10 Lessons learnt from 10 hours spent at Airport

I recently received the gift of a little angel. My wife and I both expressed our gratitude to God. My flight was at 21:55 PM, and I had reserved Spice Jet tickets from Chennai to Mumbai to see my little angel. In the afternoon, I got a message that my flight got rescheduled to 02:00 AM

When I arrived at the airport at 10 PM, I was shocked to learn from the security personnel that Spice Jet flights frequently have delays of this nature.

In order to get my boarding pass, I proceeded to the Spice Jet desk. As the procedure continued, I got to know the flight was rescheduled to 02:55 AM.

I asked them to inform me whether the rumours about the delay were true so that at the very least I could book another flight.

However, the SpiceJet Limited staff gave a guarantee that there won't be any more delays. However, due to a lack of flights, SpiceJet Limited again rescheduled the time to 04:30 AM.

A small group of passengers met and asked the SpiceJet Limited ground staff for information. However, we quickly realised that they were only providing fake assurances because they had no current information. We felt powerless, and to be honest, so was the staff. Simply put, they were the spacegoat.

A pregnant woman, a few students heading to their exams, a couple returning to Mauritius, and the majority of us were travelling to see our loved ones for the Diwali celebration. There were approximately 160 passengers on board.

Around 2:30 AM, I was sitting in the airport lounge with a few new friends. When we saw the TV, we were in shock. We were baffled by what was happening as the flight was further delayed till 7:30 AM.

The SpiceJet Limited received the flight, but they lacked pilots to operate it. Since there was no higher official at the airport to address this problem, it was delayed.

Finally, at 5:30 AM, I and a few other travellers made a reservation with @Air India, which had a scheduled departure time of 9:00 AM. Our saviour, Air India, deserves praise.

Learnings:

1. #Miscommunication:

The SpiceJet Limited team that was on hand at the airport was unaware of what was happening behind the scenes. The operational team failed to properly communicate with the team working at the airport, and the airport team kept making up promises and assurances.

2. #Responsibility:

The SpiceJet Limited crew was not taking ownership or responsibility for their duties. They were doing nothing but standing around talking on the phone.

3. #Powerless :

The SpiceJet Limited onground personnel was powerless. Even the ground staff was helpless, just like the passengers. They were unable to communicate and make any arrangements for substitute flights with other aviation businesses.

4. #Intuition: Go with your gut.

Even after realising that the SpiceJet Limited Team at the Airport had no idea what idea what was going on we continued to put our trust in them rather than exploring other options.

Even after numerous delays, we subconsciously continued telling ourselves that SpiceJet flights would depart at the new hour.

This is what we also do with our equity investments, keeping with the same stocks even when they lose value in our portfolio.

5. #Commitment: We frequently felt deceived.

The Spicejet staff disregarded and undervalued us as customers. Since it was beyond work hours, the on-ground SpiceJet Limited personnel did not bother to call their supervisors. The on-site personnel made sure that SpiceJet Limited Chennai management wouldn't be disturbed, despite the 160 passengers being bothered all night.

6. #Emotions:

As passengers, we continuously yelled, fought, sobbed, and used social media, but nothing changed. The entire night was wasted.

We should have moved on and boarded one of the other flights that were available.

7. #Communication:

In general, we don't communicate with other passengers. We assume something to be true. We all get together when we are dealing with the same issues. In this unpleasant travel, I learned about few fellow travellers who are really awesome people.

8. #Appreciation: Be Thankful

We sometimes take things for granted, so it's important to recognise when someone performs their Job well. It could be our parents, soul mate, children, coworkers, or anybody else we interact with frequently.

9. #EverythingIsFine:

Everything works out fine. We all arrived in Mumbai, shared laughs, and gave thanks to God. Hugging, taking pictures, and moving on.

10. #Experiences:

We will have all kinds of experiences in life. We need to learn from them and move on. Each day, there is something new to discover, learn, and implement in other parts of our lives.

These learnings can be applied in both personal and professional life so that we become a better version of ourselves.