At Memphis International, this Delta employee brings an air of joy
Delta Air Lines customer service expert Beverly Becton (middle) hands out roses to a customer before their flight to Atlanta. Becton, from time to time, will hand out flowers to customers celebrating an anniversary, birthday or even a pet’s birthday. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
It was shortly before 11 a.m. at Memphis International Airport on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Passengers at Gate 12, headed to Atlanta on Delta, were quietly working their phones or looking off into space when Beverly Becton started in on her gig.
“Good morning, everyone to my left,” she said from the podium in a call-and-response cadence that within minutes had turned into a chorus of “Happy Birthday” — the crowd singing along — for a passenger’s child not even present.
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If that seems curious, two beats later, the passenger — a beaming father ultimately headed to Charlotte — was getting a long-stemmed rose to take to his birthday girl from a vase of them Becton keeps for occasions like this.
Delta Air Lines customer service expert Beverly Becton (right) greets Memphian Mott Ford as he boards his flight to Atlanta. Becton starts her workday at 3:30 a.m. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Fifteen minutes later, he boarded, lingering like an old friend with her at the top of the jetway, and then, with the pink rose as proof of the encounter, off on a day much different than it had begun.
All this happened in the confines of the gate, a sterile and rather anonymous public space where people don’t expect to raise a rousing cheer or even speak to the person in the adjoining chair.
Becton, 62, doesn’t roll that way. At 38 years with Delta, she is one of its most senior employees and managers in Memphis. She’s also one of six Red Coats here, staff Delta chooses specifically for their finesse in managing the customer experience.
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Beverly Becton Delta Air Lines Memphis International Airport Craig Elliott Regina Bartels Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Jane Roberts
Jane Roberts has reported in Memphis for more than 20 years. As a senior member of The Daily Memphian staff, she was assigned to the medical beat during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has done in-depth work on other medical issues facing our community, including shortages of specialists in local hospitals. She covered K-12 education here for years and later the region’s transportation sector, including Memphis International Airport and FedEx Corp.
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