Honesty at the Busy Airport in the World

By @ayijufridar

Participants of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), reporting from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 2012.

On our trip from Jacksonville, Florida, to New Orleans, we had a transit at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Compared to John F Keneddy in New York or LAX in Los Angeles, private Hartsfield-Jackson airport is unfamiliar to me, as well as five other International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants who have already visited the US.

Source

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was very crowded. People come and go quickly, passing by dragging suitcases or carrying backpacks. Sometimes, passengers talk with friends on the side while continuing to walk with the steps wide and fast. The spaces in the terminal never pause, filled with humans. Ordering food and drinks should line up, but keep order. No one broke through the queue. People lined up while reading, or silence. Few speak to a friend in front or behind him. That too with a soft voice as if not want to disturb others.

Toilets are also never empty of the queue. For the unusual would feel uncomfortable urinating with four to six people standing behind. But no matter how long after a long journey and a cold air attack, no visible people desperate through the queue. The clerk mopped the floor, replaced the toilet paper, cleaned the trash can, and replaced the liquid soap. Thus the number of toilet users, rather surprisingly the smell of the toilet is still fragrant.

We had two more hours at Hartsfiel-Jackson before the next flight. More than enough time to enjoy lunch, buy souvenirs, or just go for a walk. Together with the Head of Bappeda (Development Planning Agency at Sub-National Level) of Barru Regency, South Sulawesi, Abustan Andi Bintang, I chose to have lunch at a Chinese restaurant with menu according to Indonesian tongue. Here we can get rice, grilled fish or fried, noodles, and vegetables. Even spoons that are rarely provided in American restaurants are available here. Eating rice with a fork does seem odd.

It's not hard to find a Chinese restaurant or another restaurant at Hartsfiel-Jackson airport. We can see very clear maps and directions. To reach the restaurant located at another terminal, stay up skytrain for free. Only, we must be careful not to get lost due to the vastness and density of Hartsfiel-Jackson airport.

Choosing a seat at the edge of the window, while enjoying the rice and salmon, we saw the busyness outside the airport. If not wrong count, there are at least six runways in Hartsfiel-Jackson. Three on the left and three on the right. From where we sit, on the second floor, we can see both sides of the runway, seeing large-sized plane take off or landing. After spending lunch, our fad counts the number of planes taking off. We were amazed, within five minutes, dozens of planes left Hartsfiel-Jackson. Extraordinary!

"Hartsfiel-Jackson is the busiest airport in America," said Shawn Callanan, our translator. Later, I searched for information to get data on how busy the airport was. Apparently, in 2012, Airports Council International (ACI) identified some of the world's busiest airports based on the number of passenger traffic and flight intensity. The result, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, was named the busiest airport in the world. The total number of passengers, including transit, is 29,590,384 in the period of January - April 2012. This is not the first title, since 2000 then it has become the busiest airport in the world. Throughout 2011 the airport booked 92,365,860 passengers. Wow, fantastic!
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The density of the airport turned out to panic. A member of the entourage who is a member of North Sumatra Provincial DPRD, left behind a handbag in the toilet. Inside the bag there are about 5,000 US dollars, Rp20 million, passport, as well as a number of other important documents. Without it, it is impossible for him to return to Indonesia, to Medan. The council's mother, whose party often condemns US policy on Middle East conflict issues, is too late to realize her bag is left behind. Instantly he panicked. His white face turned pale.

With the help of Abdullah Balbed, a US citizen of Balinese Arab descent who is also a translator, the board's mother attempted to get her bag back. However, entering through an outlet is not justified because it interferes with a dense human stream. Abdullah spoke to a security officer unfortunately, the officer had to leave the airport because it would be replaced by another officer. But before returning home, he was willing to talk to his friend to explain the loss of the "wealth" of the board's mother from Medan. In essence, the mother is still not allowed to enter through the exit. Instead, the officer himself was looking for the bag left in the women's toilet.

It took nearly 20 minutes. Then, the officer in blue uniform was seen walking in the distance with a brown leather bag in her hand. The mother of the council was relieved and gave thanks. When checking the contents, no one dollar was lost. All stuff is still intact.

When he was about to leave the airport, either telling him, she said quietly; "Really people said, here the people are honest. "

I happened to be by her side, half jokingly replied, "That's it, Madam. If in Medan, a minute left behind the goods immediately disappeared. "

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Kejujuran di Bandara Tersibuk di Dunia

Oleh @ayijufridar

Peserta International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), melaporkan dari Atlanta, Georgia, Amerika Serikat.

DALAM perjalanan dari Jacksonville, Florida, menuju New Orleans, kami sempat transit di Bandara Internasional Hartsfield-Jackson di Atlanta, negara bagian Georgia, Amerika Serikat. Dibandingkan dengan John F Keneddy di New York atau LAX di Los Angeles, bagi saya pribadi bandara Hartsfield-Jackson tidak familiar, demikian juga bagi lima peserta International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) lain yang di antaranya sudah pernah berkunjung ke AS.

Source

Bandara Hartsfield-Jackson ternyata sangat padat. Orang datang dan pergi dengan cepat, berlalu lalang dengan menyeret koper atau menyandang ransel. Terkadang, penumpang berbicara dengan teman di samping sambil terus berjalan dengan langkah-langkah lebar dan cepat. Ruang-ruang di terminal tidak pernah jeda, penuh dengan manusia. Memesan makanan dan minuman harus antre, tetapi tetap tertib. Tak ada orang yang menerobos antrean. Orang mengantre sambil membaca, atau diam. Hanya sedikit yang berbicara dengan teman di depan atau di belakangnya. Itu pun dengan suara pelan seolah tidak ingin mengganggu orang lain.

Toilet juga tak pernah sepi dari antrean. Bagi yang tak biasa tentu terasa tak nyaman membuang air kecil dengan empat sampai enam orang berdiri di belakang. Tapi betapa pun kebeletnya setelah menempuh perjalanan jauh dan serangan udara dingin, tak terlihat ada orang nekat menerobos antrean. Petugas mengepel lantai, menggantikan kertas toilet, membersihkan tong sampah, serta mengganti sabun cair cucian tangan. Dengan demikian banyaknya pengguna toilet, agak mengherankan aroma toilet tersebut tetap harum.

Kami memiliki waktu dua jam lebih di Hartsfiel-Jackson sebelum penerbangan berikutnya. Waktu yang lebih dari cukup untuk menikmati makan siang, membeli souvenir, atau sekadar jalan-jalan. Bersama Kepala Bappeda Kabupaten Barru, Sulawesi Selatan, Abustan Andi Bintang, saya memilih makan siang di sebuah restoran China yang memiliki menu sesuai dengan lidah Indonesia. Di sini kita bisa mendapatkan nasi, ikan bakar atau goreng, mie, serta sayuran. Bahkan sendok yang jarang disediakan di restoran di Amerika, tersedia di sini. Makan nasi dengan menggunakan garpu memang terasa ganjil.

Tidak sulit mencari restoran China atau restoran lainnya di bandara Hartsfiel-Jackson. Kita bisa melihat peta dan arah penunjuk yang sangat jelas. Untuk menjangkau restoran yang terletak di terminal lain, tinggal naik skytrain gratis. Hanya saja, kita harus berhati-hati jangan sampai tersesat karena luasnya dan padatnya bandara Hartsfiel-Jackson.

Memilih tempat duduk di pinggir jendela, sambil menikmati nasi dan ikan salmon, kami melihat kesibukan di luar bandara. Kalau tak salah menghitung, sedikitnya ada enam landasan pacu (runway) di Hartsfiel-Jackson. Tiga di sebelah kiri dan tiga di sebelah kanan. Dari tempat kami duduk, di lantai dua, kami bisa menyaksikan kedua sisi landasan pacu, melihat pesawat berukuran besar take off atau landing. Setelah menghabiskan makan siang, iseng-iseng kami menghitung jumlah pesawat yang take off. Kami takjub, dalam lima menit, belasan pesawat terbang meninggalkan Hartsfiel-Jackson. Luar biasa!

“Hartsfiel-Jackson adalah bandara paling sibuk di Amerika,” ungkap Shawn Callanan, seorang translater kami. Belakangan, saya mencari informasi untuk mendapatkan data seberapa sibuknya bandara itu. Ternyata, pada 2012 lalu, Airports Council International (ACI) mengidentifikasi sejumlah bandara tersibuk di dunia berdasarkan jumlah trafik penumpang dan intensitas penerbangan. Hasilnya, Bandara Internasional Hartsfield-Jackson di Atlanta, dinobatkan sebagai bandara tersibuk di dunia. Total penumpang, termasuk transit, sebanyak 29.590.384 pada kurun waktu Januari – April 2012. Ini bukan gelar pertama, sejak 2000 lalu ia sudah menjadi bandara tersibuk di dunia. Sepanjang 2011 bandara ini membukukan 92.365.860 penumpang. Wow, fantastis!
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Kepadatan bandara ternyata membuat panik. Seorang anggota rombongan yang berprofesi sebagai anggota DPRD Provinsi Sumatera Utara, tertinggal tas tangan di toilet. Di dalam tas tersebut terdapat sekitar 5.000 dollar AS, Rp20 juta, paspor, serta sejumlah dokumen penting lain. Tanpa semua itu, mustahil ia bisa pulang ke Indonesia, ke Medan. Ibu anggota dewan itu, yang partainya kerap mengutuk kebijakan AS dalam isu konflik Timur Tengah, terlambat menyadari tasnya tertinggal. Seketika ia menjadi panik. Wajahnya yang putih berubah pucat.

Dengan dibantu Abdullah Balbed, warga AS asal Bali keturunan Arab yang juga menjadi penerjemah, ibu dewan itu berupaya mendapatkan tasnya kembali. Tapi, masuk melalui jalur keluar tak dibenarkan karena mengganggu arus manusia yang padat. Abdullah bicara dengan seorang petugas satpam yang celakanya, petugas itu harus meninggalkan bandara karena akan digantikan petugas lain. Tapi sebelum pulang, ia bersedia bicara dengan kawannya untuk menjelaskan tertinggalnya “harta kekayaan” ibu dewan dari Medan. Intinya, ibu itu tetap tak diizinkan masuk melalui jalur keluar. Sebagai gantinya, petugas itu sendiri yang mencari tas yang tertinggal di toilet perempuan.

Butuh waktu hampir 20 menit. Kemudian, petugas berseragam biru itu terlihat berjalan di kejauhan dengan tas kulit warna coklat di tangannya. Ibu dewan tersebut lega dan mengucapkan syukur. Saat memeriksa isinya, tidak ada selembar dolar pun yang hilang. Semua barang masih utuh.

Tatkala hendak meninggalkan bandara, entah mengatakan kepada siapa, ibu itu berujar pelan; “Benar ya, kata orang. Di sini orangnya jujur.”

Saya yang kebetulan berada di sampingnya, setengah bercanda menimpali, “Itulah, Bu. Kalau di Medan, satu menit tertinggal langsung hilang tuh barang.”