Published: October 28, 2009 12:42 am      

McDONALD: Leadership in flight

Last week I traveled to upstate New York on business. With no nonstops to Albany from Louisville, I had to take a flight to Washington, D.C., with a connection to Albany.

Both flights were 1 1/2 hours each. I don’t fly a lot anymore, but I am a seasoned traveler. In the mid 1990s, there was one three -ear stretch of international travel of 500,000 air miles per year, and prior to that, I had spent about 15 years traveling every week domestically.

When I board a plane and strap in to my seat, I like to be assured that I am in the capable hands of well-trained pilots. As I sat there on board listening to the flight attendant review safety features and procedures — which I actually listen to — it troubled me when she said in the cockpit were Jackie and Johnny. Using their first names like this troubled me. I don’t want to be on a first-name basis with the flight crew. To me, it downgrades their authority.

When my plane augers into the ground, there should be some comfort in the fact that a trained captain and first officer fought diligently to save the plane. I don’t want my children to hear that “Jackie and Johnny did everything they could to save the plane with Tim, Cheryl, Joe, Barbara ...”

I actually would be more comforted if my family was to hear Captain Jones and First Officer Smith fought diligently and affected every maneuver they could to save the plane and the souls in their charge.

It is much more professional and respects the seriousness of a pilot’s mission. Jackie and Johnny on the other hand sound like there were a bunch of us on a plane and we drew straws as to who would fly. Now in defense of Jackie and Johnny and the flight attendant, the flight was smooth and the beverage service was efficient.

The second leg of the journey from D.C. to Albany was a different story. The flight crew was introduced properly and professionally. However, the flight attendant stated that because of the short duration of the flight — same length as the first leg — beverage service would be on a “by request” basis. I believe that only the few of us in the first few rows heard that line. She served about four of us then grabbed a book and apple out of her bag and sat in a vacant seat in the first row.

Now before flight attendants write in and inform me that their first responsibility is for the safety of the passengers, I realize that is the case. However, your second responsibility is not to sit down and enjoy the flight either. I think that I can vaguely recall that I am still the customer after being charged $25 to check a bag I am even more inclined to have my Diet Coke.

Having concluded my business in Schenectady, I returned the same route to Louisville on the same airline. The return flight from Albany was in rainy and choppy skies yet the male flight attendant performed professionally and still served everyone on board.

However, it was on the flight from D.C. to Louisville where professionalism and leadership was exhibited by a flight attendant. We boarded our flight when a young man sat in the seat behind my wife. We could hear him breathing heavy and also overheard him to say to the fellow next to him that he was afraid of flying. It was at that moment that the captain — not Johnny, Jackie or Phil — announced we would have some rough chop climbing out of Washington.

It was only a minute or two after we began our climb that the breathing from behind us got heavier. The heavy breathing turned into a volcanic chunk blow into a barf bag. This poor guy was really having bad motion sickness. It continued as he filled another barf bag and people in two rows around scattered to empty seats in the back of the plane.

The flight attendant — the only flight attendant — came aside him quickly with her plastic gloves on and armed with a trash bag and a cold compress. She comforted this sick passenger who was not only sick but humiliated.

He was so sick that he could not make it back to the lavatory. The flight attendant sat with him for awhile making sure he was relatively stable as we entered smooth air.

The flight attendant then moved about the cabin serving everyone on board with a beverage before stowing the beverage cart. She made frequent trips up and down the aisle making sure passengers needs were taken care of and then collected all the disposable trash. Meanwhile he was sick a couple of more times.

The flight attendant returned to attend to the man bringing him ice chips and more tissue and replacing his trash bag.

I share this story to demonstrate that given downsizing in service in the airline industry that there are those airline employees who take their jobs seriously; all aspects of their jobs. We all have elements of our jobs we don’t like but we have the responsibility all the same.

Flight attendants have their first responsibility of safety of the passengers that are in their charge. Their second duty is to administer first aid to passengers who become ill.

There is giving aid in comfort as part of your job and giving aid with compassion and professionalism. I hope that those of you that might fly to Washington, D.C., meet US Air Flight attendant Nolie Williams who exhibited professionalism, leadership and not least of all compassion.

I should look on the bright side; at least my pilots didn’t overshoot their destinations.

Tim McDonald is an educator, author and voice over artist and can be reached at timothy.mcdonald@agsfaculty.indwes.edu