I had the chance this afternoon to speak directly with director Kevin Smith. I let him know that in my 18 years here at Southwest, I have never dealt with a situation like what has been unfolding in the last 48 hours. I let Kevin know we have refunded his airfare. I told him we made a mistake in trying to board him as a standby passenger and then remove him. And I told him we were sorry.
Now, 48 hours later, after talking to many involved, we know there were several things going on that day and that our Employees were doing their best to get his flight out safely and on time, including finding seats for everyone and trying to accommodate standby passengers. The Captain did not single Kevin out to be removed, but he did ask that the boarding be completed quickly. At that time, our Employees made the decision to remove Kevin after a quick judgment call that he might have needed more than one seat for his comfort and those seated next to him.
Although I’m not here to debate the decision our Employees made, I can tell you that I for one have learned a lot today. The communication among our Employees was not as sharp as it should have been and, it’s apparent that Southwest could have handled this situation differently. Thanks, Kevin, for your passion around this topic. You were a reasonable guy during our conversation.
Southwest, like most carriers, has a policy to assist passengers who need two seats onboard an aircraft. The policy is an important one for the comfort and safety of all passengers aboard a plane, and we stand by that 25-year-old policy. This has our attention, and we will be reviewing how and when this delicate policy is implemented.
Comments
Southwest's sin was a shocking lack of tact in handling the situation with Kevin Smith. It doesn't make a person all warm and fuzzy about flying SW. And boycotts DO work; it may not put anyone out of business but no company, especially in these times, can afford to alienate their customer base with such arrogant bafflegab as they have pursued. I frequently fly some of SW routes but I stopped checking their site several years ago because of their image.
Dear Anonymous,
Here is a link to the policy. http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/cos_guidelines.html
Haven't you notice after the Kevin Smith episode, that Southwest does not have the sharpest of flight attendants and Managers on duty that day. A doorknob has more sense than the people working that day on the plane.100 dollars back to Kevin Smith after humiliating him . Why wasn't Kevin put into first class since first class seems to have larger seats?
Think twice before jumping someone off the plane for being slightly overweight or did people forget the clothing incident on a few other flights awhile back?because of what some women were wearing because of some flight attendants.
It was not the actions of the company, but this apology that makes me not want to take a southwest plane again. There is nothing in this that even remotely makes it personal. We had to say something on the matter, so we did is about all you convey. Yeah, it sucks people are fat. I dont like sitting by them either. But...oh i lost my point. maybe you guys should promote excercize and just tell people how to live/eat since they cant figure it out on their own.
Great post. If you're big enough for two seats, then pay for two seats. Continue with your boycott A: Boycotts are never effective and usually make those taking part in them appear petty and unaware of their (lack of) impact. Remember the numerous boycotts of Disney? Yeah....they didn't work out so well and Disney is still in business.
The behavior from Southwest on the airplane wasn't perfect, but it hardly merits all the astro turf outrage that some folks are displaying.
Rock on Linda. Love the peanuts on the blog BTW.
Too bad I have to say my name is anonymous, but we don't trust airlines who have the power of God once we are on board, where a flight crew having a bad day can make ours a really bad day, as in handcuffs!
So I send my complaint about this arbitrary policy of who is too fat to fly. What I get back is a weak kneed response and links to generic SWA.com web site about the "policy". I want to know where is the policy? Why is it so hard to find on the web site. I still can't locate it.
How do I know that I will not be kicked off a flight? What guarantees does a passenger have and resources if the policy is abuses which it clearly was in Mr. Smiths case? A refund of the ticket price?
Give me a break! That's the minimum that an airline can do. Big deal, here is your money back! SWA has a PR nightmare on its corporate hands, costing thousands in lost revenue from passengers like me who will choose any airline over SWA due to this stupid move by both the crew and now your PR dept. lame effort to contain the anger and dismay.
Now, Your apology blames the pilot because he was in a hurry? This getting worse not better.
Time to fire somebody!
Until you post the too fat to fly policy where it is easy to find, this will not get better for SWA.
This all>>>Totally Amazing.
I will never travel with Southwest again. Period.
Kevin Smith isn't even that large. That's what disturbs me about this whole story.
Like several others have mentioned I am really glad so many of you are choosing to no longer fly SWA, I will not have to share space with you. Maybe the thing was handled badly especially when you consider the Well Known Jerk they were dealing with but they had been trying to do him a favor, getting him on an earlier flight and it didn't work out. I will never believe they Publicly Humiliated him everyone seems to take this personally because he is overweight.
Anyway you go fly the other airlines and I will have less people to compete with.
I will also say that in the, at least 15 years, that I've flown with SWA I have never had luggage lost, I have never missed a connecting flight and if a flight has ever been lengthily delayed it has been due to weather. I know some of you will blame SWA for the weather but I disagree.
SWA it sounds like some of your employees made some poor choices but since they have probably had to learn some lessons they will be better than before. Thanks for keeping your prices affordable and our luggage free.
The first blog response "not so silent bob" was awful. That is what crossed the line. Terrible PR southwest. I will join the boycott because of that.