Go Southwest!

Thanks so much for sharing our Operation: Kick Tail video. We had so much FUN traveling around the country, giving out money to our hard-working Employees, and showing them our LUV! Please stay tuned to our blog (nutsaboutsouthwest.com) for more nutty Southwest videos!

Ben, loved this particular post as, like you, I don't generally give much attention to the operation that Southwest runs (and based on the video segment in this post, their managers are certainly making some good decisions).

Good question, jackal, and unfortunately I don’t really have a definitive answer. Overall I like the “fun” Southwest attitude. Southwest has gone from being the ultimate low cost carrier to our country’s “premium” airline thanks to their lack of fees and upbeat attitude (not to mention profitability), which is great. I think that attitude works well in the markets they serve, since most of their passengers are American, and largely not frequent flyers. I think even the frequent flyers don’t have a problem with the jokes, because the whole Southwest experience is so upbeat and positive. Even if they don’t like the two minutes of jokes, they’ll love the great service, on-time flights, and efficiency. A positive attitude rubs off on everyone, and as a result I think you’ll see a lot less complaints from passengers on Southwest than any other US airline. In a way I'm jealous. At the same time, I’m not convinced that “attitude” would work in an international market where you’re dealing with passengers of various nationalities and cultures, at least the jokes. Great customer service works in all markets, however. ;) What may seem funny to an American might not be viewed as a joke by some foreigners, who may very well take offense. At the end of the day my favorite type of service is the professional yet friendly attitude that many premium foreign airlines offer. That might be tough to do in the US, because keeping a workforce motivated while being serious can be tough (especially with unions like the AFA). I guess ideally there would be a compromise, with a “fun” attitude, minus the plethora of cheesy jokes to appease the frequent flyers. I actually find lots of those jokes funny, though (as surprising as it may be).

"Serious frequent flyers" shouldn't be turned off by good customer service. Southwest seems to be the only airline expanding while others are contracting. With Southwest, you know exactly what you get, and that explains their fantastic customer loyalty. Besides, most Americans don't fly internationally; they only take 2-3 trips a year; and they are looking for cheap transportation. They may not be sophisticated flyers, but Southwest gives them exactly what they want and expect. I don't personally enjoy Southwest's product, but I admire them (and their branding and marketing) and feel they will be one of the survivor airlines 5 years or so from now.

OneMileAtATime - glad to find you on twitter. I'm Amescreativ there. Wish I had any experiences of the FAs telling jokes and doing fun things lately. Yes, I'd prefer First Class on Singapore Airlines an more widebodies etc, I suppose, yet since I'm flying across the U.S. frequently now - I don't have Singapore Air on my radar. Keep up the good reporting. I'll remain an optimist, thinking that our feedback might get some attention at the Corporate Headquarters. Check out Aloft hotels - new in Chicago, and streamlined, "European" model. I really like this chain (part of the W hotels). Esther