SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Here’s an update on yesterday’s Southwest story — and how you can help

The response to yesterday’s story about how a Southwest Airlines pilot held the plane for the grandfather of a murder victim has been overwhelming. Here’s an update.

A lot of readers have asked how they can help. Nancy, the toddler’s step-grandmother, has asked that donations to be made to the Aurora, Colo., location of the Ronald McDonald House, which has arranged for her husband and step-daughter to stay in a local hotel at no charge. Donations should be made in the name of Caden Rodgers.

Here are a few details about the case. The boy, Caden Rodgers, was reportedly body-slammed by his mother’s live-in boyfriend, last week. He died of his injuries on Thursday, according to reports. Here are a few more specifics on this horrific case. I can’t bring myself to write more.

Nancy also had a few comments after reading some of the feedback on the original post.

Yes, Mark works for Northrop Grumman. However, as all his flying is done under a government contract he is required to purchase the lowest fare possible per a DOD directive. That is usually SWA when it’s factored in there’s no checked baggage fee.

2. While Mark DOES work for Northrop Grumman, all travel purchases are made via American Express Travel. There’s nothing on his account or ticket that says, “Hey, this guy works for Northrop Grumman!”

3. Mark is a minion at NGC. His bosses might fly business class, but he doesn’t, much to his chagrin.

I’m grateful to the readers of this site for their compassionate response to this case, and to Southwest Airlines and its principled pilot for holding the plane.


32 comments

Southwest Airlines pilot holds plane for murder victim’s family

It’s easy to be an airline industry critic in an era of “no waivers, no favors” and fees on top of fees. It’s easy to paint airlines as heartless corporations that treat us like self-loading cargo.

But every now and then, you hear a story that turns you into an adoring fan. Like Nancy’s story.

Before I continue, I should mention a few things: Nancy is a faithful reader of this site, and I agreed to use only her first name because of the brutal nature of the crime and the age of the victim. Second, I’m not an emotional, John Boehner-type, but I can’t read her story without getting a little teary.

So you’ve been warned: Grab a tissue.
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325 comments

Can this trip be saved? Southwest Vacations mailed my paper tickets to the wrong address

Mistakes were made when Tushar Advani booked his Southwest Vacations trip from Chicago to Las Vegas. He admits he accidentally entered the wrong address — a simple typo that resulted in the paper tickets being sent to the wrong apartment.

Wait a second, did I just say paper tickets? What is this, 1995?

Yes, I did — and no, it’s not.

Anyway, none of that should have mattered because Southwest Vacations and its agency, Mark Travel didn’t exactly follow their own procedures, either. I’ll get to the details in a minute.

But this case raises some interesting issues, including what should happen when both parties make a mistake during a transaction. Who shoulders the blame?
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Is this enough compensation? Southwest confiscates tickets, offers “deal” to get family home

Ray Sandoval paid $650 for his wife and two young daughters to fly from Sacramento to New York on Southwest Airlines.

No, that’s not a typo. For just $150 per person, plus a $50 service fee, the Sandovals made it all the way to Baltimore before Southwest stopped them.

Turns out their fare was too good to be true. They were using a Buddy Pass they’d bought from a Southwest employee, which was technically a no-no. But Sandoval had no way of knowing that.

Southwest offered to fly the family back to California for a discounted fare of $1,016, even as two representatives assured him he’d done “nothing wrong.” Is that enough compensation?
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97 comments

A $50 fee to redeem a 50 cent credit? Too bad you’re not flying on Southwest — oh, wait a sec, you are!

Southwest Airlines likes to think of itself a no-fee zone in the skies, with its promises of bags flying free. But it has at least one absurd surcharge of its own, according to Julian Vasquez Heilig.

The carrier recently charged him a $50 fee when he tried to use a 50 cent credit — that’s right, I said cent — on a ticket. Seriously.

His story shows air travelers must always be on their guard when it comes to fees, even when they’re flying a so-called “no-fee” airline.

Here’s what happened to Heilig:
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Are airfares on a rollercoaster, or are they actually climbing?


This chart, which comes to us courtesy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, is quite revealing. And at the same time, misleading.

It shows how volatile airfares have been during the last 15 years. It is also exhibit “A” for the now-profitable legacy carriers when they cry for tax breaks, government loans or try to justify one of their many new fees.

Point taken. It’s a competitive industry, as suggested by this data. Well, kinda. Airfares don’t tell the whole story.
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If employees could vote for their favorite company, they’d pick …

Southwest Airlines, Mary Kay and Facebook.

Glass Door conducted an anonymous employee survey, and those companies came out on top.

Why does it matter to you? Well, if you’ve watched Michael Moore’s new documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, you’ll know that generally speaking, there’s no love lost between employees and their employers.

(In fact, Moore claims America has become a plutocracy, where the wealthy rule. He cites an internal memo from Citigroup that I find highly troubling.)

Given all that, it’s worth asking how employees feel about their employers. Why? Because happy employees are exceedingly rare. And I know from personal experience that happy customers deliver superior service.
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4 comments