"Where have you gone Herb Kelleher?
A nation of loyal SW customers turns its lonely eyes to you (woo woo woo)
What's that you say, Mr. Customer?
Herb has left and gone away - and new management is killing the airline he built today ... (hey hey hey)"
Southwest was (deliberate past tense) an American icon in the airline industry. It differentiated itself on the basis of price and efficiency. And it rewarded all those little guys, the customers, who made it the airline that it became, our Greyhound in the sky. But as the major airlines have consolidated - American, Delta, United, US Airways - Southwest is able to be #5, equal the majors on pricing as they don't have to price cheaply to get customers anymore, and rather than continue to be the scrappy innovator Herb built, they can be a "me too" competitor. What next, Southwest? Customer service in India and the Phillipines? (Just for the WGA tickets...)
We - the customers who built you - see through the marketing veneer and recognize this change for what it is: customers don't matter anymore and giving us less is okay. By telling us the new program is better, you're not being honest with us either. Just what we need - a frequent flyer program with the complexities and rewards of a cell phone plan.
You've lost that LUVin' feeling SW. Help us, Obi-Wan Kelleher - you're our only hope ...
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