One of Southwest’s newest flight attendants just had a very memorable experience in her first few months with the Dallas-based carrier after flying with not only Southwest’s longest-serving crew member but also the airline’s chief executive.
Yolanda P. was no doubt on her best behavior after discovering who would be on her flight, although she was all smiles in a series of photos that CEO Bob Jordan posted to LinkedIn.
And as Southwest explained in its own post on Facebook: “Your first flights are always memorable, but this one is one she surely will remember for a lifetime!”
Yolanda had the opportunity to learn a thing or two from Barbara P, Southwest’s longest-tenured flight attendant, who joined the airline on its first birthday, 54 years ago.
Back then, Barbara would have worn bright red and orange hot pants with white knee-high go-go boots for a uniform. Rather than being called a flight attendant, she was a stewardess, embarking on a remarkable journey with an airline that few expected to survive.
Southwest, however, proved the naysayers wrong, with a business strategy that, at the time, was revolutionary.
The 10-minute aircraft turn, open seating, and a unique in-flight service proposition, as well as an insistence that customers should be allowed to travel with two free checked bags, made Southwest the airline that many know and love today.
Or, at least, they did until very recently.
Barbara has no doubt seen Southwest transform massively over the last five and a bit decades, but the slew of recent changes announced by the carrier must be difficult for any employee to keep up with.
Open seating is out, free checked bags are no more, and a new push to get more money out of passengers is changing the very foundation of what many passengers and even employees thought Southwest was.
Southwest didn’t even start international flying until 2024, but now the airline is even considering flights to Europe, while Jordan says the carrier could even start opening premium lounges.
Surprisingly, however, the onboard service still looks much the same to how it did all those years ago.
Flight attendants don’t use drink carts but instead fill out drink order forms for their designated part of the cabin. Drinks are then delivered, ready-made, on special trays.
Packs of peanuts may have been swapped out for nut-free snack mix packs, but Southwest still doesn’t serve anything more substantial, and there’s no food available to purchase.
No doubt, the airline must also be looking at how it can further monetize its in-flight service, aside from a selection of premium alcohol available for purchase, although the airline’s unique galley setups are likely a big obstacle to overcome.
Many passengers are sad to see the old Southwest disappear so quickly, no matter how surprising it is that the airline failed to keep up with rivals. The problem now, however, is how Southwest maintains an identity that has, for so many years, stuck out from the crowd.
