I just had the craziest experience at the airport.
We are about to board a flight to Atlanta when the pilot from the incoming plane walks out of the jetway. Guy is probably late 50s, salt and pepper hair, military look. The kind of pilot you instantly feel good about seeing on your flight.
Pilot walks over to the counter, gets on the PA system, and starts addressing everyone. โFolks, Iโve been doing this a long time. Flying one of these jets is easy. The hard part is looking at 130 people and telling them their flight is going to be delayed.โ
Audible groans throughout the boarding gate. Most people here are flying to Atlanta as a layover before another flight. 130 people just had their day become a complete mess.
The pilot goes on. โI get it, trust me. But hereโs the deal: During our landing, we had a small mechanical issue. Iโm not your pilot for the next leg, but I donโt feel confident the jetโs safe to fly until we have a mechanical team look it over, and I donโt feel comfortable asking the next pilots to fly you guys until we get confirmation.โ
He points at the agents next to him behind the counter: โNow, none of this is the agentsโ fault. Please be kind to them. Iโm the one who made this decision, not them, so any inconvenience you experience is my fault. Just please know that I donโt do this lightly, and Iโm only doing it because I believe itโs in the best interests of everyoneโs safety.โ
Now this is where the story gets crazy. The pilot puts the microphone down, grabs his suitcase, and all the people in the gateโฆ
Start clapping.
Iโm not joking, everyone starts clapping for the guy. 130 people who just had their travel plans ruined give an ovation to the guy who made the decision and delivered the message.
All because he addressed them with decency and transparency, took ownership of the decision, made it clear that it was necessary, and explained why it was in everyoneโs best interest.
Itโs honestly one of the best examples of strong communicationโof strong leadership, for that matterโthat Iโve seen in a long time.
@Delta, whoever your Atlanta to Wichita pilot was this morning, heโs one of the good ones. Please tell him the delayed passengers of flight 1637 appreciate what he did.