The following story is by Houston-based Flight Attendant Jennifer Byers As a Flight Attendant, I’m always looking for ways to create memorable experiences for our Customers. So with the inspiration of a dear friend and “Professional Doodle Encourager,” I thought of a creative way to engage with our Customers on some of my flights. After sharing my idea with my fellow Crew Members, I got on the PA and shared our famous cocktail napkin story with our Customers. I finished by asking our Customers to doodle what they LUV best about Southwest Airlines on their cocktail napkins.
I was nervous at first because I didn’t know if anyone would want to participate, but they did! I asked Customers to turn on their call lights if they would like a pen and a napkin. After a few seconds of silence, one Customer hit his call light, then another, and another until a good portion of the cabin was lit up with inspiration. The sound of call lights being pressed was music to my ears. Customers of all ages were having fun, and the Captain even wanted to doodle too!
When my Crew Members and I collected the cocktail napkins, we received positive feedback from our Customers, and heard things like, “Thanks for making this a fun flight!” “What a great idea!” and “This was the best Southwest flight I’ve been on!”
After collecting all of the cocktail napkins, we picked three doodles at random and announced the winners. All of the Customers applauded, and I could see smiles all around.
I love my job! I love making others smile, and most of all, I love that I can be myself.
1 Comment