The first time the purser greeted me personally, I was a little taken aback. I was on a Lufthansa flight and had already flown many, very many miles with this airline.
Over time, I grew accustomed to it and began to appreciate this brief moment of small talk. Perhaps it was my ego, but perhaps even more the chance to start an interesting conversation. And often enough, that’s exactly what happened.
It was especially lovely when my family was traveling with me. I remember a flight from Frankfurt to Edinburgh, when my wife and I were accompanied by both our parents. Our daughter’s graduation in St Andrews was coming up, and we turned the occasion into a small family celebration.
So there we were, six of us in a row quite far in the back: on the three seats to the left my wife with her parents, and on the right my parents and me.
Shortly after takeoff, once we had reached cruising altitude, the purser came by and greeted me: “Good to have you with us again today, Mr. Scharbert.”
“Yes,” I replied, “and today my family is traveling with me.”
Before I could say more, my seat neighbor cut in: “I’m the mother,” she said, with a mix of pride and the unmistakable hint that no further questions were required.
I smiled and briefly introduced the other family members. The purser looked from left to right, as if he needed to record the correct order.
“Well then,” he said finally, “it seems we have an entire honorary row on board today.” And he added: “I don’t see that every day.”
What made the moment special was his spontaneous reaction and the genuine appreciation he showed for our family constellation.
And now I am interested: Which small gesture recently made you feel genuinely seen?
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I’m Bernd Scharbert, author of “Prepare for Landing: Leitlinien für interkulturelle Führung.” The book is available in the online shop of Barbara Budrich Publishers and in bookstores across Germany.
It’s not a book about Lufthansa, but the airline does appear in it, in a few stories. In Guiding Principle No. 4, I write about the Sense of Belonging. And creating that feeling is something Lufthansa has done remarkably well. At least for me.
Strong intercultural leadership enables global teams to achieve outstanding results with clarity, trust, and impact. In my book, you’ll find four concrete guidelines that help strengthen collaboration across cultures. And I’m happy to support you in applying them.
