Before I moved to Florida in 1989, I spent half my life on an airplane. I actually moved to Orlando because I got tired of going there.

Since my goal in life is to sleep with my wife at night, I quickly learned that the number of national or international conventions being held in Columbia, SC were limited.

As a motivational speaker, I realized that I would have to either live on an airplane or live where they hold meetings, so I moved Muhammad to the mountain. Now, about 80% of my presentations are within driving distance of my home in St. Cloud, Florida near Orlando.

When I lived in South Carolina, I flew Delta so much that that gave me a rare award called a "Flying Colonel." I used to hear all these horror stories from my colleagues about their bad experiences in the air.

Mind you, I am not saying my planes have never been late. I am not saying that luggage does not occasionally get lost. On balance though, most of my flying experiences have been very good over the years. I figure that any flight that actually lands in one piece has been a pretty good flight.

I was standing in O'Hare Airport listening to a guy just ream out an Eastern Air Lines clerk back in the early eighties. I do not understand how someone can get angry with a reservation agent because of a snowstorm. I guess that screaming at her was going to make the snow melt. Didn't happen.

After getting insulted about every way one could insult another human being, she said very politely, "Sir. There are only two people in the world who care about you making your flight-- and one of them is fast losing interest." He finally piped down, realizing how much of a fool he was making of himself.

I learned early on that the best way to get good service on any airline is to simply expect it. The first thing I do when I get on an airplane is I ask the Flight Attendant for the name and the address of their supervisor.

"Sir, is there some problem?" they always ask. "No, there is no problem. I just want to write them a thank you note for the wonderful service I am about to receive." Don't laugh. I swear to you it works. I found that one of the criteria the airlines use for promotion of their people is the number of complimentary letters they have in their files. Conversely, complaint letters can be a killer for promotions.

I always conveniently have blank cards in my carryon luggage with my picture and biographical sketch on one side and they are blank on the other side. I write a sincere and honest thank you note to the Flight Attendant's Supervisor, praising him or her for the wonderful service the attendant provided in my flight.

I specifically mention the flight number, the name and ID number of the Flight Attendant and the explicit thing he or she did to make the flight more enjoyable. I am always honest and detailed. I never seem to have a stamp with me, so I ask the Flight Attendant if they will pass it on to their Supervisor. Ever here of "same day delivery?"

As everyone deplanes, you hear "goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye…. oh goodbye Mr. Aun! It was so wonderful having you on board today. And won't you please fly with us again."

Over the years, I have flown Delta Air Lines so much that I was writing to a guy named John Hume in Atlanta twice a week. He was the Director of the Flight Attendants for Delta at Hartsfield International Airport. He got so many of my letters that he recommended me as a speaker for Delta.

He always politely responded to every "atta-boy" or "atta-girl" that I would send to his people. One day, I got a personal letter from Mr. Hume. "Dear Mr. Aun: Stop writing. I retired last year!"

A thank you note is one of the most important things you can do for anyone. It contains four simple ingredients.

1. Make it quick. A note six months after the fact is an insult.
2. Keep it short. It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
3. Be specific. Let the person know "why" you are taking the trouble to thank them.
4. Write it personally. A personal, hand-written note always works much better than something formal.

Learn to thank others for the good works they do. It will pay you huge dividends.