CHAPTER 16
Just Plane Terrible
YOU ARE A GATE AGENT for Good Time Airlines. But tonight, you are not having a good time. Why? Because of the long line of angry-looking people who have been queuing up in front of your podium.
You see, telling one or two people that they aren’t going to get where they want to go is no fun. Telling the two hundred people who just disembarked from the Boeing 767 at your gate is even less fun. And worst of all, these people have been on and off this plane for hours during this winter storm—taxiing out, waiting for the plane to be deiced, waiting too long to take off, and coming back to the gate again. Now weather conditions have finally shut down the airport for the evening.
Your job is to tell these two hundred people:
They are stuck here for the night.
Your airline does not pay hotel expenses for weather-related cancellations like this one.
The nearest hotel with rooms available is the Dingy Acres Motel, a half hour’s drive from the airport. And yes, it is as bad as it sounds.
You will book them on the first available departure tomorrow. With emphasis on available.
You can expect there to be a number of very unhappy people. Many of them will be upset with you and your airline. Some may desperately need to get somewhere for a specific occasion. More than a few will feel it is totally unacceptable to spend the night at the airport. You have just signed on to the computer at your podium and are about to speak with the first passenger in line. Aside from wishing you the very best of luck, in this chapter, we offer some techniques to help get you through a situation that’s beyond your control.
Be Present
First, understand the depth of frustration that many of these people are feeling. Some may be seasoned travelers who have been through this many times before, but others will still be trying to wrap their head around the situation. They were on the plane and so close to being at their destination that they could taste it. Perhaps they are afraid to fly and now have to face their fears all over again. Or perhaps there are consequences for them, such as missing a wedding, a funeral, or a paid performance.
The first and most important part of handling each passenger is to respond empathetically by paraphrasing and acknowledging whatever that person leads with. For example:
Passenger: I am missing an important business meeting tomorrow!
You: That’s terrible! It seems unfair to have a snowstorm shut down air traffic right when you have important business to take care of.
Passenger: I’ve been dreading this flight for weeks, and now I have to go through it all over again!
You: That must be miserable! You were probably hoping this would all be over with tonight. What can we do to help you be comfortable in the meantime?
This is a very important step, and also a completely mechanical one: Take whatever the passenger leads with and hand those words, thoughts, and feelings back with empathy, as we have emphasized throughout this book. Connecting with these customers as people will usually make everything that follows go much easier.
Deliver the Bad News in Stages
You are about to tell many of these passengers a number of things they do not want to hear: that they are stuck at the airport for the evening, that lodging options are not the best, and that they will have to wait for the first available flight the next day. How you word this news will often make all the difference in how they react to it.
Chapter 5 describes a process for how to stage bad news in a way that makes it easier for people to accept it: a good introduction, a proactive summary of the options, and an empathetic response. Here is an example of putting that into practice in this situation:
Passenger: Darn, they canceled this flight! Can you get me out of here tonight? Or you’ll put me up somewhere, correct? (Note: The answer is “no” to both of these questions.)
You: (introduction) Let me walk you through what options we have here. (proactive summary) I can confirm a seat for you on the next flight available to your destination right now. This flight leaves nine hours from now, which takes us into tomorrow morning. As for lodging, we do provide lodging for mechanical delays or actions of the airline. Unfortunately, we can’t offer this in the case of a weather-related cancellation such as tonight’s. Do you think you might prefer to relax here at the airport, or could I help you arrange a hotel room at your expense?
Because you have laid out the options in a way that is factual, empathetic, and doesn’t lecture the passenger or say “no,” you have a much better chance of getting a constructive response. But suppose he still is not happy about what he is hearing and lets you know about it? Let’s continue:
Passenger: That stinks! I’m really exhausted.
You: (empathetic response) You must be exhausted. I certainly wouldn’t like being stuck on a plane for as long as you were. (proactive summary) I’m pretty familiar with this airport. Would you like to know some places where you might relax for a few hours?
Passenger: I’d really rather be at a hotel, even if I have to pay for it myself.
You: (empathetic response) I can’t blame you at all. (proactive summary) Here is what you will be looking at. Because we are located far from town, the nearest lodging is at the Dingy Acres Motel. I do want you to know that it is a half hour drive from here, and it is a very modest facility. But there are rooms available tonight, and I could give you a discount coupon for it if you wish.
Passenger: Yecch! That sounds miserable. How about a major chain hotel?
You: (empathetic response) Very good question. Most major chains are located in town, approximately an hour from the airport by public transportation. Would you like to look at some of those?
Passenger: No, that is a long way away. I’ll probably stick it out at the airport tonight. Look, I appreciate all of your help.
You: (empathetic response) My pleasure, Mr. Jones. Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help, and hopefully we’ll have you on your way again in a few short hours.
Compare these responses to the snippy, “I’m sorry, sir, we can’t do that” ones that are all too common in stressful customer situations, as we discussed in Chapter 4. This is where the right words can make a big difference. As long as you keep working the mechanics of responding empathetically and offering options, most customers will eventually calm down and cooperate with you, even when the news is not good.
Reframe the Situation
In the example above, you may have noticed that the agent used the reframing technique outlined in Chapter 7 to make the situation seem more palatable to the passenger. Notice how these specific phrases were thoughtfully chosen to defuse the situation:
“Relax here at the airport” (rather than stuck at the airport).
“Very modest facility” (rather than dumpy motel)
“On your way again in a few short hours” (rather than stranded overnight)
“Some places where you might relax for a few hours” (rather than hope you like sleeping in a chair)
This agent is also framing the problem-solving process in terms of what is possible rather than what isn’t possible, as discussed in Chapter 6. Instead of saying, “You will have to wait until tomorrow,” he is saying, “I can confirm a seat for you on the next flight available.” These subtle but important linguistics employ the language of an ally and let the customer know that he is focused on helping.
Note also that the one thing we are not reframing is the customer’s experiences. If he is complaining about being exhausted, then by golly, he is exhausted. And if something is bothering him, then it legitimately bothers him. When you maximize customers’ concerns while framing positive solutions for them, you can often guide them skillfully into calming down and accepting the situation.
Don’t Take It Personally
In an ideal world, passengers would understand that you do not control the weather. Unfortunately, in a less-than-ideal situation such as this, they are at great risk of taking out their frustrations on you. Dr. David Burns, a psychiatrist, refers to this as “emotional reasoning”: You feel lousy, and you (incorrectly) blame others for making you feel that way.
This means that some passengers may invent some blame and hurl it back at you: You should have known about this weather and planned ahead. You should have gotten them off the plane sooner. Your policies are horrible and unfair. Your response? Do not lead with trying to correct them, but rather be present with their frustrations:
Passenger: If you could have gotten us back to the terminal sooner, we could have gotten on another flight!
You: Tonight has frustrated the heck out of a lot of our customers. I don’t blame you for being upset. What can we do to help you from here?
If it makes people feel better, you may choose to eventually explain the reality of the situation, whether it is to correct a misperception or to take ownership of a legitimate grievance. Just understand that it is more important to first acknowledge and validate what people are feeling. Once people feel that you get them, it becomes much easier to engage in productive dialogue.
This scenario is based on my own experience being stranded overnight at a major airport in a winter storm, on my way back from a speaking engagement in the Midwest. As a frequent traveler, I personally handled the situation with kindness and good humor (in fact, I greeted the gate agent with a smile and the statement, “No stress in your life tonight!”), but many people were agitated and upset. One person, for example, forced his way to the front of the line while railing loudly against the airline, and others grumbled about the amount of time they had been cramped on the jet or how the situation impacted their plans.
While I was in line, I noticed an interesting dynamic in how the gate agents handled this situation. All tried their best to be polite, but some would visibly shut down once a customer started getting angry, avoiding eye contact and saying as little as possible. Others were able to engage these customers, and those agents had much more success in defusing their anger. Even in situations with many angry people, the right words, thoughtfully chosen, give you your very best chance to keep things under control.