When it comes to airline travel, service not size, matters. That's the point of this story from USAToday. It's no surprise that Southwest, JetBlue and Frontier top the list in customer satisfaction. The "Big" carriers like US Airways, United, Delta and American are at the bottom. Deservedly so. Old planes, cranky crews and money gouging.
I wasn't surprised. My wife and daughter recently flew Southwest and when I met them at baggage claim they raved about the customer experience. Certainly no charge for bags and the quick and efficient boarding process helped, but for them the flight itself was fun.
Southwest is known for often times humorous pre-flight announcements. I mean, how can you be serious when demonstrating to people how the seat belt works? Insert and click. It ain't brain surgery so why treat it as such?
During climb-out after takeoff the cabin crew started tossing snacks down the aisle. Passengers were urged to grab, share or pass further down the aisle.
When they taxied up to the gate, one cabin attendant kept passengers posted as to how close they were getting. "We're almost there....just a little bit more....just inches away...." then when the familiar "Ding" tone came when they were at the gate this announcement:
"GET OUT!"
The next time you're at baggage claim, take a moment to listen if anyone is talking about the actual in-flight experience with enthusiasm. They're likely Southwest passengers.
Another thing that makes Southwest stand out is they make a profit year-in and year-out. There are lots of reasons for that, not the least of which is they're a well-managed airline. They fly the same type of aircraft fleet-wide, have mastered efficiency and marketing and most of all they understand the most basic of business principles: Good Customer Service.
What a concept. You are now free to move about the country.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"
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