Embedded Files
I usually like waking up at 4:15 AM to have time for a shower on those days when I volunteer at the airport. The night went as planned and I was in deep slumber when I heard a loud voice say “ADRIAN!”. Huh, what, who? It must have only been my conscience talking. I checked the bed time clock and it said 4:15 AM. This is undoubtedly my calling in life, to be a “light of the world”. The Universe wants me to fulfill my mission at the airport. To achieve this, I need to remind myself of the following whenever I drive to the airport to start my shift, to psych myself up:
· Keep my spiritual heart open. This is actually very easy to achieve. All I have to do is declare this before starting my shift.
· Keep my vibrations high. No negativity, only positive, optimistic thoughts, and also be happy, peaceful, loving, friendly, nice, caring, and truthful.
· Be in the right frame of mind. To achieve this, I need to keep my thoughts pure and ensure I have discipline, desire, faith, and focus.
· Keep aligned with my Higher Self. I believe that your spirit lives forever and as such we can get astray from love which leads to our eternal kingdom. Always stay on the path of righteousness.
· Emanate God’s love. Love is the truth; anything else is false. Why would one promote hatred, lies, misinformation, judgement, and discrimination? We were made from God’s love and it is the driving force of our existence.
A sense of humor also helps. I suppose the best attribute you could give yourself when interacting with others is that you are passionate. You will note in some of the stories following how the elements of love surface in my dealings with travelers. I cannot put into words the feeling I can have for certain travelers when interacting with them, and I will miss not seeing them again after I watch them head towards security.
Now some of the above may sound foreign to you, understandable. All I ask is that you keep an open mind. Although said somewhat differently from what you may have heard before from your religious background, it should not be too far out of the ordinary and it actually makes a lot of common sense. I know I must be doing everything right because of the feedback I receive from my clients. I have grown and evolved into this position and I do strive for perfection on every shift. Like other white hatters, I really am here to be of service to others. It feels so right to be doing what I am doing with the approach I take. I have life purpose. My dedication is unwavering.
Christmas, 2025 We are Here for You
The Good Samaritan
Four golfing buddies heading to Phoenix needed help with their bag tags. One fellow was helping a buddy get his tags on properly, like a parent would for a child, while I assisted another. Once the three had their act together and were ready to go, thanks to the caring one and my assistance, it was time for the fourth to print off his bag tag. Unfortunately, he was 10 seconds too late as the kiosk closed off! I looked for a Westjet supervisor to see if they could override the system so he could go with the others, but nowhere to be found. I reluctantly sent him to check in assistance with no other option, but I had a little hope since the line was really short.
Rules are rules that normal Westjet employees need to follow and so they could not help. Ten minutes later, the traveler was back to me wanting my help to locate that Westjet supervisor again and this time, I found one of authority. He knows me enough now that when I refer a traveler to him it is a legitimate problem. He handled him very professionally and got him on the 3 pm flight, as he could not get him on the earlier flight. If I had found this supervisor right away, there was a chance using his discretion that he could have allowed him to get on that flight if within seconds of cutoff. In this case, the good Samaritan missed his flight and his golf match that afternoon. He took it well, because after all, they should have arrived at the airport at least one hour earlier.
A Better Place
There was this perfectly groomed, professional, mature, middle aged Nigerian lady, who came to the airport to catch a flight to LAX for a break from normal routine, to get away for a long weekend. Her mind was on other matters to cause her to leave home a few minutes late, then had some traffic delays enroute. Perhaps her personal life had not been perfect, she had work challenges making a living, and she no doubt experienced some form of oppression in her life at odd times. But at least she was settled in Canada, a better option from where she came, and thankful for what Canada had to offer.
By the time I caught up to her she had to check a bag for her flight that was leaving in 55 minutes. Her bag needed to be on the carousel 75 minutes before departure. I told her that I was so sorry but unfortunately, she missed her flight. I let the kiosk confirm when she tried to print off her bag tag. Her heart sank, she was down, and disappointed. As an older white Caucasian who was perhaps her opposite, I showed empathy, kindness, and spoke to her softly. Our eyes met and we connected in that moment. I never scolded her as there was no need to. She spoke so warmly to me with kind words in her downed state. I took her over to Westjet's check in assistance line to see what her options were.
Later at the end of my shift, I saw her again on the Arrivals level. I came over and she was so delighted that I remembered her. She had decided to cancel the weekend's plans, as she could not get another flight that was reasonable enough to consider. She had accepted her fate, realizing it was all her fault, and was back to being her normal self. She was at peace to allow her to join me in that space. She thanked me again for my caring and happy that I took an interest in her to follow up. She was so grateful to have had me come along when I did and pick up her spirit. Because I did everything right for her regardless of race, religion, or culture, she knew my heart was in the right place.
She now could leave the airport, as she did not need to go to LAX anymore. I gave her what she was looking for and she was ready to go back and face the world again.
Abandoned Luggage
A lady had her bag tag all screwed up and needed help with it, as she failed to properly read the instructions on the tag. No Westjet agent around. I managed to pull it off and reset it nice and straight with no wrinkles in the bar code. I told her in a noisy crowd to take it to Bag Drop to get it placed on a belt for her flight, pointing in the direction she needed to head. She thanked me, and then I got interrupted about three times in a row with people needing help. When I finished, I noticed her bag still in the middle of the floor abandoned! She must have assumed she was done and never heard my instructions! And now she was heading to Belize and will not have her bag.
I recognized the bag as the one I worked on and it had the bag tag on it properly for Belize. I could not touch it for security reasons as per protocol. But I do remember the traveler. I found a Westjet supervisor and explained what happened. She bought my story and knew where I was coming from as to security protocol and that I would get fired if I placed the luggage on the belt myself. She made a professional judgement call and chose to place it on the luggage belt to get it on its way.
Attention to Detail
I often will come up to a family who are busy at a kiosk, especially if they have little kids, and have a nice friendly chat with them. This family was on their way to Tulum and we both enjoyed our interaction so much. I wished them a good flight as I got pulled away to help other people. About 30 seconds later, they came back to me with a serious, concerned look on their faces. The Dad lost his cell phone and had it by his side when he was putting tags on his luggage. He was focused on doing this when I started to chat with his family. There had been a few people mulling around them when they were getting their luggage ready. No Westjet agent knew where his cell phone was. In hindsight, I need to be more careful if I come up to a family to have a friendly chat as maybe I distracted them enough to allow someone else to take the phone. I would be surprised though that someone would take it as quite often I have had people find things like a cell or wallet abandoned and they chose to give it to me to take care of.
Hopefully the dad had it on him somewhere but could not find it in his haste to get the luggage on the belt.
Westjet with Air France
A traveler flying to Atlanta with a French accent had booked through Delta to fly home, but the flight was operated by Westjet, an airline without as big of a presence globally and one he had never heard of before. He tried to check in online with Delta and also at the kiosk but to no avail, not noticing in fine print that the flight was operated by Westjet and you always need to check in with the airline operating the flight. We had a chat about how Air France, Delta, and Westjet are partners and that Air France and Delta have bought 10 percent of Westjet just recently, as they continue to work more closely together. The traveler said he had an Air France priority card and so asked for the Westjet priority line. I took him there, thinking that Westjet would take care of him. The lineup using regular check in assistance was quite long and he would have been in danger of missing his flight if he went into this line.
After dropping him off, I double checked with a Westjet agent to see if they take Air France priority and they do not. The traveler saw me talking to Westjet and wanted to know the outcome; therefore, he left his luggage in line and cut across to where I was with Westjet and Delta. We both saw a Delta sign showing that they take Air France priority and you would think Westjet would take Air France too since they take Delta priority, but this does not show up on the Westjet sign. Delta could not help check the traveler in as expected as the flight is operated by Westjet. He chose to go back and remain in the Westjet priority line. When he got to the counter, Westjet served him.
Checking with a Westjet supervisor later, Westjet priority are not supposed to serve travelers with Air France priority. It is fortunate that they did because the traveler would have missed his flight otherwise. It is a two-way street between the airlines because if a Westjet traveler went to an Air France priority counter with a Westjet priority card, Air France would not normally serve him either. I wrote an email to the YYC airport recommending West jet priority change their relationship with Air France to accept an Air France priority card if the flight is operated by Westjet and vice versa. I am sure this will happen since Air France just bought a 10% interest in the airline.
Passport Validation
A traveler had checked in online at home before arriving at the airport and he had his boarding pass, but was informed there was a name mismatch between passport and itinerary (middle name) and he was advised to see an agent. He came up to me for assistance. I said he can try to get his passport validated at a kiosk since he had his boarding pass, although the line up for check in assistance was short. The kiosk confirmed name mismatch and he had to see an agent. I sent him to the bag tag assistance since he had his boarding pass. They will normally serve travelers who have a boarding pass, but the agent told him he had to go to check in assistance. This was unfortunate as it depends on the competence level of the bag tag agent for capability. Once he arrived at the check in assistance line, the Westjet ambassador told him to go back and look for an agent with an iPad or he could always get his passport validated at the gate. Noticing him coming back to the bag tag assistance area, I caught up with him to follow up as he looked perplexed.
He was getting the run around and could not find a Westjet agent with an iPad available; therefore, he said he would go through security and get his passport validated at the gate. He was traveling to the US. I wished him a good flight and off he went. Thinking about this some more, Westjet at the gate might have been too busy to deal with a name mismatch between passport and boarding pass. Also, he needed to clear US Customs and they might have given him a rough time. I could see E Security that leads to US Customs was very busy too. I discussed this with a Westjet Supervisor and she had a talk with the check in assistance ambassador for her bad advice. Hopefully everything worked out for the traveler. In hindsight I should have insisted he see an agent despite what was said by Westjet before going through security.
Buenas Vacaciones
A family of immigrants from Mexico with seven young children were flying for their annual trip to Loreto for a winter vacation and to see the grandparents. This was the event of the year for a big family of little people. They were taking with them three kayaks! They were wrapped in saran wrap for protection despite being made from durable plastic or fibreglass. I have never seen anyone take a kayak with them on a flight for a vacation! With so many family members they needed to take three as this is what the family does for a fun event. I am guessing it is not easy to buy or rent kayaks in Loreto.
The kayaks looked to be eight feet long! There is a limit as to length so they can fit into the plane, but the family knew they were good as they were able to take the kayaks the previous year with no problem. The weight would have been fine, being made from light material and needing to float. Talking to a Westjet supervisor, it is expensive, probably an extra $300 per kayak one way. At least they can save money by staying with the grandparents as opposed to a hotel, although a big family. You would think the kayaks could be dropped off at the oversized baggage counter but they are too long for the conveyor belt. They get dropped off at the same door that dogs in kennels do.
I noticed the family was also taking a leaf blower with them! I am sure they plan to leave it with their grandparents, not so much for leaves but perhaps blow dust and debris?
Couponed Incentive
A sweet petit young teenaged lady was sitting on the hard ledge of a YYC sign. She was not taking up any more room than necessary and so was quite inconspicuous. She was waiting for a United agent so she could drop off her bag for her trip to Chicago. But United was not going to be at the counter for another hour. She was quite disappointed in learning this. She was anxious to get post security as she was so hungry like a young person can be and wanting breakfast!
I gave her a couple of options such as the bistro in the Marriott hotel. But when saying this, as she was a student, I figured she might be budget conscious. She seemed interested in going to a Tim Hortons and there was one in the food court pre security. Before giving her directions, I gave her a $10 coupon that I received for Christmas from YYC. She was most appreciative and thankful and I could not have given this coupon to anyone nicer than her. She then told me she was the granddaughter of another white hatter and that I have met her granddaughter! I certainly did not need a coffee with muffin, doughnut, or sandwich and I get free coffee anyways as a white hatter from a coffee shop.
I did want to adopt her as my own granddaughter already.
Cutting it Close
One couple had booked through Delta with the flight operated by Westjet. They had tried to check in with Delta while at home but realized the flight was operated by Westjet when trying to complete the process. They did not try to check in with Westjet as they figured they would just do it at the airport. By the time I met up with them, they were rather lackadaisical with their time management. But truth be told, they needed boarding passes and to place their luggage on the belt within 18 minutes. The lineup for check in assistance looked too long. Time was of the essence.
I gave them very specific instructions after giving them a heads up about the time constraint. Stand in line for check in assistance but try to check in online while waiting in line. If successful in getting their electronic boarding passes, have one of the two come to a kiosk to print off the bag tags needed. If successful have the second person come out of line to help get the bags on the belt right away where the Bag Drop was located. I assume they made it as I could not find them later. They only would have had five minutes to spare at the most. Everything had to work perfectly. If they were too stressed and anxious, they would have only made mistakes in Westjet’s app when trying to check in.
Daughters, I Tell You!
I noticed a well manicured middle-aged lady standing close to Westjet's check in assistance counter looking at her cell phone. When I came over to greet her, she smiled warmly. She explained that she already had the boarding passes for her family of four along with bag tags printed off for their vacation trip to Cancun. The father and son had dropped off the luggage and had gone through security to get to their gate. Her daughter who is old enough to be more "independent" had not arrived yet as she lives close to the university and was to meet up with them at the airport. Being a responsible and caring mother, she had her daughter's bag tag, boarding pass, and passport in her hand, but no daughter. It was 7:30 AM for their flight departing at 9 AM. Her mother had been phoning her cell to see if she was coming but she was not responding. She looked at a cell phone app that she had that is used to identify people’s location and she determined that her daughter was still in her condo!
Knowing her daughter and her level of maturity, she decided that she must have slept in and could not hear her phone ringing. I advised the mom that the daughter needed to have her luggage on the belt at 7:45, only 15 minutes from now! I asked if she had to check a bag and she said yes, showing me the bag tag already printed off. The time constraint caught her by surprise and she concluded that even if she was on her way, meeting this deadline was not achievable. I said if she only had carry-on luggage, then she would have more time to get on the plane as it was not even boarding yet. There was a later flight that afternoon with Westjet but the flight could be full. She said that it would be her daughter’s own fault if she could not come, too bad, so sad, as the family will just be going without her. The mom must have been quite stressed and anxious inside but she did not show any of this as she seemed quite calm and smiling at me still. I also knew exactly what she was going through. Maybe I helped since I was understanding and was a calming influence to her.
Daughters, I tell you! Usually, the daughter is more reliable than the son, but the son will have his turn later. I could relate and shared with her some bonehead moves made by my own daughter and son when younger. I got busy helping others but checked up on her a few times and found out the daughter had answered her call finally and had indeed slept in and was rushing to get to the airport. Based on my recommendation, arrangements were made with the Westjet agent to leave the travel documents if the mom had to get to her gate to board the plane before takeoff. The flight was to start boarding at 8:15 but she was still waiting outside for her daughter's arrival and she needed to get through security yet to get to her gate.
She knew the plane was about to board and therefore her daughter must have been close to arriving. I checked again a few minutes later and the mom was gone and the Westjet agent never received any travel documents to give to the daughter. Therefore, the daughter must have been standing in line to see what Westjet could do for her, silly lady. I checked the lineup and could not see anyone who was a younger version of the mother, but I did not want to stare unnecessarily at strangers. Maybe the daughter was able to grab a carry-on bag before leaving and stuffed what she could in it to take on the plane instead. Then they ran to security behind my back.
I knew this was going to be a funny story to tell other family and friends later, but not at this moment. The stress that people put themselves through if only they were more careful. I just hope the mother made it to her gate in time. If they both made it, I am sure the daughter got a scolding, a long lecture from her mother for what she put herself through! I always wondered how a person already checked in with a boarding pass could not make a flight, especially after being paged at the gate to board immediately as the doors are about to close. This could have been one of those cases, known as extenuating circumstances. The problem with some of these stories documented is that I often never know what the final outcome was and I can only hope for the best.
Arctic Front
In between airport days, I build homes for Habitat for Humanity and one day I was on the second floor of a six unit building west of Chestermere Lake getting it ready for wall framing. The floor joists had just been installed along with the sub floor to give us something to walk on, wide open to the air above us. It was a beautiful calm sunny day, really warm for this time of the year.
I noticed the daily arrival of the big, beautiful KLM Boeing Dreamliner from Amsterdam flying right overhead, so pretty. Commercial airplanes seldom fly right over this area as planes would be flying parallel and in close proximity to the new north/south runway. Checking the time, it was arriving a bit late at 14:00, as it was supposed to head back to Amsterdam at 15:40. This meant a quick turnaround once landed in order to get the plane departing back to Amsterdam on time. Not landing the plane directly from the north was not helping the time constraint. I watched the plane bank steeply to turn it around so it could land on the runway from the south, not north.
Normally planes are taking a much wider path to come into landing from the south in order to control any chaos during busier times so the planes can land in orderly fashion. The skies must not have been busy at this time. The normal flight path takes the plane east of Chestermere Lake and going further south before turning to line it up with the runway. For this flight path, the airplane must have been diverted at the last minute to come in and land from the south. Why? Another plane on the runway? Not likely, as this never happens and there are two north/south runways. It was such a calm day wind wise. It made no sense what was happening, as what difference would it make having the plane land in the other direction? It did not take too long to learn the answer.
Within five minutes, a bitterly cold blast of wind picked up, coming from the north and I could see grey clouds rolling in, bringing with it a cold front, old man winter coming our way. In just over one hour, the temperature outside dropped 16 degrees Celsius. Typical weather for this time of the year. The plane was diverted because it might have been landing with the wind if it had not arrived quickly enough and not something that is done due to limited runway. I think the plane would have made it without wind as it was just ahead of the front but ground control considered the risk factor and chose the safer approach.
Down and Up
A righteous young man with curly black hair could have been proudly anyone’s son, was flying to Vancouver for a break and visit via Flair at 7:15 AM this morning. He had to drive from Lethbridge to get to the airport and therefore left in the wee early hours of the morning, like 3 AM, as he said he left in plenty of time, you would think. The problem with Flair is the type of fare a person buys is affordable, especially for a student, but may not allow for many options if something goes wrong, without any fault of the traveler.
A major snowstorm made roads nearly impassable from Lethbridge to Calgary. The fellow did his best to get to the airport in time, but traffic slowed to a crawl in spots. At one point, in his haste, he ended up doing a 360 on the highway and was stuck on the side of the road for awhile. He was fortunate to not have been in a serious accident. He was close to making the flight in time regardless, but it did not help that Flair left eight minutes early. I noticed he was not the least bit angry and not frustrated, for he accepted what fate brought him and I am sure he was thankful to have made it to the airport eventually in one piece.
He went to the Flair counter to see what they could do for him and he managed to get on the 15:30 flight, a seven hour wait and all he had to do was hang around the airport. But he had to pay full fare, as no credit was in the cards for a missed flight. If Flair could not fly because of the weather, this would have been different. It is the traveler’s responsibility to get to the airport in time regardless of weather elements.
I took pity on him, and deservedly so. I knew any young man was going to get hungry, and so I pulled out my wallet and gave him a $10 coupon to Tim Horton's that he so graciously and warmly accepted to help fill his tummy. But more importantly, I took an interest in him listening to his story that he willingly shared with me, allowing me to show empathy. He needed my attention and felt he was no longer alone. He was going to be just fine.
Our Time Together
You have to know your audience if you want to play the teasing game. I took a chance with one young lady and I got away with it. I started by giving her a grade of “B-” for her job of putting a bag tag on her luggage without any coaching, but there was a wrinkle in the bar code, and she did not know what was her receipt. She took it well and she smiled and was happy to have me give her some undivided attention for directions, assurance, and support. I noticed she was wearing a soft blue sweat shirt and pants with runners and she had a big light pink suitcase. She had blonde hair, her nails were done quite fancy, and she was showing off some cleavage. I then said:
“No offense my Dear, but you are not that well color coordinated today.”
She was probably not expecting that, but she agreed with me. “But at least the coloring of my clothes and luggage are quite feminine, right?”
“Oh, for sure. By the way, have you noticed that the latest fashion trends are that young women like to wear pink sweats?” Now was this girl talk or what?
“Yeah, I know.” She knew I was observant for who I saw coming through the airport.
Our time was up and I closed off by wishing her a good flight and then saying: “You know I was just messing with you a bit,” like a grandfather would do to his granddaughter.
She gave me a big smile of gratitude and said: “Oh yes, and I loved every minute of it!”
Doomed for Failure
A fellow getting close to retirement was doomed to fail. I have never seen anyone screw up so badly as him before, as there were so many things that he did wrong. He had no idea what he was doing and was quite naive. He booked flights from Calgary to Algiers using a travel agent that I never heard of before that does not exist in Calgary. This agency would not have even known the names of the local airlines. He came up to me looking for Air Transat for his trip to Montreal at 10 AM. Air Transat does not exist at the airport and there is no Montreal flight at 10 AM. I explained that Air Transat contracts Porter Airlines to bring the travelers to Toronto or Montreal to catch a connecting flight. The Porter flight to Montreal could have been cancelled as they often fly there in the morning and the travel agency did not notify the traveler. Porter was not going to be at their counter until over one hour later as their first flight that day was to Toronto.
The traveler did not try to check in online before coming to the airport. On the Flight Departures screen, we could see that Air Canada only had a flight to Montreal two hours later, but he would not likely have been able to use a Porter credit for this flight even if he had one. I asked him when does he board his connecting flight in Montreal. He did not know. I glanced at his itinerary that was quite vague showing a flight with Air Transat from Calgary to Montreal, but the flight number did not start with TS, like TS123, but rather MB that I did not recognize and not used by any airline flying from Calgary. It is possible that the ticket he bought through that travel agent was a scam.
He was completely doomed for failure and his only option was to try to contact his travel agent. There was no hope that he was flying anywhere that day, a complete waste of time. How much did he pay for his international flight? Will he get his money back? Seven wrongs do not make a right.
Battered and Bruised
It was the luck of the draw for travelers arriving late at the airport this day due to a snow storm. Some flights were delayed and therefore, if a traveler’s flight was delayed, they still had a chance to board the plane. One lady who was possibly in her 60’s, having been there and done that, looked rather bewildered and I noticed she came with a black eye and a bruised chin. She was on her way to Mexico yesterday, so she thought. She drove from Kelowna through the mountains to catch a flight here. I learned what happened when I helped get her bag tag. She was in a fifty-car pileup on the edge of the mountains heading to our city. She survived. When she got to the airport finally, her flight had been canceled regardless due to heavy snow and so Westjet put her up overnight. I wanted to question her more, but she was anxious to get going.
All she wanted was to get to Mexico and have a martini and soak up some rays by the pool. She was on edge and stressed and had slept little. She wanted to be nice to everyone as this was her normal demeanor, but was struggling to keep her composure. She was having the trip from hell. She was not that experienced with traveling and when she tried to drop off her bag on the belt, her troubles continued as she found out it was overweight by 3 kg. She was naturally in a bit of a dither over it and needed a break. With so much that had happened to her already, she decided she was just going to do whatever to get on her way and so chose to go to the Westjet check in counter and pay the heavy fine. I flagged her down a second time to see what was up and she was happy to talk because I was the only good thing she had on the go at that point. I managed to convince her to go to the Hudson store to buy a duffle bag for $25 to save her some money, a cheaper option, and she could transfer over some stuff to reduce the weight of her main luggage and bring the bag on the plane as a carry on.
Finally, something that went right and she was most appreciative of my help.
Not My Problem
A flight to New York was cancelled at the last minute due to an inclement weather event in the NY area. But instead of showing the flight as being canceled on the Departures screen, they took the flight off the board altogether. A young fellow came in asking about this flight. No flight on the board and so I brought this to the attention of the Westjet ambassador. She checked her printout and saw that the flight was on. We concluded they must have failed to post the flight on the board. Strange.
The fellow then went to get his luggage from his vehicle, relieved to know the flight was a go. But the more I thought about this, the more I became suspicious as I seemed to recall there was a New York flight on the board when I studied it at the start of my shift. I queried the flight status on my cell and found it to be canceled! I should have checked this before but went with what Westjet said. Not only was it a canceled flight at the last minute, but also an admin error occurred for screen management as the flight should have remained on the screen with a status of being canceled. Westjet then had to tell the young guy flight status once he came back with a big cart full of luggage. Not my problem.
Woes Using Expedia
More serious problems are usually caused by Expedia. Buyer beware.
A Mexican flying south booked through Expedia so they could lead him by the hand through the process. He was lacking experience to do it on his own. Expedia booked what he thought was American Airlines connecting through Salt Lake City. He was waiting at the American Airlines counter forever and they never showed up. Being only 65 minutes before departure, he got anxious and started wandering around. He looked out of place and therefore I came over. I told him the only plane flying to Salt Lake City was Delta Airlines and he just so happened to be standing beside Delta at the time. I told him to get to the counter immediately. There was one other traveler ahead of him. I showed him on his cell phone in fine print that the flight was operated by Delta. Finally, someone gave him directions and he was most appreciative of my help as he could not figure out what was happening.
He had phoned Expedia and they replied for him to look for an American Airlines agent but no agent was around as it was going to be hours before their next flight that day. Dialing a 1-800 number, Expedia at wherever they are in the world will not know what the status is of each airline in a particular airport. Unfortunately, by the time Delta served him, he was two minutes too late for his flight and therefore he was going to miss his connecting flight in Salt Lake City. He had to wait around to see if Delta Airlines, Expedia, or American Airlines could rebook his flight. His English was borderline acceptable to not help his situation. He was still at the airport when I left for the day, but talking to Expedia on his cell while waiting for Delta to show up. I think he should be talking to Expedia since they booked the flight originally, but they did not want to deal with his problem to begin with.
Miscellaneous
I met a young Russian rookie hockey player for the Flames recently called up (Matvei Gridin). He was flying to Chicago by himself to participate in an AHL All Star game based on the time he spent with the Calgary Wranglers. He had five brand new glittery shiny hockey sticks wrapped together. He looked so young! He spoke perfect English. I saw next day on Youtube that Mr. Gridin impressed a few people with his speed and fancy stickhandling. He should do well for the Flames.
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Two related families with kids and high energy were quite excited to see each other and they were running to one another giving each one a hug of happiness. I just happened to be close by observing and I honestly can say missing out getting a hug. They must have picked up on my vibrations and so two young ladies proceeded to give me a hug too! We were just one happy family clan with giggles and laughter, making a scene based on the love they were willing to share. Quite often I think that the travelers and me are just one big happy family.
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I always get a laugh when I grade the travelers for how well they put on their bag tags.
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A middle-aged couple came in to get their bag tags. They had identical big, ugly, rough, black suitcases, with a little bright orange tape on the handles. I told them that they must be related because of seeing their suitcases. The male thought about it and then said: “Well, I sleep with her!” I was not expecting such a personal response and also suggesting their relationship was not that formal.
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Another drunk down and out, but harmless. This does not happen too often, but sometimes a drunk comes to the airport and in this case, he had a flight to catch later that day. The police came with their bicycles to escort him to one of their four cells they have at the airport. The airport does not want people intoxicated being visible for the public to observe as this could give them a wrong impression of the airport. There is a chance that if the traveler sobered up enough, he could catch his flight and therefore the police were doing him a favor to turn him around in their possession. The police will not let him fly if he cannot walk a straight line.
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A Filipino lady flying back to her home land connecting through San Diego was having trouble scanning her permanent resident (PR) card. The kiosk kept taking her Filipino passport okay, but could not read her PR card. The instructions on the kiosk showed face up backwards. We eventually figured out the problem. This is the first PR card I have seen that has a face on both sides of the card! How was I to know? One face is bigger than the other and is the side that counts. Once I placed the correct face up and backwards, the kiosk worked fine!
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A young lady (well, fairly young) was pleasantly surprised to see a man of similar age and they came together excitedly to embrace in front of me. I looked on and they sensed my presence. So, I said:
“I take it you two know each other.”
The lady never missed a beat and said: “No, not at all! We just met!”
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There is nothing like a sense of humor, even when it is quite simple. I saw this bright eyed young Westjet agent coming in to start her shift with her mascara plastered on and she had a large takeaway coffee with her. I wished her good morning cheerfully and I commented that she should be good now that she had her coffee. She replied:
“Oh yes, ready to go, and I am so looking forward to getting to work this morning!”
She was obviously being facetious and I thought this was quite funny considering how the words came out of her mouth and the tone of her voice.
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Everyone talks to me, everyone.
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Westjet staff are always super friendly, but they can be a bit odd at times, with some definitely having colorful characters. One petite Westjet lady had an even more petite Westjet dress on that zipped up from the back. When she put it on to go to work this morning, the dress was too tight and her arms too short to zip her dress up the whole way. She had to get a white hatter once at the airport to “do her up,” to finish the job. Her bare back was exposed with no bra strap. She really had no room for a bra in that dress, but the dress would have kept things in place. Hopefully she gets a bigger sized dress soon, as I do not know how she could breathe.
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I had to correct a Westjet agent, which should never happen as I am a third party not getting trained by Westjet. A traveler had booked through Delta to fly to LAX and the agent was sending her over to the Delta counter since she asked where was Delta for her flight to LAX. But the only airline flying to LAX is Westjet. I overruled her instructions that Westjet accepted so the traveler would not miss her flight.
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A couple had booked through KLM and were flying via Westjet to Vancouver first to catch a direct flight to Amsterdam from there. I gave them specific instructions that they had to go to the Domestic terminal to check in with Westjet since the first leg of their flight was domestic. Not knowing my integrity as a white hatter, they chose to speak to a Westjet agent to confirm. They will trust me next time. All locals do.
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