Southwest Airlines is entering the Atlanta area 3 months after the consummation of its merger with Airtran Airways with a low key campaign called Random Acts of Coolness.  The airline is sending employees out into the Atlanta area performing good and kind deeds such as handing out water to police and firemen and the general public.  $100 gift cards are being donated to schools.  Some employees spread out to area schools with gifts such as tote bags, pens, etc for teachers preparing for the new school year. 

Yes, it’s a marketing effort but it is also really how Southwest Airlines works.  Embracing the communities it serves is a hallmark of how Southwest wants to invite business.  It’s about the long term and investing in people locally. 

This is where it gets difficult for Delta because although that airline is known for its southern hospitality, Southwest practices a certain sincerity and humility in becoming a part of a community that is both hard to resist and hard to fight.

Filed under: Airline News by ajax