OK Southwest Airlines. The news is public from your employees, passengers and personal experience. Your leadership under the management of Gary and Colleen has turned to rubbish. The attitudes of employees is hard pressed as most flights find the attendants sitting in the rear of the planes shortly after their one service run through the cabin. The remainder of the flight leaves passengers abandoned and embarrassed to ring the attendant button. It's a known Taboo. The pilots often leave the seat belt light on for 30 to 40 minutes after take off in perfectly calm air which seems to be prearranged allowing flight attendants to lounge Vs. Work. They are not paid while the plane is on the ground so maybe this is Southwest's way to compensate them. The passengers suffer for Southwests obligation to compensate its employees.
Rates between cities have increased extremely fast pushing prices that are often higher than the (once upon a time) competitors.
Your competitors are often much lower on their standard pricing without advance purchasing, than Southwest is with advanced purchase discounts.
Even your customer service representatives voice their dissatisfaction for higher fares.
How about the Rapid Rewards program? In the Herb world Southwest passengers earned 2 points for telephone reservations and 4 points using the Internet. The goal for a FREE ticket was 16 points. The goal of 16 points remains, however, the means to earn points has been reduced horrifically.
Now passengers only get 1 point for telephone reservations and 1.5 points for using the Internet. Do the math, twice as long and twice as expensive to get the FREE pass. Is this how Southwest rewards loyal passengers?
And have you tried to use the FREE pass lately. The "Black Out Dates" were removed to provide passengers better benefits. The problem now is that the greedy managers on top control the number of seats that can fly FREE. So thousands of empty seats shoot across the sky in Southwest planes while good and loyal passengers sit at home often having spent thousands of dollars with Southwest and can't get a FREE flight. The empty seats remain empty and the disheartened loyal passengers remain sitting at home having been hoodwinked by media blitz of the Southwest commitment to serving its customers.
We highly recommend that passengers look around and check out other airlines before falling prey to the family affordable "LUV" campaign.
The bottom line is that Southwest built its empire on loyal customers. It now has obtained run ways and terminals in every major airport it has wanted. And the tide has turned as the masks of its top brass come off. Behind those smiling faces are FAT bank accounts that don't belong to the loyal passengers.
Herb open your eyes, you passed the rains to people that are tearing your dream and accomplishments apart. Your once great airline is being talked about in anger by passengers in every terminal that you service across the nation.
Every good thing ends and Southwest you're on the path to self destruction. You can only take advantage of your customers so long and the balance moves of center and you topple over.
Victim Defense
Sacramento, California
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