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Recent Comments:
How do you prepare for your flight? {Gadling}
Oct 26th 2009 3:16PM I sure do love being referred to as lovely! And I'm pretty tickled by this video as well. I'll have to try that routine before my flight tomorrow.
One of my unfortunate pre-flight rituals = I absolutely have to pack the day of the trip. I can’t pack the night before. Even if it means I have to wake up at 3am to do it.
Doctor turned over to FBI for trying to use front toilet in aircraft {Gadling}
Aug 14th 2008 1:49AM To Abha and all of the commenters who have been awaiting information from Southwest Airlines (Terry, jen, cce, Kay, paul, jeff, Tina, Brian, robin, Bill, Kentobean, lyynz, LK229, Deborah, Emanuel Marcus, one8dragon, etc.), I apologize for keeping you waiting.
I have read all 265 comments, and I hope that the information I have can answer your questions and provide some clarification on the matter. While I was not on the aircraft myself, the facts that I have gathered from both Customer and Employee accounts are these:
• On June 26, Southwest Airlines experienced an unusual situation involving a Customer onboard Flight 1226 from St. Louis to Las Vegas.
• The Captain onboard Flight 1226 was using the forward lavatory, when a Customer approached the front galley.
• As mandated by the FAA, if the cockpit door is open at any time during flight, our Flight Attendants are required by law to keep the area around the front galley clear (this specific policy was applied to all carriers after 9-11 and is part of FAA regulations to keep Customers safe while onboard the aircraft).
• In accordance with this policy, the Customer was twice instructed by our Flight Attendant to return to his seat.
• A second Flight Attendant approached the Customer at his seat and explained why we could not allow him to approach the front lavatory and suggested that he use the lavatory in the rear of the aircraft.
• After approximately one minute had passed, the Captain exited the lavatory and was standing in the forward galley along with the Flight Attendant, when the Customer again attempted to enter the forward lavatory.
• Because the cockpit door had not yet been secured, our Flight Attendant again asked the passenger to stop and return to his seat (as mandated by the FAA policy mentioned above).
• The Customer ignored the instruction and attempted to physically force his way passed the Flight Attendant. Once the Customer made physical contact with the Flight Attendant, she implemented her training to usher the Customer back to his seat.
• Several Customers onboard observed the situation. Our Flight Attendants gathered both the Customer and witness information, and the local Las Vegas authorities were contacted.
• The aircraft arrived at Las Vegas Airport gate C11, and the Las Vegas Metro Police boarded the aircraft and escorted the Customer off of the flight.
• Based on the evidence gathered and interviews conducted at the gate, the authorities made the decision to keep the Customer in custody.
We are, of course, responsible for the Safety of all of our Passengers while onboard our aircraft; and, we
are required by law to enforce FAA regulations.
As anyone that has flown in the last several years may recall, Flight Attendants explain the cockpit door and front galley regulations as part of the Inflight announcements at the origin of every flight. We realize these rule can be a bit confusing and that they may be unfamiliar to those who do not fly on a regular basis. For that reason, we make a concentrated effort onboard our flights to explain the policy as clearly as possible.
***As to the letter that Customer received from Southwest Airlines, this is clearly an area of confusion. It is common for Southwest to send a letter of apology to all Customers onboard an aircraft when there has been an unusual or negative experience, whether that negative experience is the result of inclement weather, a mechanical irregularity, or, as in this case, another Customer has caused a disruption onboard a flight. The practice is part of our standard Proactive Customer Communication efforts. In this case, we sent a letter to ALL of the Customers onboard flight apologizing for the Customers unusual behavior. As a gesture of goodwill, we included a $100 gift certificate with the letter to be applied to future travel. It was not our intention for the Customer in question to receive a copy of the letter; it was, in fact, sent to him in error. In that regard, we clearly made a mistake, and we apologize for any confusion receiving the letter may have caused the Customer and any of you.
***As to allegations of discrimination, the fact is that we carry millions of diverse Customers every year. Our Flight Attendant’s actions were based on the unusual and FAA prohibited behavior of the Customer and not his appearance.
That said, we firmly stand by the decisions our Crew made that day and their efforts to keep the passengers onboard Flight 1226 safe.
As I have said before, it is unfortunate that these situations get played out in the media – the facts of the story are never presented in their entirety. And, it is not really appropriate or desirable for us as a Company to promote the details to the general public, as we would never want to publicly criticize or embarrass our Customers. We value all of our Customers and begin every day and every flight with the desire for each person to have a wonderful experience with us. When circumstances prevent that from happening, we try to address those situations in the most responsible and respectable manner possible.
Although opinions on this situation may still vary, I hope the above information helps to answer some outstanding questions and correct some of the misinformation that has been presented.
Thank you for your consideration,
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
p.s.
To Frayedknot2…I am sorry that you were subject to this unusual experience, but I appreciate your sharing your first-hand observations on this blog, and I am pleased to hear that you think our Employees handled the situation in a clam and professional manner.
To wolfy and cat…Southwest actually has among the best Customer Service and ontime records in the industry.
To jay and VICKIE…I follow your logic, but Southwest does not use traditional food/beverage carts onboard, so the thinking would not apply onboard our flights.
To Shelley and Jan van Eck, CT…moving the lavatory to a location further from the cockpit would certainly help to eliminate this issue. But…imagine ripping out the bathroom of your house and moving it to another location. Then imagine the cost of doing that more than 500 times. While I see your point, moving the lavatory is just not a reasonable or fiscally sound solution, particularly when you consider how seldom situations like these occur in proportion to the number of Customers airlines carry each year.
To Gorbal…indeed this is a tough business!
Steve Carell to backpack through Europe in his next movie? {Gadling}
Jun 30th 2008 11:40AM Hey, Justin - long time not talk. I actually think it sounds kind of funny. The thought of doing the same European backpacking trip today with the same group of gals I did it with more than ten years ago is frightening, but there would probably be some pretty comical moments.
Hope to get you and Grant out in Dallas later this year. pb.
Obnoxious passengers fly on Southwest; nobody surprised {Gadling}
Apr 1st 2008 12:45PM Grant - if I get any calls about this...you're gonna get it! (wink)
Take fifty bucks off any $250 Southwest flight with Paypal {Gadling}
Mar 25th 2008 10:26AM Yeah!!! And, btw...just so your readers don't miss the opportunity to take adavantage of the promotion...tickets must be purchased by March 31, 2008 at 11:59pm Pacific Time for travel between now and August 22, 2008.
More dress-code quackery on Southwest Airlines {Gadling}
Mar 13th 2008 5:20PM Ah, geez. I've got someone looking into the situation right now, Grant, and will get back to you shortly. You raise an interesting question, though. What constitutes appropriate onboard behavior and attire? It's obviously an exercise in subjectivity, but I'd be interested to hear what your readers think.
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines allowed to fly 'unsafe' planes for months {Gadling}
Mar 6th 2008 1:28PM No problem. If more information becomes available, I will let you know. Feel free to contact me directly is you have any questions.
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines allowed to fly 'unsafe' planes for months {Gadling}
Mar 6th 2008 1:20PM Justin - No one is more passionate about the safety of our Customers and Employees than we are, and it%u2019s important for our Customers to know that this situation was never and is not now a safety of flight issue.
Some media reports are suggesting that the FAA plans to fine Southwest, but to date, we have not received any notification or indication from the FAA that that is what they plan to do.
The inspections in question were one of many routine, redundant, and overlapping inspections of our fleet. And, as you and the WSJ point out, we discovered the missed inspection ourselves, informed the FAA, and promptly completed the missed inspections in March 2007. The FAA approved our actions and considered the matter closed as of April 2007.
Again, the safety of our Customers, Employees, and aircraft is always our number one concern. Southwest has an excellent maintenance program, and this experience has helped improve the overall safety of the fleet.
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
When again is St. Patrick's day? WHAT? {Gadling}
Mar 3rd 2008 3:14PM Grant - It appears we have something in common (wink).
Are you too pretty to fly? {Gadling}
Feb 25th 2008 3:48PM
Sorry for the delayed response, folks, but honestly, I was surprised to see this story get so much traction.
It is important to clarify a few points:
1. The two ladies are not “banned” from ever traveling on Southwest in the future.
2. Our Crews’ decision had nothing to do with the ladies’ appearance, but rather their behavior and interaction with another Customer onboard.
3. Our Employees have an obligation to maintain a safe environment onboard.
Clearly, we would have gone out of business a long time ago if we discriminated against beautiful women – or anyone for that matter. We carry 96 million Customers a year, and they’re all beautiful in our eyes!
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
