For years, I had heard about the legendary staff of Southwest Airlines-- how the staff crack jokes and make the flights fun. Every time I've flown with Southwest, their staff has been friendly and helpful. They allowed our entire family to pre-board so that we could get seats together on a flight last year.
Yesterday, I finally got a taste of what makes Southwest Airlines unique.
On the flight to Colorado, the flight was uneventful but smooth. Nothing unusual was said on the flight to make it stand out. I was traveling with my friend Beth, who is also a board member of Illinois Hands & Voices. We were heading to Breckenridge for the annual Hands & Voices Leadership Workshop. On the flight home last night, the entire crew was male.
And funny.
While demonstrating the flight safety rules, the crew member "hung himself" with the oxygen line. Beth was interpreting the pilot's wisecracks. Since I fly alone most of the time, it was a real treat to be able to access what goes on during a flight.
During the landing, the pilot made galloping sounds and as soon as the wheels touched the tarmac, "Whoa, Nellie!" was heard over the loudspeaker. Laughter erupted among the passengers. I cracked up with the rest of them. The pilot gave a nod to the group of young kids traveling from a baseball game. "That's a well-behaved group of kids we have with us!"
As we cruised toward the gate, the pilot warned us not to take off the seatbelts. "No, not yet. Not quite yet... Not there yet..."
And then when the cabin door opened he said, "Ok now! Go get your junk and get outta here!"
Beth and I left with smiles on our faces. Now I can see why Southwest is the only airline turning a profit in these turbulent times. We need more airlines like that.
