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Monday, August 3, 2009

Southwest is MY Airline!!!!!!!

OK, I have these blond moments at times, who knows why. When I went up to Portland, Oregon with my sisters we had a really great time at the coast and along the seashore. So on Saturday we all traveled to the airport really early and I watched them get on their plane and fly off to Utah, then I made my way over to my gate. So far so good. Found the gate I'd be leaving at in a few hours. I wandered around for a little bit check the monitor and made a few calls to family and friends. Checked the monitor walked around a bit more, bought a book and supper and went back to my gate. People getting off but nobody getting on, odd I thought. So I check and find the plane left 20 minutes ago. How did this happen? Then I notice the monitor is the arrivals - duh- great - so blond - etc. etc. Now what? I wish I was always cool instead of emotional, so I explain the situation to an attendant leaving and she said good thing I caught her as the airline closes early on Saturdays and no one would have been in the building in a half an hour. She said Mario would be my best bet as he solves problems. When she calls him back he asks me to wait while he get some minors off the plane and finds their escorts. He come back with a girl and tells her to wait by him while he finishes some paperwork, her mom comes signs her out and shows her license and then he turns to help me. He's really great about showing me all the options I have and I find out the Sundays in Portland are super busy, so he gets me an upgrade and tactfully tells me to be at the gate 10 minutes before boarding so I don't lose my seat tomorrow. His contacts with the hotel who takes distressed passengers is full, so he walks me to a desk which has all the hotels in the area connected to the airport and after calling a few I find a last minute cancellation. I tearfully call Jeffrey - he's fantastic - and get on a shuttle and drop into a nice bed for the night at Soldier Pony Best Western. (Very nice hotel in case you want to know!) But my hero Mario isn't done. A few days later a package comes in the mail because I'd left my picture of my sisters and I in Old Fashion Western on the desk and he knew who it was! I LOVE Southwest Airlines because they are affordable, don't make you pay extra for luggage, I can go just about anywhere I need to and I especially love Mario in the Portland Airport for service above and beyond at Southwest Airlines!

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