Pumping the Breaks on the Southwest Airlines Narrative

Okay, I was not flying during the Christmas holiday week, but if I had been, and if I had been stranded and missed opportunities to see loved ones, I would have been upset.?And it would have been one thing if it had been caused by weather alone, but to know that there were preventable or self-induced issues that contributed to the hardship would have made my anger even worse.?And though many airlines disappointed passengers during these past weeks, Southwest Airlines was the worst offender, not only because they are the largest carrier of passengers in the nation, but because their systems for managing the movement of pilots, flight attendants and airplanes wasn’t capable of handling a multi-level crisis.?As a result, Southwest Airlines deserves the greatest share of blame and ire.?

Though I have been consulting to leaders at Southwest off and on for more than twenty years, I will not diminish nor invalidate the frustration that so many travelers felt, nor will I discourage them from seeking any apologies and restitution that they may need.?What I will do is try to briefly put this recent debacle into perspective, because the current narrative seems to have taken on a tone that seems neither accurate nor fair.?My thoughts here are based on my own experience watching real leaders at SWA dealing with real people in good situations and bad for the past quarter of a century.

There is a reason that a start-up airline launched in 1969 is now the largest carrier in the U.S.?Southwest created a culture unlike any other airline, or for that matter, company.?And we have come to almost take for granted their mission “to democratize travel,” and their lead role in making that a reality.?And if I had a nickel for every time that someone told me about an employee at Southwest who treated them with humanity and dignity and compassion, well, I’d have a boatload of nickels.?

As a passenger, I myself have had those same experiences with SWA too many times to count.?Whether they were finding an item I left on a plane, or holding a gate so I could make my connection, or helping my wife and me manage the challenge of flying with children, or just bringing humor to a stressful situation, I have developed a personal loyalty to the airline that goes well beyond my experience as a consultant.??And that is why I have been holding up SWA as an example for so many other companies that I work with, to demonstrate how customer service, love for employees, and “doing what’s right” makes for the very best kind of organization.?As I like to say, Southwest is not only a company, it’s a social experiment.?Good people with good intentions make for good business.

I can’t and won’t go into all the intentional things Southwest does to make this culture a reality for employees and customers alike, because this would become a master’s thesis rather than a short article.?What I will say is that every story you’ve heard or instance you’ve experienced comes directly from the top of the company.?The leaders in the C-suite treat people the same way that most flight attendants have treated passengers for years and years.?These are the people who weathered the storms of 9-11 and the crash of 2008 and COVID and avoided laying off employees.?And they are the ones who, even though it would have been financially beneficial, refused to go along with most others in the industry and charge people extra fees for baggage and ticket changes.?And no, they aren’t perfect—they’ve made decisions that I’ve disagreed with before—but what they are is authentic, humble, people-focused and really hard-working.?They care.?Like almost no other company I’ve ever known.?

Again, like all companies, Southwest is not perfect and has made mistakes along the way.?And this most recent one is a doozy.?There is no denying that.?But I will be extremely clear here when I say that it was not done out of greed or malice or arrogance, regardless of what critics or pundits may be saying.?Of that I am quite certain.?And I think clarifying that is necessary.?Because as mad as I would be if I had to spend Christmas Eve on the floor of an airport terminal, I cannot discount the years of “goodness” that Southwest Airlines has brought to so many people who needed a friendly and inexpensive flight to go to visit a friend, family member or customer, and who felt valued and cared for along the way.??

Of course, my words are only words.?How Southwest handles this current situation will be the true measure of who they are and what they stand for.?But I’m confident that they will not rest until they’ve made this right at every level, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they go about doing that.