Thanks and no thanks to social media giants like youtube and facebook, the Southwest Airlines Flight attendant video that went viral this week resulted in her termination. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look, it’s being called one of the most entertaining safety demos given on an airline.
There’s a lot of speculation on why she was terminated.
The best one so far is that her contract explicitly stated that she was to follow the safety demos strict demonstration guidelines. The sarcasm and joking she did in the video may have confused and offended some of the individuals onboard that flight. This presented a safety hazard to the confused passengers which presented a safety concern for the entire flight as some of the passengers sitting near exit rows may have been confused in the event of an amergency. It has been reported that several complaints were received shortly after the flight landed.
Luckily for us we don’t need to speculate because a Southwest Airlines official, speaking on the condition of anonymity had this to say, “Due to recent events, safety is at the forefront of all of our customers minds. We at Southwest Airlines take our responsibility very seriously to ensure the passenger gets to their destiation safely.”
He continued, “Nowhere in the job description for Flight Attendant will you see the word comedian. We don’t hire comedians, we hire Flight Attendants, Pilots, and Security that take their job seriously and adhere to our strict policies. In today’s day and age, there is no room for sarcasm, confusion, or error. We feel that this flight attendant acted outside of and neglected her responsibility as a flight attendant, which is to be an authoritative figure that lets people know that we are in control of the flight and take their safety seriously.”
He went on, “Joking about some of the things she did may have been acceptable 20+ years ago, but after the events of 9/11 and the threat of terrorism and plane hi-jackings, we find her behavior completely unacceptable. She was not representing the best interests of Southwest Airlines during her comedy routine, therefore, we felt we had no choice but to terminate her employment.”
So what do you think?
Was Southwest Airlines correct in terminating her employment or did they go too far?
Should comedy be allowed in safety demos if it has the potential to confuse the listeners?
Leave a comment, we’d like to hear what you think.
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Firing was an over the top move by a corporate entity with no union. If you are going to fire her then you also need to fire her supervisor and second line manager for not making such actions perfectly clear. I bet they will get no discipline at all. The punishment should reflect the action. I would have put her on a three year probation and given her documented training as to what is acceptable, with her also knowing what future consequences will be. While you do not want passengers to get out of control, there needs to also be a respectful human element in managing people.
I was on a flight from Chicago to Norfolk... What a pleasure to have the guy we had....just humor I loved it! NO you shouldn't fire her!
Southwest is the most highly unionized airline in the United States. It is a common misconception that Southwest is not unionized. This is completely and utterly inaccurate, Please do a quick Google search before you make a confident statement like this again. Furthermore, Southwest Airlines has the highest level of employee satisfaction, pays employees at least the industry average, and since 2005, has the highest paid pilots in the American airline market.
Despite some of the errors that you made in your statement, I agree with you completely that the flight attendant should not have been fired, BASED ON THIS INCIDENT ALONE. If her performance history has any prior complaints and there have been ample allowance for few errors or indiscretions and retraining or warnings were provided, then yes, she should have been terminated. Commercial aviation is no joke, especially in the United States, and especially with our tragic history of terrorist attacks, hijackings, and accidents. Flight attendants should lay down the law, clearly and concisely provide safety instructions and information, and maintain decorum in all aspects of their performance. Light-hearted comments and banter should not be censored or barred, but overall, the flight attendant needs to make the passengers understand the gravity of the situations that might occur during flights and how to mitigate those risks.
Source: pilot in training, aviation management student. Not a Southwest employee, but I do admire and respect their culture and practices.
Firing was an over the top move by a corporate entity with no union. If you are going to fire her then you also need to fire her supervisor and second line manager for not making such actions perfectly clear. I bet they will get no discipline at all. The punishment should reflect the action. I would have put her on a three year probation and given her documented training as to what is acceptable, with her also knowing what future consequences will be. While you do not want passengers to get out of control, there needs to also be a respectful human element in managing people.
I was on a flight from Chicago to Norfolk... What a pleasure to have the guy we had....just humor I loved it! NO you shouldn't fire her!
Southwest is the most highly unionized airline in the United States. It is a common misconception that Southwest is not unionized. This is completely and utterly inaccurate, Please do a quick Google search before you make a confident statement like this again. Furthermore, Southwest Airlines has the highest level of employee satisfaction, pays employees at least the industry average, and since 2005, has the highest paid pilots in the American airline market.
Despite some of the errors that you made in your statement, I agree with you completely that the flight attendant should not have been fired, BASED ON THIS INCIDENT ALONE. If her performance history has any prior complaints and there have been ample allowance for few errors or indiscretions and retraining or warnings were provided, then yes, she should have been terminated. Commercial aviation is no joke, especially in the United States, and especially with our tragic history of terrorist attacks, hijackings, and accidents. Flight attendants should lay down the law, clearly and concisely provide safety instructions and information, and maintain decorum in all aspects of their performance. Light-hearted comments and banter should not be censored or barred, but overall, the flight attendant needs to make the passengers understand the gravity of the situations that might occur during flights and how to mitigate those risks.
Source: pilot in training, aviation management student. Not a Southwest employee, but I do admire and respect their culture and practices.
With all due respect!
The Union is a joke, they just take your money and local union reps want to be in the local management side or they will get harrassed too. I used to worked there until got hurt .
Surprise! That is the new Southwest airlines, new CEO's and management
I would fly more if this is how they did their little diddy. Fire her?? Give her a raise!!! You are all a bunch of up tight a**es.
I would fly more if this is how they did their little diddy. Fire her?? Give her a raise!!! You are all a bunch of up tight a**es.
Every Southwest flight that I've been on has comedians.
After the safety speech, one flight attendant announced to the passengers to press the call button and place their drink request. After a moment he requested that seats 19C and 19D repeat their order. Then he announced that the call buttons were not functioning and the beverage cart would start making its rounds shortly after takeoff.
Ha!
And there equally talented pilots, too.
"The temperature is 73° and a slight wind of three knots. The entire Southwest flight crew and I wish you a pleasant stay in Seattle."
Except the plane just landed in Portland.
Ha ha ha!
Every Southwest flight that I've been on has comedians.
After the safety speech, one flight attendant announced to the passengers to press the call button and place their drink request. After a moment he requested that seats 19C and 19D repeat their order. Then he announced that the call buttons were not functioning and the beverage cart would start making its rounds shortly after takeoff.
Ha!
And there equally talented pilots, too.
"The temperature is 73° and a slight wind of three knots. The entire Southwest flight crew and I wish you a pleasant stay in Seattle."
Except the plane just landed in Portland.
Ha ha ha!
fake news. She is still a flight attendant at SWA as of late 2018!
She deserves a raise, for making the flight more pleasant for everybody. It´s a gift if you are able to turn life less boring and cheer up people´s day.
She deserves a raise, for making the flight more pleasant for everybody. It´s a gift if you are able to turn life less boring and cheer up people´s day.
She is good,just went too far,but still an asset.
Talk to her...modify her talk a little...promote her.
She is good,just went too far,but still an asset.
Talk to her...modify her talk a little...promote her.