Shuttle Fun

Philisophical Stuff

I have finally realised that each day as a shuttle driver is a different day (outside of the 16 trips to the airport and back). Every person I see is only for 3 or 4 minutes. That experience is their first impression of the Hilton Garden Inn or Holiday Inn Express and can set the tone for the rest of their short stay.

Whether it is the lady who can't speak english or the person late for a flight or the guy who just lost his luggage, each and every person is exactly that - a person! They might be cranky but its because of a bad trip or illness or even despair. A driver can't take everything each says personally - it may not be directed to him/her - it might be a "vent" and the driver is the first chance this person has to do so. Soak it up .. agree, sympathize.

I had a couple of senior ladies get on my shuttle.. I always ask how someone is - and the reply was "Don't ask"! They were coming in from Florida where is was 80 to Halifax where is was 35 and were just plain tired and cold. It actually ended up a laugh as they related their trip and how they "were only 30 years old". So in other words of course they would be cold but they could have remembered they were returning to a colder climate and admitted it after venting. I had given them a chance to vent and cool off in the process.

It can be fun seeing who might get on the bus each trip - where have they been, what brings them here or why? Everyone has a different story and every story has a special meaning to them.

Airports are romantic and emotional places.