BerenErchamion

So you're a fan of a retaliatory and aggressive society, rather than a civilized one?

ursine1

She did.

Then she had them pulled back off the plane, threatened with police action and made to delete the negative tweet as a requirement to re-board and continue travel.

That was when the incident escalated, causing the current sh!tstorm.

NJFlyer42

Couldn't this guy claim involuntary denied boarding?

Then the whole thing could be some pretty nice compensation for him and a DOT fine for Southwest.

There would be no media circus which is another benefit.

ursine1

I believe the DOT IDB rules only apply in oversold situations.

tusphotog

Good lord: 245 comments on this in two days? #whatisthisworldcomingto

dilbertsdaddy

SWA is and has always been the industry whiners....expecting special treatment and expect everything to go their way. Things are now coming home to roost and people are starting to see them for what they are - a below average airline with brilliant marketing.

We live in a world of social media and all companies need to learn to deal with that.

The employee was trying to get her name out of the twitter feed and should not have done what she did. Since she was enforcing the rules correctly, she had no reason to do that. Dealing with DYKWIA's is part of the job, sorry.

Glad I don't have to fly this mess. I watched airline the other night for the first time and it is even worse than I thought.

mikeef

Why should this thread be any different from any other thread on FT that mentions children?

Mike

WhIteSidE

Yeah, I guess. I still haven't grown up yet (according to anyone I've ever dated), so I have a little sympathy for them

To all those saying that twitter is whining and that there's an official customer service path, have any of you ever tried using the official customer service path?

The point of a legacy style customer service form is to prevent your customers from getting service -- get them to go along to get along when things go wrong and then fob them off with platitudes later.

As one or two people have mentioned in this thread, twitter is hugely empowering for customers. Just as we use TripAdvisor and Yelp to shine light on good and bad customer experiences, twitter is a powerful tool to bring actual actionable attention to poor customer service. And whether WN actually believes in customer service is beside the point, they need to provide it in order to continue selling tickets.

toomanybooks

2005 called. It wants its TV show back.

Doc Savage

Listen, everyone, it is pretty clear that there is more to this story than the DWKWIA Dad wants to tell, and WN can't tell that part of the story without appearing to be beating up on him.

Bottom line is, everyone should be a little more polite.

antinseattle

#ThisGuyGetsIt


I do like reading all the madness and hyperbole of FT on these threads

"what about the Children????"

ursine1

Yes, there's likely more to the story than will ever be told. And yes, the world would be a better place if everyone would be more polite.

But, bottom line, its indefensible to suggest in any way that the agent was at all justified in pulling a family off the plane, threatening police action, and forcing the deletion of a negative social media comment as a requirement for reboarding and continued travel. Period.

Bonanza36

You are right. This is 2014. If a company sets up a Twitter account, it becomes a defacto customer service path. Its not to simply garner accolades...both side come home to roost. Twitter accounts become fair game.

Most millennials have no idea what a customer service path looks like in the traditional sense.

For those rigidly defending SWAs actions, maybe its time to take a look at the policy. I would be reluctant to leave my 6 and 9 year olds at the gate while I board. If I've earned the right to board early, why would I be penalized because on this flight I bought 3 tickets rather than just one.

When companies create and promote FF loyalty programs, is it no wonder the A-listers, Diamond Medallions and Million Milers have a sense of entitlement? After all, they have been told (and wrongfully believe) they are special, so it does not fit the narrative when a gate Nazi gets her panties all twisted up.

jatrain

Echoing others, both were in the wrong, GA/supervisor for blowing it out of proportion and the passenger for trying to skirt the ruled that he should know as an A-lister. That being said, on our last flight when my A-list + wife was went to board in her low A position (while our toddler and I waited off to the side for family boarding) the ops agent stopped her to ask why she was carrying a car seat. When she pointed us out he waived us up to board with her (even with our B boarding passes). So I can see where the passenger may have received past mixed messages if he had had experiences like ours and hadn't flown much with the kids.

satman40

Just another upset seat saver, gate crashed.
GA normally ignore these type, this swish wanted to be noticed, so he could set an example for his kids in their future,
FA ignore them also, the rules are for others...

Welfare is everywhere, it is a way of life.