Three perspectives to ponder…
You might have heard of the flight attendant who chose a unique way of exiting his aircraft this week (see the article in the New York Times).
I see three different perspectives to this story.
First, the perspective of the flight attendant: Obviously with stresses at home, taking care of a sick parents, the stress of the moment pushed him over the edge. The lesson here is given one too many pushes, one snaps – and so he did. He walked away from the passenger, the airplane and his career. What boundaries was he able to set for himself?
Second, the perspective of the airline: As the article points out, ever since 9/11 being in an airplane creates stress and the airlines need to recognize this and protect their employees. Stress at home and stress in the airplane equals problems. Are airlines actively providing stress reduction programs for their flight attendants and pilots?
Third, the perspective of the passenger: Way to have an impact! I am wondering if this was a desirable impact. The article didn’t mention it, but by using the alternative exit, I suspect, the disembarkation of the aircraft took a little longer than usual. Sounds like the opposite effect of what was intended, namely to leave the aircraft as quickly as possible. It begs the question: What impact do I really want to have, every day, every minute of every encounter?
