Shane’s World
~ Words and image by Vickie Sam Paget, Sky Blue Content ~
CT meets the one-and-only Shane Buksh, general manager at Flight Centre’s Shop of the Future in Vancouver
With some 17 years of experience in the travel industry—and a personality the size of a jumbo jet—Shane Buksh has more than a few interesting stories to share with me when I meet him at Flight Centre’s Vancouver HQ.
First though, let me make one thing very clear. When it comes to travel, Shane can be something of a nerd—but a very useful, entertaining nerd. You see, when you sit before him and ask him about travel, you can see that his mind is lighting up like one big LCD route map. Synapses are pinging about convenient connections, neurons are whizzing about seat upgrades and atoms are simply quaking in their atom-boots about the possibility of getting the cheapest flight.
Simply put, Shane is wired for the travel industry. He enjoys the hunt.
Oh, and one other thing: He makes you laugh. And then he probably makes you cry. Because his stories about what travel agents have to offer are heartwarming, funny and incredibly sincere.
Take his story about the tennis champ he has helped to glory, for example: “I had a client whose daughter played tennis and I got to know the family really well,” he smiles. “Over the six years I booked for her I saw her grow from being a junior tennis player to playing against Venus Williams at the Australian Open.
“She would call me from destination whenever she lost a match and I’d get her home on the next flight so that she could prepare for her next game. I personally felt like I was part of this family’s growth. Her mother, who was her manager, didn’t have to worry about taking the time to make sure that her daughter would get to her next tournament. Just call Shane, he’ll get it done! That relationship and trust factor just doesn’t happen online.”
Then ther’es Shane’s story about the 90 year old grandmother who wanted to take a trip to the European Christmas Markets.
“I had a call recently from a 90 year old lady who’s going to the Christmas markets in Austria and the Czech Republic. She’s originally from Germany and she told me she hadn’t been there for 40 years. Her tour starts in Austria and finishes in Prague. The flight we got her is through Frankfurt. She has family there and I told her it wouldn’t cost her anymore, if she has a place to stay there, to take three nights in Frankfurt. She said: Wow, now I’m getting Christmas and I’m also getting to see family that I haven’t seen in 40 years! She’s super-excited about it.”
And then there is perhaps Wayne’s most touching story of all, about a young couple who wandered into his store about an hour before closing one Friday afternoon.
”I asked them where they wanted to go and they said: Africa, India or somewhere in Asia. And I’m thinking: Holy smoke! They were specific on dates and I thought, well, at least that’s something!
“They asked where in Africa is the easiest to get to, so I suggested Nairobi. I found two seats available with the lowest fare. They were literally the last two seats at the lower fare and I laughed and said: “It’s meant to be!”
“I asked if they wanted me to look at somewhere in Asia next and they said: no, we’re good. They looked at each other and they held hands and they said to book it. Then the girl started to tear-up. I was so worried I had offended her, so I asked if I’d done something wrong. She said that she was just emotional. Her husband went on to explain that they couldn’t have a child, so they were going overseas to adopt a child. He said: When you said that there were only two seats left and it was meant to be, that helped us to decide that this is where we are meant to go. A couple of years later they came back with the baby to see me. That was so cool. You just can’t find that online.”
No, you most certainly cannot.
This interview first appeared in CT Magazine, a publication for Canadian travel agents.
