Window Seats First

“OK, look. There are 186 of you on this flight, and 182 of you are top status frequent fliers.  So, here’s what we’re gonna do, regardless of who you’re flying with, how many miles you have, how hard your day has been.  We’re going to board the window seats first.  Then the middle seats.  Then the aisle seats.  You don’t believe me?  Try to board early.  If you’ll work with me, we’ll have everybody on this plane in 10 minutes, and we’ll push back 15 minutes early…”

–    Gate agent at Houston Bush International Airport, United Airlies, circa 1997

Difference makers believe there is, and they look for a better way to do something.  Even something mundane.  Even something as “tried and true” as getting almost 200 overpaid, self-important business executives on a large aluminum tube that will take them through the sky.

“But, we have to let our top frequent fliers on first, right?”  Yes.  That meant that four people got a “privilege” they may not have earned.  The rest of us 182 “1K / Platinum” guys?  Deal with the common sense.  “But if people are traveling together, shouldn’t they be able to board together?”  No.  No they should not.  “Well, young Jimmy Gate Agent, our policy indicates that you must board the most spoiled passengers first, followed by the slightly-less-spoiled, and so on.  No variance, Jimmy!  You see, we have this ALL figured out…”

Um, riiiiiiiiight?  So why does it normally take about 40 minutes to board a fully-sold commercial airliner, even though Jimmy proved every Friday for a few months that it could be done in 9 minutes?  Because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Unless you’re at this agent’s gate in Houston in 1997.  Unless a violent outbreak of common sense says, “Golly, ya know what?  There has to be a better way.”  Unless we’re willing to look at the situation, and take a risk.  Make a decision.

It was always the Friday afternoon flight.  It was always full. And, for the six months that guy worked that gate, I almost didn’t hate business travel.  In the 19 years since, I’ve never seen it done again, and I wonder, “Why hasn’t someone made THIS the policy?”  What if common sense WAS the policy?

Are there places in your workaday life that you could “board the window seats first?”  Why not give it a shot?