“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
Nia looked toward the empty chair where Evelyn had been sitting.
“Find out how many complaints Crown Premier members have generated in the last three years.”
Charles frowned.
“Why?”
“Because she behaved like she knew status would protect her.”
He understood.
Nia continued.
“I want to know whether we taught her that.”
The flight to London departed twenty-eight minutes late.
Nia sat in 1A.
Nobody questioned it.
That almost annoyed her more.
The moment everyone knew her title, the cabin became absurdly attentive.
A senior flight attendant offered champagne before she had removed her jacket.
Another asked whether she wanted the seat beside her blocked.
A manager from the terminal personally brought her a replacement luggage tag.
Nia finally said:
“Please treat me like the passenger in 1B.”
There was no passenger in 1B.
The attendant smiled nervously.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Nia looked at her.
“Nia is fine.”
The attendant hesitated.
“Company policy says senior leadership…”
“I wrote the new leadership memo.”
The woman laughed.
That helped.
Once airborne, Nia opened the acquisition briefing.
Pages of numbers.
Fleet utilization.
Labor agreements.
Fuel hedging.
Lease obligations.
European slots.
Premium revenue.
Loyalty liabilities.
None of it felt abstract anymore.
One line caught her attention.
Crown Premier members produce 8.7% of premium revenue while representing 0.04% of customers.
Power concentration.
Tiny population.
Enormous influence.
She turned the page.
Annual retention target: 97%.
Another.
Executive escalation available for any dissatisfaction event involving Crown Premier customers.
Nia stopped.
Any dissatisfaction event.
She thought about Melissa.
An employee deciding whether to enforce conduct policy against someone whose complaint bypassed ordinary channels and went directly upward.
Perhaps the fear was rational.
Nia made a note.
Who protects the employee when the high-value customer is wrong?
Across the aisle, Charles worked quietly.
He had taken the flight too.
After an hour, Nia handed him the page.
He read her note.
Then looked at her.
“We do have employee protections.”
“On paper?”
“Yes.”
“In practice?”
He hesitated.
Nia smiled without humor.
“That wasn't confidence.”
Charles sighed.
“Crown Premier is complicated.”
“So are aircraft engines.”
“We still document how they work.”
He nodded.
Nia continued.
“How often do elite complaints result in frontline coaching?”
“I don't know.”
“How often do employees win the dispute?”
“I don't know.”
“How often are elite members warned for behavior?”
Charles looked uncomfortable.
“Rarely.”
“How rarely?”
“I'll find out.”
Nia returned to her document.
Then asked:
“Do you know Evelyn Whitmore personally?”
Charles paused.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Events.”
“Board dinners.”
“Corporate travel partnership.”
“How many complaints has she made?”
“I don't know.”
“You reacted to her name.”
Charles looked toward the aisle.
“She is known.”
“That is not an answer.”
He sighed.
“She complains.”