Not many people have inspired a hashtag, but for Perth’s Henry Phillips, his everyday work is narrated by people’s social media posts.
The 21-year-old Business Lounge supervisor for Qantas is so dedicated to his job that people are not only taking notice, they’re tweeting about it.
There’s not a day that goes by that the young employee isn’t making someone smile, with the name #HelpfulHenry becoming synonymous with the WA business lounge experience.
“A gentlemen walked into the lounge one day and I offered him a coffee,” Phillips said.
“So I looked after him a while and … he said my name should be ‘Helpful Henry’, and from there it just kind of stuck. I would add it to when I was serving someone and people laugh, and it’s just a good way to interact.”
It’s a service which the TV execs have picked up on, with Phillips now set to appear in his second episode of Channel Nine’s Ready for Takeoff.
The observational TV series gives people an inside look into the workings of Australian airports and the people who work there.
And for Phillips, this means look at what he does that makes him so popular with his customers.
“Hospitality is an industry which spans across the world and we need to choose if it’s something we strive for or if it’s something which is done nine-to-five,” he said.
“We are the kick-starters to people’s day and I believe anyone who walks into the lounge, I want them to walk out with a smile.
“It’s important that people are happy and are enjoying themselves and most of all, if they’re about to get on a flight, they’re not even thinking about it.”
Ready for Takeoff airs Friday, 7.30pm on Channel Nine.
