A Southwest Airlines employee goes out of her way to help a distressed passenger

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Terry Maxon of the Airline Biz Blog recently posted an email from a passenger who was helped by a Southwest Airlines employee at Love Field airport in Dallas. It is a great show of how empathizing employees can create trust between the brand and the customer. Again, proving the theory that happy employees lead to happy customers. Here’s the email. Enjoy the read.

Oct. 29, 2008

Southwest Airlines
P.O. Box 36647 – 1CR
Dallas, Texas 75235-1647
Re: Oct. 18, 2008

Dear Sir/Madam:

On Oct. 18 I arrived at Love Field, having come from Illinois, visiting my sister who has cancer.

A passenger on my flight misdirected me to the basement when I inquired as to where to pick up my luggage and when I tried to come back through, an airport employee helped me back through the security checkpoint. Unfortunately, TSA nabbed me and informed me that I would have to go back and walk all the way around the airport outside till I found Baggage Claim myself, but they would not help me find the area. By this time, having chronic asthma, I began having an asthma attack due to anxiety.

Extremely upset, I found myself in the Southwest employee parking lot and it was only there that a female SW employee, seeing that I was crying hysterically and was distraught, walked up to me and offered to help. I wish I had gotten her name that night but perhaps you might post this letter on a bulletin board or somewhere where she might see it and realize how much she helped me. She personally drove me around to Baggage Claim, allowed me to use her cell phone to call my friend who had been waiting for me for 30 minutes, spoke to two police officers outside Baggage Claim about my situation, and saw to it that I found my waiting friend before leaving me.

I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated her kindness and that it really amazed me how she went out of her way to sympathize and help with my situation. I doubt any of the other airlines I’ve flown would have gone above and beyond the call of duty as she did.

Wherever, you are, Miss Southwest Employee, thank you from the bottom of my heart and please know that you truly made a difference in someone’s life that night.

Sincerely,

Terri Rimmer
Fort Worth, TX