One advantage of long-term loyalty to one airline is that you get to know some of the staff. I had a wonderful reunion with an old friend in SFO last week, who happens to be a United Airlines employee.
Back in the day, I attended law school in Philadelphia but still essentially lived in Los Angeles. This was during the Great Recession, an era of cheap transcontinental fares and liberal routing rules. My weekends would often look like this. Oh, what fun times…and I was also extremely productive in reading and outlining on airplanes for my classes in the pre-Wi-Fi era.
My routine typically included a stop in Washington Dulles and Denver on the way home, usually on a Friday morning. After the Continental merger, my routine became an Amtrak connection from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station to Newark Airport followed by a nonstop to Los Angeles on Thursday nights. Then, on Sunday nights (or occasionally Monday nights), I would take a redeye back to Philadelphia from Burbank via San Francisco. My upgrades always cleared and I got to know airport and lounge agents on a first-name basis.
This was back in the day of bmi gold status, so I had access to the United Clubs when traveling domestically. Thus, every Sunday night I spent about an hour in the United Club (then called a Red Carpet Club) in SFO. And every Sunday night my favorite lounge agent, Rosemary, was working. Over a three-year period, we go to know each other fairly well and always enjoyed a brief (and sometimes not-so-brief) conversation during my layover.
Well, I graduated from law school, moved to Germany for a bit, got married, returned to Los Angeles with my wife, had a son, and settled down (a bit…). With my weekly transcontinental commute a relic of the past, I did not pass through SFO nearly as much as before. And I certainly missed my conversations with Rosemary.
Six Years Later
Last week prior to my United 777-200 Premium Plus flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt, I stopped by the United Club. Walking in, I could not believe my eyes. There was Rosemary! It had literally been six years since I had seen her last.
She was as beautiful as always and I walked over to her with a big smile and said hello.
She looked at me with a hint of confusion. I guess married life and the struggles of running three businesses have aged me…it had been six years after all.
But as I continued talking, she remembered…and oh what a happy reunion it was. We had a great talk, just like old times, as I filled her in on my marriage and the birth of my son. I’ll respect her privacy, but just add that she’s doing quite well herself and ended up doing most of the talking.
She always called me “doll” and as I finally left to catch my flight, she said, “Great to see you doll. Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by to chat.”
CONCLUSION
I know my road warrior readers will be able to relate to my anecdote above. We’re not talking about vacationing together or spending holidays together. No, we’re just talking about fairly basic conversations on a sporadic basis. But what a joy it was to see Rosemary again. It was another reminder that employees can cement airline loyalty. Rosemary is one reason I have been so loyal to United over the years.
you’re married, why are you even talking about this? you may say “it’s harmless, just chit chat with an old “friend” … but come on. i’m pretty sure your wife wouldn’t appreciate you being intimate with another woman. and how do you think affairs start in the first place? just one chat; one drink. i’m not saying you will have an affair, i’m just making the point that it’s odd that you mention many times in this article that you are “married” and have “a kid”, yet it’s like you’re goggling over this “woman” that isn’t your wife.
The woman is over 65 years old. She’s like a mother/grandmother figure. Please…she wanted to find out what was going on in my life, including those two very important developments…
@Advice,
Wow. I bet you have a lot of cats, no friends and no spouse.
Yeah…you clearly have never met Rosemary.
LOL at @Advice. You get the weirdest trolls Matthew.
Good to hear someone else outlined on transcons. Just last year I was doing that on BOS-LAX on the weekends, sometimes back to back when fares were $150ish. Money well spent since I can actually focus up there. And sitting at the In-n-out for a bit in the warmth was nice too.
Really nice story Matthew. Made me reminisce about how I was once a loyal United flyer when I was in my mid 20s (mid 2005-ish). I flew them out of JFK and one year I flew every flight they offered out of JFK—(LHR, NRT, JFK, SFO and IAD–I think that had abandoned JFK-HKG at that point). It’s not easy to do when you are 25 and paying for every flight out of your own pocket, which is what I imagined you did when you were in law school. All that flying got me Gold status, which allowed me to bring extra bags when I moved in Shanghai in 2007. That was about the only perk I ever got out of all that loyalty.
Great, touching post. Glad you appreciate airline employees as I do, and take the time to write about them. It is very much appreciated.