A330US said:
walmart = cheap prices
SWA = cheap, and a very frustrating airline
no offense to the SWA mechs etc, but i watch airline all the time, it really show that only 1 out of the 10 passengers they show is happy
and the rest are always mad, ticked off, etc
so what do you say ?
[post="290059"][/post]
Please don't confuse being innovative as “cheapâ€.
I am going to give you one example of innovation that I saw first hand.
In 1994 we had taken over Morris Air operations in Salt Lake City. The last flight we had to St Louis every night left just about empty. I know, because I worked in our baggage make up area we here call “T†point. This happened for weeks, very little baggage each night for this flight, and one night no baggage at all.
Southwest had just become a sponsor for Monday Night Football and began to promote it by offering 25$ fares anywhere (the reason I think 25 bucks was because Monday night football was 25 years old) after the game started. When this happened, that St Louis flight became the nightmare of the night. It was packed; we filled several carts with bags.
It wasn’t just the St Louis flight; all flights after 7pm MST when the game started were just about full. The reason I remember the St Louis flight is it became a nightmare every night. Once people found out about it existed, they used it.
This was a testament to our Marketing Department. They combined our new sponsorship with a sale that helped people fly us, as well as getting to know us. There are other examples, I have seen, but this is the most memorable for me.
Southwest uses its resources efficiently, and its employees are regarded as assets to the company not liabilities.
I will use my classification as an example; currently we have 155 stock clerks that support around 425 aircraft and 1,300 plus mechanics system wide.
You may not see us upstairs, but we supply the parts for Maintenance. When the planes need them. For some reason if we miss something and the part is not on our shelf more than likely you will either wait until its fixed, or change aircraft. Mechanics will continually come in during the day using needed parts for safety or passenger convenience unseen or even known by the passengers.
We are responsible for Stores and Line stations in OAK, LAX, LAS, MDW, PHX, DAL, TPA, MCO, BNA, and my station BWI.
We receive, ship, manage, and ensure that all aircraft parts inventory meet FAA requirements. We order, track and receive all RON planning items each day.
We train Annually according to 49CFR regulations because it’s our work group that is responsible for ALL hazardous shipments when it comes to aircraft parts.
I could go on but I think I have stated my point.
Now, using US Airways as an example they laid off 95 Stock clerks in PIT alone. Now 95 clerks are just about two-thirds of our work force system wide. More than likely that's because US Airways fly’s several different styles of aircraft where you would need more people to support it that kind of supply system. We would never need that many because we fly one fleet and most parts are used on the majority of our fleet.
Finally, unlike Wal-Mart we are unionized (Teamsters), we have good health care, and they pay us a living wage.