Disclosure Notice: Southwest Airlines does not advertise or support my website in any way. Okay, that’s out of the way. Now, raise a glass to the ‘Company Plane.’
In this day of airline hassles, bag fees and security concerns, flying the friendly skies isn’t what it used to be. Ever had a ‘random pelvic check’ at the security gate? I have.
Producing a wine and food website requires that we travel frequently, and a recent jaunt to Napa was nearly jeopardized because of a can of hairspray!
There were three of us with Goodtastewithtanji.com on the first Southwest Airlines flight out of SA headed to Sacramento so that we could shoot videos in Napa for a new wine travel section planned for my website.
We had worked for weeks scheduling shoots with vineyards and restaurants, and the first shoot was to take place within two hours of our landing in California.
So, at 7:15 a.m. we are in our seats on the flight ready to go when the voice over the speaker says “Ladies and gentlemen, we need you to exit the plane. Leave your carry-on luggage onboard, and please exit the plane QUICKLY.”
Wow…did he say ‘quickly?’ He did. So, everyone did what the guy said…we got off the plane.
Shortly after we were all off the plane, the announcer came on the PA system and said that a can of hairspray had been punctured which set off the smoke alarm system in the cargo hold. He went on to say that our plane would be grounded and that we would be boarded onto another aircraft, and he would let us know ‘soon’ when that would be.
Our day of shooting in Napa flashed before my eyes! What were the odds of us making our connection and even getting to Napa before dinner time? Not good on a Friday, even if we were on the ‘company plane.’
Shock and Awe! Southwest Airlines had another airplane at a gate in less than 30 minutes to take all us passengers to our next destination. I wonder if the ‘big guys’ could have pulled that off! I guess Southwest should be in that ‘big guys’ nomenclature, but I still think of them as the ‘local’ airline. I’ve flown Southwest since the mid 70’s when we could go standby for $15.
So, cheers to Southwest Airlines friendliest flight team in the sky—yes, I like peanuts!
And, this just in! Right before post time I received a ‘LUV’ voucher & an apology from Southwest Airlines. Seems they sent the Luv vouchers to all of us who were displaced from the original flight – a $100 credit on our next Southwest Airlines adventure which you can bet will be soon! Oh yea, and did I forget to mention – our bags flew free—all SIX of them!
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