"I didn't ask where that seat came from," Preston continued. "I just took it because Gary made it sound like a reward for being loyal. Then I called you sweetheart when you walked past me, and I didn't even know your name. I've thought about that more than I expected." Imani watched his expression. There was embarrassment in it, but not the performative kind that required an audience.
"Thank you for saying it," she replied. "You weren't responsible for running the gate, Mr. Hale. But you were responsible for the way you treated the person who lost the seat. The next time somebody offers you something that belongs to another customer, ask what happened to them. Then say the question out loud, especially if the person losing the seat doesn't seem important to you."
Preston nodded. "I will. And I wanted you to know I flew coach home last week. Row twenty-eight." Imani raised an eyebrow. "How was it?"
He laughed for the first time. "Actually fine. The tray table worked." She smiled. "Lucky you. I had to file a maintenance report from 31F."
The apology did not transform Preston into a different person in an instant, and Imani did not pretend it did. But she appreciated that he had recognized his part in a system of favors that made somebody else's inconvenience invisible. A few weeks later, Tasha showed her a letter Preston had sent to Skyline's customer-protection office advocating clearer notification when a requested upgrade would displace another paid passenger. It was a small gesture, and Imani suspected Walter would have called it a beginning rather than an ending.
Other changes came slowly enough to test everybody's patience. The airline began publishing quarterly information about involuntary seating changes, complaint handling times, and the percentage of cases that required a second review. The first report showed improvements in documentation but also areas where delays had increased, and the executive team initially wanted to emphasize only the favorable figures. Imani sent the draft back with a note asking them to include the inconvenient numbers as well.
She did not want a new version of Doug's satisfaction chart, polished until its omissions became the most important part. Instead, she asked teams to explain what the data meant and what it failed to measure. The board established a rotating review process that included employee representatives and independent customer-protection specialists. Some directors complained about the added complexity, but the first complete reports gave them a clearer understanding of the airline than years of uncomplicated praise had done.
By winter, another issue had returned to Imani's desk: the shortage of trained ramp workers in several major airports. Skyline had long offered a small number of employee scholarships, but the program was difficult to access and poorly advertised to children of workers who spent their days outside the executive offices. A union representative asked Imani whether the board would consider supporting a practical training center at O'Hare, with instruction in ground equipment, aviation safety, and the technical skills needed for advancement. The proposal reminded her immediately of Walter.