Entre Les Murs

Home From the Holidays

Back at home, at last. We weren’t away that long, but packing up and moving every couple of days was wearing, and we were ready to come home by the time we got to Toronto. And we missed Emma.

We are home, but our baggage is not. We were delayed leaving Toronto, and then spent almost half an hour at the gate in London before British Airways could find someone who could drive a ramp up to our jet to permit us to disembark. This caused us to miss our connection by just a few minutes. And while our bags had a head start, since they didn’t have to wait for the ramp, they didn’t manage to find their way to the flight upon which we were re-booked. Nor did BA figure out how to get them to us today, but they advised us this evening that they have found them and will deliver them tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

We intended to take the Air France bus from Charles de Gaulle into town. It drops us at Port Maillot, which is a convenient bus ride from home. After waiting for half an hour, we discovered that there was in fact a job action of some sort going on. Had we waited longer, one of the two buses parked tantalizingly within sight may or may not have eventually found a driver and deigned to take passengers; but despite already having our tickets, we opted for a taxi.

The bus drivers provide a nice illustration of French service industry priorities. There was their strike, and the reduced service we experienced on the way to the airport on the 22nd (which permitted many of them to attend the funeral of one of their number). I don’t think that the French are rude or careless about customer service, as one occasionally hears suggested. It’s more a matter of respecting the workforce before the customer, a simple swapping of our North American priorities. The convenience and satisfaction of the worker are considered before that of the customer. So why does the system work at all? If you respect the workers, they will feel pride in their performance, which means satisfying the customers. It’s a trickle-down theory of customer service, but it has the advantage of making everybody happy, not just the customer. Or that's the theory.

posted 5.1.06