Most people call it American Airlines, but many dignitaries, celebrities and frequent fliers call it Air Ginny.
Manager of Special Services, Ginny Borowski works 12-hour days sending fliers off with a smile. Some of the airline’s best customers joke that they see Borowski more than their wives, and that she knows more about their preferences than their mothers.
All airlines employ special executive agents to deal with VlPs and their most frequent fliers. Borowski transcends the role of airline employee, hovering between institution and guardian angel. She established this reputation during the past decade in Special Services, which she helped create, and the decade before that while running American’s Admiral’s Club, a membership lounge inhabited by frequent fliers. Some longtime fliers may even remember her behind the ticket counter when American still flew a few prop planes.
Borowski started with American on March 1, 1965. She and her husband, Al, who runs a company that manufactures nuts and bolts, had just taken a vacation trip to Acapulco on American. She remembers disembarking from the plane and saying to her husband: “I’d like to work for American and make it my career.”
“So I applied for a job,” she says. “They painted a dark picture that I’d be on 24-hour call, and not to expect weekends and holidays off. After about four years as a ticket agent I applied for an opening as a passenger service manager. I really liked that very much. I was mostly a troubleshooter. I love challenges.”
Her short silver hair perfectly coiffed, Borowski stands shoulder high to most of her male customers. Wearing dress shoes with one-inch heels, she never runs, but seems to be everywhere at once along O’Hare’s H- and K-concourses. She chuckles and says: “Shoes are my biggest expense.”
She might cover as much ground in a day as Michael Jordan does in a game. However, Borowski jumps through hoops to launch 50 or more fliers every day on their way to score mileage points and business victories. She can spot a regular 50 yards down a concourse and she always positions herself at just the right place to greet them.
The day begins
At 3 a.m., when only security guards haunt O’Hare, Borowski arrives at her unmarked office in O’Hare’s H-concourse. The teletype and fax machine in the outer office spit paper from American’s European stations, where flights are readying to depart for Chicago. The papers list passengers whom Borowski might greet, special problems, and meals. In addition to her people skills, she works on meal planning for American’s European flights.
Pictures of famous friends and customers completely line the walls of Borowski’s office. Her office also serves as a sanctuary for those very special customers who need greater privacy than that offered by the Admiral’s Club. Nipper, the RCA dog, for example, sleeps on his special blanket on her sofa when flying through O’Hare. Borowski’s own dog, a great dane named Lady, has never enjoyed this privilege. Nipper, one of the airline’s best customers, always flies first class.
It is 5 a.m. and Borowski has already suggested to the airline ground control staff to switch some arrival and departure gates to accommodate VlPs arriving and departing that morning. Gov. James Edgar, on his way to a conference in North Carolina, would now depart from close-in gate H4 at 10:20 a.m. That way he could use Borowski’s nearby office for last-minute state business before departing. The same gate would serve the Prime Minister of New Zealand and his entourage arriving later from Washington.
Borowski heads for gate K3 at 5:25 a.m. to meet Wendell Adair, a Chicago lawyer on his way to New York, and hands him a boarding pass. Adair says, “Borowski’s really great” and the two exchange pleasantries until Borowski notices that the regular gate agent is late. She immediately opens the gate for check-in, and continues to assist even after the agent arrives.
Businessman’s special
Flight 328, the first flight of the day that departs at 6 a.m. for New York’s LaGuardia Airport, is the flight for high-level executives. Sometimes the first-class cabin looks like one big power breakfast. At 5:44 a.m. the Admiral’s Club pages Borowski. She meets several fliers there, and arranges for Ken Meyers to sit with his wife on their vacation flight through the airport serving Raleigh-Durham, N.C. She then makes the trek to H8 to greet another passanger. Returning to the Admiral’s Club she meets Benjamin Stanton, on his way to Philadelphia at 6:12 a.m. He leans over and says of her, “You’ve got a gem here.”
She walks to meet Stan Powers of AVM Financial Group at K6B, who hopes she can upgrade an unexpected business associate to first class so they can work together during the flight. A few minutes before departure Borowski grants Powers his wish. On the way back to her office to check the computer for “specials,” requests for particular meals or seats, she waves at Chicago restaurateur Joe Carlucci, and tells him she’ll see him later at his departure gate.
At K4 Borowski greets Ken Hoffman, the CEO of Hart, Shaffner and Marx. She hands him a boarding pass as they chat about his upcoming meeting in New York.
“Ginny builds your confidence level, it really means a lot,” he says. “Since we deal with so many celebrities like Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Carson, Pierre Cardin, when they come into Chicago we’re guaranteed they’re not going to be embarrassed, because they’ll get first-class treatment from Ginny. She makes us look good. The reason we came to American is my experience with Ginny going back 25 years.”
A few minutes later she’s back at the Admiral’s Club to greet Bob Schillemi, vice president of Gilda Marx women’s athletic wear, on his way to Houston. He gushes: “Ginny’s incredible. She knows my family: kids, wife, parents. She makes travel a lot easier.”
By 8:15 a.m. she reconnects with Carlucci at distant K18, providing him with a boarding pass. Then she’s off for H12 where she hugs John Orr, division vice president for Hyatt. He responds by saying: “Ginny’s the reason a lot of people fly American.”
On her way back to the office, she quickly buys a box of doughnuts for the staff. Shortly after she places them on the table, a Chicago police officer appears. He’s checking on the governor’s departure in a couple of hours. Borowski keeps the Chicago police assigned to Terminal 3 apprised of noteworthy passengers. While in the office she arranges for the handling of the governor’s baggage, and checks on a flight connection for former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, who will be flying through O’Hare in a few hours.
Courting heads of state
At 9:05 a.m., moving from the office to the curb in front of Terminal 3, Borowski checks in the governor’s bags with a skycap. Ten minutes later, back at her office, she learns that the prime minister of New Zealand will be arriving with 35 suitcases. She makes arrangements for the bags to bypass the carousel and be loaded directly onto a van.
During the next 90 minutes Borowski repeats the measured but continuous motion of the morning, visiting gates, the Admiral’s Club and her office. The Secret Service arrives in her office at 10:30 a.m. to make final arrangements for the prime minister’s arrival. She will board the aircraft and escort the prime minister to his waiting limousine. While waiting for the prime minister’s plane to arrive, Secret Service agent William Dunne says, “Ginny’s a legend. She meets every dignitary and makes our job much easier. A lot of them know her by name.”
Shortly before noon, Borowski learns that Postmaster General Marvin Runyon will be flying through in the evening. Her computer screen flashes “Top Platinum,” meaning he flies more than 2 million miles a year. She makes sure he’ll receive first-class treatment.
This is how it goes day-after-12-hour-day, days filled with details.
Borowski meets regular customers regardless of whether they’re flying economy or first class. She concentrates on 1- and 2-million-miles-per-year fliers, but will just as eagerly assist a confused couple on their one vacation flight a year if she sees them in distress. The airline invests her with authority to do almost anything to assure a satisfied customer, even if it means sending them off on a competing airline.
“I don’t dread anything, no matter how corny it may sound. I enjoy everything I’m doing. It’s a challenge to make everything go smoothly and never drop the ball. I plan to stay on this job until death do us part.”
But you won’t find Borowski at O’Hare in January.
She smiles and says, “I do take all of my vacation. I’m dedicated, but not stupid! American will go on without me.”
Maybe.
