“Too Fat to Fly”
Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines
Part One
(Warning: case contains explicit language)
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
Page 2
1. Overview
On February 13, 2010, writer and director Kevin Smith hopped an earlier Southwest
flight from Oakland to Burbank, California sacrificing the comfort of two seats he
purchased originally, to get home a couple hours earlier (Schwalback and Smith, 2010).
What started off as a simple compromise, ended in humiliation for the admittedly
overweight director, when he was ejected from the flight in accordance with
Southwest’s Customer of Size policy (McNeill, 2010).
Smith, a regular social media user, quickly took to twittering his experience to his
reported 1.6 million followers, blasting Southwest for both its policy and poor handling
of the situation in a series of posts over a few hours (Schwalback and Smith, 2010).
What, according to Southwest, was the result of a few staffers trying to accommodate
both passengers and policy (McNeill, 2010; Rutherford, 2010), erupted into one of the
most talked about social media controversies of the year.
2.
2.1
The Cast of Characters
Kevin Smith
A writer, director and producer, 40-year old Kevin Smith was catapulted to fame when
his first film, Clerks, was honoured at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. It
was at Sundance where the film, made for a meager $27,000 in the convenience store
where Smith was employed, was picked up by Miramax, going on to make over $3
million (Wasserstein, 2006).
Since then, Smith has produced such critically acclaimed films as Chasing Amy and
Mallrats, as well as flops like Jersey Girls (Wasserstein, 2010). While his movies have
had varying degrees of box-office success, Smith has developed a loyal, almost cult-like
fan base due, in part, to his early adoption of technology as means to reach out to and
communicate with his supporters (Wasserstein, 2010).
With a body of work often described as raunchy, colourful and vulgar, Smith has faced
his share of controversy, including several court battles around his films’ ratings and
staunch criticism from religious groups and GLAAD (Gays and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation) (Smith, 2010c). However, according to those closest to him, Smith would
rather walk away from controversy than confront it face on. “Contrary to popular
belief, I am not a boat rocker,” Smith said, in a February podcast with his wife, who
describes him as “never rude” and as having “exceptional manners” (Schwalback and
Smith, 2010).
2.2
Southwest Airlines
After over-coming serious legal obstacles to industry entry, including two verdicts
overturned by the Supreme Court, the little airline that could flew its inaugural flight in
1971 (Southwest, 2010). Since its beginning, Southwest has focused on people, its
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
Page 3
mission: “dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense
of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and Company spirit” (Southwest, 2010).
Appropriately, Southwest’s identifier on the NYSE is LUV, a play on words the company
employs regularly to describe its service policies.
Interestingly and like Smith, Southwest was an early adopter of social media within its
industry. The company engages with customers via Facebook, podcasts and its blog,
Nuts About Southwest, which launched in 2006 into otherwise unchartered territory
(Albert, 2008). Its YouTube account brims with examples of both wonderful customer
service and happy, engaged employees. And while not quite up to Smith’s numbers,
Southwest boasts over 1 million followers on Twitter (Albert, 2008).
According to Fombrun and Van Riel (2004), Southwest has built its distinctive, oft
admired corporate culture by living its vision, including always putting employees first.
By doing so, Southwest believed that it would positively affect all other areas of the
business – including customer service – so emphasis was placed on working together,
to do what was in the best interest of the airline, with a strong focus on having fun
(2004).
From the long list of awards and recognition bestowed on the airline, including
consecutive places on Fortune’s Most Admired list, Business Week’s Top 20 Best
Companies for Leadership and an array of best in class customer service awards
(Southwest, 2010), Southwest seems to be doing something right, delivering LUV in an
industry often criticized for having no such thing.
2.3
Linda Rutherford, Vice President, Communications and Strategic Outreach
2.4
Christi (Day) McNeil, Emerging Media Specialist
2.5
Southwest’s Customer of Size Policy
According to its website, the policy states:
With Southwest since 1992, Linda Rutherford is responsible for leading media
relations, employee communications, emerging and multimedia, charitable giving and
community affairs for the airline. A graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in
journalism, Linda says the best advice she was ever given was “always do the right
thing, even if it’s the unpopular decision, so you can go to bed at night with a pure
heart” (Southwest, 2010).
Christi McNeill, spokesperson and voice of Southwest Airlines’ twitter account, handles
online media relations for the airline. She has worked for Southwest since October,
2007.
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
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Customers who are unable to lower both armrests and/or who
compromise any portion of adjacent seating should proactively
book the number of seats needed prior to travel. The armrest is
considered to be the definitive boundary between seats and
measures 17 inches in width. This purchase serves as a
notification of a special seating need and allows us to process a
refund of the additional seating cost after travel (provided the
flight doesn’t oversell). Most importantly, it ensures that all
onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating (Southwest,
2010).
According to McNeill, the policy was implemented 25 years ago (2010). “You’ve heard
about these situations before,” McNeill states, on the Nuts About Southwest blog, (2010)
perhaps referring to the Thompson vs. Southwest discrimination case, where a
unanimous verdict was returned in favour of the airline (Southwest, 2010). “The spirit
of this policy is based solely on Customer comfort and Safety,” writes McNeill (2010).
2.6
Social Media
A variety of social media platforms were used during the Kevin Smith and Southwest
Airlines situation, including blogs, video and tweets. Kaplan and Haenlein define social
media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and
technological foundations of Web 2.0 which allows the creation and exchange of usergenerated content” (2010).
By all accounts, social media adoption is on the rise. In a report published by Nielsen in
early 2010, U.S. consumers spent 210% more minutes on social networking in 2009
than 2008 (2010). Facebook continues to lead the pack in terms of overall usage,
Twitter is the fastest growing, its unique visitors increasing by 579% from the previous
year (2010) and reportedly over 100 million users in early 2010. (See Appendix A).
3.
The Plot
According to Smith, the fat conversation began before he ever set foot on a plane, when
he explained to an employee at the Southwest desk that while he had two seats for the
original flight, they were purchased for comfort and not because he was too large for
one seat (Schwalback and Smith, 2010). “I’m fat, but I’m not that fat. Yet.” Smith
recounts on his February 2010 podcast (2010).
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
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When the same employee who he spoke to in the airport approached him after he had
stored his bag and taken a seat, it didn’t occur to the director that he was getting
booted from the flight. “There are health and safety issues,” the employee explained,
according to Smith, who was also told the decision had ultimately been the captain’s
(Schwalback and Smith, 2010; Smith, 2010a).
What transpired afterwards was a number of conversations between Smith and
Southwest employees, some apologies, the offer of a $100 gift voucher and one,
embarrassed celebrity with time to kill before his next flight (Schwalback and Smith,
2010).
4.
The Twitter Fury
In the hour or so Smith had between being ejected from the first flight and boarding
the one that would eventually take him home, he hit Twitter with a vengeance.
"Dear @SouthwestAir - I know I'm fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in
throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?" (3:52pm, February 13th)
(Position2, 2010) This one tweet generated hundreds of responses on Smith’s Twitter
page and Smith was only beginning.
So, @SouthwestAir, go f*** yourself. I broke no regulation, offered
no “safety risk” (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I
was..wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually
agreed). And f***your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir.
Thank God I don’t..embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL
training). But I don’t sulk off either: so everyday, some new f***you Tweets for @SouthwestAir. (2010). (See Appendix B for
timeline of tweets).
Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky? Totally cool. But fair
warning, folks: IF YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU MAY BE EJECTED
FROM @SOUTHWESTAIR. (2010). (See Appendix B).
(1/2) @pigz “I know several people bigger then u who have flown
on other airlines” I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight!
But I wasn’t (2/2) about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane
as I’m being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like
“Please don’t tell…” (2010). (See Appendix B).
Before Smith walked through his door that day, the Twitter-world was abuzz, news
outlets had picked up on the story and anyone who had heard had an opinion about
what happened. And that was merely the beginning. Over the next few days, Smith’s
response to the event would grow to include an hour and a half podcast, more tweets
than can be counted, 24-two to three minute YouTube videos and a number of blogs on
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
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his website. It seemed the whole world was talking about Kevin Smith and Southwest
Airlines. Was he too fat to fly? And just where was the LUV?
Discussion Questions:
1. What were the key factors leading up to Southwest’s dilemma? And at what
point did it become a “PR issue”?
2. If you were Southwest’s VP of Communications and Strategic Outreach, what
steps would you take to respond to the incident? What and how would you
communicate?
3. Given the sensitivity around weight conversations, how would you anticipate
public reaction?
4. What, if at anything, should Southwest do about its Customer of Size policy?
5. Can one customer service “issue” have an impact on a reputational-sound
company like Southwest?
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
Appendices
Appendix A – The Nielsen Company Report on social media (January 22, 2010)
Page 7
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
Appendix B – Timeline of Tweets
As provided by Position2
Twitter Handle
Timeline
ThatKevinSmith
3:52 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
3:54 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:00 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:03 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:06 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
4:08 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:10 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:18 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
4:22 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:41 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:44 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:52 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:56 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
4:59 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
5:37 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
6:14 PM - Feb
Page 8
Tweet
Dear @SouthwestAir - I know I'm fat, but was Captain
Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for
which I was already seated?
Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right
after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest
attendant Suzanne (wouldn't give
So, @SouthwestAir, go fuck yourself. I broke no
regulation, offered no "safety risk" (what, was I gonna roll
on a fellow passenger?). I was
wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually
agreed). And fuck your apologetic $100 voucher,
@SouthwestAir. Thank God I don't
embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I
don't sulk off either: so everyday, some new fuck-you
Tweets for @SouthwestAir.
ThatKevinSmith hey Kevin! I'm so sorry for your
experience tonight! Hopefully we can make things
right, please follow so we may DM!
Wanna tell me I'm too wide for the sky? Totally cool. But
fair warning, folks: IF YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU MAY BE
EJECTED FROM @SOUTHWESTAIR.
Via @byrneification "save the anger for SModcast" Believe
it, Son. @SouthwestAir? You fucked with the wrong
sedentary processed-foods eater!
Hey folks - trust me, I saw the tweets from
@ThatKevinSmith I'll get all the details and handle
accordingly! Thanks for your concerns!
Dear @SouthwestAir, I'm on another one of your planes,
safely seated & buckled-in again, waiting to be dragged
off in front of the normies.
And, hey? @SouthwestAir? I didn't even need a seat belt
extender to buckle up. Somehow, that shit fit over my
"safety concern"-creating gut.
Hey @SouthwestAir! Look how fat I am on your plane!
Quick! Throw me off! http://twitpic.com/1340gw
Hey @SouthwestAir! Sometimes, the arm rests are up
because THE PEOPLE SITTING THERE ALREADY PUT THEM
UP; NOT BECAUSE THEY "CAN'T GO DOWN."
The @SouthwestAir Diet. How it works: you're publicly
shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off
has never been easier!
I read every single tweet that comes into this
account, and take every tweet seriously. We'll
handle @thatkevinsmith issue asap.
I've read the tweets all night from @thatkevinsmith -
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
13th
ThatKevinSmith
6:18 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
6:20 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
8:52 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
8:53 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
8:46 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
8:49 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
8:57 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
8:58 PM - Feb
13th
ThatKevinSmith
10:10 PM - Feb
13th
SouthwestAir
7:32 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
9:51 AM - Feb
14th
SouthwestAir
10:14 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
10:15 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
10:19 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
10:23 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
10:29 AM - Feb
14th
Page 9
He'll be getting a call at home from our Customer
Relations VP tonight.
Hey @SouthwestAir! I've landed in Burbank. Don't worry:
wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while
Richard Simmons supervised.
(1/2) Hey @SouthwestAir? Fuck making it right for me
just 'cause I have a platform. I sat next to a big girl who
was chastised for not buy-
ThatKevinSmith Ok, I'll be sure to check it out.
Hopefully you received our voicemail earlier this
evening.
ThatKevinSmith Again, I'm very sorry for the
experience you had tonight. Please let me know if
there is anything else I can do.B23
Hey @SouthwestAir! Here are two more "recent
recognitions" for your Twitter home page: "Loather of the
Wide" or "Pissin' on the Portlies".
Hey @SouthwestAir! I've just recorded a Very Special
Episode of SModcast - all for you. It goes live tomorrow
night. http://www.smodcast.com
Via @neilhimself "Dear @southwestair, *I* would gladly sit
next to kevinsmith on a plane." This doesn't change shit
between us, Hair-Bear...
Via @misskubelik "do you know about the other times
@SouthwestAir has been sued for doing this same thing" I
want nothing from these people.
Via @SouthwestAir "Hopefully you received our voicemail
earlier this evening" All lines checked, no voicemail
message on any 323. Try again.
ThatKevinSmith We called you on the number you
had on file in your reservation. If you prefer a
different number, please DM me. Thanks!
Last night, the wife ALSO kicked me off for being too
wide. And she wasn't talking about the size of my
@SouthwestAir (nee my stupid dick).
Our apology to @ThatKevinSmith and more details
regarding the events from last night http://cot.ag/96KHC7 #Southwest
Via @Slipdisc "Next time http://bit.ly/9CBSwg " Better
yet, THIS is how @SouthwestAir sees me:
http://tinyurl.com/iwillnotleaveitonthedock
(1/2) @SouthwestAir "Our apology to KevinSmith and
more details regarding the events from last night:
http://cot.ag/96KHC7 " So your apology
Via @marrz138 "why not take the interview & bring more
exposure to @southwestair for what they pulled" 'cause
I'm waiting to talk to @Oprah.
Via @AlexLeeAlvarez "access 2 every option for weight
loss yet u don't take advantage. why?" My weight doesn't
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
ThatKevinSmith
11:06 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
11:25 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
11:34 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
11:36 AM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
12:41 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
12:55 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
12:56 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
1:02 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
1:05 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
1:13 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
1:27 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
1:49 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
1:54 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
6:26 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
6:32 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
7:09 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
7:17 PM - Feb
14th
bug ME; it bugs @SouthwestAir
Page 10
Fuck you @SouthwestAir: http://tinyurl.com/iwillflyagain
Via @PaperFishies "sounds like @SouthwestAir has
become the Walmart of the commercial airline industry."
WalMart at least carries XXX sizes.
Dear Fucktarded PR-Challenged Fatty-Haters at
@SouthwestAir: Your "apology" blog is insulting, redacted
bullshit. FULL details in two hours.
RT @ianhoopes "The Consumerist is running your
@SouthwestAir story. Kudos for calling them out on the
bullshit that happens to many others."
Via @erinpastore "SWA also known to kick off 2 yr olds &
women who wear short skirts as well." @SouthwestAir
hates fatties, kids AND pussy!
Articles say I was given $100 @SouthwestAir voucher. It
was OFFERED: the way a john tosses a hooker a c-note
after a hate-fucking. Said no.
Via @ABAwesome "What would Gretzky do?" Call
@SouthwestAir "...a Mickey Mouse organization." Then
assist in Olypmic-torching their asses.
Dear @SouthwestAirlines: The page for your SModcast is
already up: http://www.smodcast.com/ COMPLETE
audio-tale will be there in an hour.
TwtFail -@ThatKevinSmith I really really suck at
photoshop and all but I figured this may be of help to
@southwestair http://imgur.com/VOJvw.png
(1/2) @BrosephLives "thinks @southwestair 's response to
Kev is douche baggish, unprofessional response?" Made
my Mom cry. Baby Jesus, too.
Via @kerryel "Us @ NASA don't fly @southwestair because
of the crap-tastic service." NASA'd eject me, too: "You're
too big, Fat-As(teroid)!"
Via @markdtaylor " @SouthWestAir should have realized
who the hell you were" You ain't shitting, sir: because
who I am is a paying customer.
Via @pobenschain "you get what you pay for. Cheaper
airline = shittier service" I nominate that as the new,
honest tagline of @SouthwestAir.
Hey @mashable: Just cause @SouthwestAir BLOGS they
tried to call, doesn't make it true: http://bit.ly/b9O0GO
24hrs AND STILL NO PHONE CALL.
(2/2) denial. On 1.5hr SModcast, I can tell my whole story
as PRELUDE to real story: the poor girl @SouthwestAir
shamed on my flight home.
Hey @SouthwestAir: you bring that same row of seats to
the DailyShow, and I'll sit in 'em for all to see on TV.
(1/2) @jacqueline_mary "good timing for @southwestair
debacle! cop out in 2 weeks. thank them for the
publicity" Yes - THAT'S how I want to
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
ThatKevinSmith
7:23 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
7:42 PM - Feb
14th
ThatKevinSmith
2:08 AM - Feb
15th
ThatKevinSmith
3:28 AM - Feb
15th
SouthwestAir
2:03 PM - Feb
15th
Page 11
Via @RyanInHollywood "Found @SouthwestAir 's new
uniform: http://tinyurl.com/3vz4g " Even though we
know the punch-line, SO worth the click.
Rather than sit here on what's left of Love Day, Tweeting
"Fuck @SouthwestAir", I'm gonna go beg the wife to fuck
@ThatKevinSmith instead.
I'm just saying, @southwestAir might be coming for you
next, Chin-Chin...
(2/2) the first time @SouthwestAir ever did wrong by me,
as far as I'm concerned. But FUCK did they ever get it
wrong... and keep doing so!
Our conversation with @ThatKevinSmith http://cot.ag/derOe8 #Southwest
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
Page 12
References
Albert, S. (2008, December 29). How airlines are using social media. Directory Journal.
Retrieved August 4, 2010 from http://www.dirjournal.com/articles/airlines
social-media/
Associated Press (2010, February 15). Kevin Smith oversized? Ejected from Flight
(Video file). Retrieved July 29, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScFpXdHiUU&feature=fvsr
Fombrum, C. J., and Van Riel, C.B.M. (2004). Fame and Fortune: How Successful
Companies Build Winning Reputations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial
Times Prentice Hall.
Haenlein, M. and Kaplan, A. (2010). Users off the world, unite! The challenges and
opportunities of social media. Business Horizons 53 (1): 59–68.
McNeil (Day), C. (2010, February 14). Not so Silent Bob. (Blog entry). Retrieved July
29, 2010 from http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/not-so-silent-bob
Nielsen Company, The. (2010, January 22). Led by Facebook, Twitter, global time spent
on social media sites up 82% year over year. Retrieved October 7, 2010 from
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/led-by-facebook-twitter-globaltimespent-on-social-media-sites-up-82-year-over-year/
Rutherford, L. (2010, February 15). My conversation with Kevin Smith. (Blog entry).
Retrieved July 29, 2010 from
http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/my-conversation-with-kevin-smith-0
Schwalback, J. and Smith, K. (2010, February 13). SModcast 106. Podcast retrieved
August 1, 2010 from http://s3.amazonaws.com/smodcast/SModcast-106.mp3
Smith, K. (February 15, 2010a). “Burn, Hollywood, burn!” writes unhappy middle-aged woman (blog
entry). My Boring-Ass Life. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
http://silentbobspeaks.com/?m=201002
Smith, K. (February 15, 2010b). Running out of gas on this subject (blog
entry). My Boring-Ass Life. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
http://silentbobspeaks.com/?m=201002
Smith, K. (February 18, 2010c). I love you, Mom. I hate you, fake-heart (blog
entry). My Boring-Ass Life. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
http://silentbobspeaks.com/?m=201002
Southwest Airlines. (2010). Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines - Part 1
Page 13
http://www.southwest.com/
Wasserstein, B. (2006, July 16). The man with 50,000 Friends: How Kevin Smith
accidentally invented the future of movie marketing. New York Movies.
Retrieved August 4, 2010, from http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/17663/
“Too Fat to Fly”
Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines
Part Two
(Warning: case contains explicit language)
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
5.
Southwest Responds
Page
2
We realize you can’t solve a customer relations issue in 140
characters on Twitter or in a blog post. You need to talk to
the customer, get the facts and see what can be worked out
– but we were having a hard time getting him to engage
with us and millions of people were talking about this
(Rutherford, as quoted in Vocus, 2010).
Alerted to the situation via its Twitter monitoring, it took Southwest Airlines 16
minutes to respond to Kevin Smith’s initial tweet (Position2, 2010). According to
Linda Rutherford, Southwest’s VP Of Communications and Strategic Outreach,
employees first attempted to get a hold of Smith through direct messaging and
telephone (Vocus, 2010). Twitter, Rutherford explains, was not its preferred method
to communicate about a customer issue, but when getting Smith to engage directly
with the airline looked grim, Southwest relied on the channel it knew Smith was
tuned into (2010).
@ThatKevinSmith hey Kevin! I'm so sorry for your
experience tonight! Hopefully we can make things right,
please follow so we may DM! 4:08 PM - Feb 13th
(Position2, 2010).
Rutherford’s team continued trying to reach Smith to get more details, as well as
with its own employees involved in the situation (2010). Southwest used Twitter
several more times to attempt to interact with Smith on the evening of February 13th
and again on the 14th, when it posted the first blog entitled “Not so Silent Bob”,
referring to Smith’s well-known movie persona (McNeill, 2010). Southwest’s
emerging media specialist Christie (Day) McNeill explained in the post:
It is not our customary method of Customer Relations to be
so public in how we work through these situations, but
with so many people involved in the occurrence, you also
should be involved in the solution (2010) (See Appendix A
for full blog).
McNeill went on to apologize again for Smith’s experience, explain why the decision
to de-board Smith was made and the rationale behind its Customer of Size policy
(2010).
The next day, Monday, February 15th, Rutherford spoke to Smith personally
(Rutherford, 2010). “Customers don’t expect you to always be perfect,” she
explained afterward, “but they expect you to ‘fess up’ when you aren’t and explain
what you’re doing about it” (Vocus, 2010). She followed up with the company’s
second blog on the topic in so many days (See Appendix B for full blog) (2010).
Rutherford, who apologizes again, recognizes that the captain had not made the
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
Page
decision to de-board Smith, that employee communication had been poor and that
Southwest had been at fault in its handling of the situation (2010).
3
Ending with a promise to review “how and when this delicate policy is implemented’
(2010), there was a notable shift in tone from Southwest’s initial, light-hearted post,
to its second (Levy, 2010). Rutherford and her team had recognized that sticking to
its regular, fun and cheeky voice had been misinterpreted by many of the thousands
of people unfamiliar, but now interested, in Southwest’s messaging (Levy, 2010;
Vocus, 2010).
6.
But Kevin Smith’s Not Done
“You guys screwed up, SWA; why’s it so hard to own up to it? Now I’m gonna carry this
Too Fat To Fly shit around…for the rest of my life, and it was never even true” (Smith,
2010b).
Smith admits on his podcast that he was too angry and busy tweeting to read
Southwest’s initial twitter response and when he did catch up, he was not impressed
by the organization’s attempts to make amends (Scwalback & Smith, 2010). Among
his criticisms, Smith said Southwest had not made any reported attempts to call him
until Rutherford reached him on February 15th (Smith, 2010a). He described the
initial Southwest blog, posted by McNeill on the 14th, as not only insincere, but
insulting (2010a). And after initially describing his conversation with Rutherford as
a good one, he recanted after seeing Southwest’s second blog, which he believed,
stopped short of telling the real story:
The last paragraph is still all about your two seat rule. By
including it, you guys are still saying I was Too Fat To Fly - or at
least NOT correcting it. You even say ‘You’re not here to debate
the decision the Employees made.’ But when we spoke, you told
me they were wrong, and THAT’S why I was happy and ready to
drop all this. I don’t want your money, I just want you to put in
print what you told me: that I was grabbed because I was the
last guy on, not because I didn’t fit with the arm rests down, or
because I couldn’t buckle the seat belt (Smith, 2010b).
It wasn’t, according to Smith, about celebrity ego or expecting special treatment
(2010a). “I could fit into a Southwest airline seat. This is the important part of the
story.” (Scwhalbach & Smith, 2010). After all of Southwest’s attempts to reach out,
their admissions of wrongdoing and numerous apologies, Smith held on to one,
important detail – that Southwest had lied about what happened. And it was that
message that Smith continued to relay on a range of media platforms, including 24
You Tube videos, a 90-minute podcast, three posts on his well-traveled blog and
more tweets than can be counted.
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Was Smith’s response to the controversy overkill? Some thought so, but as he
explained on his blog, he was humiliated and "in the world of social media, where
everyone has a cellphone camera, this was gonna get out whether I wanted it to or
not. So I'm not letting anyone tell the story but me (Smith, 2010c).
7.
Public Response
News about Smith and Southwest Air traveled like wildfire. Media outlets of all sizes
picked up on the story, from major broadcasters, to gossip vehicles to what seemed
like every other blogger on the net. According to Position2, which tracked online
coverage immediately afterward, the incident received 3,043 blog mentions, 5,133
forum posts and 15,528 tweets over the six days following (2010). Southwest’s two
blogs alone received over 1700 comments each within a month of the incident – a
1000% increase over the single digits of comments most of its blog posts receive.
And Southwest did not block negative posts on NutsAboutSouthwest, allowing the
heated debate to play out on its own site.
Those in support of Southwest applauded the airline for considering the comfort of
all passengers and often chided Smith to lose weight. Those opposed to Southwest’s
handling of the situation were appalled by its policy and, most often, by its
implementation of it. Position2 measured twitter sentiment around the Smith-
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Southwest Air incident in the days following. While 36% supported the airline, 26%
believed Southwest was guilty of poor customer service and 38% said they wouldn’t
fly with Southwest again (2010). (See Appendix C).
It would seem the little airline that could, that had established itself along with the
major carriers, receiving over a decade of consecutive best in class customer service
awards (American Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2010) was experiencing a bonafide reputation crisis. Or was it?
8.
The Metrics
In a crisis situation, impact can almost always be measured by share price (Rayner,
2003). That Southwest’s LUV identifier didn’t budge on the NYSE seems to indicate
that investors were either unaware of the situation or unconcerned that Smith’s
social media tirade could damage the company’s longstanding reputation (Yahoo
Finance, 2010). (See Appendix D).
However, financial performance has little effect on how consumers feel about a
company’s reputation (Fombrun & Van Riel, 2004). According to Position2, the
online buzz over the Smith, Southwest Air debacle peeked the day after the incident
(February 14th) and petered out over the next few days (2010). However, in terms of
its golden customer satisfaction rankings, Southwest saw a change – a %2.5 drop in
year over year rankings (American Customer Satisfaction Index, 2010). (See figure
1).
Figure 1: The American Customer Satisfaction Index – Southwest Airlines (2010). Data
collected June 2010.
There are two things of particular interest with this report. One is, 2010 marked the
first time Southwest’s scores had decreased in ten years (see Appendix D). Two is,
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
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while Southwest continues to lead its industry, it was one of only two airlines who
saw its score fall in 2010, while most gained ground at an average of +3.1% (See
Appendix E). While still well ahead of the big players in aviation, the gap began to
close.
9.
6
The Final Scene
Like its online buzz, both Smith and Southwest seemed to tire of the situation after a
few days, although to varying degrees. While Smith continued to twitter about
Southwest sporadically for months following, his last earnest attempt to engage the
airline in admitting the errors of its ways came in an appropriate manner for the
Hollywood director, when he challenged Southwest to bring a row of seats to the
Daily Show. If he didn’t fit in the seat – and he swore many times that he could – he
would donate $10,000 to a charity of Southwest’s choice. And if he did fit, Southwest
would own up and revisit its policy and re-train its staff to be “more human” (Smith,
2010c).
For Southwest, the conversation had come to an end. “We came out, we apologized,
we stood by our policy and we acknowledged that it was implemented incorrectly
(in our second blog post). We refunded all of his travel. And then it was over for us.”
(McNeill, as quoted in Levy, 2010).
But, in the new era of social media, where every comment made or detail
overlooked is both available and perpetual, was it really?
Discussion Questions:
1. Was Southwest truthful in how it communicated the Kevin Smith incident?
Why or why not?
2. Why, in your opinion, did Southwest end the conversation when it did? And
was this the right thing to do?
3. Was Southwest’s response in keeping with its culture? Why or why not?
4. As part of the Southwest leadership team, what steps would you take to
prevent a future “too fat to fly” incident?
5. How does social media amplify the importance of public relations principles?
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
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Appendices
Appendix A – Nuts About Southwest Blog Entry
February 14, 2010
NOT SO SILENT BOB
By: Christi McNeill - Emerging Media Specialist
Many of you reached out to us via Twitter last night and today regarding a situation
a Customer Twittered about that occurred on a Southwest flight. It is not our
customary method of Customer Relations to be so public in how we work through
these situations, but with so many people involved in the occurrence, you also
should be involved in the solution. First and foremost, to Mr. Smith; we would like to
echo our Tweets and again offer our heartfelt apologies to you. We are sincerely
sorry for your travel experience on Southwest Airlines.
As soon as we saw the first Tweet from Mr. Smith, we contacted him personally to
apologize for his experience and to address his concerns on both Twitter and with a
personal phone call. Since the situation has received a lot of public attention, we'd
like to take the opportunity to address a few of the specifics here as well.
Mr. Smith originally purchased two Southwest seats on a flight from Oakland to
Burbank – as he’s been known to do when traveling on Southwest. He decided to
change his plans and board an earlier flight to Burbank, which technically means
flying standby. As you may know, airlines are not able to clear standby passengers
until all Customers are boarded. When the time came to board Mr. Smith, we had
only a single seat available for him to occupy. We are responsible for the Safety and
comfort of all Customers on the aircraft and therefore, we made a judgment call that
Mr. Smith needed more than one seat to complete his flight. Our Employees
explained why the decision was made, accommodated Mr. Smith on a later flight,
and issued him a $100 Southwest travel voucher for his inconvenience.
You've read about these situations before. Southwest instituted our Customer of
Size policy more than 25 years ago. The policy requires passengers that can not fit
safely and comfortably in one seat to purchase an additional seat while traveling.
This policy is not unique to Southwest Airlines and it is not a revenue generator.
Most, if not all, carriers have similar policies, but unique to Southwest is the
refunding of the second seat purchased (if the flight does not oversell) which is
greater than any revenue made (full policy can be found here). The spirit of this
policy is based solely on Customer comfort and Safety. As a Company committed to
serving our Customers in Safety and comfort, we feel the definitive boundary
between seats is the armrest. If a Customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest
and infringes on a portion of another seat, a Customer seated adjacent would be
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very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency
might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement.
Appendix B – NutsAboutSouthwest Blog Post
February 15, 2010
MY CONVERSATION WITH KEVIN SMITH
By: Linda Rutherford - Vice President Communications & Strategic Outreach
I had the chance this afternoon to speak directly with director Kevin Smith. I let him
know that in my 18 years here at Southwest, I have never dealt with a situation like
what has been unfolding in the last 48 hours. I let Kevin know we have refunded his
airfare. I told him we made a mistake in trying to board him as a standby passenger
and then remove him. And I told him we were sorry.
Now, 48 hours later, after talking to many involved, we know there were several
things going on that day and that our Employees were doing their best to get his
flight out safely and on time, including finding seats for everyone and trying to
accommodate standby passengers. The Captain did not single Kevin out to be
removed, but he did ask that the boarding be completed quickly. At that time, our
Employees made the decision to remove Kevin after a quick judgment call that he
might have needed more than one seat for his comfort and those seated next to
him.
Although I’m not here to debate the decision our Employees made, I can tell you that
I for one have learned a lot today. The communication among our Employees was
not as sharp as it should have been and, it’s apparent that Southwest could have
handled this situation differently. Thanks, Kevin, for your passion around this topic.
You were a reasonable guy during our conversation.
Southwest, like most carriers, has a policy to assist passengers who need two seats
onboard an aircraft. The policy is an important one for the comfort and safety of all
passengers aboard a plane, and we stand by that 25-year-old policy. This has our
attention, and we will be reviewing how and when this delicate policy is
implemented.
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
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Appendix C – Flying Tweets: Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines (March 17, 2010)
Position2
Overall Sentiment on Twitter
9
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
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Appendix D – Southwest Airlines Stock Report (November 2009 – October 2010)
Yahoo Finance
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
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Appendix E – American Customer Satisfaction Index (2010)
Airlines
Southwe
st Airlines
All
Others
Continent
al Airlines
Airlines
American
Airlines
Delta Air
Lines
(Delta)
US
Airways
Northwes
t Airlines
(Delta)
United
Airlines
99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Previous
Year
%
Change
72 70 70 74 75 73 74 74 76 79 81 79
-2.5
67 63 64 72 74 73 74 74 75 75 77 75
-2.6
64 62 67 68 68 67 70 67 69 62 68 71
4.4
63 63 61 66 67 66 66 65 63 62 64 66
3.1
64 63 62 63 67 66 64 62 60 62 60 63
5.0
68 66 61 66 67 67 65 64 59 60 64 62
-3.1
61 62 60 63 64 62 57 62 61 54 59 62
5.1
53 62 56 65 64 64 64 61 61 57 57 61
7.0
62 62 59 64 63 64 61 63 56 56 56 60
7.1
Too Fat to Fly: Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines – Part 2
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References
American Customer Satisfaction Index (2010). Scores by industry: Airlines.
Retrieved October 5, 2010 from http://www.theacsi.org
Goldstein, P. (February 24, 2010). Kevin Smith on the media’s coverage of ‘Fatgate’:
“They’re really pathetic’. The Los Angeles times. Retrieved October 5, 2010
from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2010/02/kevin
smith-on-the-medias-treatment-of-fatgate-theyre-really-pathetic.html
Position2 (March 17, 2010). Flying tweets: Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines (blog
post) on Surround and Intent MarketingTM Blog. Retrieved October 5, 2010
from http://blogs.position2.com/flying-tweets-kevin-smith-vs-southwestairlines
Levy. D. (March 17, 2010). Chasing Kevin Smith: Q&A with Southwest Airlines’
Christi Day (blog). Sparksheet: Good ideas about content, media & marketing.
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McCarthy, C. (2010, February 16). What Kevin Smith means for the future of PR.
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10454328-36.html
McNeill, C. (2010, February 14). Not so Silent Bob. (Web log comment). Retrieved July
29, 2010 from http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/not-so-silent-bob
Rutherford, L. (2010, February 15). My conversation with Kevin Smith. (Web log
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Schwalback, J. and Smith, K. (2010, February 13). SModcast 106. Podcast retrieved
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Smith, K. (February 15, 2010a). “Burn, Hollywood, burn!” writes unhappy middle-aged woman
(blog entry). My Boring-Ass Life. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
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entry). My Boring-Ass Life. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
http://silentbobspeaks.com/?m=201002
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Smith, K. (February 18, 2010c). I love you, Mom. I hate you, fake-heart (blog
entry). My Boring-Ass Life. Retrieved August 1, 2010 from
http://silentbobspeaks.com/?m=201002
Vocus (n.d.). Seeing through Southwest: Vocus meets Linda Rutherford. Retrieved October 5,
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Yahoo Finance (2010). Retrieved October 7, 2010 from http://finance.yahoo.com