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The one hard and fast rule when your flight gets canceled or delayed and you're stranded

A little empathy goes a long way.

flying, airport, airlines, travel

With thousands of flights canceled, tensions in airports are high.

Air travel is a hot mess right now, especially with Southwest Airlines apparently in a system-wide meltdown. Thousands of flights have been canceled. Passengers are stranded at airports across the country. Checked bags are nowhere to be found. People are complaining of hours-long customer service lines and no one answering phones.

All of this is immensely frustrating, of course. No one likes having their plans changed without warning and having to scramble to problem-solve on the fly. Traveling is already stressful as it is, especially during the holidays, which is all the more reason to follow the one hard and fast rule for when your travel plans get disrupted.

Be kind to airline employees.


No matter what happened to cause the flight delays or cancelations, none of the desk personnel, gate agents, flight attendants, etc. in the airport or the customer service reps on the phone had anything to do with it. It's not their fault, they're not to blame and taking out frustrations on them is both unhelpful and unkind.

I've seen a surprising number of people complain to gate agents about a flight being canceled due to weather and outright demand they do something to fix it. If one flight is canceled due to weather in an area, they most probably all are, so demanding a fix to an unfixable problem will only lead to more frustration for all involved.

But even when the problem is something like the current Southwest situation, where it's clearly not just weather but a bigger issue with the airline itself, it's still not the fault of the individual airline employees at the airport or the person on the other end of the customer service line who are trying to help. They know passengers are frustrated and they are too. Tensions are high all around. But sometimes there's simply nothing they can do, and no amount of ranting at them is going to change that.

Airline employees are in the business of getting people where they're supposed to go. They have no desire to keep anyone stranded in an airport. It's not fun for them to have to deal with the logistical nightmare of trying to get thousands of tired, cranky customers and their luggage to the correct places. And if you're stuck someplace due to a canceled flight, there's a good chance some airline employees are stuck there as well. Southwest crew members report being stranded at airports and unable to get through to their own company. There's simply never a reason to berate or abuse an airline employee for a flight delay or cancelation.

Passengers can make the argument that they paid the airline money to get them to their destination at a certain time, and the airline isn't fulfilling its end of the bargain. If it's the airline's fault the flight was canceled, most airlines have policies in place for compensating passengers. But weather delays and cancelations are no one's fault. They just happen. That's part of the risk of airline travel. And while a flight being canceled due to weather is a bummer, it also keeps people safe.

The current Southwest debacle is another story, but even in that case, it's no individual employee's fault. The issues that led to a deluge of canceled Southwest flights start way up the chain, not at the poor person standing in front of the computer at the airport terminal trying desperately to mop up the mess. It's understandable that people would be upset, but let's make sure that emotion isn't unleashed on powerless parties. Vent those frustrations into a strongly worded letter to the company or in a social media post or on a call to a sympathetic friend. Don't take them out on the Southwest employee who is not only drowning in the flood but probably also wondering whether they're going to have a job next month.

The same goes for any employee at the airport. Anger and frustration are understandable and patience has its limit, but taking it all out on airline or airport employees only makes things worse. A little kindness and empathy can go a long way. The more we can put ourselves into other people's shoes and treat others the way we would want to be treated in the moment, the better off everyone will be through all of this.

Identity

Celebrate International Women's Day with these stunning photos of female leaders changing the world

The portraits, taken by acclaimed photographer Nigel Barker, are part of CARE's "She Leads the World" campaign.

Images provided by CARE

Kadiatu (left), Zainab (right)

True

Women are breaking down barriers every day. They are transforming the world into a more equitable place with every scientific discovery, athletic feat, social justice reform, artistic endeavor, leadership role, and community outreach project.

And while these breakthroughs are happening all the time, International Women’s Day (Mar 8) is when we can all take time to acknowledge the collective progress, and celebrate how “She Leads the World.

This year, CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering women and girls, is celebrating International Women’s Day through the power of portraiture. CARE partnered with high-profile photographer Nigel Barker, best known for his work on “America’s Next Top Model,” to capture breathtaking images of seven remarkable women who have prevailed over countless obstacles to become leaders within their communities.

“Mabinty, Isatu, Adama, and Kadiatu represent so many women around the world overcoming incredible obstacles to lead their communities,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA.

Barker’s bold portraits, as part of CARE’s “She Leads The World” campaign, not only elevate each woman’s story, but also shine a spotlight on how CARE programs helped them get to where they are today.

About the women:

Mabinty

international womens day, care.org

Mabinty is a businesswoman and a member of a CARE savings circle along with a group of other women. She buys and sells groundnuts, rice, and fuel. She and her husband have created such a successful enterprise that Mabinty volunteers her time as a teacher in the local school. She was the first woman to teach there, prompting a second woman to do so. Her fellow teachers and students look up to Mabinty as the leader and educator she is.

Kadiatu

international womens day, care.org

Kadiatu supports herself through a small business selling food. She also volunteers at a health clinic in the neighboring village where she is a nursing student. She tests for malaria, works with infants, and joins her fellow staff in dancing and singing with the women who visit the clinic. She aspires to become a full-time nurse so she can treat and cure people. Today, she leads by example and with ambition.

Isatu

international womens day, care.org

When Isatu was three months pregnant, her husband left her, seeking his fortune in the gold mines. Now Isatu makes her own way, buying and selling food to support her four children. It is a struggle, but Isatu is determined to be a part of her community and a provider for her kids. A single mother of four is nothing if not a leader.

Zainab

international womens day, care.org

Zainab is the Nurse in Charge at the Maternal Child Health Outpost in her community. She is the only nurse in the surrounding area, and so she is responsible for the pre-natal health of the community’s mothers-to-be and for the safe delivery of their babies. In a country with one of the world’s worst maternal death rates, Zainab has not lost a single mother. The community rallies around Zainab and the work she does. She describes the women who visit the clinic as sisters. That feeling is clearly mutual.

Adama

international womens day, care.org

Adama is something few women are - a kehkeh driver. A kehkeh is a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi, known elsewhere as a tuktuk. Working in the Kissy neighborhood of Freetown, Adama is the primary breadwinner for her family, including her son. She keeps her riders safe in other ways, too, by selling condoms. With HIV threatening to increase its spread, this is a vital service to the community.

Ya Yaebo

international womens day, care.org

“Ya” is a term of respect for older, accomplished women. Ya Yaebo has earned that title as head of her local farmers group. But there is much more than that. She started as a Village Savings and Loan Association member and began putting money into her business. There is the groundnut farm, her team buys and sells rice, and own their own oil processing machine. They even supply seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture. She has used her success to the benefit of people in need in her community and is a vocal advocate for educating girls, not having gone beyond grade seven herself.

On Monday, March 4, CARE will host an exhibition of photography in New York City featuring these portraits, kicking off the multi-day “She Leads the World Campaign.

Learn more, view the portraits, and join CARE’s International Women's Day "She Leads the World" celebration at CARE.org/sheleads.


Health

Over or under? Surprisingly, there actually is a 'correct' way to hang a toilet paper roll.

Let's settle this silly-but-surprisingly-heated debate once and for all.

Elya/Wikimedia Commons

Should you hang the toilet paper roll over or under?



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The "over or under" question has plagued marriages and casual acquaintances alike for over 100 years, with both sides convinced they have the soundest reasoning for putting their toilet paper loose end out or loose end under. Some people feel so strongly about right vs. wrong TP hanging that they will even flip the roll over when they go to the bathroom in the homes of strangers.

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Photo via iStock.

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Photo via iStock.

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