Phil Biggs covers the automotive industry for NewsTalk 1340 WJRW
December 8, 2013 – 7:30 am ET
DALLAS, Texas. – I flew to Dallas for business meetings for two days this week, and upon arrival everything unfolded as it normally does…in a fairly routine, typical way. Typical that is until Mother Nature intervened. A blast of fierce Arctic air came down from Canada bringing snow, sleet and icy conditions that lashed much of the southern part of the country. Locales like Texas and Oklahoma aren’t used to these weather conditions, so as they took a real beating everything ground to a halt.
As bad as the elements were, the people of Texas were coping with the weather as best they could. With my work wrapping up first thing Friday morning, I went to the lobby of the Marriott Quorum near Dallas in Addison where I was staying. I looked for the bellman and tried to get information about how and when I could get the next available cab to the Dallas Fort Worth airport. However, with the combination of freezing rain, sleet and icy snow that had fallen overnight, cab rides to the airport were as scarce as a hen’s tooth as they say.
What happened next was a string of events that reflect the better nature in people. As I was informed that no cab would be coming to pick me up because there were virtually none out on the roads, a man walked up to me and offered to share his cab as it pulled up to the front of the hotel. He was from San Jose, CA by way of Pittsburgh, and his colleague was from San Francisco, and both worked in the high-tech industry in California. A very kind gesture in a moment of need, and I was grateful. So the guy from Michigan caught a break and we three travelers plus the cab driver made an adventurous trip to DFW airport, seeing countless cars either abandoned or facing backwards in the ditch as we gingerly drove down the interstate.
However, as you might guess, upon arrival at the American Airlines counter the frenzied trip to reach DFW was for naught because my flight had been hastily cancelled. With all the area hotels overbooked, and my options to fly slim to none, I was hoping to find a room at the DFW Marriott. The shuttle took me there, but as I arrived it looked bleak as a throng of people stormed the front desk and spilled out all through the lobby. As I stood in line I overheard two women talking to the hotel manager. One of them was in need of medicines and an overcoat, and the hotel manager said, “If you can just give me ten minutes to get my crew caught up, I will drive you to a nearby Target store myself.” It’s not an overstatement to say that this was a heart-warming scene.
Later, as I waited in hopes of some sort of good travel news, the same hotel manager came over and let me know they had found a room for me for the night. Amidst all the frantic cacophony and chaos of people coming and going, this man proved to be the embodiment of the Christmas spirit reaching out to do what he could to calm the fears and relieve the stress of others. And then that evening, as if there hadn’t been enough challenges for the many travelers and workers, a sudden power outage hit a two-mile perimeter near the airport, so the hotel went dark. This was a perfect opportunity for the traveler wannabes like me to either overreact or keep our collective cool and do our small part to assist others while power was being restored. People were using their iPhone flashlights to help hotel workers locate emergency lights, as others started a chorus of Christmas carols to make the mood a bit more cheerful.
Alas, I’m forced to stay over yet another day and another night due to the massive flight cancellations, and as I hear a few planes leaving DFW but not mine, it is discouraging to not be home already with my family. But the bigger thing I take away from this weekend is how much I appreciated seeing people reach out to others in a caring, unselfish way. Strangers showing acts of kindness. The sight of tireless housekeepers, wait staff, and front desk workers doing their jobs with skills and a smile was a blessing to all of us trying to make our way home. Sometimes it’s not the big things we do to help those in need, sometimes it’s just the small courtesies we offer or simply a word of support that matters most. At this time of year, when the crush of the holidays creates a fast and often abusive pace, it’s the travel mercies we share with others that can truly illuminate the Christmas spirit if we take but a moment to be gracious and grateful.
Phil Biggs is Partner, Automotive Markets, for the Bethesda, MD-based management consulting firm The Highland Group.
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