IDEA: I've flown Southwest Airlines a few times the last months and noticed that due to Covid they are not serving alcohol, which is boohooo because there is no social lubricant I like more to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger than bourbon.
But pre-covid I learned about a secret unwritten rule among most of the flight attendants that I refer to ask their free drink policy.
Note: this is NOT related to the free drink coupons that Southwest is famous for giving its loyal customers. Those are great, of course.
While you will never see the free drink policy explicitly written or said out loud, Southwest flight attendants are allowed to wield free alcoholic drinks to apologize for flight delays or in a lot of cases, for no reason at all simply to earn loyalty. But only after you order the alcoholic drink (demonstrating you really want it and are willing to pay for it) does this gesture (sometimes, if you're lucky) emerge. Alcoholic drinks on airplanes normally cost $6 or $7 so the savings are real. But the feeling of being gifted a free drink (in an era of airline cost cutting) is what really endears us. And by us, I mean me.
For a company as big as Southwest, is this proof that small engineered surprises can give any company (even the most commodity ones like flying commercial) a touch of The Limited Edition?
ACTION: Establish your own altruistic yet unwritten version of the Southwest drink gesture: a go-to move that doesn’t too cost much but will delight guests without fail.
But pre-covid I learned about a secret unwritten rule among most of the flight attendants that I refer to ask their free drink policy.
Note: this is NOT related to the free drink coupons that Southwest is famous for giving its loyal customers. Those are great, of course.
While you will never see the free drink policy explicitly written or said out loud, Southwest flight attendants are allowed to wield free alcoholic drinks to apologize for flight delays or in a lot of cases, for no reason at all simply to earn loyalty. But only after you order the alcoholic drink (demonstrating you really want it and are willing to pay for it) does this gesture (sometimes, if you're lucky) emerge. Alcoholic drinks on airplanes normally cost $6 or $7 so the savings are real. But the feeling of being gifted a free drink (in an era of airline cost cutting) is what really endears us. And by us, I mean me.
For a company as big as Southwest, is this proof that small engineered surprises can give any company (even the most commodity ones like flying commercial) a touch of The Limited Edition?
ACTION: Establish your own altruistic yet unwritten version of the Southwest drink gesture: a go-to move that doesn’t too cost much but will delight guests without fail.
- Identify an item of recognizable value and place a price on it (Great examples are tangible products that have high mark-up value: coffee, glass bottles of water..etc. Less great (but still really good) examples are services or things visitors don’t know the monetary value of: baked goods from the local bakery, a neighborhood walking tour, airport transfers…etc. Bad examples are fancy things that cost a lot that no one knows the value of.
- Promote the sale of item (do not promote the freebie): The drink gesture works because Southwest has a menu that normally sells $7 alcoholic beverages, which provides an important distinction of value. Receiving the free drink after realizing it costs $7 makes the difference (and for Southwest, keeping it secret ensures that the only people who benefit are ones who were willing buy a drink). Demonstrating value before giving the item away for free is key. As is proof that the guest actually values said item. (Note: If you already give away a bottle of wine or local olive oil for free to guests upon arrival, maybe place a little card nearby indicating the normal price if they’d like to purchase more? "This first bottle's on us!"
- When your guest goes to purchase the item, give yourselves the permission to give it away for free on the spot (Bonus Points: Come up with an excuse that makes the guest feel special -- the experience feel serendipitous. Examples: "Since it’s your first stay” or “Since you guys had such trouble getting here” or “Since my son got into college today and we’re feeling festive”)
- Encourage the guest to pay it forward: Your altruistic gesture will always be received warmly, so extend the love by encouraging your guest to “pay it forward” in the neighborhood — which can lead to a string of all kinds of warm and fuzzies while on vacation and repeat stays for years to come.
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