Believe it or not, this is a news story about airlines that doesn’t make you want to roll up into the fetal position or carve your own spleen out.
The Consumerist reports that a Southwest Airline pilot refused to take off so that a man racing to his grandson’s funeral could make it on the flight. (The passenger’s grandson had just been murdered by his daughter’s live-in boyfriend.) Despite his arrival at the airport two hours early for his domestic flight, the TSA staff showed no sympathy for the man’s desperation. Once through security, he ran barefoot to the gate and arrived 12 minutes late.
This is the point where most airline stories spiral into pleading, crying, and rage. In this case, the man was greeted by the pilot himself, who said this:
Are you Mark? We held the plane for you and we’re so sorry about the loss of your grandson. They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.
Doesn’t quite balance the scales against this holiday’s groping extravaganza. But it’s a pretty good start.
Image xSeXiiLiLmAmiix1/Photobucket
I heard on the Today show that the grandson was dying not dead. I guess it doesn’t matter at this point but it does that there are good people out there. Makes me also wonder if that pilot still has a job or what kind of punishment he received. Hopefully it was really recently and since it has gone public they cant/wont without looking bad. Southwest has a bit of a PR problem and doing something other then giving this pilot a raise will *not* do it any good. Hope the pilot turns into the next Capt Sully and not… Read more »
As a former Southwest employee, I can assure you that this is normal behavior for employees. Employees are rewarded for going out of their way to make a customer feel special. This pilot showed the “Luv” that Southwest is so proud of. He will only be celebrated. That is what sets Southwest apart from the rest.
In response to your question about the pilot – not only does he still have his job, he’s been congratulated by SWA. They applaud what he did because that’s the kind of company SWA is.
Such a feel-good story…it almost makes up for the manifold times I’ve spent breathing carcinogenic jet fumes while mysterious delays keep me sitting next to the flatulent, talkative Amway salesman from Peoria , following a `pleasant’ deconstruction of my packed underwear by airport security ….