During the last 25 years of my life, I feel like I lived 20 of those years on an airplane. Long haul flights or short hops, it doesn’t matter. Airline travel is stressful, and nowhere is that more apparent than at the ticket counter. It’s a place where trying a little kindness could improve everyone’s day.

On a trip from Texas to Greece, I remember experiencing more than the usual amount of anxiety, because we were traveling with a small dog. I was more than a little worried about getting our dog, Katya, on the plane, having the correct paperwork for taking her overseas and preventing her from exercising any odorous bodily functions in her carrier.

We arrived at the airport and hurried to the back of the check-in line. My husband nervously shuttled the luggage through the line, while I tried to keep the dog’s carrying case level and not dump her upside down possibly causing irreparable brain damage.

Honestly, the way many of the passengers treated the ticket agents horrified me. Let’s just say, there weren’t very many kind words being thrown around.

Finally, it was our turn. We stepped up to the counter, smiled pleasantly, and offered our passports to the agent. She immediately noticed our dog, and exclaimed, “Oh look, a Shiba Inu!” It is rare to find someone who recognizes our dog’s breed, and we began the usual “doggie” talk that only dog lovers enjoy.

During the conversation, we discovered that the ticket agent had lived in Alaska, our home state. As the agent checked in our extra bag, she commented that it wasn’t too big so there would be no charge. Of course, our smiles broadened, and we thanked her for her kindness.

Later, we heard our names called over the loudspeaker at the boarding gate. We hesitantly approached the desk, worried that something was wrong with the dog’s papers. The ticket agent who had checked us in stood behind the desk. She handed us new boarding passes and said she wanted to take care of her new Alaskan friends. We looked at our new tickets and realized they were for business class seats.  Business class on an 11-hour flight! It was heaven on earth (actually in the sky!)

As I’ve traveled the world, experiencing various countries and cultures, I’ve found that kindness opens hearts and doors. Since returning to live in America, I’m appalled by the lack of kindness and common courtesy that I see daily. A little kindness would make all the difference in our current world. And I believe kindness can be learned. We need to practice kindness daily until it becomes a habit, something we do naturally and unconsciously.

“It just takes a minute to offer a smile, to say something positive, to give a compliment. One small act of kindness can change someone’s entire day.”  Barrie Davenport

Now, I don’t promise kindness to a ticket agent will automatically lead to first class seats. But wouldn’t this world be a better place if we all followed the Golden rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31, NIV.)

Or in the wise words of Thumper, the rabbit, “If you can’t say something nice… don’t say nothing at all.” (Bambi)