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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Reservoir of good will keeping Southwest Airlines afloat
A devastating revelation that aircraft were not being inspected as mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration could permanently ground a lesser organization. But Southwest Airlines has a deep reservoir of good will and they took massive action on multiple fronts.OK, I admit to being biased about Southwest. I’m a Texan with friends who started their careers with LUV. So I cringed with the announcement that the airline was flying in the face of FAA regulations. I held my breath, pondering what to say about this, waiting to see what they would say and do.
I’m gratified by their response. They grounded planes for inspections and put several staff on leave. Then the big wigs flew to DC to sit down with the FAA to work out the details of a massive fine and trace the problem back to the beginning point.
No whining. No excuses. Lots of action.
Sitting on the outside watching this process develop, I don’t know yet what grade to give Southwest. There are many details and actions yet to come. But I’m inclined to believe they will do the right thing. Maybe it’s that reservoir of good will they’ve built up over the decades.
Comments:
I agree in spirit. They did the right thing, pulled the aircraft, handled it with transparency. There was a bit of behind-the-scenes whining, though, as some saw the hand of a competing airline behind all the publicity.
But in general, SW is a great company!