I was witness to an increasingly unfortunate situation as I commuted home the other day – one that hits closer to home than most people may realize.

As I waited in the gate area of my flight home, the gate agent made the announcement that boarding would begin shortly, as soon as the less able passengers who were ticketed on this flight were accommodated onboard and situated. On this particular flight, there were nine wheelchairs waiting for boarding, one that was an electric wheelchair, which clearly meant that a little more time would be necessary to board this individual using the airline’s aisle chair on the plane.

While waiting in the boarding area, and quietly listening in on various conversations going on around me, I overheard a couple near me vocally protesting the extra accommodation by the airline and they were clearly upset that the extra time needed would cause them to arrive late to catch a connecting flight down the line. As they continued, a few people within earshot chimed in as well, all offering their own opinions about how the disabled and physically challenged passengers should be handled, one even going so far as to suggest that they should be restricted to certain aircraft types or even find themselves another method of travel. I was silently shocked at this conversation and began to wonder if these people were just unsympathetic idiots, or if this opinion was beginning to find traction among airline passengers in general.

Clearly, most of us are tolerant of the special needs of those less fortunate in physical abilities – in virtually every aspect of our daily interactions. We gladly make way for them, and are glad to be of service when they ask. While there are some cultural anomalies in this world that look down upon the disabled and handicapped, in the United States we seem to have evolved far enough to warrant added patience and we find ourselves wanting to help those who require a bit more human touch than most. But as I observed here, there was definitely a different feeling brewing in this gate area.

In 1986, the United States Congress passed the “Air Carrier Access Act” which spelled out specific requirements the airlines must follow regarding the handling of disabled passengers, which in many ways mirrors the “Americans with Disabilities Act” to protect these passengers from blatant negligence or unintentional neglect from the airline carriers. Over the years, there have been many changes to this law, many of which went into effect in May 2009. You can find a complete list of these changes, along with the requirements for special accommodation by the airlines at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Civil Rights” page regarding passengers with disabilities.[1]

A recent survey by the Scope Foundation, a charity that supports disabled people and their families, revealed that over 47% of disabled people faced some sort of discrimination while traveling. Of that number, 15% claimed they faced “high-level” abuse.  And the Commission on Equality and Human Rights (CEHR), who later this fall, will be publishing a report on violence towards those with disabilities while traveling, says that travel is one of the “hot spots for violence and harassment targeted at disabled people.”[2]

The airlines have had their share of mishaps regarding physically and mentally challenged travelers, and have paid huge penalties for not being proactive enough.  In Feb. 2011, Delta Airlines was slapped with a $2 million fine by the DOT for violating 14CFR, especially after it had been investigated four years earlier for similar violations and no improvements had been determined.[3] The DOT also fined Atlantic Southeast Airlines $200,000 in June 2011 for similar violations.[4]

Thankfully, with the assistance of watchdog groups such as Scope and CEHR, airlines have been forced to devote some of their resources to make sure this sector of the public is not only seen, but also treated with respect and dignity when they travel.  As much as it excites me that progress has been made in this area, it’s frustrating to see the backlash (especially first hand) from the public at large when it comes to the handicapped.

With more people flying than ever before, and airlines facing huge push-back from travelers who feel they are being gouged with additional fees, but seemingly very little improvement in the airline travel experience, it’s not surprising that people in general have begun to transfer their frustrations on any small thing that causes them even a minute’s worth of delay. The problem seems to be growing, but is there a solution? Can we, as a society, condone a growing outrage towards those who have additional physical and mental challenges who need the additional time and resources of airline personnel to travel?

I said at the beginning of this topic that this hits close to home for me. My sister has been a paraplegic since she was three years old. Today, at 26, she is happily married with three children, and is quite able to get around (especially with three kids!). While she was growing up, she would crawl around on the floor using her arms to propel her from place to place. She may have been physically disabled, but she never quite seemed physically limited.

Hearing these people in the boarding area of my flight publicly voicing these kinds of ignorant remarks makes my blood boil, but traveling in an airline uniform limits my ability to speak my mind. Believe me; had I been an ordinary passenger in that boarding area, they would not have gotten off so easily!

Most customer service oriented positions, especially in the airline industry, require training in sensitivity and the proper protocol for dealing with passengers with disabilities.  While not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, it tends to improve the quality of service that the disabled need just to get from one place to another. Even if I weren’t in the position I hold, I would still never think to discriminate, especially against those less physically or mentally able than I.  I don’t park in handicapped spaces in parking lots, and I go out of my way to open doors, or assist when I see someone struggling, handicapped or not.

It’s pretty sad to think that the public in general is increasingly less tolerant and I hope that by shedding light on this subject, that trend may be reversed.

[1] U.S. Department of Transportation, Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement, Rules Guidance & Enforcement Orders, 14CFR Part 382 “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel,” http://1.usa.gov/q5UwLf

[2] The Telegraph, UK News, “Disabled passengers face ‘rising level of abuse on public transport,’” Jun. 11, 2011, http://tgr.ph/r1r318

[3] ABCNews.com, Money, “DOT Fines Delta $2M for Disability Violations,” Associated Press, Feb. 17, 2011, http://abcn.ws/otQcdI

[4] U.S. Department of Transportation, Releases and Speeches, “Atlantic Southeast Airlines Fined for Violating Rules Protecting Air Travelers with Disabilities,” July 11, 2011, http://1.usa.gov/rk114G

Commuting is not as pleasant as it probably could or should be for me.  It’s tough when your office is almost 600 miles from your home.

As an airline employee, especially one who works aboard the plane every day, it’s not a delight for me to get on one to go to work, but it’s a means to an end so I tolerate it.  And by tolerate it, I mean that I have my iPod Touch and my noise reduction headphones to help drown out the droning of the engines, the screaming child two rows behind me and that well-intentioned seat mate who wants to talk shop when all I want to do is nap (airline people NEVER get enough sleep!).

Last night, as I boarded the last flight to San Francisco, I had been assigned a window seat near the back of the plane—this is not a complaint…it’s better than a center seat between two tight ends from a football team!  When I got to my seat, there was a somewhat petite couple seated in the aisle and center seats (no, not midgets or dwarfs—but I’ll bet you thought that’s what I was implying!).

As I pointed to the window seat, they both grinned at me and the man asked me, in a very distinct European accent, “Would you like to sit in the window seat?”  I had to chuckle because I had already pointed out the seat, implying that this is where my behind was going to plant itself, but I knew inside that the woman (who was in the center seat) was anxious for me to offer it to her instead.  I didn’t really care…I was going to work and was glad to have a seat at all.  I motioned for them to move over and I would accept the aisle seat.

They nearly bounced over one seat in unison, and it was clear that the woman was quite pleased.  Then the man turned to me and said, “Oh, thank you very much!  We are from Denmark and this is our first visit to America.  We are going to San Francisco!  It is our favorite city!”  I sort of toyed with him a bit and replied, “If you’ve never been to America before, then why is San Francisco your favorite city?”  He grinned even bigger and said, “Because it is so beautiful and colorful (you got THAT right!) and we love to see pictures and movies with San Francisco in it!

Now, I have to admit that San Francisco is one of MY favorite cities in the world too.  There is much to see and do there, not to mention the “colorfulness” of it all!  It’s got great restaurants, fantastic arts and music, amazing architecture and it’s very easy to get around.  There’s the Golden Gate Park (and Bridge), Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, the Ghirardelli factory, Coit Tower, the Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Chinatown…the list seems endless.

When the captain announced that we were on our decent into the Bay Area, I could see my two Danish compadres were ready to explode with excitement.  The woman got out her camera, and as we crossed over Monte Vista and Skyline Ridge into the south Bay Area, the lights of the city shining below us, the Danish woman started frantically taking pictures.  Several times, she forgot to turn off her flash, and the picture she ended up with was nothing but flash reflection on the lens.  But she continued to take lots of pictures, and the man turned to me, again with a huge grin and pointed towards the window. “San Francisco!”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was probably San Mateo.  Besides, it was 11:45 at night and who in Denmark was going to know that anyhow?

Fare thee well, my little Danishes…make sure to leave your heart in the City by the Bay!

Commuting to work is usually a hassle, and sometimes it can be a real nightmare.

That was my day today. But in the midst of all the commotion, delays, flight cancellations and the public bouncing off the walls and each other, an odd, but humorously ironic thing happened that I’m not sure many people even noticed.

I don’t have to tell you that the people of Southern California have been hit hard these past few days with Amazonian-style rainfall, thus the reason for all the airline problems. Normally, I would just fly straight into San Francisco (where I am based) from Salt Lake City, but on occasion, I am faced with being a bit more creative in my routing, especially since my own airline has drastically reduced non-stop flight frequencies to SFO. So tonight, I was forced to use my SLC-LAX-SFO routing. And getting the connection to work was starting to get really hairy, since the aircraft I was taking to LA was delayed coming in from Chicago.

Needless to say, I got on the flight and upon arrival to LAX, we were forced to sit in the “penalty box” (as they call it – an area where the plane is forced to await further movement instructions from Air Traffic Control [ATC] due to an unavailable gate, or simply congestion). Our gate was occupied and there were no others available. And it was obvious why – everything there was soaked and it was still coming down.

At last, our gate opened up and we snaked our way through the throng of other planes waiting for the same thing. Lucky for me, my next flight was scheduled to depart out of a gate just adjacent to the one I had arrived at. I walked over, snatched my seat assignment from the CSR and then waited for boarding to commence (it’s also delayed because the crew arrived late, which has been the story of the day in LA). As is typical with the very quirky Los Angeles scene, the gate area is filled with businessmen and women, executives, and of course the very self-important “Hollywood-types” all buzzing around on their iPhones or Blackberries, speaking louder than is necessary, either working some deal or complaining about the airlines.

As I stand to the side, I am watching everyone in the area and no one is just listening. How can you really, with all the PA announcements and the iPods and the cellphones and the yakitty-yak-yak-yak of the people…but no one is just listening—except me.

Los Angeles International Airport, terminals 6, 7 and 8 are blessed to have music pumped into its airspace by the silky-smooth sounds of MUZAK. Any and every song imaginable can be heard from those speakers—I swear, I have even heard the Stones’ “Start Me Up” AND Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” in orchestrated splendor from this innocuous company! But tonight, someone over at the “Elevator Music Capital of the World” must have been trying to send a little smile across a listener’s face—and their mission was accomplished with me.

For amongst all the droning and whining and yapping all around me, the sultry, reticent melody of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” gently swept the airwaves of LAX. And though I looked around and noticed that no one else had taken notice, a tiny smirk appeared on my face and I looked out the window, grateful they hadn’t played Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains in Southern California!”

Cheers!