Skills For Success

I had to fly to Ottawa this week to run a workshop on managing stress. The thing is I had to manage my own stress to get there.

No it isn’t what you think. I am not afraid of the actual flying experience. In fact I find the whole idea of whipping up into the “wild blue yonder” exhilarating.

But I am a little anxious when I have to navigate airports on my own. Usually I fly with family or colleagues. But this time I was on my own.

So I thought I’d give Porter Airlines a try since they are a small airline service that flies out of downtown Toronto.

When I arrived at the little building on the edge of Lake Ontario at the foot of Toronto, I marched right up to the first Porter employee I saw and let him know that I was new to the airlines. He almost took me by the arm and led me to the kiosk where I could print my own ticket. He kindly stood back and was ready to help should I not be computer savvy (which I am).

We then had to take a ferry boat across Lake Ontario to the Island where the plane takes off. Evidently it was his turn to go on the ferryboat with the customers. As I was walking off the ferry, he kindly pointed me towards security and I’m sure would have walked me there if I had asked.

It was a wonderful way to begin a day that could have been one filled with anxiety. Instead this superb display of customer service on the part of a Porter employee set the tone for what turned out to be a wonderful adventure that I can now use as an example in both my stress management seminars and customer service workshops.

Well done Porter Airlines!