Dear Southwest

Dear Southwest,

Our family would like to say thank you for finding a super-duper special possession that was left on the plane. My 12-year-old son had been saving money from October to March for spring break. (His allowance is not much—about $10 a month.) He spent a good portion of his money on a game and won a large rhinoceros stuffed animal. We had a late flight back and landed in Denver around 1:20 a.m. I had three children with me, all asleep, and we left the rhinoceros in the overhead bin.

Southwest employees were very quick about trying to locate the item, but unfortunately there was no one left at the gates, so I needed to file a claim and follow up with the baggage claim office the next day. We were very happy when we received a text message containing a picture of our little friend checking out the Southwest desk with a safety vest (safety first). We arrived at the airport the next day and realized immediately that the people in the baggage claim office do not have an easy job! Thank you to a great team that provided us with a happy ending! —Niabi Hart

BIRTHDAY FLIGHT

My mom traveled to Austin recently on her 94th birthday. She hadn’t flown in 20 years and was very anxious. She also has stability problems and pain issues and moved here to be closer to me and my family. During the flight, flight attendants Colleen Cahir, Lindsay Hudson, and Thomas Conway announced a “very special passenger,” called her name, and said she was celebrating her 94th birthday. They made her an adorable crown using pretzel packages and drink toothpicks. What a great experience for her! She was so touched and just so appreciative. I can’t thank the crew enough for making her feel comfortable and extremely special. What a great beginning to this new chapter in her life.

CAPTAIN TIM

I was lined up behind a Southwest pilot at a Starbucks in the Oakland airport. I was wearing my clergy garb, and Captain Tim Schlueter struck up a conversation, asking me where I was headed and how my weekend was going. I told him I was in the Bay Area for my godmother’s funeral and that I had an early Easter sunrise service and a second service lined up in my parish. We both ordered our beverages, and I also got myself a San Francisco city mug—I’m a collector! Before I knew it, Captain Tim was paying for both items. When I told him he didn’t have to, he said that he was just trying to keep his Lenten vows. Southwest Airlines has some real classy professionals! Thank you, Captain Tim.

—Adiel Depano

SOUTHWEST SURPRISE

I just wanted to take a moment to commend one amazing employee, ramp agent Ryan Bohlim. My husband, two boys (5 and 8), and I took a quick 36-hour spring break getaway. Ryan and I used to work together at the Humane Society so we became Facebook friends. When he saw my post about our upcoming trip, he took it upon himself to get the details and surprise us at takeoff. Just as everyone was seated, an overhead announcement requested that my two sons push the call button at their seats. Enter Ryan, with his bright smile, carrying a huge blue bag with Southwest-colored tissue paper. The boys were in shock! Inside the bag were stuffed planes that made cool noises, a 12-piece airport play set (which the boys always ask for when they see it in the gift shop, but have never gotten), and some snacks and candy. Everyone around us really thought we were Southwest royalty, including my younger son’s kindergarten teacher who just happened to be sitting next to us. What a fabulous start to our trip! Southwest is lucky to have an enthusiastic, fun-loving, and thoughtful employee like Ryan. Thank you for making it an experience our family won’t forget.

—Brooke Bueno

TRACI ON THE CASE

We flew back to Denver from Raleigh, and even though my 5-year-old had sworn up and down that he was responsible enough to carry his wallet, sure enough, we lost it. A 5-year-old doesn’t exactly carry a lot of identification, so I assumed it was gone forever and swore that we’d replace his Tomorrowland driver’s license from Magic Kingdom, his Chili’s gift cards from relatives who know it’s his favorite place, and his library card ASAP. After we had been home a week or so, I got a weird call from our library that someone was searching for us, and while they didn’t give the person our information, he passed hers on to us. Enter flight attendant Traci Jo Morrey, who found the wallet, tracked us down through the library, and mailed it back to us right away. Southwest already had a loyal customer in me, but now I don’t think my son will fly anything else, either—though he promises to keep better track of his belongings next time. Thanks again, Traci Jo!

—Katherine Welsh