Andrew Watterson on customer service
From Southwest Airlines COO: "We messed up." · · CSPAN
“We immediately recognize we had to take care of our customers and with regards to disruption we did so in a variety of ways, allowing customers to rebook their travel at no cost, effectively doubling our normal time for rebooking and processing all reasonable reimbursement requests for our customers' out-of-pocket expenses.”
On , Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Airlines Co, spoke about customer service during Southwest Airlines COO: "We messed up." on CSPAN.
About Andrew Watterson
Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer of Southwest Airlines, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on February 9, 2023, regarding the company's operational disruption during the last week of December 2022. Watterson apologized for the disruption, stating, "we messed up," and attributed the crisis to insufficient winter operations resiliency, including de-icing procedures and cold-resistant ground equipment, as well as high cancellation rates in Denver and Chicago that displaced crews. He described the event as a "crew event" unique to Southwest, caused by overwhelmed crew scheduling processes and technology, which had been upgraded earlier in the year. Watterson outlined steps Southwest has taken to address the issues, including enhancements to crew scheduling software, a strengthened early indicators dashboard, supplemental operational staffing, and organizational changes to improve coordination. He noted that the company is conducting internal reviews, board engagement, and a third-party assessment to reassess plans and invest in improvements. Watterson also detailed customer relief efforts, such as allowing rebooking at no cost, processing reimbursement requests for out-of-pocket expenses, and providing 25,000 Rapid Rewards points to significantly impacted customers. He emphasized the company's focus on reducing the risk of future disruptions and repairing trust.