I can be as cranky as any old man. But I’ve grown nicer when good things happen in service interactions and I actually enjoy it.

We just flew back from Austin on United Airlines. The plane started the day in Kansas City and left over an hour late. By the time

it flew to Denver and then Austin and got us home to Denver, we were only 25 minutes late when we landed.

The pilot was friendly and informative on the intercom on the flight and as we heard from him the final time before landing

he said “I know it isn’t as enjoyable to fly as it was even a couple years ago, but we appreciate you flying with us and we’ll all get through this together.”

Yes.

On the way off the plane I thanked the attendants like always and when I got to the captain standing outside the cockpit and I stopped and said “thanks for such a good flight”. You could see the pleased crinkle around his eyes as he said thank you.

We had a family meal in Austin in a busy restaurant with a server who did everything right from beginning to end. I’ve always been a good tipper and I’m even better these days, but that’s not enough.

When she left the check and said thanks, I told her “I really appreciate how you took such good care of our family.”

She almost did a double take walking away, and stopped and offered a big smile.

Like I began, I can be the grump when things go wrong, although I’m working on it, but when things go right, it

really does feel good to say something to the people who made it possible, and deserve it.