The story begins when Flight Attendant Holly H. met the father of country crooner Taylor Swift. Mr. Swift was so impressed with Holly, he gave her special guitar picks from Taylor. On Holly’s next flight, departing from Nashville to Phoenix, Holly met a Customer named Rowland, traveling with his girlfriend to attend a friend’s wedding. During conversation, it became apparent they were both big fans of Taylor Swift. Holly generously offered them a few of her guitar picks. Between that, her winning personality, and her excellent Customer Service, Holly had won over Rowland and his girlfriend.
Being that it was a WiFi plane, Rowland logged onto his Facebook account and expressed his gratitude on our Southwest Airlines page:
The post reads, “If someone in the Southwest Airlines corporate HQ can see this - I'm on flight 913 currently en route to Phoenix and I want yall to know that our flight attendant Holly is perhaps one of the most remarkably kind and helpful people my girlfriend and I have ever met. If you can meet us at the gate with something remarkable for this remarkable woman (a promotion, a raise, a chipotle burrito, anything), I will sign a document pledging to only fly Southwest from here on out (unless you do not fly where I need to go). Of course - I request a "Keyman Clause" in this agreement stipulating the contract terminates if Holly ever leaves. People like her are why I fly SWA.”
Needless to say, when the Marketing Department made our Phoenix Inflight staff aware of the post, we sprang into action. First, we contacted Paradise Bakery and asked them to create a special chocolate chip cookie just for Holly that read “Holly, most remarkably kind Flight Attendant”.
Presenting Holly with her Cookie of Appreciation
We made a sash with the same verbiage for Holly to wear for her appreciative Customers.
Flight Attendant Crew
Finally, a “special contract” was drafted for both Rowland and Holly to sign.
The Official Signing
We LUV that our Customers feel as passionately as we do about our Flight Attendants' Legendary Customer Service. We look forward to having Rowland on many more Southwest Airlines flights (he's contractually obligated, after all).
Comments
A shining example (pun intended) of how well Southwest responds to social media posts. Nice job! Keep up the good work in using all of the social media tools, it will be one of the most challenging areas of customer service but in the long run the most profitable. Cheers!
Thank you for everything Southwest! What an experience! Holly is just amazing, as well as many of the other SW attendants! Just got back to Nashville about 5 hours ago from another SWA flight...another great time.By the way, the wedding was fabulous!
Thanks for posting Stephen! Nice to meet you! What an incredible way to be welcomed to PHX. (the cookie cake was awesome as well...or should I say...remarkable!)
Love,
Natalie
(the girlfriend of Rowland)
Wish we had had Holly on our last SW flight. We flew the Austin-Dallas-albeqerque-Portland flight on Monday, the 14th. The flight crew for the first two legs were great! But they had a crew change in Albeqerque and one of them was extremely unpleasant and rude. Wish I had her name...
Living in Atlanta, with WN headed our way; with so much still unknown about the carrier to so many folks in the vicinity...this story will play well as to what sort of onboard experience to expect. Well done!
This story is WHY I <3 SW. Like Rowland, when I lived in Texas (Corpus Christi,) I flew ONLY SW, unless it didn't go where I was planning to travel. I now live in Canton, Ohio and have been using Airtran and CAK (Akron-Canton Airport,) since Cleveland is abt an hour away from here. CAK is abt 20 minutes from where I live and I can use local Metro buses to get to that airport. With consolidation of both airlines, will CAK STILL be used by SW as one of its airports or will I have to start using Cleveland, again??? Thanks.
Ellen:
I just saw your comment about the CAK Airport and the coming together of AirTran with Southwest. I too would be interested within the next eighteen to twenty-four months to go visit folks that are close to me and my life in Portage County, Ohio. Is the CAK Airport in Portage County? Do "local Metro buses" as you had made reference to, serve the CAK Airport and both the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as Kent State University? Would this be a better alternative airport if these major landmarks are your final destination, similar to what many people point out here on the West Coast that the Bob Hope (Burbank) Airport is a great alternative to flying into Los Angeles (LAX)?
Happy Thanksgiving,
--Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member
I flew AirTran recently to ATL and it was clear that they share the LUV. It really is about the culture.
I am a retired RR man who doesn't own a car. Whenever I travel I go by Southwest or I take the bus. The exception is once a year when I lecture at the University of Ottawa, and you don't fly into Canada. Also I am glad to be able to travel with my large and outgoing cat under the seat.
What a great story and some great comments on top of the great story, especially from Jennifer Gildner who flew from Philadelphia to my hometown in Sacramento. From what I read, Holly is a great example as to why Southwest Airlines works not just hard, but smart everyday to stand out and be different than other airlines in this very competitive industry. As soon as Southwest Airlines announced its going into Newark through a Press Release back in August 2010, I immediately said that I have had it with the legacy airlines that I have previously flown with to Newark in the past. Among future airports, I can't wait for the acquisition of AirTran to be 100% complete with the Single Operating Certificate (SOC) being issued sometime in 2012 so that I can fly to family living in Kent, not far from the Akron/Canton (CAK) Airport. It will also be exciting from Sacramento that flights may soon go to Washington/Regan National Airport (DCA) allowing Sacramento Business People, ELected Officials, and the Sacramento Congressional Delegation to fly from "Capitol-to-Capitol" all as a result of the acquisition of AirTran Airways. Holly and flight attendants like Victor, who served me on Flight 3920 from Phoenix to Newark back on November 21st, are aspects of the fun and "LUV"ing atmosphere I get from Southwest Airlines that I don't get from other carriers. Rowland is a customer who thinks like I do. I too pledge to fly no one but Southwest Airlines (unless there is a place they don't serve, and I have to get there). With the addition of Newark and the soon to be completed acquisition of AirTran Airways, Southwest Airlines makes my flying a very fun experience, every time.
Best Regards & Happy Holidays to all at Southwest Airlines and the Bloggers!!
--Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member & Blogger in Sacramento, California
Thanks for the kind words, Mike. Hope one day you won't have to look elsewhere!