Loading and unloading passengers in wheelchairs on flights were part and parcel of the ground handlers' daily work, and once the process was handled successfully, it was forgotten.
A gentleman arriving from Pakistan would have fallen into the same category if not for the incident that happened on his departing flight.
The afternoon rush was at its peak when I got a radio call from one of our colleagues to come to his flight.
He said it in a very calm voice, but knowing him well and his capacity and versatility, I sensed that it must be something important, or he would have managed alone to solve or rectify the matter.
As I entered the aircraft cabin, I immediately got a waft of a bad odour, and I could see some passengers were showing signs that they were not so pleased about the whole situation, especially with the odour wafting.
My colleague came to me and explained the issue: the gentleman who arrived from a point in Pakistan had lost his bowel control, soiled himself, and was now looking at everybody haplessly.
My first question was what we could do, but I was planning in my mind to get him and his baggage out of the aircraft and release the flight with a minimum station delay.
But my colleague had another idea and suggested that he take the passenger into a nearby restroom to assess the situation before deciding what to do if the situation was really bad.
He came back and gave his quick assessment report, suggesting that if replacement clothes could be provided, the passenger would be released without any issues.
The crew suggested using one of the overnight kits provided to premier class passengers, and the suggestion was accepted.
My colleague attended to the needs of the passenger, brought him out after cleaning him up and giving him a new set of clothes, and as a fresh and happy passenger again.
All his soiled clothes were packed, sealed, and handed over to the crew to hand them out on arrival at their destination.
As we stepped off the plane, not only those who had initially expressed their displeasure, but also many others, applauded us for a job well done.
At the end of the shift, I started my report by saying that “Essa had made all of us proud today” and indeed he did that afternoon.
After seeing my report, he was immediately nominated for a special award by the management, but later something happened behind the scenes, and instead of a special award, he was given the Employee of the Month award.
It was not his responsibility nor obligation; helping a complete stranger out of the kindness of his heart was praiseworthy at a time when many kids nowadays wouldn't do the same to their own parents.
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