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A Shining Star in the Spokane Baggage Service Office

dkarstens
Explorer B

First comes the desperate searching. In the moment you realize you’re missing a ring, a cell phone, or something else, there’s always a glimmer of hope that maybe you just forgot where you last placed it. Then comes the uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach—it’s lost.

At Southwest Airlines, we’re dedicated to providing our Customers with the highest quality of Customer Service, which is a mission that extends far beyond your experience with us in the air. Central Baggage Services, a department located within Ground Operations, is devoted to caring for our Customers by proactively reducing baggage irregularities and donning detective gear to reunite you with your lost item.

Laura Koepke, a Southwest Employee at Spokane International Airport (GEG), is one of the standout members of the Baggage Service Office (BSO) Team. Ask any of her Coworkers, and they’ll tell you that she works hard every day while maintaining a positive attitude. To GEG Customer Service Supervisor Laralynn Stevens, Laura’s Warrior Spirit really shined through one day last year when the Station experienced numerous delays and cancellations.

“Laura worked independently in the Baggage Service Office with many bags coming from the cancelled flights,” Laralynn says. “We were unable to send her help due to the overwhelming lines at the ticket counter and gate.  She did a fantastic job of organizing the bags by cancelled flight in sections of the baggage claim.  This helped locate the Customers’ bags as they came to pick them up.”

Laura, a former Morris Air Employee, started working at Southwest on June 1, 1994. She has served as a GEG Customer Service Agent for her entire SWA career and LUVs her position in the Baggage Service Office.

“It is my own little space, and I rely on my own independent skills,” Laura says.

Throughout her years in the BSO, Laura has learned how to adapt to even the most unpredictable situations, including one time when a snowstorm hit and the Station had more than 300 bags in baggage claim. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed.

“Time and time again I hear from our Customers about how Laura has been the greatest and has turned their trip around,” says GEG Station Manager J Evans. “She is everything that Southwest could ask for.”

When she isn’t delivering Positively Outrageous Service in the BSO, Laura is spending time outdoors, gardening, or working on projects at home. Her husband, Roger, and she LUV animals, and the couple has five horses, numerous cats, and a dog named Lilly. Her caring demeanor is present both at home and work, and we’re so glad she’s a part of our Southwest Family!

Did You Know? You can now self-report any “unchecked” items lost onboard a Southwest Airlines plane on southwest.com! Just visit southwest.com and click on “Baggage Policies” at the bottom of the page. From here, select “Lost and Found,” and you’ll be directed to our “Lost Item Report.” By providing us with your e-mail address and phone number, we’ll be able to keep in touch with you regarding the search for your lost item!