Written by Southwest Customer Kim Seale
Two recent newspaper articles, combined with Southwest's newest ad campaign (to view "Coins" commercial, click here and open first ad), have caused me to reflect on the changing environment of air travel. It seems to me that "the Southwest effect" is much more than just the downward influence on airfares when SWA begins service to a new city. That is because I believe that Southwest Airlines, as a company, is about more than just low fares. Sure, that is a big and very obvious part of what they bring to the market, but I see a larger, but slightly less visible aspect of what SWA has meant to the airline industry. In my opinion, just maybe Customer Satisfaction is the true "Southwest Effect."
The first article that caught my eye was one that was titled 'Fliers' gripes soar', and it talked about the increasing number of complaints being lodged against air carriers. The author references "record-high airline traffic" (load factors) and its pressure on "flight delays, cancellations, rude airline employees, overheated airplane cabins, lost baggage and hours of frustration at the airport," which is more than just a mouthful of issues. These things come together to indicate a severe degradation in the level of customer service being offered to the flying public by many of the airlines in business today. The fuller the planes are, the less concerned some companies seem to be about trying to please the very people who are buying those tickets. Although I am reluctant to name names, it appears that some of the AAmerican-based airlines that are Continental in their approach look as if they are United in their efforts to take passengers in their Jets of Blue, or other colors, through the US airways, from the Northwest part of our country, to the Midwest part of our country, across the Delta of the Mississippi and to all other Frontiers of the United States with less and less concern for those passengers' satisfaction.
However, this article went on to say that the airline with the lowest rate of complaints was…Southwest Airlines. Are you surprised? You shouldn't be, and it is because of Positively Outrageous Service. Is Southwest perfect? Are they always on time? Do they always perfectly deliver a piece of luggage to its waiting owner in baggage claim? Of course, the answer to all of these is "No!" But, the difference is that when human mistakes occur, they are happening in the context of customers that already feel appreciated and pleased with the treatment they've gotten. I've been on flights that departed late from their gate, and yet the flight attendants had people onboard laughing at stupid jokes and singing along with ridiculous songs.
The second article talked about the aviation collection at the University of Texas at Dallas that is primarily the remnants of Braniff's public affairs archive. In that story, the curator of the collection along with a retired Braniff employee are interviewed as they reminisce about the bygone days of style, service and steaks in first class meals. The article ends with the quote, "I can just imagine back in the 1960s and an airline said they were going to charge you for a meal – passengers would have flipped out."
That leads me back full circle to the new SWA television ads that feature a passenger having to feed quarters into a receptacle to access the overhead bins or seatback trays. So many airlines these days appear eager to "nickel-and-dime" their passengers to supplement ailing bottom lines. Upcharges for a snack, a fee to get headphones to listen to a movie and charging you to make a change to a ticket all add up to a lack of sensitivity to their passengers. One particular AAirline recently informed us that to change an existing "free" (earned through mileage accrual) award ticket reservation booked in one passenger's name to another, without changing the flight numbers or dates, we would have to pay $100! That seat was already saved in our name, but trying to 'give' the same exact seat to someone else when we were unable to use it was going to cost us $100, on a ticket that could be purchased for about $200. A 50% premium for someone else to use that "free"seat!
At Southwest, however, the atmosphere is one of providing service and pleasing the customer while having a great time doing it. Other than a charge for alcoholic beverages, there are no additional fees to enjoy your flight experience on a SWA jet. They consistently rate at the top of many passenger satisfaction polls, provide some of the best ontime performance of the industry and manage to keep making a profit while they're doing it. The 'other' guys irritate their passengers, frustrate their employees, appear to run late pretty regularly and just keep losing money. Their solution? Nickel-and-dime the folks who fly with them! Let's see, a strategy built around continuing to alienate the people who are keeping you in business. What's wrong with this picture?
It just seems like the attitude displayed by a number of air carriers is that they are doing US a favor by letting us ride on THEIR planes. Is it just me, or has the cart gotten in front of the horse (proverbially speaking) somewhere along the way?
(Kim has been flying with Southwest since the early 70s both for pleasure and his business duties.)
Comments
I feel like i should take a bow! And I work completely behind the scenes here for this awesome company. Thanks to all of our wonderful Customers for such wonderful compliments. You make me very proud to be a part of SWA!
As a frequent flyer of SW for over 15 years, I recommend the "peanut airline" to everyone. I just flew back from Burbank to San Jose last night. Their customer-focused leadership is one to be emulated by other firms.
Now, I am pleased that there is a blog to post comments to the company.
As a leadership consultant, I think the secret of SW is its ability to remain honest while retaining a vision of integrity.
- Dr. Eileen Wibbeke
I am a frequent flyer (at least two flights a week). I have had a companion pass for at least six years. You can see I am a very loyal Southwest customer. I also fly enough to be a platinum on US Air (the new America West) and Premier on United. Why am I loyal and fly Southwest anytime I can...............
Because they are the only airlines where I know I will get there on the day I want to get there. The reason I fly other airlines is only because Southwest doesn't service all airports such as Newark. Of my last six flights out of Newark, I've not made it back three different times. I started out at the right day and time, but somewhere due to delays I've made it only partially home. I can't blame everything on the other carriers. I know that traffic is a huge contributing factor. But two of my delays were due to mechanical problems. I've been told it is my fault for taking the last flight out on Friday. It never seemed to be a problem in the past on Southwest, even when flying cross country. How I miss Southwest. I think it should be mandatory and yes, wonderful if Southwest flew into every major city. I for one am looking forward to that day.
It is more than that though. It is the "I can do it " attitude on Southwest that seperates them from the others. That creates happy employees and it shows. I now treasure my Southwest flights compared to the others.
There will always be wish lists. I have a few myself that I would love to see Southwest encorporate. But on the whole, there is not a better airlines. Even with lost baggage and cancelled flights, Southwest handles the problem better than any other.
My husband is a United Global traveler. He is to United as I am to Southwest. We have different traveling likes and dislikes. But you can take the first class upgrades and free drinks. I will take getting there on time in a happy enviroment anytime of the year. Plus isn't every seat on Southwest first class???????? And I have my books of drink tickets. Where's the different excepct in the cost.
Thanks Southwest. YOu make my life easy. I've learned that it's okay to change a reservation without being killed in change fees. I've learned it's okay to have two different reservations from two different cities because I don't quite know where I'll end up. I just cancel my other without fees. And since I always get an aisle seat with my A boarding group, I will not be charged additional fees for a premium seat.
Keep up the good work and keep having fun. But please DO NOT assign seating. Why wreck a good thing.
...chant with me: No Assigned Seats! No Assigned Seats!
Thanks for the oppertunity to share. I fly to and from work most weeks of the year and work for an absolutely lovely company with a staff of in-house travel agents. Do I make use of them? NO. I book all of my own travel on the SWA website to almost every airport you currently service. Do my co-workers think I'm a little crazy? Sure, but I'm in a good mood every Monday that I get to fly with SWA. SWA has been hands down the most consistant carrier I've flown with: I can easily collect SWA credits and have taken my family with me to work, I'm also closing in on that 100 credit companion pass and I can't wait to make use of it! The best part - coming in under my travel budget...the next best part - being able to use my reward tickets to help out family and friends when they need to get somewhere...
Last plea: Please don't go to assigned seating. I too like to print out my A boarding pass, show up early, buy a coffee & paper, and chit-chat with all the other A-Line folks. Plus I think I might have record for getting my favorite seat on every flight I've ever taken - the exit row middle seat with no seat on the right! Two tray tables just for me, woo-hoo!
Airports/Cities I'll need you to start flying to: GSP or anywhere in S.C., anywhere in Northwestern GA or Chattanooga TN, and Minneapolis. Thanks!
Having a Blog Site is a great idea. One of the many you have had over the years I might add.. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your airline. As someone said in a previous blog, it is not about the low fares--it is about your people and how they treat us customers. I cannot begin to tell you the laughs I have had since I first began flying your airline almost 30 years ago. Singing flight attendants, harmonica playing flight attendants, flight attendants with a great sense of humor, etc., etc. I remember a dinner when I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with Herb Kellerher, Al Casey, and Bob Crandall at the Cattlemen's Club in Dallas back in the '80's when I was in the Executive MBA program at SMU. Southwest had recently painted a plane to look like Shamu. Al Casey asked Herb when he was going to start expanding to other states. Crandall said something to the effect of "...Herb can expand all he wants within the state but if he tries to leave it, we'll make whale soup out of him." Who is making soup out of whom now?
Keep up the great work and PLEASE do not go to assigned seating. You'll take the fun out of talking to people in line and competing for the only 4 seats on the plane that can comfortably accommodate a guy my size (6'7", 280lbs.). Even though they are exit row seats and will probably not be assigned, the first ones at the counter will probably be able to get them. I prefer watching the clock to get my boarding pass 24 hours in advance and get a real thrill when I score an A boarding pass. Assigned seating will give shorter people an advantage. Thanks for staying true to who you are. You're the best. Regards, Mike Fitzpatrick
Micah --
What you have said about Knoxville certainly makes sense! I read an article one time about the massive amount of communication (cards, letters, phone calls, bizarre objects and off-beat public relations stuff) that is directed at SWA to influence (or beg or coerce or plead) them to fly to a particular city.
They hear from citizens of those communities (out to extraordinary distances), civic and elected leaders from those towns and from corporations based in those areas, all hoping that Southwest will soon decide to fly to "their" town.
The management at Southwest is surely not deaf, and they know and appreciate very much that folks want them to serve their particular airport. However, fiscal responsibility mandates that they expand cautiously and judiciously. They have not remained profitable for over 31 years as a result of hasty and emotional decisions, and as the flying public and as stockholders, we wouldn't want them to change their approach now.
If you want a textbook example of growing too rapidly and expanding so far from your "roots" that it becomes fatal, think of Braniff. (or Braniff II or Braniff III and however many incarnations there were) Southwest has stuck to their game plan and grown slowly and purposefully into markets where it will be mutually beneficial to that area AND to Southwest Airlines. Success is usually measured as a "win-win" for all parties involved, and except for a very few cases of having to retreat from a city or an airport, SWA's success rate is pretty darn high! It is similar to the extensive research and demographics studies that McDonald's uses in choosing its retail locations. How many times do you see a McDonald's restaurant close because it was built in a bad place?
All I can say to you, Micah, and the others who have posted here about service being offered to their area, is to be patient and stay positive. When and if they can, Southwest will do their best to serve all of us!
Kim :)
I also really enjoy flying with Southwest. The only complaint that I have is the "checking in on-line" for group A,B or C. This is impossible to do when we are visiting out of state relatives who do NOT own a computer or likewise it is impossible for them (the same relatives) to check in on-line when they are flying to visit us. This seems to be a bit discriminatory to the folks who have not adapted to the computer age. I would love to see a change in that. To me, there should be another option - perhaps the assigned seating.
I also love the "Ding" feature. Great idea.
Conniel
To "joan" --
You fly in and out of a very sunny city with extremely low humidity like Phoenix, and you want MORE brightness and MORE dry wit?
Check on flight availability to the Sahara Desert!!!
LOL
Kim :)
This is a joint reply to "Karen" (with the three-year old grandson in Baltimore), "Donna from the Midwest" (whose sister's cancer surgery required an extended stay in Las Vegas) and "Summer in Ventura" (whose lost her papers on a flight to Denver):
I have a feeling that your letters will wind up in Colleen's "Packet of Good Letters" by way of Angela Vargo when she reads this blog. Your letters were wonderful examples of the Positively Outrageous Service that we like to brag about from our friends at Southwest! Karen -- isn't that what it's all about? Forget peanuts and assigned seating issues. Southwest's schedule and affordability gives you the chance to spend time with your grandson!! Donna -- you've seen firsthand how just a small gesture of caring friendship in the midst of a personal crisis can make a huge difference. That's LUV in action! And Summer -- sometimes miracles do happen. Doesn't it just make you feel good when strangers go out of their way to do something to help you?
To me, your touching comments embody what so many of us believe about Southwest and its Employees -- they may be "just plane nuts" at times, but they really are full of LUV for their Customers. There simply is NOT a better airline or group of people around!
Thanks especially to you three for adding to this blog,
Kim :)
Three years ago I became employed with a company that requires me to fly to varied destinations across the country each week. I fly to and from these destinations every week out of MDW and am pleased to say Southwest is by far my favorite airline. Because weekly travel can become boring quickly I like to develop ways to make my travel life more interesting. One of these ways is by challenging complainers in the ABC lines and trying to see how many I can turn around to seeing the Southwest point of view before we board the plane. When I hear people complain about unassigned seating I immediately begin my speech relating to the ease of making travel changes, online check-in, organized and quick turn-around of planes, direct and non-stop flights, on-time departures and arrivals, but most of all I love sharing my thoughts on Southwest's customer service and employee attitudes. Often people ask me if I work with the company and am surprised when I tell them I am only a satisfied customer. I tell them to keep their eyes open on their flights for things they won't see on other airlines (such as the pilots assistance in cleaning the planes between legs). Most of the time I am successful and can at least get people to stop complaining and consider the alternatives. I am very loyal to Southwest and will fly to cities and drive hours to my destinations if it means I will have to fly another airline. Thank you Southwest for your customer oriented service!! And thank you too, MDW for your friendly staff and airport atmosphere!