Scary First Times
I’ve now traveled enough times with small children to set my expectations low and to be very patient. I expect to have my eyes clawed at, scratches on my face, tantrums, anger, to be carrying out a lot of extra weight and to be exhausted from being up late the night before preparing and getting up early to either get to the airport or do errands.
But maybe I’ve become de-sensitized to the pain as on this particular trip through the airport, despite me having zero status as a result of restricted travel during the pandemic, the trip from curb to gate was fairly straight forward. Security questioning, check in, oversized baggage drop off, security screening, passport control — tolerable.
Yes, it was time consuming, but not as bad as past experiences and there were all sorts of perks along the way. The flight was delayed which meant more time to get through and feeling less rushed. A new non-metallic belt meant my pants didn’t fall down after going through metal screening, because I didn’t need to take off the belt. The line ups, despite it being a busy day, were quick and people were friendly-ish. It wasn’t that bad.
Had this been my first experience, however, it would have been lousy. I would have so much fear of the unknown that it would been a big rush, even with ample time. Why? Because I wouldn’t know how long it would take to go through each stage of the process.
It made me think — it’s so worthwhile to track first time users and tailor a different experience just for them. How could it help ease those unsure, confused, and scared? What would it feel like to have a concierge walk one through and explain areas people trip up in, or where to go if it’s the first time somewhere.
