Customer Service sometimes seems to be an old fashioned notion � one that went out with typewriters. Nowhere is this more evident than when you�re flying. From the check-in counter to the baggage claim, the customer�s satisfaction and convenience often seem the farthest things from anyone�s mind.

That makes a genuine show of interest and concern a real luxury. We just got a reminder of what a luxury it can be, when we flew from Boston to Lisbon a couple of weeks ago.

That experience inspired me to create a �Luxury Travel Award� to be �presented� by readers of this page to people and travel providers who go the extra mile to be sure our trips are right in every detail. And not because we have hired them specially to smooth our way, but because they consider it part of their job to make sure that a customer is satisfied.

It�s a way to publicly thank these people, and to let their employers know how lucky they are to have them on board. I hope you�ll add those shining moments in your own travels to the forum, so we can all honor people who put the meaning back into customer service.

The first �Luxury Travel Award� goes to Maria Adina Correia, of TAP at Newark Liberty Airport, for putting the class back into flying. ReadBellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

It's nice to know there are still people "out there" in the airline world that treat you like a human, not a number. Maria deserves this award.

I wish there were more Marias going the extra mile for travelers and others.