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[KSweeley]

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimor...est-airlines-ceo-gary-kelly-on-passenger.html

Domestic airlines have been in the spotlight for the past few weeks based on their treatment of customers, starting with United Airlines booting passengers off a flight, followed by an American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) flight attendant getting into a spat with a mother, and Delta Airlines kicking off a family, just to name a few.

Though Southwest Airlines' (NYSE: LUV) customer service hasn't been the subject of viral videos caught on smartphones, it was cause for concern at the annual shareholders meeting May 17 in downtown Phoenix.

"In light of all the social media issues that have taken place over the last several weeks, do we have any specific initiatives in place to make sure we’re not being smeared?" a shareholder asked Southwest CEO Gary Kelly.

Kelly pointed to Southwest's reputation for customer service, and was surprised that other airlines haven't taken the same initiatives that Southwest has.

"The nice thing is Southwest is viewed as a good company, as you well know. I don’t think we’re lumped in with the rest of the industry, and we want to be careful not to assume everyone else’s problems and sins," Kelly told shareholders. "I was a little surprised that others didn’t follow suit with stopping the practice of overbooking, as an example."

"I am worried our broader society has become less and less civilized, so what we want to try to do at Southwest is stand for civility stand for hospitality and make that a key focus with all of our people every single day," he told shareholders.

During an interview with reporters after the shareholders meeting, Kelly was asked to clarify his thoughts on society.

"I don't think what we’re experiencing today is a remarkable change in behavior in society, by airlines, or customers. I just think over a long period of time, the trends are toward a more and more coarse society, and we ought to make efforts to reverse that trend," he said. "We’re in the customer service business. I think we have a wonderful opportunity to set a good example, not just for corporate America but for society at large."

Kelly thinks that all the attention on airlines' customer service is just part of today's culture of smartphones, viral videos and mainstream media.

"I think what is happening is with cell phones and the ability to capture events and share them on social media, then mainstream media picks it up, there’s the appearance that these things happen all the time," he said. "I fly all the time and I have never ever been on a flight where there’s an issue. But we carry a third of the U.S. population every single year, and that is a reflection of our broader society. We have babies on airplanes, we have medical emergencies on airplanes, every once and a while there’s a conflict on airplanes, but it doesn’t happen often and it’s the vast minority of our flights."

Southwest is the largest carrier at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where it flies more than 70 percent of passengers.

 

[Sanojio]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

 

[Dead Man]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

Then maybe the larger airlines should fail so companies like southwest can take over.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

Real talk, on my mother's day flight to Ohio, my flight was fully booked.

By the time the plane pulled back, I had the entire row on both sides of the aisle to myself.

 

[Memory]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

I don't understand are plane tickets refundable?

 

[Shanlei91]

Kevin Smith sacrificed himself to make way for the best airline.

 

[mrklaw]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

Airlines should design portable cargo containers that can fit in a passenger seat. So they don't overbook, but if someone doesn't turn up for a flight they can use the space by carrying extra luggage in the main cabin area.

 

[Noctilum]

I don't understand are plane tickets refundable?

Depends on the airline and its policies. Some like Delta (which I fly exclusively) you have to pay extra for a fully refundable ticket; like twice the fare cost. Otherwise you do have some change options.

 

[Guevara]

As long as most consumers chose flights based on price and route, and view air travel as a commodity, nothing will change.

I know I'm guilty of this.

 

[Pagusas]

I agree with the idea society over time has got more coarse. It is worrisome.

 

[Aaronology]

I agree with the idea society over time has got more coarse. It is worrisome.

Really? When do you think it was less so? What time period?

 

[Noshino]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

how so? havent really looked much into it but from what i keep listening they seem to continue having pretty hefty profits.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Overbooking has never been an issue for me. But I fly almost exclusively with European carriers, and EU regulations require airlines to pay hundreds of euros in cash to any passenger denied entry due to overbooking, so maybe that's why

 

[BetterThanNothing]

He's not wrong. The internet has a tendency to skew the hell out of reality, the same way that happened previously due to the media, just much more quickly on a larger scale.

Interesting to see how companies are responding to this heightening of unbalanced exposure. I don't really see how anything he said is much indication of anything different being done, though. What can an airliner flying over 100 million people a year do to make sure a single asshole doesn't handle something the wrong way? They already take as many measures as reasonably possible, ie background checks, evaluations, etc. One guy gets dragged off a plane and your entire company's name is smeared.

 

[Barzul]

Gonna start flying only southwest at this point. I just had to pay $200 to change a flight date for my Delta flight. Never again. Southwest is the only airline in the US where a change like that is free. If they can do it, so can the others.

 

[Negator]

Is society getting more coarse, or does society just have the tools to fight back against airline bullshit now?

 

[dopplr]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

A business that is unable to survive except by selling the same product to two+ different individuals and refusing the other if both show up is ridiculous to defend.

 

[ChouGoku]

Really? When do you think it was less so? What time period?

Things were so much more civilized in the civil Rights and Jim Crow era

 

[GrapeApes]

I usually fly Southwest because of the service. In flight might not be the greatest but they don't seem to be fucking you over like the other airlines. Can't make a flight? They'll just use that credit for a future flight. Lost 300 fucking around with American. Never flying them even if the ticket is cheaper.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I'm too cynical and this just seems very opportunistic to paint themselves as airline Jesus.

 

[BigAT]

I agree with the idea society over time has got more coarse. It is worrisome.

True. It's not nearly as civilized as it used to be when people were being lynched and forced into internment camps because of their race.

 

[Slayven]

True. It's not nearly as civilized as it used to be when people were being lynched and forced into internment camps because of their race.

Back in the day you would dress up in your best church/lynching suit when you boarded the airplane

 

[Nikodemos]

A business that is unable to survive except by selling the same product to two+ different individuals and refusing the other if both show up is ridiculous to defend.

Hear hear!

 

[Alcotholic]

I'm seeing a lot of friends and family reporting overbooking on flights. I've never seen so many personal experiences with these things in the span of weeks.

 

[Stinkles]

True. It's not nearly as civilized as it used to be when people were being lynched and forced into internment camps because of their race.

Perfectly valid point but I think it's indisputable that general Miss Manners etiquette has fallen off a cliff. The pleases and thank yous and proper silverware order. And actually our current leadership and social media exacerbate that.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

Well yeah, you'll see this a lot in general. If you create conditions that are dog shit and uncivilized to begin with, you get outbursts of anger and uncivilized rage from the people thrust into those conditions.

First of all you have the airport where, let's face it, it's a military style checkpoint, it ain't civilian infrastructure. You don't get your asshole fingered at a trainstation.

Then there's the lines, the instruction to take your belt off, the inefficiencies in all of it.

Then to top it off, the worsening conditions in economy class, where you're thrust into the most cramped and squat conditions imaginable, in 2017 it's pretty vile and bad for your general health, but fuck it.

So no it's not "broarder society" becoming less civilized. If you create a service that actually reflects the importance of comfort and basic human dignity, you won't get shit outcomes all the time.

 

[jabuseika]

I agree with the idea society over time has got more coarse. It is worrisome.

Where's the receipts.

Here's two graphs that disprove this idea.

 

[platocplx]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

Or they could release last miniute tickets at cheaper prices to fill up flights?

 

[Ambient80]

He's not wrong. The internet has a tendency to skew the hell out of reality, the same way that happened previously due to the media, just much more quickly on a larger scale.

Interesting to see how companies are responding to this heightening of unbalanced exposure. I don't really see how anything he said is much indication of anything different being done, though. What can an airliner flying over 100 million people a year do to make sure a single asshole doesn't handle something the wrong way? They already take as many measures as reasonably possible, ie background checks, evaluations, etc. One guy gets dragged off a plane and your entire company's name is smeared.

I agree to an extent, but it wasn't just the guy getting dragged away, it was the response to the video going viral from the airline and particularly their CEO being a horse's ass about the whole ordeal. At that point you have the incident, and then the head of the company basically blaming/smearing the victim. They deserved to get pulled through the mud for that.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Total load of shit that society is getting less civilized. Yes some things are bad but we've made incredible strides overall.

Or they could release last miniute tickets at cheaper prices to fill up flights?

You don't book a flight an hour before take off. You can't get to the airport in time.

 

[NimbusD]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

How so? They still paid even if they don't show up.

 

[mr2xxx]

How so? They still paid even if they don't show up.

Yeah I'm not getting it either. The only money they seem to lose on is the food, drinks, wi-fi, and in flight etertainment. That's something but I'm not sure if that's enough to deem something catastrophic.

 

[Linkura]

How so? They still paid even if they don't show up.

Probably because it's free money for them that they have come to rely on because their business model is shit.

 

[Armaros]

How so? They still paid even if they don't show up.

Somehow the airlines will collapse if they don't double dip profits off of the same limit seating.

 

[Syncytia]

I agree with the idea society over time has got more coarse. It is worrisome.

The idea of society getting worse has been around forever. The yugas of Buddhism are delineated by worsening times of sin. The past was always "better" according to people because things were much more rosier when you were a child and the world seemed just dandy.

 

[Lesath]

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimor...est-airlines-ceo-gary-kelly-on-passenger.html

During my college years I was heavily reliant on Southwest for getting to and from home. In all the time I flew, I never had as many problems with them as I had with Delta and US Airways.

Certainly, it's not a luxurious experience, but it's as pleasant as it ought to be for the price you pay.

 

[Opto]

The idea of society getting worse has been around forever. The yugas of Buddhism are delineated by worsening times of sin. The past was always "better" according to people because things were much more rosier when you were a child and the world seemed just dandy.

Also there was less communication. I can post publicly information that people in australia and sudan can read in real time. Newspapers and tv didn't show the chaos of the world because there wasn't enough time t show you everything

 

[Plumbob]

The reason Southwest can probably afford to stop overbooking is because they let you cancel a flight and use the money to a new flight in the next 365 days.

So people probably cancel and the seats get rebooked.

 

[Dingens]

I was already curious the last few weeks why this is such a problem and the US and why I haven't heard anything remotely similar over here.. but than

Overbooking has never been an issue for me. But I fly almost exclusively with European carriers, and EU regulations require airlines to pay hundreds of euros in cash to any passenger denied entry due to overbooking, so maybe that's why

... I guess that explains it

kinda strange that US carriers would rather stop overbooking than shell out some cash once in a while

 

[TheYanger]

I fly southwest all the time due to how cheap they are, I have never had any issues, but I had no idea they didn't overbook or have this reputation for CS either. Like, the fact that everyone else does this stuff while charging MORE for their flights seems ridiculous. Yes, southwest isn't like luxurious, but unless you're going on an insanely long flight (like out of the country) it's totally fine.

 

[UrokeJoe]

The idea of society getting worse has been around forever. The yugas of Buddhism are delineated by worsening times of sin. The past was always "better" according to people because things were much more rosier when you were a child and the world seemed just dandy.

and the children are so polite online. The world must be dandy.

Edit. I kind of agree, but also think something is gong on.

 

[Z3K]

I dont think we're less civilised, but I do think people are ruder and more selfish than ever before.

 

[D i Z]

Where's the receipts.

Here's two graphs that disprove this idea.

Coarse does not mean illiterate or uneducated. It means there is less concern for ethics and our fellow man. 2016 is the proof of the drastic turn that has been happening.

 

[KingSnake]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines.

This is ridiculous. The tickets are prepaid. The airline is still getting paid for all the seats available and it gets even more money in the case that a ticket is changed for another date.

And if you need to overbook, the solution is simple, do like European airlines and pay when people can't be boarded.

 

[PdotMichael]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

So long the ticket is paid.

 

[ShadowKingpin]

Back in January, I flew for my first time and it was with Southwest. As someone who was incredibly terrified of flying for my first time, I had the best experience imaginable. The staff hooked everyone up with free snacks and drinks, they answered every question anyone around me had and whenever I had to call their customer support to ensure I don't screw anything up regarding stuff I am taking onto the flight, they were so professional and polite.

 

[digdug2k]

I don't understand are plane tickets refundable?

Even refundable tickets dont help if you just don't show up. I don't really get this "we have to o erbook or we'd go broke" argument either. But I haven't been on a plane that wasn't fully packed for years either.

 

[Beartruck]

This whole idea is actually a whole Patton Oswalt bit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrWjS4wG6Rg

There is something to be said for how flying used to be classier, but it also used to be a much more exclusive thing, and the idea of flying socially was still a novelty. As oswalt put it, it's basically a rocket bus now.

 

[riotous]

As an airline employee you would be amazed how many people fail to show up to a flight. Stopping Overbooking would be catastrophic to the larger airlines. That being said Southwest isn't perfect but they are famous for their customer service. On par with the gulf carriers

Southwest managed to stop it; and they are a large airline.

And before stopping it their profit margin was significantly lower than American, the largest airline, and a bit lower than Delta, the second largest, and WAY lower than United, the third largest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_largest_airlines

I mean I get; they objectively make more money with overbooking, and with the way public corporations work they are unlikely to let their profit margins slip too much without charging customers more. But clearly the industry can afford it?

edit: corrected my profit mentions

 

[nomster]

I fly southwest all the time due to how cheap they are, I have never had any issues, but I had no idea they didn't overbook or have this reputation for CS either. Like, the fact that everyone else does this stuff while charging MORE for their flights seems ridiculous. Yes, southwest isn't like luxurious, but unless you're going on an insanely long flight (like out of the country) it's totally fine.

In my experience sw hasn't been the cheapest for quite a while. American is regularly a better deal out west. Still, SW does well because of their service/bag policy, which is far better tha the others'. I hate hate hate their checkin/boarding system though.