There are decisions where you cannot say YES. At the airport front line.

If I had said YES at that moment,
I am certain that,
I would never have been able to look at the sky again for the rest of my life.

When standing at the check-in counter,
there are moments when I am forced to make a decision.

That day, the person standing in front of me was a pregnant woman.

As part of safety verification, I asked my usual questions.

Weeks of pregnancy, physical condition, and expected due date.

Air pressure changes at high altitudes.
If anything happens, it is the cabin crew who must handle it.

That is precisely why, including the handover, verification is indispensable.

"I am at 26 weeks."

When I asked her for her expected due date in response to that,
she was unclear.
The calculations did not add up.

I could not help but be concerned about the size of her belly.

"If you do not know the due date, you cannot board."

When I told her that, a small sense of unease remained deep in my chest.

The desire to believe her and the intuition that I must not say YES,
were both there at the same time.

The passenger just said,
"Just check me in quickly."
"I already answered your questions!"

A little while later,
someone who appeared to be her father, who had come to see her off, approached.

"Why won't you check her in?" he asked.

In his hand, he held a Maternal and Child Health Handbook.

I think it was almost forced.

Even so, what was written in the handbook I was shown
was,
the reality that there was only one week left until her expected due date.

The moment I realized I was right,
before I could feel relieved, a chill ran down my spine.

If I had said YES on the spot.
If something had happened up in the sky.

At high altitudes, turning back is not easy.

It can lead to what is called a diversion,
an emergency landing at some airport.

If that happens, it affects not only the hundreds of passengers,
but also the staff handling the situation at that airport.

The ones handling it on the ground at that time would be the crew,

but I was the one who made the decision.

Up in the sky, there is no do-over.

Sometimes, I see news about
a baby being born during a flight.

That is news only because everyone was safe.

It wasn't that I doubted the passenger.
In fact, I truly wanted to believe them.

But,
believing someone and saying YES are not the same thing.

Precisely because I wanted to believe them,
I could not say YES.

The decision I made to tell them they could not board
was not praised by anyone.

The atmosphere was heavy, and the situation ended in silence.

Even so, I chose that decision.

The job of a floor supervisor
is not to smooth things over.

It is not to avoid disappointing anyone.

It is to take responsibility for what happens
beyond that single moment.

Not saying YES is also part of the job.

I still work at the airport, watching the sky.

Because I didn't say YES that day,
I am still able to look up at the sky today.

At the airport, there are indeed decisions where you cannot say YES.

Today, someone, somewhere, is taking responsibility for that decision.