Give ‘em Five

Traveling in the wintertime can be difficult. Several years ago, I was flying from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Chicago, Illinois, to give a speech to Sears & Roebuck. I boarded a Delta Airlines flight in Salt Lake. The pilot announced on the loudspeaker that the weather looked good across the country and we should be landing in Chicago on time at 6:07 p.m.

I relaxed knowing that I would have just enough time to get my limo and arrive at my 7:00 p.m. dinner meeting with Sears’ managers. I settled back in my seat and worked on my presentation and read my book. About two hours into the flight the captain announced that Chicago was having a major winter storm, but we should land before the worst part of the storm moved though the area.

The next intercom message was a little more concerning. The pilot said, “The Chicago O’Hare airport had a ground stop and is closed. All surrounding airports have also been closed due to the snowstorm. We don’t have enough fuel to go to another city.” He continued, “We have no choice, but to land in Chicago. Air traffic control will open the airport for us. However, the landing could be a little rough because it has been snowing so hard that the equipment hasn’t been able to remove the snow from the runway.” The pilot hesitated. We all held our breath for his next words. “If you’ve never had a landing like this, it can be a little frightening. I will apply the brakes. We will slide sideways and I will let off the brakes. I will continue to do this until the plane has stopped.” The day before, a plane had slid off of the end of the runway. We were aware that there was a possibility that the same thing may happen to us.

The woman beside me had been digging her fingernails into the skin on my wrist. Then she ordered another couple cocktails. I told her that if it was my time to go, so be it. I said what really worried me was if it was her time to go, I certainly didn’t want to go with her. I got a nervous laugh from her as well as the people sitting around us.

For the last thirty minutes we were on a roller coaster ride of bumping, shaking and jolting as we blasted through the storm. Then the pilot’s voice boomed over the intercom to tell us that we had been cleared for landing. The flight attendant instructed us in the “brace position” with our heads on the back of the seat in front of us, feet flat on the floor. There was silence until the plane landed with a monstrous thud. The brakes squealed as the plane lunged sideways. The pilot let up on the brakes and we straightened out, then slid to the side again. The runway, packed with snow, was like bouncing down a bumpy road. When the plane finally came to a stop, the passengers erupted with cheers and clapping.

While making a reservation with Delta airlines today, I remembered this horrific event. Typically, when asked if I will stay on the phone for a survey, I say, “No.” But, today’s gift was to say, “Yes.” I expected a long survey, but it was only one question. “Would you hire the customer service representative, who you just spoke with, to work at your company? Press one on your phone if the answer is ‘no way’ and five if the answer is ‘absolutely’.” I am still grateful to Delta that we had a skilled pilot that snowy night in Chicago so I gave them “5”.  

In Giving,

Robin