I have the opportunity to travel a lot for work, and when I’m not driving up and down the state, I am frequently on a Southwest plane. They have a history of being efficient and economical. That is until this last year when they have had an unusually large number of computer failures and have left many passengers stranded. Last month I was heading to the ATA MSC board meeting and Capitol Hill visits in Washington DC when on a failed flight from Dallas to DC, I witnessed a lesson on how not to do customer service. We pulled away from the gate in Dallas with high hopes of being in DC by 10:30 p.m. Unfortunately, we spent the next hour and a half on the tarmac in a hot plane; although the sun was setting in Dallas, it was still 90 degrees with warm exhaust fumes blowing into the plane. The plane was completely full of many very large people. To paint a picture, I would say that I fell somewhere below the median size.

After what seemed like an inordinately long time, the pilot came onto the sound system and stated that he was unable to resolve a mechanical issue and the plane would have to return to the mechanics at the gate. The entire airplane let out a collective groan, and here is where things went from bad to worse.

As we pulled to the gate and the door was opened, the pilot, a small and nervous man, came out of the cockpit and stated that the plane would, after an undetermined time for repair of a brake issue, go on to Baltimore rather than DC. Some passengers started to get mad and vocal, and one large lady in the front of the plane stood up and appointed herself spokesperson. She was angry and appeared to have some followers, which agitated the pilot, who eventually requested that she leave the plane. I thought this was the dramatic moment in our ill-fated trip, but no. After she was escorted off the plane, the ground crew came on and informed us that the flight was now canceled. To light the powder keg that was our full flight, they said the flight was canceled due to the weather! Everyone on the flight believed that this was merely a ploy by the airline to avoid providing a voucher for those who would have to wait for at least the morning for another flight. At this point, a larger group of passengers erupted. There was a bad feeling all around, and the pilot did his best to explain that while he mentioned a mechanical issue, the runway in DC was short and it might be raining there, so it really was weather. Really? Even those of us courteously waiting to disembark were not buying the explanation at this point.

As we disembarked, there were Dallas police waiting in the gangway to ensure that none of us caused any further disruption. While many queued up at the service counter, I found a relatively quiet place to call the airline and rebook for the morning. I could hear the angry voices continue to complain while I scheduled to try again on the first flight out in the morning. Ultimately, the airline decided to give a $200 voucher to anyone who asked. If they only would have led with that.

My takeaway is when you have an issue… Communicate – Be Honest – and Don’t Complicate

October 2023 - CMSA Communicator