Is This PR? (Post 2) Southwest Airlines Policy for Overweight Passengers
In 2002, Southwest Airlines came under fire for its policy of charging overweight/obese passengers for an extra seat. Since then, other airlines such as United have begun charging as well.
Southwest’s defense of its policy, called “Customer of Size,” was met with both opposition and appreciation from the media and bloggers. Some complained that Southwest was discriminating against larger customers, while others were overjoyed that the airline was finally listening to customer complaints about sitting next to overweight customers on flights.
Southwest’s response to media and online criticism, especially blog posts, is an excellent example of good PR. Despite criticism and media backlash, Southwest has successfully gained support for its policy from customers of a normal weight and the courts. The airline has had the policy since 1980, and has only been sued five times over it. Every time, Southwest won.
In addition, the airline demonstrated good PR in its response by posting a detailed Q & A on its website. The page explains the “Customer of Size” policy, how such a customer is defined, the reasons for the policy, and the protection the policy has under the law. The airline cites various laws and explains that they have not violated any of them with the policy.
The page defines a “Customer of Size” as one who cannot fit in a seat with both armrests lowered. The company explains that their employees will take every step to use discretion when explaining to passengers that they must pay for an extra seat and is not trying to embarrass any passenger.
Customers are charged a discounted rate for the second seat if they paid a discounted rate for their first ticket, or are charged for a child’s fare for the second seat if they paid full price. Southwest also refunds customers who have to pay for an extra seat after the flight if the flight is not full. What a deal, the site states that most customers receive a refund after their flight.
Finally, the airline justifies its policy because of numerous customer complaints of having a larger seatmate encroach onto their seat. The airline believes the seating situations are unsafe and uncomfortable for the customer who paid for their own seat. Southwest did not ignore the complaints of its customers, and has approached the situation in a sensitive way that is legally supported.
For these reasons, Southwest Airline’s policy is an example of good PR.