Pre-Meal for Jul 9, 2025A Tale of Two Flights

Happy Wednesday!

In my favorite picture of my mom, she’s proudly wearing an American Airlines flight attendant uniform. She and my dad were both working at American when they connected (well, reconnected — long story) all those years ago.

I guess you could say I’ve got a soft spot for the company.

That’s why it was so heartbreaking earlier this year to have a series of terrible hospitality experiences while flying American, culminating in one so remarkably bad that I stepped off the plane thinking: That’s it. I am done with this airline.

Fast forward to another (already pre-booked) American Airlines flight a few weeks later.

My wife and daughter and I were headed to Italy to bring an older family member back to his hometown for a massive reunion (think: 40 cousins) when a malfunctioning jet bridge left us stuck five gates away from our connection. Panic rising, I watched the minutes tick by as the maintenance crew worked: we were going to miss our flight.

The bigger problem? That older relative, who also happens to be living with Parkinson’s disease, was already on the plane.

He was in no shape to brave a transatlantic flight solo. This was Hail Mary time.

I called him and asked him to flag down a flight attendant. Once he’d handed her his phone, I explained the situation as clearly and quickly as I could. The attendant agreed to pass my message to the pilot — who then held the plane for 10 minutes, just long enough for us to make it onboard.

That pilot, Jonathan Williams, is a hero to me. He restored my trust in the entire brand.

He also reminded me of an important lesson: every single one of the people on your team is your ambassador. Choose them wisely. Invest in them; empower and celebrate them. One of them may be the reason a customer walks away feeling dismissed and disrespected, swearing never again — or loyal for life, with a story he can’t wait to tell.

Have a good service,

Will