When you travel, do you expect great service from your airline? Or, do you wait for your destination to begin to savor positive lasting impressions?
Captain Denny Flanagan of United 552 from Portland, Oregon to Houston, Texas made an impression on what it is to serve and to leave a positive lasting impression! At 5:15 a.m., he took the microphone to speak to the waiting passengers in the waiting area. He thanked everybody for choosing United and hoped that everybody was as excited about the flight as he was, as he said, “It is my first flight… [pause for a few seconds]… of the day.” Everybody around smiled and began to make positive comments on his early morning humor. He then went on to explain the importance of everybody’s safety and welcomed everybody on board.
As all passengers entered the cabin, Captain Flanagan greeted each person and handed them a card with information on the Boeing-757 plane.
During the flight, two notable flight attendants were Rhonda and Joe. They both made an intentional effort to speak to the passengers and made small talk, which made the flight more pleasant. While they were passing out the beverage service, Rhonda poured a cup of coffee to one passenger. By the time Joe passed the passenger at the other end of the beverage cart, he noticed that the coffee cup was empty and offered a refill. He even asked about the taste and temperature of the coffee. After drink service, they came around to ask if anybody needed anything else and offered water.
Later on, a 10-month old boy was struggling with the flight and Rhonda and Joe tried to appease the child. The parents appreciated the efforts.
As landing in Houston approached, Captain Flanagan came on the loud speaker to ask everybody to review the 757-card that he had passed out. He mentioned that one of the cards had his signature and for that passenger to signal one of the flight attendants, as he had a small gift for them.
Once the passengers were deplaning in Houston, Captain Flanagan was visible with a smile and welcomed everybody to Houston. Multiple passengers thanked him, shook his hand, and even asked for his business card, which he freely gave. One note on his
What else was found out about Captain Flanagan? He is on the board of directors for the Captain Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund that awards young men and women that are interested in aviation careers.
United 745 from Denver, Colorado to Portland, Oregon was also a service-filled flight with the attentiveness of the flight attendants. However, the most notable service provided was to a 5 year old boy. As a flight attendant was walking by, he looked up and said in a sweet voice, “Hi.” The flight attendant stopped, smiled, responded to the child, asked if he was enjoying the flight, and asked if he needed anything to make his flight more pleasant.
How will your next flying experience be? Would you like to experience this type of value-added service? Will United be part of your next trip?
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