Airlines advises WH on customer service

Gary Kelly, chief executive officer of the airline based in Dallas, was one of several dozen business leaders attending a White House forum on modernizing government Thursday.

"You need to know what you are," Kelly told administrators, explaining it was more important for the airline to be on time and have fabulous customer service than offer frills, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Kelly advised the Obama administration to find ways to get tips from customers and employees, and avoid surveys that allow companies to "check the box."

Finding out what customers think doesn't have to cost a lot, either, Kelly said, noting that postings on the airline's blog provide valuable feedback that many companies might pay a research firm to generate.

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