Service with a smile at the airports....with a few exceptions..

This is the something exciting that I wanted to write about earlier....

Okay, okay....you must be thinking what is sooo exciting about that??? Actually, it was something to be amused about. Okay, if you are a regular traveller and keen observer like err....eerrr......yours truly (imagine my gleeful smirk here), one will see this typical scenario:

When the plane lands, ....upon exiting the aircraft, most of the flight attendants will stand at the door and will wish goodbyes and thank you's as you leave the plane. Then at the first arrival door, another group of airport personnel holding flight transfer notices or those meet & greet cards with the traveller?s name and flight number. Everybody greets you with a smile.

If you are not sure where you are going to, you approach the Enquiry Desk and as expected, again the smiles and friendly hospitality. You will see smiles on most of the front liners' faces except on these small groups of airport personnel......

- Janitors/ airport cleaners. They are mostly quiet and surly....can't blame them though....who can be cheerful doing what they are doing for a living? Though one country is an exception. I met friendly and cheerful airport cleaners in Japan. But then again...this country is known for their politeness and kind hospitality. Even when they are being rude or unhelpful, they are still polite to you. But I was amaze with the Japs. One of my most memorable travel scenes was seeing the airport ground staff happily bowing, smiling and waving off to each aircraft that slowly reverse from its gate prior to take off. Being the passenger in that aircraft, I must say that was a very nice feeling and even though they cannot see you, one can't help but wave back at them. Imagine they do this every day for every aircraft that leaves. Amazing isn't it????

I was most impressed and for a few second, the Ms Wannabee in me saw myself being the a Queen or a First Lady, leaving a country after a successful official tour on that country and I did that 'WAVE'....

- Okay back to the janitors and airport cleaners.....the ones in China seems very serious about their jobs, the ones in Changi look like overworked senior citizen (that should be enjoying retirement rather than still working). It makes one feel guilty and sad for them because where I came from...these people who look like elderly relatives and grandparents should be sitting at home not slaving away washing public toilets. So sad....

The ones in KLIA are varied in age and usually sits in a corner waiting for you to finish-off your business while busy 'sms'ing on their mobiles or gossiping with each other... and the ones in Heathrow will be speaking in the kinds of English that made you wonder if you are really in England after all......Blimey...

The next unsmiling group:

- Security personnels......okay this goes without saying. Sometimes they are accompanied by scary looking canines and always made me shudder especially if I happened to bring frozen beef or chicken rendang with me at that time.

Finally, the group that is the highlight of this topic....the fearful Immigration Officers........

I often wondered if one of the requisites of being an Immigration Officer at the airport entails that each officer has to look serious and mean. Or, maybe they have to go through some training class for this.....Not mean in a bad way but mean...in a chilling, serious, 'I better like your look', 'don't piss me off' way.... and as you wait for that person to go through your passport and finally give you that chop or stamp your arrival date into that country and how long you are permitted into that country.....don't you realised that for that particular few minutes....the fate of your whole journey depends on that Immigration Officer!

Sometimes they are sooo deep in thoughts while browsing through your passport, sometimes they took such a long time to scrutinise the message on the screen and the information on your passport with the ones that you wrote on your Disembarkation Card (arrival card), there were never eye contacts unless they asked you some extra questions and I supposed, the next worst thing is when they called another officer to look into your passport while you stood on the other side of the glass wall, trying to look patient and pleasant (while inside churning with dread, trying to figure out what is wrong), holding your breath, waiting for your fate......

Do you realise that this person has the power to change your whole perspective of the country, especially if that is the first time you arrive in that particular country. This person can either make or break your holiday. He can approve you to enter that country OR, on the other hand, if something is not ?right? in his or her eyes....he will squash all your travel plans and deny your entry into that country. There goes that holiday, there goes that business deal that will be signed during this trip, there goes that meeting or conference that you will missed, there goes that visa-on-arrival that you hope to get .......This has not happened to me before and hopefully will not ever happen as long s I do my homework prior to travelling.... But unfortunately, it has happened to some unlucky people I know.

Nevertheless.....I realised that each time my turn came for my passport to be stamped, I always wait with bated breath, try to look pleasant as that officer flick his/her eyes when comparing my passport photo with my present look and I never, ever, ever forget to say 'thank you' after my passport is handed back to me. Oh...I also make sure that I write every information on my Arrival Card clearly and neatly. We don't want to cause unnecessary inconvenience or annoyance to them with illegible handwriting, do we?

In China, there is a small device at each Immigration counter. The device is a service-measurement system, there are 5 buttons to press......numbered from 1 to 5.
On that scale of 1 to 5, you are to merit the level of service given to you by that Immigration Officer with 1 for 'not happy' and 5 for 'very happy and satisfied'.

Being the kind hearted, polite girl that I am.....I always pressed button number 5 :)-