My flight out of Charlotte was oversold last week. No big surprise there: small plane, popular route. They asked for volunteers (I think the initial rate was $100); a lady with whom I had been chatting (we'll call her Mandi) made a couple of calls, then waltzed up to the ticket agent to volunteer her seat. Case closed, problem solved, but not exactly.
Soon after nesting into my 5A window seat, she boarded the plane. I guess they didn't need her afterall.
So much for the $100. At the end of the day, however, Mandi was making the flight, and you would think that all would be chipper. But it was not so.
You see, Mandi had (initially) the benefit of a reservation in seat 1A, the most coveted by The Amazing Race standards. There's more legroom up there (even on this smaller jet), and getting on and off is a breeze. It's a good seat; surely a win.
Now, however, she had lost her seat and was relegated to the backmost row, the last seat, that one sitting next to the lone bathroom. Mandi, by 1A standards, was now distant and trapped, banished to the tail. Moreover, her carry-on bag had been taken; there was also no room for it anymore, as those of us fortunate to board early had filled the overhead space.
So, let's rewind....
Delta needed volunteers; Mandi sacrificed her travel plans for the benefit of others (nudged surely by the $100 offer). Her sacrifice ended up costing her her prime seat, the proximity of her carry-on, and the convenience of a quick hop-off the plane once we landed.
I doubt Mandi will be volunteering again anytime soon.
In our companies, we often ask people to sacrifice, to help out, to pitch in, to volunteer time or energy or knowledge. Once given, how do we treat them? Do we treat those who help us with the same kindness and respect that we asked of them? Or do we focus on our need, grab what was given, and lose sight of those who gave?
My hope is that your sacrifice is rewarded, or at the very least is not punished. Every time we take a 1A and reassign them to 25C, we, as a company, lose. And the turbulence is not soon forgotten.
shanti,
mjh
