Originally Posted by
SWABrian
In April, Southwest Airlines removed pillows and blankets from its entire fleet as a precautionary measure during the Swine Flu outbreak. After careful consideration, we have decided not to put pillows and blankets back on the aircraft this year. Since we’ve had them off the aircraft, customer feedback and requests to return these items has been minimal. In some cases we’ve heard compliments regarding the extra available overhead bin space for carryons.
One theory would be that the "careful consideration" occurred prior to the initial removal of pillows and blankets. Swine flu provided the perfect foil for a short term test. Hearing no overwhelming negative feedback, the removal of pillows and blankets was ratified.
This is a perfectly rational way to conduct business. It is not, however, the equivalent of accidentally stumbling over a good idea while executing a short term measure for the public good.