The Flight That Felt Different

I flew from Austin to Denver this week on Southwest. Checked in late, ended up C8 in line—no big deal, I’ve flown them plenty of times.

But as I sat at the gate, I must’ve heard the agent repeat 10–15 times:

“No backpacks in the overhead bins.”

“We need 20 volunteers to check bags for free.”

The tone wasn’t playful Southwest. It was disciplinary. By the time I got to the boarding line, the agent told me and another passenger we’d need to step aside, leave the line, and go back to the counter to check our bags—said in a way that felt punitive.

When we pushed back, even the other gate staff contradicted one another. No one seemed aligned. And once on board? The flight attendant announced there was plenty of room for another 10–15 bags.

From Customer-First to Compliance-First

It struck me: this didn’t feel like the Southwest I’ve known.

For years, Southwest was built on Herb Kelleher’s belief that “the business of business is people.” You felt it in the humor, the humanity, the sense that the customer mattered as much as the operational detail.

But yesterday, it felt like the pendulum has swung. From customer love → to cost control. From listening → to lecturing.

❤️ What Made Southwest, Southwest

Southwest’s unique charm wasn’t just low fares. It was the feeling that customers were part of the experience. Gate agents cracking jokes. Flight attendants making safety announcements fun. A company culture that made you feel like people came first.

That spirit seems to be slipping—and it’s a cautionary tale for all of us.

When Culture Slips, CX Suffers

Maybe this is temporary. Maybe it’s just growing pains as they evolve their model. But it raises some tough CX questions for all of us running businesses:

👉 What happens when profitability pressures override the customer-first culture you were built on?
👉 How do you make sure that top-down messaging doesn’t turn frontline employees into enforcers instead of advocates?
👉 And most importantly: how do you preserve the soul of your business as you scale?

🔑 The CX Lesson

I left that flight feeling sad. Sad for what Herb built. Sad for what seems to be slipping away.

But it’s also a reminder: if Southwest can lose its culture, any of us can.

Culture slips into CX lessons?

Let’s talk about how we can turn your customer and employee feedback into the kind of action that strengthens trust—and makes sure your business never loses its soul.