Zone discrimination I was having a friendly and mutually respectful conversation with a gentleman I just met at my airline departure gate this morning. That is, until we started boarding. We were about to exchange business cards -- you know that moment when you meet someone new and you each sense that the other is probably of the same or higher status as you ---and worth not only meeting but keeping track of, too. But instead of asking for each others business card, our chummy conversation was rudely interrupted by a loud voice over the speaker announcing all Gold Members of some credit card could board now. We paused at the interruption and smiled at each other before trying to resume our conversation --but that lasted only a few seconds. Then came another thunderous announcement. This time that Zone 1 could now board. My new friend chirped, Oh, thats me. And added, Are you in Zone 1? I looked at my boarding pass and couldnt find the zone but had a sinking feeling I was assigned to a different -- and lesser zone--- and that our newly formed friendship was more fragile than I thought. Hmmm. I mumbled. Acting like there must have been some sort of mistake with my boarding pass. I shook my head and shrugged. We shook hands and he left. No business cards were requested or exchanged. All I could do was stare at the ground while my former friend strode up to the ticket counter to check in and board our flight. I was too ashamed to tell him I was not only NOT in Zone 1 --but was, in truth, assigned to Zone 5. In fact, after the announcement for boarding Zone 4 was made (in a noticeably softer and almost apologetic tone), there was a long delay before they finally announced All other Zones may board now. That was my Zone. There were only a handful of us. We sized each other up quickly. And no one seemed to want anyone elses business card. And I started to resent the guy I was talking to earlier who was boarded in Zone 1. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? He wasnt better than me---or better than any of us in the remaining Zones. As I looked around I had the feeling that these were my people, and we needed to stick together somehow. Against the assholes in the better boarding Zones. At this point in the long and humiliating Zone discrimination process, we were all just grateful if we were still permitted to board the plane.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 13:00:57 +0000
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