Posted on 09/03/2007 8:51:29 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Southwest was a godsend to me on a recent vacation when I dislocated my knee on the way to the airport and missed my scheduled flight. They happily put me on a later flight at no extra charge, had an attendant there to meet me when I arrived at the airport, expedited our check-in, took me right on the plane in a wheelchair and gave me the whole front row so I could elevate my leg. I know I would never have gotten such good treatment from any other airline.
Amazing folks on Southwest - and they are all having fun at work!
Wow! What a business model!
Few years ago, I had reservations for a 10 am plane to Las Vegas. I checked in about 8 am, and the agent said that she could get me on the 9 am flight. I hesitated and she said “Look, you can get an extra hour of gambling in”. I agreed.
Love SWA.
....Bob
I love that airline.
SWA Pilot:” I used a $10 billion GPS system to arrive here, and now we are waiting for a guy with a 49 cent flashlight to tell me where to park”
... I cracked up
....Bob
In fact, Southwest single-handedly saved low-cost intra-California flights by essentially taking over the role that PSA used to have in the state. I also think Las Vegas casinos should band together to give Southwest a big thank you celebration--Southwest Airlines is probably the biggest reason why Las Vegas has become arguably the #1 tourist destination in the USA.
I still remember one morning back then when I had my little portable V HF tuned to Dallas approach control during some shaky weather conditions. Two Southwest flights were holding, and a good old Texas captain's voice came on: "Wow, two-thirds of the fleet in holding patterns!"
I find it a little unnerving for flight staff to always be joking around.
And is it that expensive or troublesome to have seat reservations? You have to wait in lines like cattle.
I was standing in a long line of passengers waiting to board for Austin. There were several passengers in wheelchairs being preboarded by skycaps, and they were one skycap short. When a SWA pilot who was deplaning saw the lady in the wheelchair waiting, he greeted her with a big smile and promptly took her through the gate to the plane.
A businessman who’d been making deals on his cell phone while we waited, turned to me and said, “That’s why I fly Southwest.”
I fly Southwest a lot.
I still don’t like standing in line since you don’t have assigned seats.
I also don’t like their short turnarounds. You are definately herded in like cattle.
I’ve noticed over the years that the employees are more business like than they used to be. It used to be almost every flight they the employees seemed to be having fun. Now it’s more the exception than the rule. But at least at least they aren’t grumpy like some of the other airlines.
As much as I fly SW (frequent flyer) I still look for similar pricing on other airlines. Recently flew Alaska for less money, got an assigned seat, relaxed boarding, staff was friendly...kind of like the old days of flying.
Feel free to spend 2 or 3 times what Southwest wants for a flight on, say, American Airlines...
Where you will almost NEVER get to the gate at the promised time, have to pay extra for everything they offer, and then have to deal with rude and surly personnel.....
Southwest is definitely a love ‘em or hate ‘em company. There are a lot of good things about the company and a lot of bad things, and whether the good outweighs the bad depends on your personal preferences and travel needs.
One thing the article fails to mention in discussing Southwest’s success is that unlike the major airlines, Southwest never had the government dictating their business model. That’s a pretty big historical advantage.
In a way, copiers are like the airlines. Everything can work perfectly but if there is one paper jam, the customer wants the machine out in the street. In the same way, a longtime customer of one airline might jump to another airline over some lost luggage or a bad experience at the ticket counter.
BTW, when your flight experience is perfect, do you ever call the airline to thank them? It's the same with copiers. We can put out a copier that runs perfectly for a year and never hear anything from the customer. Then when it breaks down (and all copiers break eventually), it suddenly becomes "that #($#*$% machine that hasn't worked since Day 1."
SO that all said, it really does come down to attitude. In my company, we stress the positive attitude and in a way, we are the "Southwest" of the copier industry. As a result, it is a fun place to work We never had to lay anybody off, our turnover is low and we are profitable year after year.
The Southwest model can be applied to any industry.
You must work for a Canon dealership.
My Sharp dealers had a great attitude, wonderful products and made money. I might add, we worked hard and had fun doing it.
I do have to give credit to Southwest. I give credit to Jet Blue too.
Sorry Sam, I didn't read your full post before I replied. Good for you.
That’s not my experience.
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