Southwest Airlines familiar employees who offer a street luggage service at San Diego International Airport will have left for good by the end of this week, as part of a budget cut decision announced previously.
In the future, the airline says that it subcontracted the SkyCap service to a third-party company.
San Diego is one of the 10 remaining airports among the 52 SkyCap locations in the Southwest Network that still uses airline employees, a spokesman for the airline said on Wednesday.
The employees affected by the change were informed in February that the airline would go to an external company for the street service, added the spokesperson.
It was also the same month that Southwest announced that it would reduce 1,750 management positions, which represented around 15% of his business workforce.
Although the use of outsourced companies to provide a street service is more the norm than the exception today, it marks another end of an era for the Southwest, an airline known for its customer service and its additional advantages such as free checkered baggage. On May 28, Southwest will end its “bags without flying” policy for most customers of airlines.
At San Diego Airport, most major airlines, such as American, United and Delta, provide a SkyCap service they contract to another company. Alaska, Hawaii and the South West were the only ones who are currently using their own employees, said spokesperson for airport Nicole Hall.
Despite this, the endowment change in the endowment of the longtime service of Skycap erases another decisive characteristic that has differentiated from the southwest of its competitors, explains Henry Harteveldt, expert in the air transport industry.
“This is a real disappointing decision for the Southwest to do, since they will also start to charge verified luggage on May 28,” said Harteveldt, founder of the research group on the atmosphere based in San Francisco. “This is part of Southwest’s continuous efforts to reduce costs, but at what price for the customer experience?”
“When Southwest has its own employees to do the work of Skycap, the customer has an additional feeling of confidence and credibility and as an employee of the Southwest, this Skycap can try to go further to get a bag on the plane if a customer is late. We do not know if it will happen with a third party.”
San Diegan Shandon Harbor, who has been a southwest client for more than three decades, said that she was making considerable efforts in lobbying in the name of the preservation of the existing Skycap team but in vain. She says that she is so moved by the departure of the employees that she provides a trip to the airport on Friday morning, a cake and signs in hand: “Because this team of skycaps is emblematic.
“I could not get a traction on the safeguard of the team,” said Harbor, president of the San Diego section of associated manufacturers and entrepreneurs. “These are” people in our neighborhood “. And they are the friendly smile that you receive during the sidewalk when you enter the crazy world of travel inside the building.
“They were of a huge help for the airport during the crazy morning in December which forced several closings of airlines when they moved travelers across the airport. I love excellent customer service, and in a world where it barely exists, I am saddened to see Southwest lose this touch for which they were known. ”
Southwest Airlines refused to answer specific questions about change in San Diego, saying that “Southwest continues to offer our customers in San Diego who choose to use a SkyCap service option to check the bags. Customers can also check the bags through the kiosks and our bag falling service, or through customer service stations at full service in lobbying. ”
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
