It was the night before Christmas
A familiar echo is heard throughout the world as administration and management offices in airlines throughout the world fall silent.
That echo is occasionally interrupted by the footstep of the sole security guard and the hum of air conditioning quietly keeping those empty offices at an optimum temperature.
Whilst over at the terminals far away from Waterside, Cathay Pacific City or the aptly named Coward Street, life goes on.
Those staff generating the revenue, day after day continue to keep 'the show on the road' whilst bloated administration scoffs down another helping of plum pudding.
With Christmas hampers, bottles of signature wine, staff travel discounts and high priority on-load in their stockings ',management' although absent, never care to notice that without them the whole things keeps sailing along.
What little Christmas cheer is provided not by the company but the staff themselves. Clever HR (now on vacation) long ago stripping out anything resembling 'goodwill' and employees receive only a contractual entitlement never a cent nor mince pie more.
The customers don't have the comfortable whir of air conditioning, nor do they feel the largess and generosity of airline management.
They get crammed in as flights are cancelled, all in the name of yield management, and growing crew shortages, whilst dutiful pilots leave air conditioning off to save a few precious cents for management incentives.