07-18-2007
08:29 PM
1 Love
Just back from roundtrip cross-country on SWA. All airports as mobbed and chaotic as media is reporting -- security lines hellishly long, delays inevitable.
Throughout I noticed my relief upon reaching SWA gates for my flights. SWA employees were in every airport obviously overwhelmed thru no fault of their own -- had to explain to arriving people ad nauseam exactly why this or that flight was delayed, meantime their phone ringing, they were making repeat announcements paging passengers who hadn't shown up for departure -- all while their desk were surrounded by irritated people w/ questions. SWA employees were doing approximately six things at once in 7 mobbed airports. I never saw an SWA employee get impatient or behave in any way other than calmly and respectfully -- professionally.
I've used no other carrier since discovering Southwest. Employee morale is for me a signal indicator of employees' mutual AND personal investment in their carrier and its customers. Those w/ good morale and a positive team ethic tend not to cut corners. I trust SWA employees' commitment to my safety, and I know any question I have will be thoroughly, courteously and patiently answered. And -- most important to any of us -- I trust that SWA employees in cockpits, too, are personally invested in my safety because they're personally invested in the success of SWA.
... View more