Shanghai Airport at Night – and a Missing ID 

It’s just past midnight at Shanghai Pudong Airport—the senior first officer, the first officer, and I, the captain, are on our way to our cargo plane. We’re about to fly our Boeing 777 back to Frankfurt. But first, we have to go through airport security, as the saying goes: a pilot’s uniform is all well and good, but without an airline ID card, you can’t enter the premises! 

The first search operation 

The captain and first officer have the ID card right at their fingertips. My senior first officer, on the other hand, begins a frantic search through the pockets of his uniform, which proves fruitless. Next, the entire contents of his suitcase are dumped onto the sidewalk in front of the airport. It’s quite amusing for us bystanders to watch, but my senior first officer now has beads of sweat on his forehead—and that’s not because of the sweltering outside temperatures. 

Lost & Found 

The ID card is finally found in the breast pocket of the “outbound flight uniform” shirt, buried among the colleague’s dirty laundry. This proves, on the one hand, that he wears a fresh shirt every day he flies, and on the other hand, it means we can finally enter the terminal. Are all the problems solved? Far from it! After all, pilots have to go through passport control too. 

The second search operation  

There, two of the three protagonists in this story are able to quickly produce the required identification. The third colleague begins another search under the amused gaze of a Chinese police officer. Unfortunately, this time it is unsuccessful. 

Last-minute rescue 

A call to the crew hotel brings the good news that the passport is still in our colleague’s room safe. The hotel sends an employee and the passport to the airport by taxi to enable our colleague to depart and, consequently, to allow our severely delayed flight to take off. 

Constructive criticism instead of finger-pointing 

My senior is incredibly embarrassed by the whole situation! But I can reassure him: every pilot has forgotten something important at some point. The key is to learn from such a mistake! My tip: always leave your ID card in the hotel safe along with your uniform tie, because a missing tie would, of course, immediately catch my attention and that of my colleagues. 

The 7 Ps – Lessons for the Cockpit and the Workplace 

My senior definitely takes the 7 Ps to heart. What about you?
The same applies to your company: Proper Pre-Flight Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance! Get familiar with the smart error culture behind the 7 Ps in our seminars. 

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