As a former professional football player, I was used to frequent travel on our team jet. Now, I use Southwest as my own “team plane” in my weekly travels as a business professional.
With all of my frequent travel on Southwest, I’ve had the privilege of taking advantage of many Rapid Rewards perks, including my A-List status, which allows me to have priority boarding and other great amenities. Well, recently my Rapid Rewards A-List status paid off in a special way. I received a call from Southwest inviting me to a Rapid Rewards Customer preview of the new cabin interior. Given the fact that I’m on an airplane more often than in my own car, I jumped at the chance to see what changes were in store.
I was amazed by the clean, modern look of the cabin, but most importantly, I was ready to get in that seat to see how it felt. After all, as a 6’6” former professional football player, you can imagine that space is a big priority for me. Southwest certainly didn’t let me down. The new seats have a distinctly more comfortable feel. The best way that I can describe it is rather than feeling like you’re sitting “on top” of the seat, you really sit “into” the seat. I felt that there was additional space in terms of legroom, and the support from the newly designed headrest was ideal.
After we all got settled into our seats, we were SHOCKED to learn that there were six additional seats on the plane. I couldn’t believe it. After all, I didn’t feel my personal space had been compromised, and in fact, it improved. What a tremendous accomplishment on the Engineers’ part to add in an entire extra row without compromising comfort. I am impressed!
After this experience, I was especially impressed by how passionate all of the Southwest Employees seemed about their jobs. For instance, when the Engineers were walking us through the detail of the new seats, not only did their incredible level of knowledge come out, but it was their PASSION that truly amazed me. It’s clear that Southwest Employees LOVE what they do!
Week in and week out, I rely on Southwest Airlines to get me where I need to be, and then back home again. After having the privilege of playing wide receiver professionally, I’ve been fortunate to have an incredibly rewarding “off the field” career, which has me traveling on Southwest every week. I divide my time between my role as a Human Resources leader for a healthcare company and my personal passions of motivational speaking, being a life skills coach, and serving as a leadership specialist. I am ALWAYS on the go—flying across the country speaking to organizations such as Nike, the National Football League, Wal-Mart, Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Boeing Company’s National Management Association, and more. So why do I choose Southwest? I like to describe it as “The Big 3.”
- Service – I am constantly amazed by the superior level of service that Southwest provides their Customers. From the Telephone Agents to the Flight Attendants onboard, everyone is incredibly kind, and most importantly, genuine.
- Value – In this economy, everyone is looking for a way to save. Southwest provides an amazing value for their Customers, which is especially important to someone who travels as frequently as I do.
- Speed – With Southwest, it’s rare that I’ve experienced long delays or canceled flights. And, their turnarounds are the quickest I’ve experienced with an airline. I also appreciate the speed in which Southwest Employees can accommodate my needs. For instance, if I need to make a change or have a special request, the Employees are empowered to make the decision right then and there so that I can get on with my day.
Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased with the new cabin—the new features fit perfectly with two of my big 3 reasons of why I fly Southwest—service and value. Having a comfortable flight sets the tone for my entire trip, and I can’t wait to get onboard a new Evolve cabin aircraft. Hope to see you on a future Southwest flight!
