Reflecting on Privilege at the Airport

Have you noticed that airports are exhibitions of human behavior?

I was boarding a flight last week. After boarding passengers with disabilities, the airline called for passengers who have the airline’s highest loyalty status.

As we moved forward, I heard two men behind me.  

“There are so many people boarding now. Do all these people have status?” said one of them.

“They must have changed the rules. It’s not even worth anything anymore,” complained the other.

I was tempted to turn around and say:

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear. Just checking—are you upset that more people now have access to this privilege that you have enjoyed?” 

Whether or not the airline changed its policies, it’s likely that more people are learning how to attain these priority designations. As more information becomes accessible, more people take the initiative to access benefits. Why wouldn’t they? I certainly did. I concentrate my travel on this airline and I use their credit card.

These men were feeling a little pang of loss, though. Including more people meant that their membership felt a little less exclusive.

(They might also have been worried about getting their carry-on in the overhead bin above their seat—that’s always my concern.)

Hearing them name that feeling out loud made me think of all the other spaces where we’re trying to increase access—and where people are reacting to that change in different ways. 

Happily, one difference between airports and our workplaces is that the efforts we make to increase inclusion at work usually result in more opportunities that benefit everyone. 

When someone at work receives an equitable accommodation that will make it easier for them to perform their job function, there is no loss to me. And there is an overall gain in productivity for the organization. 

It’s not a zero sum game.

Unlike overhead bin space.