As long time readers know, I fly a lot. Lots of flights, lots of gate agents, flight attendants, etc. Some good, some great, some who need to consider another career. However, I heard something shocking recently on a Southwest Airlines flight that caused me to stop and consider.
I overheard one flight attendant talking to another flight attendant about a passenger, which one I do not know. However, the shock came when she referred to the passenger as a “customer.” I realized in all my years of flying that all the other airlines refer to their customers as passengers, (or freight I guess).
Perhaps one reason that Southwest consistently gets high marks for their people is because they have taught them to think of us as customers, not passengers. Like Disney refers to their park attendees as “guests.”
Simple thing, but it creates an important mindset.
Mitch
