SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Helps Grieving Grandfather

I'll say it plain as day right up front: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DESERVES A PAT ON THE BACK. And though I haven't always been a fan of this discount airline, over the last decade, I've become an avid supporter.

Here's the reason for today's tip of the hat, as reported in a number of media outlets over the last several days, and it's a simple one:

A Southwest pilot held a flight long enough for a grieving grandfather trying to get to his dying 3 year-old grandson's bedside to actually make the flight and say goodbye. Simple as that.

The airline industry is a tough one to tackle at the corporate level, especially these days. Airlines are breathtakingly expensive to run. They're highly regulated, deadline-driven, stress-producing, inherently prone to all things unforeseen. And most of all, American passengers' expectations combined with weather delays, opportunistic media, and oppositional politics make it difficult to run a tight ship and keep people consistently happy.

All that said, however, Southwest is doing a magnificent job managing itself in today's economy. In 2009, the last full year for which stats are available, Southwest flew 3100 flights a day, shuttling 86 million passengers an average of 653 miles each and still managed to earn $99M in net income, staying profitable for its 37th consecutive year -- all the while receiving the lowest ratio of complaints per passengers boarded of all major U.S. carriers. That's no small distinction.

So when I heard this story and weighed it against my own personal flying experiences, I jumped at the chance to praise an American company that seems to be doing things right. It was logical decision.

But factor in the HEART side of things, and it makes even more sense.

In this case, grandfather Mark Dickinson -- trying desperately to get to his mortally-injured grandson Caden Rogers in Denver -- was stuck in a long line at LAX (the kind of long lines common these days at most airports, let alone that behemoth airport in Los Angeles).

You can imagine his desperation.

He did what anyone in his situation might do; he called his wife, who called Southwest with the hope that someone might do exactly what they did: hold the plane at the gate long enough for Dickinson to catch the flight. In the meantime, he finally got through security, grabbed his shoes and bolted for the gate. And when he finally arrived there, breathlessly and in tears, the pilot -- who preferred to remain anonymous -- was standing there waiting for him.

Here's the verbatim quote from Dickinson's wife, who wrote a travel writer with the story. In her words:

"When [Mark] got there, the pilot of his plane and the ticketing agent both said, 'Are you Mark? We held the plane for you and we’re so sorry about the loss of your grandson.' The pilot held the plane that was supposed to take off at 11:50 until 12:02 when my husband got there.

As my husband walked down the jetway with the pilot, he said, 'I can’t thank you enough for this. The pilot responded with, 'They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.'

My husband was able to take his first deep breath of the day. I don’t know any other airline that would have done this."

I don't know about you, but I got a little choked up reading that email. In an age of cranky customers, impatient flight crews, charges for luggage, and (need I say more?),  it's heartwarming to hear of this pilot's actions, and that of undoubtedly what had to be several other Southwest employees beforehand.

This gesture, born of a policy that Southwest says empowers its employees to make decisions on behalf of its customers, went a long way in my book. It reflects a top-down leadership style that continues to keep Southwest in good stead in the eyes of its primary constituency -- those who, with their hard-earned dollars, pay to fly and thereby keep Southwest (and the whole industry) alive.

Mark Dickinson was able to say goodbye to young Caden before he died, thanks to a pilot and an airline more in touch with humanity than most. For that reason and a few others, I'll go out of my way to give my business to Southwest. In fact, I live in northeast Mississippi, more than two hours from Birmingham (AL) Airport. Memphis International is closer by 40 minutes. But whenever I have a choice, you can rest assured that without even giving it a second thought, I'll drive the extra 40 minutes willingly to fly on an airline which shows the industry everyday exactly how to BE an airline.

In the meantime, my heart goes out to the Dickinsons and to Caden's mom. I'm sorry for the death of your grandson/son. His passing was far too early. One thing is for sure, though. Thanks to the publicity surrounding Southwest's efforts, and your willingness to share the story, Caden's passing did not go unnoticed. May he rest in peace, Caden.

And thanks, Southwest Airlines, for reminding us all to be good to one another. -M

Note: This story originally came to light on the website of Christopher Elliott, a consumer advocate and journalist. Click here for a link to the original post.