TO: Mr. Gary
RE: Unaccompanied Minors surcharge
Dear Mr. Kelly:
I am a father. My son lives in California with his mother and is a frequent flyer on your airline as an unaccompanied minor. Your airline has been a godsend to my life. Living apart from my son is one of the hardest things I've had to endure. Now, I am being forced to accept a greater financial burden of $50 per trip through your new policy of a surcharge on unaccompanied minors.
Both my son and I fly Southwest a lot. The main reason that I feel good about flying Southwest is because of your fair and straightforward fare policy. I'm afraid to say that I no longer have that “warm and fuzzy feeling” that set your airline apart from the others. I can understand surcharges on additional baggage, animals, and just about anything else. When it comes to unaccompanied minors you have us parents over barrel and are now pounding salt into the already open wound that is a parent living apart from his or her child.
I strongly urge you to reconsider this surcharge as unaccompanied minors represent less than 1% of your customers. I believe that you stand to lose more by disappointing and penalizing your loyal customers.
I am very disappointed that Southwest Airlines is going the way of all of the other non-customer service oriented air carriers. I suppose your clever commercials that chastised the other nickel and diming airlines will go the way of your customer service. I am saddened that the one airline that supposedly had a heart is proving that this was just lip service and not customer service.
Respectfully,
Bill Melendez
former Southwest frequent flyer
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