Marcus reopened his laptop.
He did not read a single line for ten minutes.
In Dallas, Victoria left first.
Marcus remained seated until several passengers ahead cleared.
At the jet bridge entrance, his phone vibrated.
Daniel Cho.
HEARD ABOUT ATLANTA.
Marcus stared.
Then typed:
HOW?
Daniel:
LUIS FILED AN INCIDENT REPORT BEFORE PUSHBACK.
GOOD MAN.
Marcus:
YES.
Daniel:
ALSO KELSEY CALLED HER SUPERVISOR CRYING.
Marcus stopped walking.
Daniel:
DO NOT START FIRING PEOPLE FROM THE JET BRIDGE.
Marcus:
I WASN’T.
Daniel:
YOU HAVE A FACE.
Marcus laughed.
A flight attendant nearby looked confused.
Marcus put away his phone.
The Dallas meeting lasted four hours.
Fleet financing.
Engine-maintenance reserves.
Crew scheduling.
Nothing about Victoria.
Then, at four thirty, Marcus closed the conference-room door.
“Now Atlanta.”
Daniel sighed.
“I knew.”
Around the table sat eight people.
Daniel Cho, CEO.
Priya Desai, chief customer officer.
Rachel Morgan, chief people officer.
Samir Patel, head of airport operations.
Luis joined by video from Atlanta.
Kelsey sat beside him.
She looked terrified.
Marcus hated that.
“Before we start.”
He leaned toward the camera.
“Kelsey, are you expecting me to fire you?”
Her face reddened.
“No, sir.”
“You’re lying.”
Luis looked toward her.
Kelsey swallowed.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Marcus sat back.
“I’m not calling this meeting to decide whether you keep your job.”
Her shoulders dropped slightly.
“Tell me what happened from your perspective.”
She did.
Almost exactly.
Victoria asked about Marcus.
Kelsey checked the boarding pass.
Confirmed it.
Then Victoria asked for him to be removed from the line.
Kelsey called Luis.
Marcus interrupted once.
“Why did you call him?”
“Because she asked for a supervisor.”
“That is the procedure?”
Kelsey hesitated.
“For Signature Sovereign customers, we’re told to escalate before a complaint becomes a service failure.”
Priya shifted.
Marcus looked toward her.