At any given time, just about everyone in an airport is either in a rush, or they have time to kill. There’s rarely anyone in the middle.

Knowing the difference between the two states goes a long way in determining how each person should be treated.

The person who is about to miss their flight wants everything as fast as possible. Quality rarely matters.

The person who is through security three hours before their flight starts to board is in the exact opposite situation. They don’t need anything fast. They want it to be good.

Even beyond the airport, I’d venture to guess that proactively identifying the mental state of the person you’re trying to serve might be the single most important part of customer service.

-Brandon