This is a followup to Frequent Traveler is Too Fat to Fly on Southwest Airlines.

Southwest finally sent me the official response I was waiting for.  They basically addressed all my concerns.  The apparent sender/approver was Jim Ruppel, one of the executives I initially emailed last Monday.  The email is posted below.

Dear Chip,

Thank you for your e-mail and for taking the time to share your feedback.  We realize that feedback from our Customers (particularly from Customers who are as loyal as you) is critical to our success, and we appreciate the time you took to contact us.  Your loyalty to our Company is evident in the many flights you’ve taken with us so far this year, and you’re certainly in a position to describe good (and less than good) Customer Service.  I’m so sorry that your airport experience on June 15 was so surprising and disappointing, and I appreciate this opportunity to respond and, of course, apologize.

Apology accepted.

As you’re now aware, the defining factor that determines whether a Customer must purchase an additional seat to accommodate his/her girth is whether or not the individual can comfortably occupy one seat without the need to raise the armrest(s) to do so.  Our Employees want to ensure that no one has to “force” the armrests down in order to occupy one seat (the likelihood of a Customer seated very tightly between the armrests and traveling in that position for the duration of the flight is doubtful).  Moreover, we don’t want to create an unsafe situation whereby aircraft evacuation is hampered when Customers are in a tight seating arrangement.

It’s debatable whether anyone, no matter their relative size, can “comfortably” sit in an airplane seat for up to 6 hours at a time, let alone someone tall or wide.  However, I think everyone agrees that people should be given the chance to demonstrate that they do actually fit, before they are forced to buy a 2nd ticket or thrown off the flight.

We provide and charge for seats based on need, whether the space is needed to accommodate a personal item (such as a musical instrument), an infant carrier, a person’s girth, a person’s unique physical characteristics (e.g., Customers who are unable to sit upright and must lay across several seats), etc.  Our policy is without discrimination since every person pays for the space that he/she occupies, regardless of the reason for needing the space.

I don’t disagree here.

Certainly, your history as our Customer would suggest that our Employees haven’t identified you as a Customer of size in the past, and we regret the inconsistency you experienced in Las Vegas.  As a very frequent Customer who notes he is a “huge fan,” you’re no doubt aware that the primary key to our success over the past 38 years is our workforce.  And, of course, our workforce is made up of humans who are, unfortunately, fallible.  As you describe yourself as “barely” fitting into our seats, it isn’t unreasonable (as you acknowledge) for our Employee to approach you about your seating needs.

Agreed.

However, once your situation escalated to a Supervisor and you explained again that you’ve traveled many, many times without being approached, our Employees should have reevaluated the situation.

Thank you for hitting the nail on the head.

I assure you that the appropriate Leaders have been made aware of your concerns.  Although we will be unable to share any specifics with you, we are confident our Leaders will address the situation appropriately.

Fine with me.

Additionally, as a tangible expression of our apologies, I have issued you [redacted] in travel credit, the value of which equals that of your roundtrip fare.  The travel credit will arrive via e-mail within a few days.

As you’re aware, Southwest Airlines is a very good airline with an excellent performance record; friendly, capable Employees; and a strong commitment to Customer Service.  We regret making you feel otherwise on June 15, and I hope that your faith in our Company continues and that we can look forward to future opportunities to have you on our flights.

Also, fine with me.  Although this wasn’t about money, I accept your offer.

It is probably worth mentioning that I have already flown on Southwest four(4) times since last Monday.  Many many people have suggested that I switch airlines, but that would be foolish.  I already fly the best airline in the US, so there’s no need to change.  I know that the two employees that hampered my travel plans last Monday are the exception to Southwest’s fine customer service, not the rule.  Hopefully they are being dealt with accordingly.

Sincerely,

Jim Ruppel
Vice President
Customer Relations and Rapid Rewards

I would personally like to thank Consumerist (50 comments!) and Reddit (wow, 300 comments!) for helping spread the word.

A few people have asked/speculated why I fly Southwest, and why I will continue to fly Southwest.  Here’s why:

  1. I’m based in Las Vegas and travel weekly for business.  Las Vegas is the closest thing Southwest has to a HUB, along with Phoenix and Chicago Midway, so that means Southwest flies pretty much everywhere I want to go and from Vegas I can go non-stop.  In fact, the only two places I have been in the last year that Southwest didn’t go were Minneapolis and Des Moines.  They have since started flights to Minneapolis!
  2. No change fees.  When I’m traveling on business and finish my job early, I can change the flight without incurring the $150 fee that most airlines charge.  And assuming I have the full fare ticket, I can just show up to the airport early and get on standby for the first available flight.
  3. Their fares make sense.  I never understood why some airlines charge $100 if you book 3 weeks in advance, and $1200 if you book the day before.  That seems wrong to me.  I once flew from Oakland to Columbus Ohio connecting through Houston (Airline: Continental) for $400.  I decided to stopover in Houston for a day to visit with friends.  When I tried to book the same flight from Houston to Columbus (in fact, the exact same plane I would have been on had I connected) the cost was $1200 – even if I booked 3 weeks in advance.  What?
  4. They don’t hassle me about when I can/can’t use my frequent flyer tickets.  I’ve even used them 24 hours before a flight and it wasn’t a problem.  I’ve even had a friend MISS their free flight and Southwest rebooked them without argument or fee.  That’s customer service!
  5. They really do have the consistently best customer service in the industry.  Now, let me preface that by saying I have never flown JetBlue, but I hear they are stellar.  I also have flown Virgin America once, and received better customer service than Southwest, but that was only the one flight and they were brand new at the time.
  6. They don’t have stupid rules/fees designed to milk you for every last dime.  I once missed my AA flight by 30 minutes and had to BUY A WHOLE NEW TICKET.  That was the last time I flew with AA.  Southwest has no fees for checked bags.  No fees for in-flight sodas/snacks.
  7. And one more thing not too many people know.  They REALLY try to get you there on time.  A friend of mine who is an air traffic controller once told me that Southwest pilots are the only ones who will accept a shortcut if offered one.