Southwest to South by Southwest
I'm on my way back from SXSW in Austin - but this post is about my trip TO Austin via Southwest Airlines. It's a subtle but profound story about how people act when they REALLY care about customers.
In the frantic few moments before the plane was pushing back from the gate in Kansas City - or maybe it way already pushing back - I'm not sure, a woman sitting in the window seat asked the flight attendant (named Christel) for a glass of water. Christel quickly explained she couldn't serve anything until we got in the air. The woman who had asked for the water was clearly nervous about flying - not exactly a rarity.
Cut to 10,000 feet. The moment the flight attendants were allowed to get up, Christel bolted from her seat grabbed a glass of water and brought it to the woman sitting by the window. Christel said that she was really sorry (and I KNOW she really meant it) - but that she was subject to a $1,200.00 fine if she had served the water when she asked.
It might seem like a small thing, but it showed that Christel really cared. I'm not sure that kind of care would ever be evident on a legacy carrier. One of the reasons I'm always in awe of Southwest.
