Whenever I think of a well managed company, whether in the tourism industry or in any other industry, one that always comes to mind is Southwest Airlines. It's no secret that the airline industry has really taken a hit in the last year, but Southwest has done a magnificent job in staying above the pack. You always hear the saying, "stick with what you know," and what Southwest Airlines knows is good travel, good service, and good prices. Southwest is a model company for any company in the tourism industry for many reasons.
What makes Southwest Airlines stand above the rest? It lies within the company in the Flight Attendants, Ticket Agents, Pilots, the employees. In an interview with LUV President and COO Colleen Barrett she said, “after the employee…the company’s second focus is the passenger, with shareholders coming in a distant third." This school of thought is what sets Southwest Airlines apart from all the rest. This idea is most definitely shown in all of the Southwest employees from the top down to the bottom. They believe that by hiring individuals, they will be able to build the best company in the business, and the numbers show it. In 2009 Southwest was awarded the number 7 position in Forbes Top 50 Most Admired Companies, and number 3 for Most Admired Airlines just after Continental Airlines and Air France. Every time I fly Southwest I am consistently impressed with the service and promptness, and because of this I always choose Southwest. Anytime I have had to change or cancel a flight through Southwest every single person I talk to is kind and courteous. I've never had any problems with their Central Reservations System. There has even been one time when they showed me a way to find a cheaper ticket then the one that I currently had, which was a loss to them, but a major gain for me. From the ticket counter to the plane, Southwest Employees are empowered to do what they need to do to make the customer happy. There was one time that I remember my flight being cancelled on the day of my sister's graduation. When I got to the airport, I already only had about 4 1/2 hours before the graduation, only to find out that my flight had been cancelled! With tears in my eyes I made it to the ticket counter and the agent immediately worked diligently to get me on the very next flight out, and I made it to my sister's graduation with time to spare!
Southwest Airlines encourages their employees to show their personalities to the passengers on their planes. Below is just one out of many examples where Southwest Airlines Employees have gone above and beyond the norm. In this video, David Holmes broke out of the box to have a good time while doing his job and even get the passengers involved!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVriOJn_gMo
Customer Service is more than just a job description for the employees at Southwest Airlines, it is their passion and their way of life, and because of this they will be around and in the game for years to come.
Southwest Airlines encourages their employees to show their personalities to the passengers on their planes. Below is just one out of many examples where Southwest Airlines Employees have gone above and beyond the norm. In this video, David Holmes broke out of the box to have a good time while doing his job and even get the passengers involved!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVriOJn_gMo
Customer Service is more than just a job description for the employees at Southwest Airlines, it is their passion and their way of life, and because of this they will be around and in the game for years to come.
Sources:
Hardy , F. (2007, August 12). Southwest airlines: luv in the air. Retrieved from http://ethical-employment-standards.suite101.com/article.cfm/southwest_airlines_luv_in_the_air
(2009). World's most admired companies. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2009/snapshots/2068.html
I totally agree with what you said in your blog. I fly on Southwest Airlines quite frequently and I rarely see flaws in the way things are run there. Whether it's on the ground in the airports or on the planes 35,000 feet in the air, they definitely know how to make things run smoothly.
ReplyDeleteInteresting going with an airline. I think that many airlines are not considered as good business models due to the simple fact that in travel, things often go wrong. People tend to blame this on the airlines themselves when that is not always the case. It is interesting that the company puts their employees first, because that would definitely show in the employee performance, good insurance for customer service!
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