“Nice to meet you!” she replied. “How are the skies?”
“Right now, we’re looking steady,” he replied. “I’ll have you there by six, just in time for dinner.”
“Oof, that reminds me I need to do one more thing before I shut down for the weekend,” Gwen patted her laptop bag. “It was so nice to meet you, Kevin. Please don’t crash.”
He barked out a laugh.
“If you’ve got work to do, then do you mind if I hang up here with Kev until we level off?” I asked.
Gwen nodded her agreement before she maneuvered past me and settled into what was becoming her usual seat.
I sat down beside Kevin and slipped on the other headset.
“You do know that you pay me to do this,” Kevin said. “You don’t have to help; you can go back and relax with that beautiful woman.”
“Hey, I can always learn something new from my sensei. Consider it continuing education.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Kevin worked through the pre-flight checks with such speed and accuracy, he could’ve done it all with his eyes closed. He’d only been with us for a little over a week, and his level of familiarity with what had previously been a new-to-him jet was already impressive. I watched him quietly, taking note of everything he did and confirming that I would’ve done it the same way.
Once we were airborne and leveled off, I started my inquisition.
“How are you liking working for Ashford?”
“No complaints,” he answered. “You have an incredible operation. Every single person I’ve dealt with at corporate has been super welcoming. And obviously the planes are worlds beyond what I’ve been flying.”
“Glad to hear it. I figured our fleet would be a major draw, aside from the benefits.”
“Yeah, you ain’t kidding,” Kevin agreed. “Syd found the best birthing center that’s covered under our new plan.Somuchbetter than the hospital we originally planned to use. Instead of being forced out the day after she gives birth, she’s basically going to have a week’s stay in a spa.”
Thatwas the reason for my offer. Kevin was dealing with plenty of life-change stress, but at the very least he could be confident that his new family would be well taken care of. I was glad I’d been able to take that weight off his shoulders, but I was less happy to see that there was a haze around him, like he was putting on a semi-happy show for me and hiding how he was really feeling.
And I had a hunch I knew what at least one part of the problem was.
“How have your passengers been so far?”
He pursed his lips. “In an effort to be diplomatic with my boss, let’s call them ‘interesting.’”
Called it. “Oh, come on, you don’t have to be politically correct with me. Spill.”
Our headsets crackled in unison, buying Kevin a few seconds. “W123AB, climb and maintain ten thousand feet.”
“Wilco,” Kevin replied.
He followed air traffic control’s instruction and remained quiet, so I decided to push.
“Kev…how have the passengers been for you? I know it’s different from dealing with students.”
He snorted. “Yeah, you could say that. If you really want to know, here’s what I’ve had so far. A Discord gamer and his posse of ten who all wanted to vape during the flight sincehe’s sponsored by Juul. An influencer who got caught pocketing everything that wasn’t locked down, including breaking into our supply closet to steal some of our VIP gift totes. A conservative political commentator and his nineteen-year-old girlfriend who never stopped screaming at each other. Last, a Hall of Famer who drank so many vodka tonics that he puked all over the cabin. So…not great.”
I grimaced. “Damn, you’ve had a good run of bad luck. My apologies. I swear it’s not aways like that. I can specify that you’re only to fly our elite guests from now on. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t specify it from the jump. You shouldn’t have to put up with that crap.”
“I don’t expect special treatment,” he replied. “It’s fine.”
“It’s a part of the business that’s an eternal frustration to me,” I said. “Money can’t buy class, that’s for sure. You’re dealing with plenty right now, so at least let me make this part of your life a little easier. Corporate frequent fliers only, from now on.”
“Whatever works.”
