Don’t leave home without it!

June 15th, 2009

I left my hotel in Auckland to head to the airport early so I could write some more blog posts on the interesting and exciting things to do in New Zealand. I have many, many more to write!

I got to the airport, returned my rental phone and headed to check in. I was flying Pacific Premium Economy with Air New Zealand, which means I was able to avoid long lines and head to Air New Zealand’s Koru Lounge.

There are rules in airline security that are inconvenient, but made for our safety. Well, when I went on the wine tour, I had bought a bottle of wine specifically for my husband and had tucked it into a bag and not thought of it again. I used this bag as a carry on – and security discovered the wine (it was tucked into a side pocket) and, as they should, confiscated it. I received a lecture about it. Naturally, I was upset. I know better than to do that. I was in New Zealand on behalf of Tourism New Zealand and had accidentally broken a serious rule. And on top of that, 20 hour days had left me a bit worn down and tired out. The whole experience completely threw me off.

I headed to the lounge really upset with myself and sat down to calm down. Three minutes later, I realized I no longer had my passport. I thought I was going to have a meltdown. I looked through my bags (and I had brought a lot of things with me because I was going to work on blog posts and needed the info). I searched my bags again. I pulled my stuff apart. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I could feel the sweat beads starting to form on my forehead. It was awful. If you have ever realized at an airport that your boarding pass, passport, or your credit card is missing – you understand that awful, sinking feeling. Even writing about it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

Knowing I was in a bad situation, I went to the concierge desk at the Koru Lounge and tearfully explained that I couldn’t find my passport. Let me tell you, they leapt into action. They calmed me down, they took charge and they knew exactly what to do. The Lounge Concierge Pamela Graham took the lead on this and she was incredible. We went to security and they looked there for me (that was the last place I recalled having it), security then joined the search with us and Pamela went back to the lounge to re-search my bags. Everyone was so professional and courteous. While I knew and could tell by their reaction how serious this was, they went out of their way to make me feel better – because by this point, I felt like an idiot. I mean, who loses their passport at the airport.

We were into about an hour and a half of searching (and I mean searching) the airport. Pamela was briefly explaining what would happen if we did not find it (she already had a call into the Canadian Embassy in case the worst happened and we didn’t find it). She said they would have to take my bags off the plane if we didn’t find it within the next 20 minutes. I made one last round of the lounge and a lovely woman who was sitting in the chair I had sat in went out of her way and put her hand way down between the cushions – and there it was.

What a relief it was to see that little black book! And I can’t tell you how exceptional the Air New Zealand team was, especially Pamela Graham. I have had worse moments in my life, but those 90 or so minutes rank up there in the top ten. I was tired and just wanted to go home, I had work to do, it had been a long two weeks and when I thought I wasn’t going to be allowed back into Canada – it was an awful feeling. Pamela made a terrible time a little less so. She was professional to the core, knew exactly what to do, and she was kind and compassionate. I knew it was my fault it was missing – and to push that on me would have served no purpose. I was beating myself up over it enough. She let me know that no matter what, they would help me, which is just what I needed to hear.

The people at Air New Zealand are exceptional and I will be writing to the Chief Executive about that right after I finish this blog. I think sometimes it is easy to forget just how good they are at their jobs – until you need them. The concierge and flight crew are highly trained professionals who know what to do in an emergency. They understand human nature and need to deal with people in unusual situations and in high pressure moments. I know that by having Pamela take charge and handle this situation so well, it reminded me of how much each of these men and women bring to their work each day. We often only see the hospitality side of their job. There is so much more to what they do. While I hope you never have to see them in action like this, I hope you will keep it in mind and will give them the respect, courtesy and consideration they deserve. They have a tough job and sometimes passengers—like me—make it even tougher.

After I had sat down, with my passport in a safe compartment in my purse, and had a glass of wine, Pamela came over to me and explained what probably would have happened had we not found it. The Canadian Embassy would have entered into a series of legal negotiations to get me back into Canada – perhaps on the flight I was booked on, perhaps on another flight. It would have taken time, energy and efforts on the parts of a lot of people around the world. However, she did assure me, I would have gone home and they would have sorted it out.

She also then did something very thoughtful. With a little twinkle in her eye, she explained that she had set up a massage for me just before we were to board the flight to help take my stress level down. Talk about excellence in customer service.

Air New Zealand has a lot to be proud of – they have a green approach to travel that is excellent, they have non-stop flights from Vancouver to Auckland, they win awards and they are highly respected. They also have the best staff ever. Dealing with Air New Zealand is a delight. No matter what contact I had with them, they were exceptional. And Pamela Graham is right at the top of the list when it comes to being exceptional. And I am so appreciative of how much work she did to take care of me. Thank you, Pamela!

My advice – fly Air New Zealand, but keep your passport in a place where you can find it!