows that he wasnt going to let nobody get in the way of his joy
Agreed- we all need to remember to be kind and not be rude to the people that we come across because some other incident upset us.
For sure it was amazing and not rude at all in my opinion.
If you have a good attitude you get good attitude back and good things come with a good attitude. If he would of had a bad attitude she would of never did what she did for him.
i would never went there !!
I agree with the writer of this story. You should always approach a situation with a positive attitude because in the end it might benefit you.
This is amazing. If sure if he would have been rude he would have never gotten such a great opportunity.
This short story is a perfect example of a good clear mindset going in can effect the outcome.
Think attitude does go a long way, especially these days. People today can be very rude and grumpy, so when customer service people have run in with people who are positive and have a good attitude, they tend to act nicer and be more generous. It doesn’t always happen that way, but if you keep a good attitude, most likely things will work out better than if you have a negative attitude.
I think that him being nice to Brenda a s having a good attitude made her do what she did to help him. It’s all about how you treat people. Treat people how you want to be treated and that what he did so he got something good in return.
This blog shows that if you stay positive other people around you will stay positive and you may even make someone’s day a little bit brighter.
This a great quote
I definitely think that if you had been rude, the whole situation would have been worse. It’s easier for employees to work with people that show respect and have a positive/nice attitude towards them. They don’t want to waste their time working with someone who isn’t cooperating, especially at an airport. This goes to show how attitude can change the situation. A negative attitude would have literally cost him a lot of money, but his positive attitude helped him in a big. He saved a lot of money and was able to get to California.
I don’t think Brenda wouldn’t have been as nice if he was demanding and rude. I know I wouldn’t. This story is a good example of treating others the way you want to be treated and not trying to blame other people
Random acts of kindness are kinda like this
Well, I’m speechless about what to say about this. After all, attitude does get you a long way.
Author
Michael, you don’t have to worry about being speechless… it is a writing assignment. Find your thoughts and write them down.
Your attitude is everything, if he would have been a jerk she wouldn’t have wanted to help him at all. After all he would have just been like all the others who have a bad attitude. But he was different and I’m sure she appreciated that he was so kind and wasn’t a pest. Your attitude can change not only yourself but those around you.
I agree that giving a positive attitude towards someone will likely make them want to work with you to get thing situated like at the airport. She was willing to work with you because you were kind about it and not yelling or being rude.
I think that is a very good reminder to be kind and courteous in any situation, and to always remember that you have no idea what is going on in a person’s life. This takes me to empathy. Empathy helps us better understand our peers, and sometimes even strangers like in this case. This is a very good story of how things can go if you just have the right attitude.
Having a positive attitude and nit being grumpy when talking to people can make the situation a lot easier.
I really enjoyed this blog because is showed me that even if your mad and you I the problem is your fault you should not blame that on another person. Even if you missed your flight. This blog post remained me that you should always take the blame for something you did and try being positive through the whole exchange.
A positive attitude can sure make a difference when it involves social interaction!
I think that attitude can go a long way. If I were to go to the airport late with a bad attitude, I’m sure Brenda wouldn’t have been as helpful. And I probably wouldn’t be able to catch a plane.
I agree that attitude can go a long way. This was talking about a certain situation, but if you really think about it the right attitude can get you a job, friends, and many other helpful things in life.
I have now learned that if you nice and have a good additude you could get far iLife and you have a lot more opportunities.
I think that he took things really well with his wife in the morning considering that he just missed his flight. He was in a really good mood in the end and pretty much everything turned out okay. Even though he had to spend extra money because he missed his flight, he still bought Brenda lunch at the airport.
I think of this situation as a win win because since he was nice to her, he got to go on his plane earlier and cheaper and since she was helpful to him, she got a nice tip. It’s kind of like the golden rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. People don’t respond well with a negative attitude and I’m sure he wouldn’t be helpful or nice either if someone talked to him in a rude way. It’s plain and simple, be kind.
Would she have been so accommodating? No, I think that if he approached Brenda with a rude attitude and started being rude out it then I don’t think that she would have helped him out very much. Would she have waved those “change ” fees? No, I do not think that she would have waved those fees if he had been demanding or rude.
I would’ve been so anxious about missing my flight that I would of never been that respectful. That makes me think that if I was of other reasons that maybe it didn’t work out because I was disrespectful.
Author
Tyler, great revelation. Keeping calm, thinking through situations and being nice can change a lot of situations. If you yell or give someone an attitude, they are probably less likely to help. Still, sometimes I forget this and do things I regret.
Be your self and have a great attitude around others.
Always have an Open mind, it can help the outcome
Completely agree a good attitude is contagious.
The author did a great job staying calm throughout this situation, it isn’t often that people give others a chance like this especially when it’s a hard day at work…. Kindness brings us all together in the end
I believe that attitude is important because if he would have been rude or arrogant, then Brenda would probably not have helped him out so much. I know that if I had to work with people all day long and someone was being rude or giving me a hard time, I would not go out of my way to make their life easier when they are making mine harder.
You should always be positive and have great emotion and character
Attitude is a very important thing and it is very well said.
It is good to be positive even if you have a bad day and a good attitude expectantly if it is your flat and having a good attitude can make up for it and can get you better things
When your in a frustrating situation having a positive attitude can change the situation
I learned that a positive attitude can go a long way. I feel that if everyone had a positive attitude and look towards life the world could be better.
Attitude is a very important hing because if your attitude is positive, people will treat you better. But if you attitude is negative, you will be treated poorly.
You should always have a good character toward people as it will have an effect on your life and reputation.
I think this is a good example of how positive attitude changes how you are treated in a situation. Because of how kind he was to Brenda, he was able to get another flight and was only three hours late.
I think the man handled the situation well by not panicking when he missed his flight and not complaining over increased costs.
If the guy had had an attitude with Brenda she would probably ignored him. That is why it is important to have a good attitude.
Without good attitude you can end up in lots of hassle good thing Joe was good and acted positive.
This is a good example of a god way to react to a bad situation you don’t have to be a nasty person and that people will treat you the way you treat them
Having a positive attitude is always important in life.
Also, if the guy didn’t have a positive attitude, Brenda probably wouldn’t have helped him. Brenda would have probably ignored him and moved on to another customer, and Brenda was nice for doing that. The guy was also nice for sending a nice letter about Brenda and her service to the airport company.
I learned that you always need to have a great attitude no matter what happened
The attitude in the story was that of you should always have a positive attitude because when you have a positive attitude more people are likely to help you or get where you need to be.
I think he did a good thing. Even though he was stressed and worried on the inside he remained calm and nice to the worker, and that is what got him on the flight easily.
When having a positive attitude your day will turn out good. The guy missed his flight and got to the airport he was still nice to the employee. He stayed calm the whole time, and his day turned out good. No matter what happens you should keep a positive attitude.
I wish more people were like this. This was so nice of her.
I think he did a really good thing. When having a positive attitude your life will be much better you have joy. Even though this guy was stressed he was still having a good attitude.
His positive attitude showed us that even though things weren’t going well he stayed calm and he was not negative about it.
I think he did a good thing, his positive attitude showed us that even though things weren’t working out he had a positive attitude
He was tired
If you have a positive attitude everything you do throughout the day will be easier.Also when you have a good day and you have a positive attitude other people will see that and try it out themselves.But some people wont try to change their attitude.
Obviously being kind to others is bound to get you somewhere, it’s common sense.
This story is a fine example of what can come of having a good attitude. The man could have been rude to Brenda, and it would have been understandable because of the stress he was under in missing his flight. However he kept he’s cool and was polite and because of his good attitude toward the situation everything worked out for the best.
he had a good attitude. he got fix with out having a hassle.
The guys positive attitude didn’t make the other person mad or angry. That way everything else could go over smoothly and he could still get to his destination. That is why people should have positive attitudes.
Proper attitude is important at all times. The way you choose to present yourself to someone could be the difference in $50 and $500.
I think Brenda might have made the situation a lot harder if the guy was rude to her because then that outs her in a bad mood witch makes the process slower.
This was such a simple situation described in such an interesting way. I didn’t get lost once and really liked the message of the story.
I believe that this person did the right thing by approaching the problem with a positive mind state and realizing what he did wrong.
I feel like that guy did his business in a good way. Being nice to someone never bites you in the butt.
This is a very important life skill. Learning how to have a positive attitude and include it in your everyday life. Admitting to his mistake and trying to take the positive way out saved him money and got him to his destination.
He was right the way he reacted to the situation was the best way you could act
I wish we all could learn how to approach situations like this
I believe that attitude is important because if he would have been rude or arrogant, then Brenda would probably not have helped him out so much. I know that if I had to work with people all day long and someone was being rude or giving me a hard time, I would not go out of my way to make their life easier when they are making mine harder.
I believe that attitude is important because if he would have been rude or arrogant, then Brenda would probably not have helped him out so much. I know that if I had to work with people all day long and someone was being rude or giving me a hard time, I would not go out of my way to make their life easier when they are making mine harder.
I agree with the author of the the story always have respect and positive vibes even on bad days and something good may happen to you, even if it’s your own fault.
This story is great to show how to have a good attitude when something goes bad and not to blame it on other people when it is your own fault. The man handled his situation very well by not getting mad and yelling at everyone and excepting that it was his own fault for not setting his alarm.
Your attitude and the way you talk to people take you a long way in life. If he would have been rude to the woman, then he probably wouldn’t have got on a flight at all or would have arrived late to California.
I think he was able to get a flight was because that he was so positive and not demanding to Brenda and she helped him out.
Very nice spoken and it is good to always have a positive attitude.
If you be nice to others they’ll be nice back.even if they don’t still be nice.
If you are in a rush about and you want to go and talk to someone you have to speak clearly and show respect so that person can understand you and that way you will get out of the situation.
If you in a rush about something and you wan to go up to a person and talk to them you have to speak clearly and show respect so you can get out of the situation
Attitude goes a long way and it will take you far in life. Having a great attitude is showing respect to all of the peoples around you. Having a great attitude is having a positive connection and positive manner.
You should always have a good character toward people as it will have an effect on your life and reputation.
It is telling you to consider your attitude on things and evaluate it through different circumstances.
Having a positive attitude when things are not going your way could resolve into something good; that would get you a couple steps forwarded. NEVER stop having a positive attitude; you will never know when your situation can be turned around.
Having a good character has a good effect on your life.
a very great respectful guy who was again a great great guy!! just in the future be better at setting his alarms.
Your attitude about something can have a huge impact on how things turn out.
If you have a good attitude you get good attitude back and good things come with a good attitude. If he would of had a bad attitude she would of never did what she did for him.
It is great that he did that. Random acts of kindness gets you a long way! As well as attitude. You will get what you deserve when you have a positive attitude.
If you give good attitude you will get good attitude back. The guy gave great attitude to Brenda and she gave great attitude back so he could make it to California on time.
Even when something unfortunate happens, an optimistic attitude can make the situation better.
When something goes wrong or you are in a bad situation a positive attitude will always make things better because you are making the best of the situation.
If you have a positive attitude you can get stuff done easier, like the guy did to Brenda. He wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for his positive attitude.
If you have a positive attitude you can get stuff done a lot faster and easier. Like the guy did at the airport, he gave Brenda a positive attitude and he got to go to California.
If you have a good attitude than you will most likely get a good attitude back.
I think it is important to keep a smile on your face even when things aren’t going the best for you. It is helpful to others and you don’t risk putting them in a bad mood and spreading the negative energy.
Be yourself and always have an open mind
Having a positive attitude is always a good thing to have in life because it will have an effect on your life and reputation, I think Brenda also might have made the situation a lot harder if the guy was rude to her.
I have been in many situations – on both sides – where a respectful, kind and patient tone are much more beneficial to the outcome. I enjoyed this blog post because it sets an example for the change in work ethic many people will have, if they are simply treated well and with a gentle approach.
I really enjoyed this blog because is showed me that even if your mad and you I the problem is your fault you should not blame that on another person. Even if you missed your flight. This blog post remained me that you should always take the blame for something you did and try being positive through the whole exchange.
I think that his positive attitude not only help him get a better option but also made Brenda’s day.
i likke how they start by saying in a way that they missed the flight
Being nice can impact many different things people are way nicer when people are nice to them and they will try and help you out but if your rude or mean then the person wont like you and wont help you out. This means if you are kind to people they will be kind to you so always spread kindness, don’t spread hate to it can get you in trouble.
great
very good example
tress are good and should be saved.
very nice
This is a good read to show people how much attitude matters.
VERY NICE AND GOOD ATTITUDE
This story is a great reminder to stay positive. If you are positive and nice towards others, they will be more likely to respond the same way. The writer was kind towards Brenda. They take responsibility for their mistakes and try to improve the outcome. In return, the writer got a flight only 3 hours after their previously scheduled flight.
Everyone can learn to approach things in a positive and friendly way.
This is such a great example of how being optimistic can make a huge difference. A positive attitude is very important. If you have a positive attitude, then others will likely respond in the same way. The writer took responsibility for their mistake and tried to improve the outcome.
We can all learn to have a positive attitude.
This shows that how you treat people will affect you one way or another. He treated Brenda with respect so she helped him get a flight to where he needed to go because he had forgotten to set an alarm.
I think being nice can either be easy or not. If you hold that grudge then it will be hard, but if you simply let it go then it will be so much easier to be nice to that person.
This proves to always have a good attitude because this man no matter what happend through out his day he still kept a positive attitude. Having a bad attitude can lead to a bad and stressful day no matter what happens try to stay positive.
This staory proves to always have a good attitude because this man no matter what happend through out his day he still kept a positive attitude. Having a bad attitude can lead to a bad and stressful day no matter what happens try to stay positive.
Shows how good attitude can help during a big problem. Very good.
I like this because it helps me get better attitude and also have a good caracter.
i think i wouldn’t be able to keep myself calm and i would have just not have gone
If you are so nice with a good attitude then it would be always good things plus it help to solves your problem as well.
I liked this story because it proved being nasty and rude in life doesn’t get you anywhere in life. Being nice gets you a couple more places then that.
Having positivity keeps the mind healthy, helps you keep calm in bad situations. Your mind is the only thing that holds you back or pushes you forward. Keep a good mindset and youll break the world.
I for sure think that if they would have been rude, the whole situation would have been worse. It’s easier for employees to work with people that show respect and have a positive/nice attitude towards them.
I believe the way you addressed her was fantastic! She was probably having a bad day and helped her have a better one for the rest of that day.
She sounds like a nice person who deserves a rase.
I do wonder what would have happened if I had been rude or demanding to Brenda. Would she have been so accommodating? Would she have waived those “change” fees?
She probably wouldn’t have waived the fees if you would have had a different attitude. she probably wouldn’t have been so nice about some of the things she did for you. if you were rude to Brenda she probably would of gave you the same attitude back
I do wonder what would have happened if I had been rude or demanding to Brenda. Would she have been so accommodating? Would she have waived those “change” fees?
She probably wouldn’t have waived the fees if you would have had a different attitude. she probably wouldn’t have been so nice about some of the things she did for you. if you were rude to Brenda she probably would of gave you the same attitude back
she needs a raise she was kind and outstanding.
Maybe if I was to be rude to Brenda she probably wouldn’t have given me an extra ticket. And basically, you would have to treat others the way you would like to be treated.