I’m not old enough to remember when flying was an Occasion, where people dressed well and displayed Good Manners. (I’m going by old movies and newsreels for that impression.) No, my commercial flying experiences have been with the modern ‘flying bus’ style of service. Most of my airline flying has been on Alaska Airlines. I’ve also used United, American Airlines, and Continental. I might have used Southwest Airlines once on a trip to Las Vegas, but I’m almost sure that was a United flight.
I’m watching a couple of episodes of the American version of Airline, which features Southwest. One thing that strikes me is the number of passengers with ‘issues’. Granted, this is all shot and edited specifically to show people with issues trying to get an airplane ride; but I’ve never personally seen any such displays at other airlines. (Except for when my Continental flight out of New Orleans was delayed by weather in Chicago and we all missed our connecting flights in Dallas. The guy ahead of me in the Customer Service line was abusive to the agent. He wasn’t helped much. I saw his display and put on a Hi-I’m-really-sorry-to-complain-but-I-have-to-go-to-work-in-L.A.-in-the-morning-and-can-you-please-see-if-there’s-anything-you-can-do? act. I got a First Class seat on the next flight out.)
Does SWA attract people, to a greater extent than other airlines, that are more prone to recreational alcohol over-consumption and/or argumentativeness?
Significantly cheaper tickets attracts all kinds of bozos. Having said that, I choose to fly SWA any chance I get. I fricken love it. No better airline in my opinion.
I had a chance to fly SWA on my upcoming trip to Reno, but I got a good package with Alaska Airlines. It also adds to my air miles, and I get more air miles for using my Alaska credit card.
Probably half my flights are on SWA, and my wife and kids have flown them coast to coast. I’ve never noticed any issues, and the flight attendants seem a bit friendlier than on other airlines. On short flights there is less chance of a problem, and they mostly fly to places where there are fewer delays.
Years ago the issue was no food for your lower fare. Today all airlines are the same, so that disadvantage has vanished.
ETA: I do prefer seat assignments, except when I’m stuck in the middle. Getting your boarding pass early solves that problem, and their new system eliminates the lines.
I fly Alaska a lot for work, and Southwest a lot for personal travel. To be totally honest I prefer Southwest. I personally think their award program is better and easier to use. Basically every 8 flights you get a free ticket with minimal restrictions and using my Southwest card adds directly to those miles. Also just being a member of their mileage club allows me to bypass the long line at security and use the shorter line! Alaska it is something like 20,000 miles and all kinds of restrictions, etc. I travel about 40,000 miles a year-enough for MVP, but to bypass security I have to be Gold which requires something like 60,000 miles.
I know people claim the Southwest boarding is a hassle–but I have never found it to be. I can go online and get my boarding pass 24 hours before and always get an A ticket. Board right away and the rest of the plane boards right away.
On Alaska (and pretty much any other airline I have been on) seem to have this mass of people standing around waiting to board, which prevents those who are ACTUALLY supposed to be boarding from boarding, which then slows down the whole process. Drives me crazy–since I get to board early on Alaska as MVP—but it takes forever to get the plane loaded.
Every time we have a Southwest thread, I take the opportunity to say how much I like them.
For years, they were the only airline doing anything different (read: THINKING). After 9/11 they ate everyone’s lunch, and now everyone is copying them.
I once wrote a letter saying how impressed I was, and received a response from Herb Kelleher himself that was obviously not a form letter.
These are good, smart business people. I’ll fly with them any time.
Keep in mind that the show you’re talking about would be incredibly boring if it showed the typical passenger, who has his ticket and boarding pass in order, didn’t arrive late for the flight and isn’t trying to smuggle a live boa constrictor on board. So the show is very much about showing the one passenger in a thousand who is being difficult or has issues. (I do like to watch it as well, mostly to see how the SWA personnel handle these cases, and to thank God that I don’ t have such a job.)
Edited to add that one of the reasons that SWA did so well in recent years was that they had long-term contracts on jet fuel that allowed them to make money when the other airlines were getting killed on fuel costs.
I used to fly Southwest all the time, and still do when their flights are convenient, which is not quite as often now that I’m in NC instead of Chicago. Never had any problem with their seating policies They were also great when I was traveling with my wife and her scooter; they let her ride it right to the door of the plane, and delivered it to us there shortly after landing; the “major airlines” were a PITA, making us check it at the ticket counter and pick it up (disassembled!) at baggage claim.
On the subject of asshole passengers, I remember one time when we were flying Southwest from Chicago to Louisville and our flight was first delayed and then canceled because the plane was stuck in Detroit due to bad weather. It wasn’t just Southwest that was doing this, but people were swearing they would never fly Southwest again. My favorite was the woman who was complaining because the delay meant she wasn’t going to be able to take her medicine on time, because she had packed it in her checked luggage. :rolleyes:
Not only is your boarding pass designated A or B or C but they are also numbered and you must board according to your group AND number. So A1 gets on the plane first and A10 gets on tenth and they enforce it. Plus you can pay extra for a guaranteed low number in the A group. Even if you buy your ticket at the last minute.
(bolding mine)
Which is probably part of why even when I get my boarding pass the minute they become available the lowest number I’ve ever gotten was 16, and usually closer to 30. Still, it’s better than having to be at the gate an hour or two before my flight even if I have an A pass just to get in line.
I have had A1 the last three times I flew, it’s only about twenty bucks extra and I always get the emergency exit row so I can stretch out. I swear an emergency exit row on SWA beats ridiculously overpriced business class on other airlines.
Interestingly enough, the last time I flew SWA I had A46 and when I got on the only person sitting in one of the emergency exit rows was one of the flight attendants. So I asked her if the other seat was available and she said Sure, and I had a nice comfortable ride home.
Joining in on the SWA love : if you fly often (32 flight segments in 12 months), you get on the “A-List” and don’t have to buy the upgrade for a low boarding number - they assign you the lowest available, which for me has been always an A, and often a very low A.
Plus, with SWA you can change your ticket as many times as you want with no change fees, just fare changes - and they don’t jack up their fares over time, the most expensive fare on the day you purchase is the most expensive fare day of departure. I looooove that as I change flights all the time.
My favorite person swearing never to fly the cheapest airline (ATA in this case) again, was mad because the limo ride offered to her would not get her to her destination in time for The Wake. She was travelling to her mother’s funeral (with her daughter and granddaughter.
Only problem is, had the first leg of our journey not been delayed, but the second leg been delayed, even by as little as an hour, she would have been late to The Wake. She wasn’t going to be late because it was 2-3 hours after our original planned departure time, plus the 3-4 additional hours for drivetime vs. flytime, she was going to be late because she had left herself NO WIGGLE ROOM WHATSOEVER.
In case I decide to use them next time I’m in their territory, how does SWA deal with passengers in wheelchairs? I normally get preboarded when I fly other airlines (although very occasionally I get boarded last rather than first when they’re slow rounding up an aisle chair); with SWA if there aren’t seat assignments would that mean I’d get my choice of seat?
