kaytieeldr said:
If I'd been flying Southwest, the plane would have been gone.
Not necessarily....we held planes for people many times. If SWA knows you are in the airport, and just having difficulty getting to the plane, they will hold the flight.
While I was working there, we delayed quite a few flights because of backups at security, waiting for transfers from a delayed flight, or if a pax was having a difficult time (needing assistance) to get to the gate. Who knows, at SWA it might have even been the captain or first officer who came to get you!!
In spite of SWA being the airline that is SERIOUS about on-time departures, they really do try hard to help those in need. I think the one thing that makes Airline work is that SWA IS always nice and courteous, and always goes above and beyond to help passengers.
I have helped clean up MANY elderly passengers who could not make it to the bathroom. I even assisted one man who could not get his pants undone (not my favorite moment....but, you do what you have got to do). I have cleaned up way too much throw-up (which was especially hard when I was pregnant), and held many crying unaccompanied minors on board the plane. All while serving the other 46 passengers on the plane. I lifted bags into the overhead bins for those who could not lift them, but refused to check them. I have had to refuse service to hundreds of people who wanted to get drunk on the way to Vegas, and held their hands while they threw up on the way home. I've had to call the police on people smoking "illegal" substances in the plane, and would usually get yelled at (or, at least "told off") for situations beyond my control on a daily basis. The starting salary for a SWA flight attendant was around $13,000 per year (it is a little higher now, but not much). I worked EVERY Christmas and Thanksgiving for eight years, and would sometimes leave on the 23rd, not to return until the 26th. Flight attendants can be gone on a 4-day trip, only to reach the airport and be told that they MUST go right back out, even though they are scheduled to be off...this would happen quite a bit around the holidays. They are also required to keep a current phone number on file, and if the company calls and tells them they need to come in on a day off....they must come in, or they are fired. I had a friend who was called in on her son's birthday when she had 40 friends and family members descending on their house. She came in....crying.
Fortunately, I was on maternity leave on Sept 11. I had several friends who were "stranded" in hotels for a couple of weeks after the tragedy. It IS a really hard job...both physically and emotionally...and yet, SWA employees keep smiling and doing their jobs with grace and dignity...some for minimum wage.
Airline would not work if the employees were less than stellar...this includes waiting for passengers whenever possible.
