"Thank you for calling Turbulence Airlines. This is Carol; how can I help you?... From where?... To where?... Departing on which day?... One-way or round trip?... Returning on which day?... How many are traveling?... Is anyone traveling under the age of twenty-one, over sixty-five, or active duty military?... Thank you. One moment, please." I begin every call with the same phrases as I have for twelve years, forty hours per week, more often when sales demand overtime. The prospective passengers on the other end of the telephone frequently allow me to control the reservation process, but there are a considerable number that do not. Assisting the general public with air travel demands more than knowledge of the latest policies at the airport - which can and do change by the hour - it requires patience and humor. People have their unique identities and temperaments, and we all agree we like it this way, but airline passengers can be divided categorically.
English: An empty bottle of Coke.
Hi-res Kodachrome of downtown Colorado Springs, 19...
Coca-ColaAlthough there are several feathers on this bird, I'd like to introduce you to the characteristics of the business traveler, the vacation planner, and the obscene caller.
The business traveler is straightforward and no-nonsense. He doesn't spend more time on the phone than is absolutely necessary, and he believes thirty seconds is twenty-nine seconds too long. He has executed this transaction a million times and knows exactly what he wants. He needs one seat Tuesday morning on flight number 423 at six-fifteen from Phoenix to Los Angeles returning the same day on flight number 516 at two-twenty, a full-size Budget rental car, charge to his American Express on file, and fax the itinerary to his office. He does not ask about the rate; he doesn't care. He sighs massively at each polite One moment, please as I type the...