In light of our recent 25 year anniversary of flying to Shannon, I want to take a moment to share with you my special relationship with the city, and the experiences I’ve had these many years at Delta.

I applied as soon as I heard Delta was starting flying into Shannon Ireland from Atlanta in 1986 – I was 19 years old. I remember at the end of my interview I leaned forward in my chair put my hands up in front of me and said “look I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this job” The interviewer leaned back in his chair, laughed and said “that’s the first time I’ve finished an interview like that!”

Audrey (right) at the Shannon Ribbon Cutting, May 9 1986

I got the job and spent three weeks at Gatwick training. I had such great fun and learned all about the position, including how to print a boarding pass which was a recent invention around that time. Before that all the boarding passes were handwritten.

So many things have changed in the world and in our industry since then…

I have worn a number of uniforms through the years. My favorite is still my first one; navy, white blouse and a navy, red and striped tie that clipped onto the blouse. My least favorite was the grey uniform. I was lucky as I had three navy maternity uniforms during my time, but I can’t lie, the grey maternity uniform was not flattering!

When I started there were only two ways of communicating with other stations, the telephone and the ultra-modern (at the time) TTY (telex’s) .The ideas of mobile phones and email were still way off with the idea of someone instantly communicating (like something from Star Trek!). As for blackberries….you ate those. Most things were done manually, even bag tags at check in…and there were even smoking zones on the aircraft.

What hasn’t changed is that our business is all about the passenger. It was back then and is today. The passenger may now be able to book online and check-in on their phones, but the customer service element remains the same.

What I love about working for Delta is the friendships I have formed, working with some of the same wonderful girls for the last twenty five years. I love the fact that when you enter the “office” each day you never know what is ahead of you. To know that customers I have assisted have been happy with the service they have received is what I call job satisfaction. And I hope to continue doing that for many years to come.

Here’s to Shannon!

Audrey Murray

Senior Airport Services Agent – SNN