An open letter to…

An open letter to Mr. Chaifetz, CEO of Contour Aviation,

Every year around Memorial Day my mother and I uphold our generational promise to visit and pay honor to our family that has passed. We spend the day driving to gravesites perched on the highest mountains in West Virginia. The drives are one lane unpaved roads that can be scary at times; but the views are breathtaking, making the journey to get there worth it. When you are surrounded by such beauty and peace, you cannot help but to be filled with joy in your heart knowing your loved ones who have passed are in a much more beautiful place.

It was the start of a normal trip. Monday, May 23, at Charlotte Douglas Airport, headed to gate A10 for Contour Airlines flight LF3402 departing at 11:45am scheduled to arrive in Parkersburg, WV at 1:45pm.

On the way to gate A10, I stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and purchased a Happy Birthday box filled with goodies – all to surprise my mom, who was picking me up from the Parkersburg airport. (Her Birthday is this week.)

The Happy Birthday box, nor I, made it to Parkersburg, WV.

The series of unfortunate events that happened over 9+ hours are nothing less than… well, just less than.

Maintenance issue, ground stop for storm lightening, waiting for weather to clear on the route to Beckley, an unresolved maintenance issue requiring a plane change, new plane #2 arrives with a maintenance issue as well, the promise of plane #3 on its way from TN that has a computer error but unknown as to when/if it will arrive, in the end to be offered to wait for TN plane #3, reschedule for tomorrow and receive a hotel for the night, or cancel the trip and accept a refund.

All of this unfolded at gate A10 – a true customer review of what happened. But there is more to just what happened. In fact, I would say the review above is missing a crucial piece of information.

Here is my story of Gate A10; how 7 unlikely strangers traveling to Beckley/Parkersburg, WV became connected.

After pacing the airport for hours on end, working to hit my step goal before boarding, I would occasionally grab a seat at the gate and riffle through the pages of the book I brought to read. Occasionally, I would look up after some intense reading and take notice of the people around me.

Meet the Pastor. A dad traveling with his 2-year-old daughter headed to his grandmother’s funeral to officiate the service. The Pastor, who held his daughter for hours, serving her every need with kindness and patience, while orchestrating plans for someone to take his place in the service, did it all with grace. His daughter stole the hearts of everyone at gate A10 from the moment she arrived.

As she expressed herself in the terminal how she felt about the delay, I was right there with her! Internally, I was screaming just as loud as she was and struggling to figure out exactly what I wanted.

As I glanced up from my book, I would look at the Pastor with an intentional look of the kindest, empathetic, eyes I could make, to send a telepathic message saying, “you are doing a great job dad!”

I continued reading and when I looked up again, there was a kind woman holding the, now sleeping, Pastor’s daughter.

Meet the Engineer. An incredibly impressive career background with a heart of gentleness that is limitless and knows no boundaries – enough to ask a stranger if she could hold his daughter to offer him a sort of parent break. She quickly earned the esteemed title of stand in grandma. She had been eagerly waiting for this flight, so she could return to work, were she leads a team of experts on their continued mission in oil & gas.

During one of my many bathroom breaks, while washing my hands I ran into the Engineer and asked how she was holding up. In a relatable exhaustion, yet delightfully proud way she replied, “I got to hold the baby!” I immediately sensed the goodness in her. So, I did what any normal, stranded, person would do… I followed her back to her seat, where I joined others.

Meet the Cool Chick. Eager to get back home to her two dogs she missed dearly, she was all kinds of cool! Through her network of family and friends, she was diligently making plans to care for her dogs, to meet her at the airport when she arrived, to notify work of the situation, and so on. She was well informed and dialed in on problem solving; a skill that everyone admires.

Over the hours we had formed a little support group. My book remained tucked away in my bag as our group shared stories of Mothman conspiracies, WV history, WV geography, realized you really are just one person away from knowing each other, that the Pastor and the Engineer are both Golden Horseshoe Recipients and saw an impromptu bunny puppet show.

Meet the Puppeteer & her Mister. As the Pastor’s daughter awaken from her slumber, a lady crafted a bunny puppet out of a purple handkerchief, placed it on her hand and approached the Pastor and his daughter. The Pastor’s daughter was intrigued and requested her bunny that she brought; quickly “Harper” the Bunny was joined with the handkerchief bunny for a show. What an incredible artistic craft to turn something that is ordinary, into something that is extraordinary that brings people joy!

As the night went on, I would check in on my mom who had been patiently waiting for me in the Parkersburg Airport parking lot, reassuring her that I had not eaten her birthday gift of chocolates.

That was until we were all met with our looming fate of… stay and wait, hotel it and come back, or cancel. As we each left the gate counter, accepting our travel fate, we broke open that Happy Birthday box and dug right in. (I’m sorry mom.)

I should have realized sooner that what I thought was a Happy Birthday box of chocolate was really a celebrate the people around you box.

As I walked away from gate A10, with a cancelled trip and a refund, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to meet these incredible people and witness a heartfelt kindness that I have not seen in a long time.

So, Mr. Chaifetz, CEO of Contour Aviation, I hope you answer those robocalls offering car extended warranties, perhaps they offer a plane extended warranty too.

On every flight, there will always be someone like the Pastor and his daughter traveling to a funeral, the Engineer heading to work, the Cool Chick eager to get home, the Puppeteer and her Mister on a journey to be with family; or simply, a daughter sitting in seat 7C – all choosing Contour Airlines to help them be there for the moments in life that matter.

I wish all those that were booked for Contour Airlines flight LF3402. A well lived life, full of many blessings, and safe travels.

Sincerely,

A daughter in seat 7C.