... I would definitely read this blog!
This weekend I had the fun experience of travelling again. Ah the joys of flying in America just makes me wanna buy my own airplane someday. We flew Southwest airlines this time and generally it is the best customer-service oriented airline out there... and that is actually true for the most part. The customer service I received before purchasing tickets and during the purchase was INCREDIBLE! While United, US Air, Delta, and others put you on hold for hours, Southwest has a call-back service- amazing! I loved it. The lady we got on the phone was awesome and took care of all the details for us.
Then came the day of travel which was not a busy travel day mind you - 4 July. We headed to the airport and arrived at the ticket counter exactly 1.5 hours before our flight time which is what the recommended time is for DIA and from Southwest's own website as well. In any case, the line was LONG - extremely long- it was winding around several times and looked horrible. Only 4-5 employees working when so many were travelling on Southwest. In any case we opted to stay in the line instead of checking in outside at curbside which was faster even though it was crowded - MISTAKE 1. I thought that because I was requesting special permission for my husband to escort us to the gate that it would be better to do with an agent inside- MISTAKE 2. We got to the front and got a bitch named Christine at the Southwest ticket counter. Let me tell ya - if you see her or her name, run - do not walk - go check-in outside. This woman clearly did not want to be there and did not want to be nice to our family to say the least. I was surprised my bags even made it to Norfolk. She refused to give my husband a boarding pass to help me to the gate with my infant and toddler. We asked a TSA lady afterwards if we could get a boarding pass for him and she was like -"of course- get it from your airline - we're not busy at all" The security lines took less than 5 mins to traverse.
So, we headed back to talk to the manager at Southwest at DIA and she looked more dissheveled than Christine but at least told us to find the lady at the end of the curbside check-in who would get it for us... GREAT! We should have just checked in outside. Now, mind you - we are 40 mins away from our departure time. The lady outside helped us promptly and we were on our way. Security at DIA was a breeze. If you travel with family and liquids, go through the special family line - it was moving I tell ya and in no time, we made it to our gate with just enough time to board. Time for nothing else - no food, no milk, no time for the restroom because of the goddamn line at check-in for Southwest. And if Christine had not wasted an additional 10 mins of my precious time, I might have gotten food for my kid and myself. So, this whole incident got me thinking. Christine, if you are reading, do read on. I had time on the 3-hour flight to think, how I would treat people if I were an airline employee that morning, working that Southwest counter at DIA on the
4th of July.
If I were an airline employee,
1. I'd appreciate having a job to begin with.
2. I'd treat customers who were good customers and not assholes with the same respect and courtesy they are showing me. After all, it costs NOTHING to just be nice.
3. I'd look at how long my line was and send one person out there to find out who would miss their flights and get them in line first.
4. I'd ensure that despite the long lines, I do all I can for the customers because they are loyal enough to purchase expensive-ass tickets with my company (and possibly save my job) instead of that "other" airline.
5. I'd not be a bitch to a woman with two kids travelling alone for the first time just asking for assistance from her husband. Cost to the airline- $0, cost to Christine (the bitch) - $0.
6. I'd be nice to passengers (once on board) and help them as much as I could because that is my job after all.
and finally, if I were an airline employee....
7. I would just smile and do my fucking job! If I did not like it, I'd quit and become part of an industry that is less customer-oriented and more computer-oriented or perhaps work mopping floors and cleaning toilets because that is where I belong.
