02-16-2010
07:03 AM
Southwest attendants aren't exactly the cream of the crop. Several years ago I flew LAX to arizona to ohio to connecticut. 1st leg was fine, 1/2 empty plane. AZ to OH was decidedly not. I'm a 'big person', and there were people on the plane who dwarfed me. And it was PACKED. Then I looked out the window as 20 min of luggage was loaded into the plane.
Then another 15 min of boxes and carts that looked like mail service or something.
Then we took off down the runway, and I swear to god, may he strike me dead if i'm lying, I felt the plane start to lift... then come back down... then start to lift... then come back down... then start to lift... then come down a little bit.... then strain a bit... and take off.
The moment that plane took off, my window view went from tarmac to grass and trees in about half a second. The realization that we just about went screaming off a runway due to an overloaded plane caused me my first panic attack in my life once we hit cruising altitude.
I was pale, shaking, dizzy, blood started pouring out of my nose. Now i'm a fairly 'strong person' but i was -- this close from asking them to have an ambulance waiting for me at ohio when we landed....
....and you really know what pissed me off most about this? As the blood faucets open and start pouring out my nose, an attendant tossed me a couple napkins then moved back to the front of the plane, to mouth 'ewww' and 'that's gross' to a co-worker, while gesturing at me.
So I guess what i'm saying is this.
1: Brush up on your customer service, because it can seem to be a disservice at times.
2: You wouldn't need to concern yourself with the weights of your customers if you didn't contract out to the postal service (or ups or fedex or whomever owned those boxes that were definitely NOT traveller luggage I saw being loaded) and full up your planes with that and free bags.
After that experience? I don't just not fly southwest, I don't fly anymore, PERIOD.
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