Yes–you can do a blog post using only an iPhone, one finger and an always creative mind.
Monthly Archives: October 2008
Southwest Announces Expansion to Minneapolis
Gary Kelly, Chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines announced minutes ago that the airline will begin service out of Minneapolis- St. Paul in March 2009. The airline says it will initially begin service to Minneapolis from only one airport — Chicago Midway.
Stop the Presses: Customer Email Coming to Southwest Airlines
Don’t faint.
Southwest Airlines plans to unroll a new customer email system in early 2009.
As many of you know, the airline has steadfastly remained without an email customer service method of communication.
If you wanted to complain to the airline, give them a compliment, or simply ask a question — you could not send the airline an email. You had to sit down and write them an old-fashioned letter. Yep. With a stamp.
No more.
Starting early next year the airline will finally have a customer email alternative.
South by Southwest….Airlines That is
It’s Media Day at Southwest Airlines.
For a blow by blow account of the festivities, you can check out Terry Maxon’s blog. He’s posting like a mad man. As usual.
Not surprisingly, the most interesting presentation for me this morning came from Southwest’s SVP of Marketing and Revenue Management, Dave Ridley.
Some of you may remember that Dave tried to retire in 2006, but that didn’t last long.
I have to thank Dave for acknowledging my efforts in getting the airline to change the name of their fare classes. You may recall that last year I said, right off the bat, that the airline’s decision to show customers three fare classes, with the first two dubbed “Business Select,” and “Business” was a mistake.
After four months of me harping on the subject, Southwest listened. And they changed the name of the fare class “Business” to “Anytime” fares.
Dave, your acknowledgment of our suggestion was most welcome. Glad I could help.
My latest rant has been whether or not the airline’s decision to dig in its heels on the “No Fees” marketing strategy will eventually come back to haunt them.
A couple of notes from comments we’ve heard so far from the folks at Southwest.
One, if not enough customers get “mad enough” nor are “smart enough” to make the choice for “no fees” rather than paying for all those pesky fees, Southwest would consider changing course.
So it’s up to the customers. If enough of them switch, and the airline’s revenues reflect that fact — I think the message is that the airline will continue with its current campaign.
If not — the airline has been pretty clear that it will consider shifting gears.
Now — there is the matter of wi-fi. Yes, the airline is going to start experimenting with its Row 44 product before the end of the year. Will it be free? Ah….no. But the airline has not decided how it is going to price the product. But it sounds like it is going to be a sliding scale, based on the length of flight. As Dave said, “After all, if you’re talking about Dallas-Austin, you’re not going to have more than 20 minutes or so in the air when you can use it.”
More later.