Kindness from customer-facing employees like a gate agent can go a long way toward winning loyalty, as I witnessed before boarding a Delta Air Lines flight at LAX.
Delta Gate Agent’s Kindness Astounds South African Travelers
I was waiting to board my flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Atlanta (ATL) and observed a very nice interaction between two passengers and the gate agent.
It was an older couple traveling to Cape Town. They each had a roller-style carry-on bag. Approaching the gate agent, the conversation went like this:
Passenger: Is it possible to check in our hand luggage so we don’t have to worry about finding a place for it onboard?
Gate Agent: Of course, sir. What is your final destination?
Passenger: We are going all the way to South Africa!
Gate Agent: Wow, you’ve got a long journey ahead of you. Are you going to Johannesburg?
Passenger: No, we are going to Cape Town.
Gate Agent: I’ve heard that is a very beautiful place. I’d love to go one day.
Passenger: It is very beautiful. You should come visit us.
The gate agent printed out tags, walked around the counter, tagged the carry-ons, then asked if they had removed any valuable items.
Turning to his wife, the man said:
“They’re so nice here. We would have never been treated so kindly in South Africa.”
The couple were genuinely beaming about the interaction and it’s exactly the sort of little interaction that builds loyalty. Who do you think they will look to book first next time they travel to the USA?
A smile from a gate agent or kind word from flight attendant does make a difference.
CONCLUSION
Customer service matters and small interactions like these can have an outsized influence on winning loyalty. Kudos to this Delta gate agent for a little small talk that really seemed to make a difference.
Their delight will vanish when the checked luggage has been opened and some stuff stolen. 🙁
Opened checked luggage and some stuff stolen… → One of the worst things that can happen to an airline passenger.
Oh, I can think of a few worse things… *gulp*
Umm, I’ve been to Cape Town and Johannesburg, and they’re plenty nice there, too.
On Cape Town: “It is very beautiful. You should come visit…” Agreed.
Greetings to the beautiful and breezy Cape Town!
Matt please fly AA on LAX-JFK and when you arrive at Terminal 8, teach those TSA New Yorkers some manners! There is absolutely no reason to yell and be rude to the very people who are the reason you have a job. Unacceptable. I bet THAT’S meaner than South Africa!
Of the US carriers, I have generally found DL and AS to have the best cabin crew and ground staff.
And I could not agree with your sentiments more. A kind word always goes a long way.
Greetings to DL and AS!
KINDNESS COUNTS! Kindness is absolutely paramount and multiplies when shared! Simple actions like a cordial smile or a sincere thank you can brighten the day of those around us and increase our own well-bring. Research clearly shows that showing kindness reduces stress and strengthens social bonds.
Not true at ATL. Some gate agents are just mean there tho I have met some nice ones !
In the meantime, the standard SA lounge at JNB, which I have been able to access as a *G flying in Y on a codeshare operated by a non-alliance airline, easily rivals the Delta!!!1!!111 equivalents which you can’t even enter as a top tier elite flying Skyteam in business class.