| Southwest is the darling of the industry. | | | | 'customers' participate, and you can too, if |
| For us early-adopters, it answered many needs | | | | you like. It's called Nuts about Southwest, |
| that were not being met by other airlines | | | | and there you can share their taglines - the |
| from cheap fares, to its own version of | | | | warrior spirit, the servant's heart, and |
| refundable airfare, to, for heaven's sake, a | | | | FUN-LUVing attitude. |
| sense of humor on the front lines, to the | | | | |
| firs casual wear for attendants, which gave | | | | How fun loving? I got to test it just the |
| us all permission to "get comfy" on those | | | | other day, flying out of Love Field in |
| airplane flights. | | | | Dallas. Dallas, which may rank no. one in |
| | | | weather-hassle for flights, for all I know. |
| My gosh. They even freed us from that awful | | | | Don't quote me. Anyway, middle of a summer |
| airplane food! | | | | plagued by rainstorms, as you've seen on the |
| | | | news (so rare for Texas), I was lucky to make |
| According to their Internet financial report, | | | | it to the airport because of the traffic |
| 2006 marked Southwest's 34th consecutive year | | | | accidents, and then discovered all the |
| of profitability. They became a "major" | | | | delays. The agents - letting us know it had |
| airline in 1989, the year they exceeded the | | | | been "a week of this" for them - approached |
| billion-dollar revenue mark, and it remains | | | | it with humor and also let us know what it |
| the nation's most successful low-fare, high | | | | had been like for them. What else can you |
| frequency, point-to-point carrier. | | | | do? That's authentic. It was exasperating |
| | | | for all of us involved with snarled flights, |
| And how they do keep up with what we like! To | | | | people cutting in line, screaming children, |
| quote their site, they have now boldly gone | | | | and so forth. |
| where no other airline and few Fortune 500 | | | | |
| companies have gone before - into the | | | | And here's more of Southwest. If you were an |
| blogosphere. Yes, they have a blog, and you | | | | early adopter like me, with ties in Texas, |
| can visit it here: . | | | | you know all about the "Set LUV free" |
| | | | campaign, battling that peculiar Wright |
| "Blogging works for us because, as a Company, | | | | Amendment. Southwest set up a website where |
| we know we have nothing to hide," said | | | | you could make your wishes known to Congress, |
| Southwest's President Colleen Barrett. "Our | | | | . Finally Love Field was set free, and |
| Employees absolutely ooze authenticity, and | | | | they've kept the site up, with a link on |
| our bloggers have been able to bring that | | | | there where you can THANK Congress for the |
| same SPIRIT to the blog." | | | | Wright Amendment Reform Act. |
| | | | |
| AUTHENTICITY is one of the emotional | | | | You would think that would be commonplace, |
| intelligence (EQ) competencies. It works for | | | | wouldn't you, to thank someone who gives you |
| individuals, it works for civic groups, it | | | | what you've been asking for. But of course |
| works for leaders, and it works for | | | | it's not. |
| corporations. | | | | |
| | | | Others might have an attitude of entitlement. |
| On the blog you can take a peek inside the | | | | |
| culture and operations of your favorite | | | | Emotional intelligence works, from the ground |
| airline. About 30 employee bloggers (both | | | | up, and let's just say it begins at home, |
| frontline and behind the scenes), and | | | | with the individual. |