Just when I was beginning to think that customer service was a thing of the past. . .
My sister-in-law, Mary, is 22. She is mentally handicapped and required special attention while traveling to Seattle recently. This was her first trip alone. American Airlines was the only airline that the travel agent could find that would offer such assistance.
Her parents brought Mary to O’Hare Airport. The flight attendant who assisted with check-in made special arrangements to see that Mary had a window seat with a view. She also allowed my mother-in-law to assist Mary with early boarding and getting her situated on the plane. The entire crew made an effort to introduce themselves and put both Mary and my mother-in-law at ease. Throughout the flight the crew checked on Mary and saw that she was comfortable and had everything that she needed.
Mary was escorted out by a flight attendant named Patty. She said Mary was the best passenger on the plane. My wife and I had hoped and expected this but were very pleased when the rest of the crew continued to go on and on about Mary. Mary knew each one by name; this is just one of Mary’s many talents that compensate for her disability. After signing Mary over to us, Patty asked Mary when she was returning. The entire crew, as were we, seemed disappointed that it was not one of their flights.
The weekend was beautiful and only got better as it progressed. Saturday we received a call from Mary’s mom to let us know that the same crew was going to be on Mary’s return flight. What little anxiety that Mary was feeling about flying home soon turned into excitement. It turned out that after looking at their schedule, one of the crew noticed that they were on Mary’s flight. Patty looked up Mary’s information and called and left a message for her mother, “knowing that mom would be calling us every night.” She was right.
My wife and I brought Mary to the airport and waited in line for check-in. Patty had spotted Mary and came over. Again they made special arrangements to see that Mary had a window seat with a view. As Patty was collecting tickets from the other passengers, she saw us waiting for the plane to depart. After most everyone had boarded, she told us how she had figured out that Mary was on their flight and that the crew was looking forward to hearing all about her trip.
I would have been more than pleased if the story had ended there. It does not. About halfway into Mary’s flight we got a call. It was Mary from the plane. It turned out that a change in seating had placed Mary right next to an AT&T representative. Patty remembered that Mary had our number in her purse. The representative gave Mary a complimentary call. My thanks to AT&T.
I can only begin to express my thanks to all those aboard American Airlines Flight 1634 from O’Hare to Seattle June 25, to Patty, to the AT&T representative and to all those who assist the attendants from above and below, in doing what they do best: taking care of the customer and going out of their way to provide the best in customer service. Thank you for your outstanding service! You made this a very special trip for everyone and one that we all look forward to experiencing again.
