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