Southwest's change in scheduling policy (allowing customers to reserve seats slightly further into the future] placated many customers but not everyone. Some still want to book travel up to a year or more in advance. You don't want to ignore these complaints, but the company has decided that scheduling that far out just isn't feasible. You therefore decide to post a few representative complaints and respond to them as best you can. In addition to letting customers know that the schedule window won't be extended that far, you'd like to curtail any further discussion on this topic. Which of the following would be the best way to respond to these complaints?
a. Folks, you don't really understand how complicated running an airline truly is. You can't just slap a time schedule together and have it magically happen. Every single flight involves a flight crew, a ground crew, catering, gates at both ends, fees, clearances-you name it. Zillions of details have to be coordinated for every flight we put on the schedule, and it's a major job. We manage to handle 3,000 flights a day, so trust us; we know what we're doing.
b. Thanks for your input. We realize air travel isn't as smooth or as simple as we'd all like, so it's helpful to hear from all of our valued customers. I'll make sure the rest of the scheduling team reads your comments, and if anything changes in the scheduling policy, I'll post the new information here immediately.
c. Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. You're certainly welcome to book your travel on other airlines if you need to nail down a reservation 6 to 12 months into the future. However, I should warn you that the further into the future you make a reservation, the greater the chances that the airline will change the schedule on you. Let's say it's January 10, and you want to book a flight from Denver to San Jose on December 20. Fine, you're all set. Then along comes October or November, and the airline realizes it needs that plane for the Denver to Chicago leg on December 20 instead. What happens then? You get a phone call or e-mail saying "Sorry, we've had to book you on a different flight at a different time." What's the point of nailing down your plans 11 or 12 months in advance if they're just going to change on you?
d. Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. When we're considering the scheduling question, let's remember why all of us-employees included-are nuts about flying Southwest: low fares, predictable schedules, and on-time performance. In order to maintain those benefits, we've learned over the years that we need to make certain choices about how we run the airline. One of those choices is to operate a shorter reservation window than many other airlines. I realize this doesn't meet the needs of every passenger in very situation, but experience shows that it's the best way to make most passengers happy most of the time. In that light, I hope the decision not to extend scheduling beyond six months makes sense to everyone.