Two junior employees miss their return flight from a business conference in Nashville after evading commitments for the entire event, senior employee gets blamed for their behavior: 'Text them at 3:45 pm that Lyft is arriving in 15 mins, no response'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 5, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Business travel and the idea of being a jet-setting doer of business has an allure to it. There's this sort of mythologization involved, the idea that this means that you're someone, that you've made it. 

But, unless you're on the knife's edge of some entrepreneurial project that's been padded with the backing of angel investors, the reality of corporate business travel is really quite different: navigating crowds at conference centers, long days networking desperately trying to strike the match of meaningful business conversation with as many industry buzzwords as possible. All that is capped off with socializing at evenings out to dinner, by the time you retire to your airport hotel, you're relieved at the solitude, a chance to finally be alone and switch off, though you do wish that you were at home in your own bed. You drift off to sleep, hoping that you wake up fresh and ready to do it all again tomorrow.

In a way, you can see why these two junior employees got it so wrong on their first work trip, especially without the oversight of their own boss being present. The temptation is definitely there to enjoy yourself and experience this new place you find yourself in. But these aren't teenagers; these are grown adults who should be able to see that temptation and then make the right decision. It's not as if you can say that they made one mistake and missed their flight either, from this manager's account of events, it's very clear that there was a pattern of behavior and not an isolated incident. 

Professionalism and responsibility go hand in hand, and if this were a test they failed spectacularly.

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  • "Land a couple hours later to a barrage of texts from them. They’re 'stranded in Nashville', don’t know what to do"

    A young woman sits holding her phone at the airport with a concerned look on her face
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "[Am I wrong] for still getting on a flight home when my two young coworkers I was traveling with weren’t at the airport yet and were obviously going to miss it?"

    This past week I was presented with an industry award in Nashville that an agency partner nominated me for. I am a Director at my company. My Co decided to send two junior-level employees to the event as well because they thought it would be a good experience for them - a Specialist who has been with us a little over a year (25f, first job out of college). and a summer intern (21f, rising senior). They are not on my team (report up through separate VP) and I have very limited / no interaction wi
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  • They were VERY excited to be going. This was going to be the Specialist's first time on a plane, lots of Teams chats asking what to wear, etc. We were flying in Thursday morning and leaving Friday evening so it was a very short trip, but I tried to help share info about the event (types of attendees, awards reception/presentation Thursday night with a country western theme, then I was speaking on a panel Friday morning).
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  • There's so much I could say, but I'll try to highlight key points: • Specialist barely made Thursday AM flight because she doesn't have a Real ID and had to do extra screening. She had no idea what a Real ID was, or the basic rules of flying (liquid restrictions, etc.) She was VERY upset they made her throw away some of her skincare that was over 3oz.
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  • • Thurs night event was country western theme, and while a majority of people there were business casual, Intern shows up in a bandana tube top, micro skirt, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. I pulled her aside and asked if she wanted to run upstairs and change since it was still a business event, but she said she was fine and she thought she looked cute and on- theme.
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  • A woman dressed in cowgirl attire leaning on a barrel
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    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • • After ceremony I invite them to join me with some colleagues I knew from other Companies in the hotel bar, but they tell me they want to "check out Broadway". I make a face and say this would be a good networking opportunity, they make "c'mon mom" jokes, and so I tell them to be safe and remind them the time and location of first session the next day. • Text them around 11pm that I hope they got back safe, no response. Went to bed. Text them the next morning offering to meet them for coffee be
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  • • No idea if they actually attended any sessions or saw my panel, but I did find them in the hotel lobby afterward looking incredibly hungover. • Have about 2 hours after event is over and before we need to go to the airport, I invite them to late lunch with our agency partners. They decline because they want to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Again, make a face and say I don't know if they will have time and I think it would be a good opportunity for them to spend time. with our agency. T
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  • • Text them at 3:45pm that Lyft is arriving in 15 mins, no response. • Text them that Lyft has arrived and I'm leaving for airport, no response. • Text them when I get to airport and tell them security line is long (neither had pre-check), no response. • Text them when I get to gate to please give me some sign of life, Intern sends very short response about 10 mins later: "In Lyft, there's traffic." Nothing else. • Text them flight is starting to board, no response. • Text them when I'm in my se
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  • Land a couple hours later to a barrage of texts from them. They're "stranded in Nashville", don't know what to do, how to rebook, who to call for help, etc. I also have an angry voicemail from Specialist's mom that I "abandoned her daughter in Nashville", she has never flown and has anxiety, she's having a panic attack at the airport and needs medical attention, she could be human trafficked (???). I call Specialist and Intern back, both phones ring but neither pick up. Text to see if they were
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  • Also have text from their Director (don't know her well, just started with Co a couple weeks ago) asking what's going on. I send her brief overview and screenshots of all my unanswered texts to them from earlier in the day along with the transcript of the vm I got from the mom. She acknowledges my response, but no further dialogue. Now, I get an invite for a Monday morning meeting from that Director with their VP and our C-Suite leader. My VP is on PTO.
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  • I feel like these are adults, I was communicative, and I'm ultimately not responsible for their decisions. But you tell me, AITA here?
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  • A view from behind of woman wearing a black cowboy hat who looks dressed to go out.
    via Donald Giannatti

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 4me2knowit Did they do ANYTHING work related? I'd sack them
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  • Apprehensive_Mark_20 They seem to have mistook a business trip for a vacation. Also they acted irresponsibly around time, dressing, and networking possibilities. None of this is your fault. You are not their mother. You treated them like the adults they are, the fact that they didn't act like adults is not on you NTA.
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  • lychigo You were there as their coworker, not as their mother. Firstly, no one should be expecting you to take care of them in that way. They're adults. And even when you did offer them direction and support, they didn't even have the decency to get back to you. And a call from her mom? Good Christ. I would come prepared with documentation and also let your supervisor know, even if they're on PTO that this is what was happening.
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  • Cheezburger Image 10538580224
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • MissHibernia I think that OP went incredibly above and beyond here considering that it was a WORK EVENT SHE WAS RECEIVING AN AWARD AT so to have these junior idiots causing any type of fuss was really an unnecessary hassle for her when it should have been a personal celebration
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  • BralVd The call from the mom is what sends this over the edge for me. They're adults on a work trip, not a school field trip. You're not their chaperone. I have a feeling that Monday meeting isn't going to be about you. NTA
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  • PlantsCatsCuc 100% NTA you were more than communicative. What were you supposed to do, not get on your flight?! No. Just go into the meeting calm, and focus on the facts. You're not a babysitter.
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  • DiScOrDtHeLuNaTiC OP, we're gonna need an update after that meeting XD.
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  • Helln_Damnation NTA. They're adults with big girl jobs now. They didn't show any sort of professionalism while on a work trip representing the company. You have a text trail to show that you did your best. I think you went over and above what you needed to do for them.
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  • Lorathis NTA and I agree with everyone else. I'll add that there's a 99.9% chance the meeting is just you reiterating your story before they get reprimanded/fired. 0.1% chance they're related to a c- suite and you get in trouble - which means you need to start looking for another job. Again, this is super unlikely, but I've seen crazier things in my corporate time.
    via Diligent_Pineapple35

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