I Love Southwest Airline

Many of you know me and know that I am a wheelchair user. A T-10 paraplegic. Thru the years I have bowled, played wheelchair basketball, bass fished at the national level, hunted and lately flown private planes. I have no idea how many commercial flights I have been on but over the last 40 plus years (in the material handling business)....many. The first was to Jonesboro for the very first Hytrol sales school conducted by Sam Leone.

I say all of this to shine a spotlight on a level of customer service we should all aspire to...that of Southwest Airlines. I am actually ranting against American Airlines but always try to spin things to the positive. Every good thing I can say about Southwest you can rest assured that American does it the exact opposite. I will spare you the details but I am writing this from Dunn, NC where I am visiting my daughter and her family.

Lee (my wife) and I got here on the flight from Hell with....wait for it.......American Airlines. We purchased the flight three months in advance and checked into the flight two hours before the flight. I am capable of moving from seat to seat with a little help, but spent the pre-flight time listening to the ground crew fight with the customer service crew about who's fault it was that there was no aisle chair at the gate. They argued about it so long that the plane was boarded and they had to put me on at the very end to keep the flight from departing late. They put Lee and I in 32 A & B. For those of you unfamiliar with a MD-80 that is the last two seats...looking out the window on the engine cowling.

The thing that most infuriated Lee was the suggestion by the lady on the DFW based ground crew. If we (the customer) had booked the flight correctly, none of this would have happened.

A pox on your house American Airline. You deserve the losses you suffer and until we (the customer) become your focus you will never make money. I will continue to arrange my travel around the schedule of Southwest...they get it. Their employees will do anything to make my travel enjoyable. I will only fly AA when I cannot get there any other way.