Musings at Altitude

For only the second time this year, I got to 37,000 feet on a flight from Denver to New Orleans today.  We had a great flight crew and cabin crew, and even with a half hour delay, they kept us informed and comfortable while we waited to taxi and take off.  As I watched the cabin crew and listened to the pilot, I realized how many different things were all being done at once, and more importantly, how many different things were being done right.

• after push back from the gate and difficulty starting an engine, the pilot immediately let us know we had a problem
• after coordination with maintenance, the pilot updated us just five minutes after the notification of the problem
• as the cabin got warm (74 degrees in Denver today), the cabin crew let us know that not having the engine prevented us from cooling off the cabin
• the cabin crew went up and down the cabin and talked to all of us on the plane, turned on all of the vents, shut shades on the sun facing side of the plane and passed out water if desired
• the pilot once again updated us as to the actions that would be taken to get the engine started
• the cabin crew jokingly made bets as to which engine was the one that would not fire
• the cabin crew let us use cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices even though we were out on the ramp and no longer at the gate
• the pilot came back on and said they had received the fix actions and even explained the route to get the fix actions (came from San Francisco) and walked us through what would happen to get the engine fired; the pilot also explained how the engines worked and why the cabin was warming up
• the cabin crew continued to circulate and talk with the passengers; the cabin crew looked out the window and talked with the passengers about what the maintenance guys were doing
• the maintenance team showed up exactly when the pilot said they would and performed the start up procedures exactly like the pilot had informed us they would
• the pilot came back on and said the problem was fixed and we were on our way; he apologized for the delay and the discomfort the situation caused and promised to make up as much time as possible in route
• the cabin crew came on the intercom and apologized for the delay and the discomfort and thanked us for our patience and cooperation
• the cabin crew prepared the cabin once again for takeoff and we got underway

After more than a half hour delay waiting to get the engine fired, we ended up arriving in New Orleans only 15 minutes later than our scheduled arrival.  Not once during the wait or the flight did a passenger raise their voice or get in any way irritated.  And I attribute that to the entire crew doing so many things right throughout the delay.

I’ve been in this same situation countless times during my almost 2,000,000 miles of flying, and rarely does it go as smoothly or as enjoyably as it did today.  Invariably, the pilot fails to communicate, or the flight attendants get testy, or the maintenance crews move slowly, and the passengers get frustrated.  But this time, all members of this team performed beautifully and the result was an incredible experience even with a small delay in arrival.

This was a great reminder for me that success in business happens when thousands of little things are done right.