While she waited to hear that the new plane was ready, Jahnni glanced out to the concourse to watch the passenger flow. Some people appeared to have just arrived and some looked like they were getting ready to depart, holding their boarding passes in their hands as they turned in circles scanning the boarding gate signs, or stood staring up at the FIDS checking the airline, flight number and gate locations. Other people were casually strolling about and some were sitting, perusing books, magazines or other items. Everyone seemed to have a drink of some type in hand: coffee, soda, or water. She always wondered where people were going.
She realized she had been staring at a service member walking by the gate as she stood near the entrance. She broke her gaze and watched two Port Police pass him, walking as if on their way to the B gates but they accessed a bypass door in quite a rush. Movement caught her eye and she turned to her left to see two more Port Police rush past the gate and access the same door, disappearing behind it. Something is going on. She decided to call the station manager to see what she knew.
After hearing her station manager hadn’t heard anything yet either, Jahnni finished the conversation by telling her boss, “Well, if you find out anything, please call me right away. This doesn’t feel right.” With so much to do with so many flights about to depart, and agents getting off and agents coming on, her focus changed to the litany of tasks that ruled her day. Her auto-pilot kicked in, knowing it would be interrupted many times, but realizing by now that you just rode the wave and made the best choices from what were available. After about twenty seconds, a sideline thought burst forward, Why are there so many Port Police scurrying about? This is lasting longer than their normal drills. Are they looking for someone? Was there a threat called in? Why haven’t they let all the airlines know what they are doing? I better put that thought back on a shelf for now until I hear something. A front shelf, but... She remained alert while going about her duties.
Chapter 6
Whatever Works
Jahnni saw that one of the flights at another gate became oversold in the last sixty minutes. She sent an agent over to the other gate to help with the oversold flight and took this agent’s place to board up the diverted flight. She checked all the flight information and got ready to make her announcements once she heard from the ground crew.
“Seattle to C-2, ready to board.”
“Copy that... here they come,” Jahnni called back, speaking into her radio. She began her boarding announcements.
Everyone applauded when they had heard the radio squawk to life, mentioning Seattle. There was a special service request for a Spanish-speaking-only passenger, so she had brought it to Jorge’s attention earlier so he could make her announcements in Spanish, just as he had done when she met the plane to explain why they were diverted. Jorge was at the next gate podium, boarding another flight, but grabbed his PA mic and repeated Jahnni’s boarding announcement in Spanish for the passenger, Mr. Rodriquez. When all the passengers had boarded, she looked up as a little bundled up lady came shuffling up with her arm extended and the boarding pass limply hanging off the end of her fingers. Thinking that she must have missed someone somehow, Jahnni started to ask her name and reach for her boarding pass when she noticed that it indicated that she was going to Vancouver, Canada.
“Oh, THIS IS NOT YOUR FLIGHT.”
“Yes,” she smiled back, bobbing her head up and down, up and down.
“NO, I MEAN, YOUR FLIGHT IS AFTER THIS ONE... LATER,” she tried to express, pointing her hand toward the ceiling and the wall to indicate ‘away... later.’ Jahnni looked at Jorge when he approached her podium to grab another pen and he began to softly chuckle. Without looking up at the little passenger, he said in a low voice, “You know Jahnni, talking louder doesn’t translate what you’re saying into their native language.”
Jahnni didn’t want to look at her either because she didn’t want to laugh in front of her. She was laughing at herself and didn’t want the passenger to think they were laughing at her.
“Yes,” she affirmed again as she bobbed her head. Jahnni motioned graciously for her to go sit down and she seemed to understand. So, she sat. Jahnni then proceeded to quickly get everyone onboard.
“C-2 to Seattle.”
“Go ahead.”
“You’re clear. Everyone’s onboard. I’m coming down to clear the count with the flight attendant. Did you transfer all the bags?”
“Affirmative. All onboard,” the ground agent assured her.
Jahnni disappeared down the jetway corridor, in-flight papers in hand. She gave the flight attendant a verbal passenger count with her paperwork. The flight attendant smiled and gave Jahnni a ‘thumbs up’ concerning the passenger count. The flight attendant closed the plane door, and Jahnni pulled the jetway back away from the plane. After waving to the captain and first officer as the tug began pushing the flight out, she walked back up to the boarding area away from the tin city of people finishing their journey to Seattle.
When she walked back up the jetway and returned to the gate area, she stood at the large window and watched the plane get pushed back by the ground agents to the taxi area. The sunlight was gleaming onto the plane and sending shards of light bouncing into the window. Jahnni smiled, wanting to wave goodbye to her metal friend. She then turned and walked over to the boarding area to check on everyone else when she bumped into a wall of muscle. Again. “Super job there... with the flight and all,” Mr. Harleyman acknowledged. “I’m impressed. You have a cool head.”
Jahnni was a little rattled as she tried to think of a professional response. What she had in mind to say was still muddled and she was pretty sure that asking permission to pet his muscled arms would be considered harassment. “Well, not really. I tend to think methodically. People call me a control freak. The flight was supposed to be boarded up by one of my other agents, but I wanted to get it done fast, and out of here in time for them to make their connections in Seattle. Plus, I needed my agent to help with another flight at C-10.”
“Are you always this... organized and methodical?” he asked.
“Only when I need to be,” she said after a pause, then admitted with a jovial laugh, “well, pretty much all the time... unfortunately. I get teased a lot about it and I do have to make myself slow down and not be too serious all the time.” She waived her arms out away from her body to emphasize slowing down. “I like having things work out... smoothly... and if there is any way to prep for that, then I’ll find it.” They both laughed and Mr. Harleyman shook his head ‘yes’ so Jahnni thought he understood.
She didn’t want him to think she just wanted to get away, but she had things she had to get done. “Well, I really must be going. I should, uh, I need to, do stuff. You know. Important stuff. Really, really, important airline stuff,” she stuttered. She wanted to continue her work pace, but her feet felt cemented in place and her mouth kept speaking with no brakes in sight. “So much to do and so little time.”
Finally, she paused, drawing a complete blank about what to do and how to do it, and she shook her head slightly to wake up her brain. She moved one foot to try to break the hold the floor had on her.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it all out, sweetheart,” Mr. Harleyman added.
Eerrrrk. What did he call me? She crisply snapped her ears to attention. Well, will he still call me that after we walk down to the altar? And what kind of invitations will I need to create? Romantic ones that evoke a feeling of unguarded emotion? Or a modern design of mysterious, blurred-edged color suggesting intrigue about the romance of an FBI agent and the woman who stole his heart? Actually, maybe something official looking to create a sense of secrecy would be good. Wouldn’t a floral watermark overlaid onto the invitations be absolutely lustrous! I hope he likes lime, plum, and champagne for the wedding colors. Or maybe...
“Uh, are you okay?” Mr. Harleyman asked with raised eyebrows that accentuated his seductive green eyes. “You seem... lost in thought.”
�
�Um... Ya. I was, um, collecting my thoughts for the tasks ahead,” she responded.
Then she began lecturing herself, Wedding invitations? Are you nuts? You’re putting the cart before the horse Jahnni! You don’t even know him... yet. You haven’t even spent five minutes alone with him much less on a date. Get it together girl. Get it together and get back to work.
Chapter 7
Check and Recheck
Walking past the boarding area, she looked around for Samantha. When she didn’t see her, she went back to one of the podiums to use the computer and check the SSR’s of a few flights and saw that one UM was scheduled to leave on flight 991 to SFO (San Francisco). She looked up his reservation and saw that he was inbound from JFK first. That must be where Samantha is, picking him up from the JFK flight that just got in, Jahnni thought.
Jahnni looked up as Samantha walked into the gate area with a UM, papers in hand. She realized that she could disconnect from worrying about the connecting UM on the SFO flight after-all. Samantha had it under control. Since there weren’t any other UM’s on the current flights, she could doubly disconnect from her mothering nature.
The boarding process would soon begin for SFO991 and she knew that Samantha would walk the UM for this flight to the Flight Attendant. Jahnni always cross-checked that papers were signed off and made sure the times recorded for every transfer of supervision was properly documented. UM records were researched every month for accuracy. If not completed accurately, employees received reprimands and in the worst cases, lost their jobs if following the safety procedures were not adhered to. Jahnni didn’t want that to happen, so she followed up every day on that paperwork to be sure the records were accurate. The child’s safety always took precedence.
Every day something happened that required notations in the daily log. This day was no exception, so Jahnni added notes to the papers on her clipboard. She’d enter them in her daily report at the end of the day.
Jahnni decided to look around to see if Mr. Tropopoulis had arrived at the gate for his flight. SFO991 was going to board up in about twenty minutes. Which means that I only have a few minutes to think of a way to either get Mr. Harleyman to give me his phone number or get him to ask for mine. It’s in his reservation, but I don’t dare use that information for personal intrigue. Think. What can I say to get him to know I’m interested? Maybe something clever will come to mind before too long. In the end... Mr. Harleyman will just have to buy new luggage when we get married because I will not be caught dead traveling with that ugly brown tweed plaid bag on my honeymoon. Ugh.
Chapter 8
UH-OH
Suddenly, as she was mid-stride into the boarding area to help with the SFO flight, the terminal alarms started sounding. She grabbed her cell phone and speed dialed OPS to see if they knew what was happening. Passengers started getting up and wandering over to the opening for their gate, trying to get a glimpse of the action. Jahnni spread her arms, and forcefully told people to hold back and wait for direction. Samantha stood by the podium with her UM that was connecting on the SFO flight and held the shoulder of his light jacket. Jahnni blocked the way so no one could leave while she waited for OPS to answer. The degree of the emergency dictated the path of escape.
She paced across the opening, waiting for some communication, but she knew she had to keep everyone contained a few seconds more, at least until she had more information. She just wanted to know which direction to take, or where to send the people who were in the boarding area. Exiting to the tarmac was not the first avenue of escape, but was a viable option if the emergency dictated that route. No one was picking up the phone in OPS. She hung up and dialed the back line. No one picked up. She dialed the station manager’s number. No one picked up. She dialed again, and then all the lines were busy.
No time for panic. Think. I need to take care of these passengers. She set her panic aside and she went into automatic pilot. Her mind began to run options across the chalkboard of her memory. Different training scenarios popped forward as she looked around the boarding area to see how many people there were. She looked down the terminal walkway at the other First Class gates and was just beginning to motion to the agents that stood at their openings, to move the passengers to scenario two. She was going to hold up two fingers and wave her hand in the air for her agents to see the known code and for them to send passengers to exit the checkpoint. The booming recording that began, validated her choice. Overhead, an announcement began. The ear-blasting authoritative male voice made the announcement that blared on again and again.
“PLEASE IMMEDIATELY PROCEED TO THE NEAREST SECURITY CHECKPOINT AND VACATE THE CONCOURSE. PLEASE IMMEDIATELY PROCEED TO THE NEAREST SECURITY CHECKPOINT AND VACATE THE CONCOURSE.”
She motioned to all the passengers and told them to grab their belongings and leave the area. She was trying to get them moving so she could run over to the next boarding area for First Class Air to be sure everything was under control there as well, but was stopped by a barrage of voices.
“What is going on?”
“Will we miss our flight?”
“Can you call my husband if I give you the number?”
“I knew it! I told Fred I hate flying and this just proves my point!”
“Should we wait in the airport or outside?”
“Is the airline gonna buy us something to eat?”
The questions were coming faster than she could answer, so Jahnni said quickly, “I know just as much as you right now. Just leave the concourse and listen for direction on the other side of the security checkpoint. Someone will direct you when you get outside security. Just please, hurry. Samantha, you and your UM come with me, we will take him out with us so he doesn’t get lost in the crowd. Don’t let go of him,” she said with a firm tone. Jahnni looked around to motion the passengers towards the checkpoint. She ran her arm like a windmill and pointed her other arm in the direction of the checkpoint. She looked around the now empty boarding area to check for left-behind bags or suspicious looking items. Relief washed over. Good, nothing... one less thing, she reassured herself.
She heard the boarding doors clicking shut, and when she glanced out the large windows, she saw all the occupied planes being pushed back 50 yards from the jetway for security purposes. Anyone who was enplaning or deplaning on the various flights, and stuck in the jetway when the doors locked, were rushed back on the plane by the Flight Attendants if they were observed not exiting the jetway into the terminal yet. In an emergency EVAC, passengers cannot be stuck in a freezing or a stifling jetway. Unoccupied planes were already locked down, so they were not a priority to move away from the terminal.
Everyone knew their job, and carried out emergency procedures as they were trained to do. If an inside agent wasn’t available to pull back the jetway for the pushback, then the ground agents could do that. It all transpired and was completed within three minutes.
Jahnni waited briefly to see that her agents had cleared their own boarding areas, having received a thumbs-up as they passed or a verbal yes if they were close as they passed her. This meant that all of First Class Air’s passengers had evacuated their gates. She nodded to Samantha that they were going to exit as well, the UM between them.
The last of United’s passengers were running for the checkpoint and their agents were trotting in a group behind them. What looked like two Port Policemen, were running in the opposite direction towards the end of the concourse, hands on their guns. The employees that were still left split their ranks down the middle and plastered their backs to the wall when they saw their hands on their weapons, but continued towards the checkpoint as soon as the police flew past.
At first, everything seemed so quiet and echoing as the concourse emptied so quickly. All employees everywhere had to evacuate. She hadn’t ever realized how quickly the concourse could be evacuated. She briefly wondered about the restaurants and grills and food orders. Why am I thinking of that at a time like this? That’s silly. Although the next thought w
as, No it isn’t silly. It could pose a fire hazard!
Jahnni turned to head toward the check point with Sam and the U.M. to vacate the area when they thought they heard what sounded like a couple gun shots. It startled her and she crouched slightly, not knowing what direction they were coming from. She and Samantha both grabbed the U.M. by the shoulders of his jacket and pulled him down to the ground, leaning to cover him. Jahnni noticed that her fingers felt numb when she held a hand down on the floor for balance. She shivered suddenly, like ice water had been poured down her back. At first, everything went silent for about three seconds, but immediately the roar of people fleeing and screaming from the other side of the security checkpoint landed on Jahnni’s ears and she went into survival mode.
She was just about ready to stand up and pull them toward the checkpoint opening, when they heard another ‘pop, pop’ and what sounded like glass shattering. Her eyes searched the area as far as she could see without moving. She was frozen in place, her heart pounding through her chest. It felt as if it would shatter her rib cage like ice breaking on a frozen lake. They slowly stood and she motioned them back the few steps into the boarding area to take cover until they knew it was safe to proceed out in the open to the check point again. She knew that all the doors to the jetways were automatically secured by a computer program. This protected the planes at the end of the jetways from being hi-jacked. So, they couldn’t go through those doors. She looked at Samantha and they locked eyes. They both knew that they were among the last ones who needed to evacuate. They could hear radios squawking, and shouting getting closer. They crouched behind a podium but realized they might be seen if someone came into the boarding area they were in. Jahnni scanned the area and desperately searched for an escape.
You're Clear Page 4