Perfected Pitch
Flying back the other afternoon, I was on a “none-rev.” ticket, on SWA. I jostled around, asked super-polite at the check-in desk, and I got bumped to an earlier flight. Nearly the last to board, I was traveling super-light with only a book in hand.
More about the book I was reading in another post.
The flight crew zipped up the door, asked that electronics be in flight mode, then the (male) attendant started with a story about a certain person who usually didn’t fly commercial but she was on this flight, and she was a very special person, and she entered through the back entrance…
The plane was nearly full. Just about every passenger — including me — craned around in his or her seat to see if (the big-time, one-word name, celebrity) was on board.
”Now that I have your attention,” he continued.
It was humorous, and it meant that he had the attention of everyone: forced to listen to the stupid safety announcements. Between West Texas and San Antonio? Where is there a big enough patch of fluid for a water evacuation? There isn’t. However, Federal Law requires certain commentary, like how to use a life vest.
Then the “No Smoking” jokes, “if you’re caught smoking, we will assume you’re on fire and be treated as such,” &c.
The trick I liked so much, the build-up and hint that someone famous was sitting in the last row of the plane; a trick that got everyone’s attention. Probably everyone turned around and then, turned back.
It’s a simple trick for crowd control, getting everyone’s attention, and, in that situation, I was amused that I felt cheaply manipulated, but almost every other passenger was just as guilty as I was of looking to see if the (single name celebrity) was really there.
As a sidebar item, more than a decade ago, SWA toyed with using two ramps to load the planes, an adventure I clearly recall at Austin’s airport, trying to get the plane filled as efficiently as possible.
So — technically — there is a usable back entrance.
Still, as a passenger, I felt both manipulated and amused. Good trick.
