Pevec: Heroic effort, for all your complaining
Letter to the editor
In response to Curt Lyon’s letter (“Get me off this plane!”) about waiting to get off the plane at the airport: If there is anything I’ve learned from working at an airport, it’s that everyone should have to work at an airport at some point. Just like at a restaurant, you can’t really appreciate the people who are doing it until you’ve done it yourself.
It’s hard not to take Curt’s letter personally when I know exactly what happens at the Aspen airport on any given day in the winter. Due to circumstances beyond the ground crews’ control, there are almost always more airplanes landing and departing than people on the ground to safely park, unload, clean, load, and send them off.
On most days, there are enough people to handle two to three planes at a time, and so there are invariably planes waiting for a spot.
The ground crews don’t schedule the flights, and there is literally nothing we can do if we don’t have the people to do it. Just know that every person is working non-stop for the hours that they are there, often forgoing bathroom breaks, water breaks — let alone meals — to try to get people in and out of Aspen.
So you may see open spots from your seat and get frustrated that you’re being held on the plane longer than you’d like, but what you don’t see is how hard the crew is working to make it safe for you. And remember, travel is an incredible privilege. Please respect those who make it possible.
Zuleika Pevec
Carbondale
