Fly Friendly

U.S. Airways has a feature in their monthly magazine where they showcase one of the members of their frequent flyer club in each new issue. This month the interview asked a businessman what insights or routines he uses to insure a good trip. In addition to saying he unplugs from all electronic accoutrements he always does one thing: He tries to always keep it in mind that the best way to insure a friendly satisfying experience is to be friendly. Genius.

There are any number of tired and annoying cliches about happiness: If life gives you lemons… Make your own happiness. The fact of the matter is, however, that in a great many cases the advice is good. It's like public speaking: If you find yourself, speech in hand, facing a fidgeting audience remember that no one in the audience wants to be in your spot. At the same time, they hope the speech they're about to hear will be engaging. So it is with public travel. Most people are wary of what to expect but everyone is hoping it will be pleasant. In either scenario, if you meet the expectation you become the hero, the person who made it a pleasant experience.

Succeeding at air travel is usually a bit less stressful than public speaking. But not always. Delayed flights, long check-in lines, bag fees, security screening hassles, botched seat assignments-- any of these elements can put a whole lot of people in a bad mood in a hurry. Likewise, keep in mind that there are quite a few people on the flight that have to put up with such challenges several times a week en route to presentations, sales meetings, and customer visits. Not fun. Choosing to be the person who remains positive, maintains a smile, and continues to greet with a friendly voice may be just the influence needed to change a few attitudes. And even if you can't get a smile out of that grumpy TSA guy you will still be preserving your own good karma, making it all the easier to finally settle into that middle seat between those two grumps and, maybe, still enjoy your flight. After all, you are about to cross a patch of the globe at two-thirds the speed of sound, completing in hours what used to require days, weeks, or months. Worse case scenario, however, you may just need that iPad.