Gary’s Greeting

As seen in this month’s edition of “Spirit Magazine”

Technology is Our Friend

I admit that I’m a fan of technology, and I’m amazed by all that a computer’s binary codes can accomplish. Just to show how far technology has come, one of my favorite scenes in the movie Apollo 13 is when the engineers pull out their slide rules to solve a problem. The computers back then were huge, slow, and costly. Since those moon flights, computers have revolutionized the way we live, work, and travel.

Technology is not a replacement for the human touch, but rather a tool that allows our Employees to provide the high quality of Customer Service upon which you depend. Technology innovations come through the hard work and dedication of Employees from every area of our Company. For example, you probably booked your flight online. We are in the middle of a multi-departmental project to improve how southwest.com provides information about our services and products. For those of you with iPhones, we rolled out an application in January and plan on creating apps for other smart phones. Many Customers want to stay connected while aloft, and your chances of flying on a Southwest Wi-Fi-equipped jet improves as the year progresses. In April, we began a two-year process of installing this state-of-the-art connectivity on our entire fleet.

Our goal is to provide you with dependable, routine travel, but we know that weather and other factors can disrupt our plans. Because you count on us, we want to improve the way we communicate details of irregular operations to our Customers. Our operating reliability will benefit through new satellite-based methods of aircraft navigation. Once in place, these new navigational procedures will make an already safe mode of travel safer and offer more fuel-efficient aircraft routings, as well as open up more of the sky to our flights and hopefully reduce traffic delays.

Beyond these innovations, we have many behind-the-scenes upgrades underway to improve the way we serve you. Most importantly, we know that all the computer codes in the world can’t replace our “secret” ingredient: the Employees of Southwest Airlines.

Gary Kelly
Chairman, President, and CEO
Southwest Airlines

Operation: Kick Tail Recognition

One of our Baltimore/Washington Flight Attendants and a Houston Captain made a huge impression on a Customer during a winter-weather-delayed flight. The Customer noticed the Flight Attendant approach an elderly man sitting by himself in the gate area while waiting for the flight. When our Employee found out the man hadn’t eaten, he brought food back to the Customer. Then, onboard the flight, a Customer became distressed due to a fear of flying. Our Flight Attendant knew there was an off-duty Captain in the cabin, and he solicited the Pilot’s assistance with the upset Customer. The Customer writes that the Captain “gave one of the best talks about the safety of air travel I have ever heard. I fly a few times a month, and even I felt better about flying after hearing him.” Like the Flight Attendant, the Captain “went above and beyond to help a Southwest Passenger in need.” The Customer closes: “These two folks remind me why I am proud to fly Southwest.”