Dear Mr. Smisek:
I do hope this letter reaches you. I mean I could have written it the old fashioned way by opening up my word processor and printed it and mailed it, but that does not seem appropriate today. I mean, when you want to share some good news, customers like me would rather share it with the world.
I can imagine that you are busy. I mean merging two airlines and two cultures like you have been asked to accomplish must be a daunting task. 80,000 teammates on your two about to be one airline sure is a lot. And with so many of them touching the customer, I can imagine that it would be easy to mess up here and there. But you know, more and more, elimination of those mistakes when touching the customer will result in huge rewards. As such, I would like to share with you my story.
I was in Houston on April 6th speaking to a group of business travel managers. For an hour we discussed the challenges facing corporate travel managers, and it was a lively and engaging conversation. Upon completion, I needed to head back to the airport to go home. One of those trips that is always enjoyable. Going home. Houston to Newark was on time and uneventful - just the way most of us like it.
Then, after slight layover in Newark, we prepared to board (on time) for flight #3296 from Newark to Portland Maine. As an industry guy, I am always observing events around me when I travel. Interactions of travelers, of airline employees, and even of those TSA security professionals. Always looking for a story to share, some real life thing that just is great, awkward, funny or cool. And upon boarding I was actually laughing at the two flight attendants as they went about their business on preparing the flight. They were actually engaging with customers, having conversations, and enjoying what they do.
Then, we were delayed slightly because the captain decided to wait for a couple of late arriving passengers that were coming in from Europe. For me, having been in those situations, I thought that was really a great gesture on the captains part to not only do it, but to tell us. It was worth a few minutes of my time to ensure those passengers are not stuck in Newark for the night.
So now that we are safely tucked into our seats, and ready for a quick one hour flight, we begin the take off, and as the engines roared on that Dash 8 (and boy do they roar) about 5 seconds into the take off process, the captain cuts the engines and aborted the take off. I will never forget the face on one of the flight attendants in the seat facing us as he tried to control his expressions, but it just screamed out "What is going on?" Having a personal experience of an aborted landing in a 777 into Heathrow, I kept my calm, and awaited further information. At least on the outside.
Soon, the captain once again came on the PA to explain to us that a warning light came on during the beginning of take off and procedure dictated that they abort landing if they can do so safely. Correct decision, at least by me! He then indicated he would be discussing with ground control what next steps would be taken. And now, this is where he shined.
Leadership is unique trait that some have and some do not. In this case, and for the next five hours, he was in complete control and our leader, even in the airport. Cool, calm and collected, his first instruction upon reaching the gate was to allow us to disembark. I had the impression that even ground control did not want us off the plane. Next, I overheard some discussions about obtaining gate checked luggage, and he instructed the ground crew to get this luggage for all customers. He correctly predicted either a change in aircraft or quite possibly being stranded, and giving us our bags. He was with us in the jetway giving us updates as we waited.
Then, as we were in the gate area, he was walking around talking to all of us on the status. He seemed to take control of one customer that was in a wheelchair, and ensure they were properly taken care of. When we walked to our new gate, once again he was engaging with us, sharing information as he had it, and being in charge of the situation. Both he, his co-pilot and his flight attendants were always with us, not safely tucked away in their employee lounge. He was able to difuse the situation of a very late night by always reminding us safety was his number one priority. If that was the case, he sure made the customers feel damn good as well.
So as you continue to merge your two airlines I hope to remember a couple of things that you can share with every one of the 80,000 people running your company.
a) Patience, Honesty and Integrity go a long way when dealing with the customers. Yes, there are a lot of jerks in the world, and we sometimes cannot do anything about them, but be sincere.
b) This crew should be held up to the rest of your company for appropriate recognition. Their teamwork, dedication to safety, and unparalleled customer satisfaction just won this customer over.
So, as I close, I wish you all the best. I can imagine if the other 79,996 teammates at the new United Airlines act like these four stellar employees did, you will regain the trust of the traveling public and make flying for all of us a little better. I would guess you could also make some money to boot.
Sincerely,
Bradley J Seitz
President and CEO
Topaz International
