Southwest or every other airline in the history of the world?

[Your Mom 4805]

On 7/7/2021 at 4:06 PM, Chewbacca said:

They also suck at stopping people from saving seats.

There is no policy for or against saving seats. Anyone is allowed to say a seat is saved and anyone else is allowed to sit there anyway.  A FA may ask if you are willing to change seats to accommodate a family but you are well within you’re rights to say nah. 

[Chewbacca 7765]

16 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

There is no policy for or against saving seats. Anyone is allowed to say a seat is saved and anyone else is allowed to sit there anyway.  A FA may ask if you are willing to change seats to accommodate a family but you are well within you’re rights to say nah. 

Maybe there used to be a policy against it?  We were going on a family vacation somewhere and there were about 6 groups where part of the group got on early and saved seats for the rest of the group.  It was a complete shitshow.  FAs wouldn't do anything about it.

[Your Mom 4805]

The flight attendants not doing anything is precisely what allowed you to sit there anyway regardless of what the supposed seat savers had to say about it. I don’t like it either, but that’s their stance on it. People can claim seat is saved but it’s only truly saved if you go along with it. Open seating means truly open seating. If you respectfully ignore the seat saver and sit there anyway you won’t be removed from the seat. It’s often worth moving on for the sake of civility but you don’t have to. Every seat is available regardless of what a passenger says about it. 
I wish they’d just let the FAs announce that there’s no seat saving. Not sure why they don’t but it comes from way above the FA pay grade. 

[After irth 1243]

Just another day flying the friendly skies.  Insert Fred Thompson meme here.

Watch American Airlines passengers all put their hands on their heads for landing because of a 'possible security threat' (msn.com)

 

[closetohumping 17431]

15 hours ago, Your Mom said:

There is no policy for or against saving seats. Anyone is allowed to say a seat is saved and anyone else is allowed to sit there anyway.  A FA may ask if you are willing to change seats to accommodate a family but you are well within you’re rights to say nah. 

Ok, but at some point the flight attendant is going to get involved and fat and sweaty guy will be taking that middle seat. 

 

28 minutes ago, After irth said:

Just another day flying the friendly skies.  Insert Fred Thompson meme here.

Watch American Airlines passengers all put their hands on their heads for landing because of a 'possible security threat' (msn.com)

 

geezus.

[closetohumping 17431]

On 7/7/2021 at 5:26 AM, closetohumping said:

Yea saw a group of high school kids delay a Flight 7 hours because they refused to put on their masks.  Kids were from Charlotte.   No CR, I get this thing is winding down and #Merica but  if they’re requiring the masks and you decide to fly with said airline, put on your god damn masks

@PilotsError you’re gonna beg me for this?  Lol.  Explain

[Chopper 17228]

On that AA flight I'm curious what type of threat would/could necessitate everybody putting their hands on their head. Seems a bit of an over-reaction and I'm surprised nobody on the plane seemed to refuse.

[Biff Tannen 45660]

5 hours ago, closetohumping said:

@PilotsError you’re gonna beg me for this?  Lol.  Explain

He’s one of the anti-maskers that makes life difficult for everyone and everyone hates him and he has no friends and he sucks. 

[closetohumping 17431]

40 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

He’s one of the anti-maskers that makes life difficult for everyone and everyone hates him and he has no friends and he sucks. 

Got it.  I'm whatever on masks, probably more pro, but if a business requires it, either I go in with a mask or I don't go.  Pretty easy.

[Biff Tannen 45660]

19 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Got it.  I'm whatever on masks, probably more pro, but if a business requires it, either I go in with a mask or I don't go.  Pretty easy.

Exactly. It is pretty easy. 

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 6/17/2021 at 9:04 PM, gmr548 said:

Paying for domestic first class product is the dumbest decision you can possibly make with regard to air travel.

That depends on your constraints and success criteria.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

the american thread is in DT, but this seems to be the best LUV thread so....

LUV sued skiplagged on friday for identifying open-jaw hidden-city opportunities in LUV's publicly available data

https://www.zdnet.com/article/southwest-airlines-just-took-a-severe-step-to-stop-customers-being-unfaithful/

"Southwest claims this means its staff are unable to discern where the missing passenger is, perhaps leading to a delay of the flight and affecting its "on-time performance metrics." It also claims there are problems with baggage going to the wrong destination."

 

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 6/22/2021 at 5:28 PM, The Ace of Aces said:

I have a tale to tell.  

Was planned to fly AA home from DFW Sunday, departing at 6:42 pm. AA canceled the flight at 5:55 pm, citing weather. There was no weather in Dallas or here in PA, it had to be a crew time out issue due to the incoming plane from the west coast.  

Rebooked on a Monday at 11:20 am connecting through Charlotte (the direct flight home is that sole 6:42 pm flight and it’s always sold out so no dice getting on that). AA canceled that rebooked flight at 1:20 am Monday morning, I saw it on my phone at 7:15 am when I woke up.

I rebooked to a 5:37 pm flight through Chicago - which was cancelled at 3:30 pm.

If you’re keeping score, that’s three cancellations within 24 hours.  

AA had one flight available through the app to rebook before Thursday(!), and that was through Charlotte this morning (where storms were predicted and occurred) with a 28 minute connection. The Admiral Club was a worthless endeavor and crammed with others with canceled flights, and the phone delay was 7.5 hours when I called. 

I ended up buying an expensive as fuck ticket on Southwest at 11:50 pm last night leaving at 7:05 am, connecting through Chicago. 

I’m now home. And the connecting flight I had rebooked with AA was cancelled so I would’ve been stranded there. 

Thanks, Southwest. Fuck off, AA.

Chase will reimburse most the Southwest flight cost with its trip delay insurance too.

I’m now going to sleep for 18 straight hours.  

  

Inoculating against this regular occurrence is only possible with paid F.   Paid F is shitty insurance and is the only defense you have against hostage mode.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 6/23/2021 at 12:49 PM, RPM said:

I fly AA as a last resort. They killed Braniff. 

Not true.  Braniff killed Braniff.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 6/23/2021 at 2:14 PM, The Ace of Aces said:

To be fair, Braniff’s horrific route planning post-deregulation was a bigger reason for their demise. That spaghetti of unprofitable, thin routes was idiotic - even at the time. 

Very good ace of aces.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 7/1/2021 at 9:56 AM, Chewbacca said:

Fuck you, Southwest. Son's flight from Houston to Denver tonight just got canceled, ratfucking our holiday plans.
 

protip: american democracy deregulated a highly constrained industry in 1977, and now best practice requires you travel the day before you need to be anywhere, and if you don't, and you get fucked, blame carter.

[Biff Tannen 45660]

I feel like hagbard is speaking in tongues. 

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 7/8/2021 at 5:21 PM, Your Mom said:

There is no policy for or against saving seats. Anyone is allowed to say a seat is saved and anyone else is allowed to sit there anyway.  A FA may ask if you are willing to change seats to accommodate a family but you are well within you’re rights to say nah. 

no, i've been moved involuntarily from my LUV 7D aisle seat with the 2nd-to-last empty seat on the plane, 7E center next to me, while my coworker in 7F window staid put so 2 parents with a 2-year old sitting in 2 seats could fit on the plane sitting together, said clusterfuckery being required because the bridge and tunnel family was "late" leaving disney world.  they thought it was funny.  one of my top-5-all-time-pissed-off-enraged commercial air travel experiences since the great clusterfuck of 1991, the year when sanity left air travel.

i ended up in 2B next to a flesh mountain that required me to torque my spine for 4 hours due to weather routing mco-dal.   this experience was procured with business select A3 and my choice was to leave the plane and not get home that day or die due to spinal injuries.   i went to the counter at DAL, found someone senior, commiserated about the airline graveyard mural underneath gate 9 of the old north concourse, and managed a $25 voucher for LUV travel that I would never be able to use because i have never and will never pay for leisure travel in coach on any airline.

southwest fails miserably at non-enforcement of their non-policies and you have just as much risk of bitchassedness as you do on the other 3 legacies.  southwest is now a legacy.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 7/8/2021 at 5:39 PM, Chewbacca said:

Maybe there used to be a policy against it?  We were going on a family vacation somewhere and there were about 6 groups where part of the group got on early and saved seats for the rest of the group.  It was a complete shitshow.  FAs wouldn't do anything about it.

which is why you pay for earlybird until you can challenge to a-list, and as soon as you encounter bitchassedness, go to the starboard exit row and there will be an attendant positioned there during boarding, and tell them you are being denied a seat with paid earlybird/a-list and you insist on choosing your seat because there is no policy regarding saving seats.

stand your ground.  you will get your seat.  the people you denied will be pissed and make your life miserable for the rest of the flight, but you will get your seat.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 7/8/2021 at 11:41 PM, Your Mom said:

The flight attendants not doing anything is precisely what allowed you to sit there anyway regardless of what the supposed seat savers had to say about it. I don’t like it either, but that’s their stance on it. People can claim seat is saved but it’s only truly saved if you go along with it. Open seating means truly open seating. If you respectfully ignore the seat saver and sit there anyway you won’t be removed from the seat. It’s often worth moving on for the sake of civility but you don’t have to. Every seat is available regardless of what a passenger says about it. 
I wish they’d just let the FAs announce that there’s no seat saving. Not sure why they don’t but it comes from way above the FA pay grade. 

it's the same management mentality that allows the creation of justification for suing skiplagged that makes as much sense as banning masks in schools because it is essential that the rona be allowed to spread through unvaccinated children as fast as humanly possible.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

12 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

I feel like hagbard is speaking in tongues. 

we're using code names

[Chopper 17228]

I flew LUV from AUS to NOLA a while ago, was seated in an aisle toward the front. The crew brought an older teenager onto the plane just before departure and, bummer, they put him in the middle next to me. Next bummer was after takeoff it became apparent that the kid was severely mentally retarded and habitually acted out. Loudly. But he liked to be engaged with and he calmed down considerably when I did so I decided to just suck it up and interact with him. My wife has a family member who's mentally retarded so I had empathy and a little experience dealing. Fortunately it was a short flight. It wasn't the least stressful flight I've been on but was made better when the FA handed me a bottle of champagne and thanked me profusely as I exited the plane.

I forgot the kicker. Later saw the kid heading to luggage claim with a couple adults and I swear those fucks were on the plane too but they didn't sit together because of southwest's no reserved seats policy. Motherfuckers. They've been my last choice in an airline ever since.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Chopper

[Updawg 2266]

[Chewbacca 7765]

13 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

which is why you pay for earlybird until you can challenge to a-list, and as soon as you encounter bitchassedness, go to the starboard exit row and there will be an attendant positioned there during boarding, and tell them you are being denied a seat with paid earlybird/a-list and you insist on choosing your seat because there is no policy regarding saving seats.

stand your ground.  you will get your seat.  the people you denied will be pissed and make your life miserable for the rest of the flight, but you will get your seat.

I did pay for earlybird and I'm well aware I could have just taken the seats I wanted.  I'm also well aware that I would have been screamed at by a nasty bitch for the duration of the flight if I had done so.  That's why the FAs need to be the ones to step in.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Chewbacca

[CooterBrown 18001]

54 minutes ago, Chopper said:

I forgot the kicker. Later saw the kid heading to luggage claim with a couple adults and I swear those fucks were on the plane too but they didn't sit together because of southwest's no reserved seats policy. Motherfuckers. They've been my last choice in an airline ever since.

It wasn't Southwest's fault. Those fuckers should have boarded with him.  So what if that kid had a lower boarding number. You board with the last person in your group if they're a child or need assistance.

[DaysOff 7943]

Dude, retarded is not the preferred nomenclature.

[Chopper 17228]

4 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

It wasn't Southwest's fault. Those fuckers should have boarded with him.  So what if that kid had a lower boarding number. You board with the last person in your group if they're a child or need assistance.

Yeah I think they just scammed it that way and are lowlife fucks and I did think about cussing them out at the airport. In the old days assigned seating might have made it more likely that all people in one party sat together. These days they'd probably have to pay extra for the privilege. The whole thing chafed my ass though.

[Chopper 17228]

2 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

Dude, retarded is not the preferred nomenclature.

Fuck you.

[Assman 1830]

On 8/16/2021 at 10:52 AM, Chopper said:

I flew LUV from AUS to NOLA a while ago, was seated in an aisle toward the front. The crew brought an older teenager onto the plane just before departure and, bummer, they put him in the middle next to me. Next bummer was after takeoff it became apparent that the kid was severely mentally retarded and habitually acted out. Loudly. But he liked to be engaged with and he calmed down considerably when I did so I decided to just suck it up and interact with him. My wife has a family member who's mentally retarded so I had empathy and a little experience dealing. Fortunately it was a short flight. It wasn't the least stressful flight I've been on but was made better when the FA handed me a bottle of champagne and thanked me profusely as I exited the plane.

I forgot the kicker. Later saw the kid heading to luggage claim with a couple adults and I swear those fucks were on the plane too but they didn't sit together because of southwest's no reserved seats policy. Motherfuckers. They've been my last choice in an airline ever since.

This must have been out of his/her personal stash because we definitely don't have any booze on the plane.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Assman

[Chopper 17228]

4 hours ago, Assman said:

This must have been out of his/her personal stash because we definitely don't have any booze on the plane.

It was years ago. Nut you're right and I don't think their alcohol offerings have changed over time. I never thought about but I would have turned it down if it I thought it was from a private stash. Although it happened quickly and unexpectedly as I exited the plane.

Edited August 19, 2021 by Chopper

[Shaddie 1651]

I laugh at some post saying a certain airline is the “worst ever”. 
AA guy with over 2 mil lifetime. Had to fly UA today. Quick and simple EWR-RIC. 2 hrs before and gate agent classed my checked luggage “oversized”. Some test fixtures in a small hand carry sized piece. OK. I get it all done and of course arrive and it’s not there. Still at EWR. Of course I am not working in RIC area so they can’t deliver where I am working. 
 

Same piece of luggage that I have checked over 200 times on AA in last 4 years and never an issue. 
I could go on a rant saying UA is worst ever. 
Facts are if you don’t fly much you are “next to worthless” to USA airlines. It’s not personal.  

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

ferengi rule of commercial air travel #1: never check luggage on domestic flights; never. ever. evar.

rule #2: never surrender your luggage without a fight; don't make a scene, just quietly smile and make them call the cops, then offer to leave the plane if they will re-accommodate you on the next flight with the same seat (aisle or window or F)

question, how did a gate agent "class" checked luggage?  was it your only carry-on?  did it look weird?  would it have fit in a travelpro roll-aboard?

why didn't you fedex it to your work location before you flew?

 

[Shaddie 1651]

Meant TA not GA. Have to check cause it is HW and is my 3rd piece of luggage. 
 

Scanned their baggage site all day and it always said tracing still in effect. Got back to airport hotel and went to check in UA luggage office but no agent inside. 3rd attempt as a UA flight came in agent opened door. Sure enough it is sitting there. Website then sent me text saying they are still looking for. Over the years I have had luggage go missing on AA but much better tracking than UA. 
 

It is 6 one way, half a dozen the other way. At least for me AA is right cause 95% of flights are direct out of DFW.

Not saying I haven’t looked and lusted after others but remain faithful. 

[TommyGufano 6021]

Yeah my SWA flights last month I swear half the plane was able-bodied fuckers being wheeled onto the plane before the A group boarded; people are the worst.

[Murfdogg21 4412]

Got an email today that if you complete 4 one ways or 2 round trips between today and Nov 19 (Friday before Thanksgiving), they will give you auto A status for 2022. I have one leg already reserved, and am strongly considering three $50 bullshit intraTexas flights to hit it. 

[CooterBrown 18001]

Got an email today that if you complete 4 one ways or 2 round trips between today and Nov 19 (Friday before Thanksgiving), they will give you auto A status for 2022. I have one leg already reserved, and am strongly considering three $50 bullshit intraTexas flights to hit it. 

The last time I had companion pass, I was like 800 points short and it was Dec 31st. So I did an 7am AUS>HOU and was able to standby back 15 minutes after deboarding.

[billfromlaketravis 11444]

25 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Got an email today that if you complete 4 one ways or 2 round trips between today and Nov 19 (Friday before Thanksgiving), they will give you auto A status for 2022. I have one leg already reserved, and am strongly considering three $50 bullshit intraTexas flights to hit it. 

Very interesting. 

[Landomatic 3813]

Unless it’s international (or private), I will never not fly Southwest again. Y’all can hate all you want, but SW is far superior to every other commercial airline in just about every conceivable aspect.

I just went through 2 days of hell with AA out of DFW trying to get to Oregon. Two canceled flights, 2 lost bags, and the better part of 2 days spent (mostly at the DFW airport) later, finally said fuck this shit, canceled the whole damn thing, and booked Southwest out of Love.

Holy shit it was night and day different. Polar opposite experiences…anyone preferring AA and DFW must be a fucking moron. DFW and AA literally felt like a 3rd world country and SW and Love comparatively felt like flying private out of a boutique luxury resort. No cancellations, no delays, no lost bags, the people were nicer, every surface was cleaner, MUCH less crowded, the food tasted better, the air was fresher, the women were hotter.

Okay, so the cattle call boarding thing can be slightly inconvenient, but if you’re halfway competent at all, it’s really easy to navigate. I’ve been flying SW almost exclusively for damn near 15 years and I have very rarely not had an aisle seat toward the front. And if I didn’t, it was my fault.

I’m not saying I’ve never had a problem on SW…delays and cancelations happen. But it’s very rare. Don’t think they’ve ever lost a bag (maybe 1 in 15 years). But I am saying that, with almost zero exceptions, the few times I’ve cheated on SW and tried another airline, there has been some kind of problem. And it’s usually something pretty egregious which is always met with horrendous customer service (if you can even call it that).

Never again. If Southwest doesn’t fly there, I don’t need to go there.

[Wally Fairway 5539]

11 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Got an email today that if you complete 4 one ways or 2 round trips between today and Nov 19 (Friday before Thanksgiving), they will give you auto A status for 2022. I have one leg already reserved, and am strongly considering three $50 bullshit intraTexas flights to hit it. 

Well that sucks, because I completed that 2 weeks ago.
Guess I need to book another trip between now and 11/19, not that I really care if I get A status. 

[pearlandhorn 3269]

I probably won't be getting companion pass for 2022 given I didn't travel for the first 4 months of 2021.  I'll definitely hit A-list preferred again though.  I've had companion pass for the last 2 years and haven't really been able to take advantage of it.

[Murfdogg21 4412]

23 minutes ago, pearlandhorn said:

I probably won't be getting companion pass for 2022 given I didn't travel for the first 4 months of 2021.  I'll definitely hit A-list preferred again though.  I've had companion pass for the last 2 years and haven't really been able to take advantage of it.

That sucks. I had companion from 2014-2018 and we destroyed that program before kids and little with our first born. Lost it in time for second kid followed by pandemic. 
I am tempted to get this A-list promo just to cut in lines for bag check with kids, car seats, and strollers. 

[Nueces River Rat 5537]

2 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Unless it’s international (or private), I will never not fly Southwest again. Y’all can hate all you want, but SW is far superior to every other commercial airline in just about every conceivable aspect.

I just went through 2 days of hell with AA out of DFW trying to get to Oregon. Two canceled flights, 2 lost bags, and the better part of 2 days spent (mostly at the DFW airport) later, finally said fuck this shit, canceled the whole damn thing, and booked Southwest out of Love.

Holy shit it was night and day different. Polar opposite experiences…anyone preferring AA and DFW must be a fucking moron. DFW and AA literally felt like a 3rd world country and SW and Love comparatively felt like flying private out of a boutique luxury resort. No cancellations, no delays, no lost bags, the people were nicer, every surface was cleaner, MUCH less crowded, the food tasted better, the air was fresher, the women were hotter.

Okay, so the cattle call boarding thing can be slightly inconvenient, but if you’re halfway competent at all, it’s really easy to navigate. I’ve been flying SW almost exclusively for damn near 15 years and I have very rarely not had an aisle seat toward the front. And if I didn’t, it was my fault.

I’m not saying I’ve never had a problem on SW…delays and cancelations happen. But it’s very rare. Don’t think they’ve ever lost a bag (maybe 1 in 15 years). But I am saying that, with almost zero exceptions, the few times I’ve cheated on SW and tried another airline, there has been some kind of problem. And it’s usually something pretty egregious which is always met with horrendous customer service (if you can even call it that).

Never again. If Southwest doesn’t fly there, I don’t need to go there.

That's my MO about flying domestically.  If I can't fly SW, I try to avoid going there or find the airport close by that I can rent a car to get there.    Fortunately  SWA pretty much flies into every major airport in the US and a number smaller airports which American, Delta,  and United treat like crap.   I see this where I live as they and SWA are our only choices and AA and UA will cancel or delay flights when it fricken drizzles or some other issue in their system such as they can't find a gate at the destination airport for the flight.   SWA pretty much keeps on going and will wait to the last minute to cancel flight when an event like a hurricane is approaching.

Thankfully you can also get to many destinations in Caribbean and Mexico on SWA as well.  Hopefully they can get into Canada with direct flights from Hobby or Love someday down the road.    And for international flights we have ABIA with options to get you directly to Europe where you can connect to another destination without having to give American or United a thought    Hopefully they are pressing on one of the Asian carriers to fly out of ABIA one day soon or even the Middle East based airlines like Emirates or Qatar.

Edited August 20, 2021 by Nueces River Rat

[Biff Tannen 45660]

On 8/20/2021 at 6:01 AM, Landomatic said:

Never again. If Southwest doesn’t fly there, I don’t need to go there.

Especially now that they go to Hawaii.

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

On 8/21/2021 at 9:00 AM, Biff Tannen said:

Especially now that they go to Hawaii.

the idea of sitting in Y for 8 hours is beyond abhorrent.   3.5 hours scheduled is my limit.

[closetohumping 17431]

Over 2k flights cancelled this weekend.  Including mine.  Possible cause could be the vaccine mandate.  Fml

[Brisketexan 105037]

1 hour ago, closetohumping said:

Over 2k flights cancelled this weekend.  Including mine.  Possible cause could be the vaccine mandate.  Fml

Yeah, I'm not sure I understand that one.....other airlines have imposed a mandate, and haven't had that fallout.  But it sure looks like more than just "there was some bad weather and air traffic delays."

I'm curious about the real story, once this all shakes out.  If it was petulant anti-vax employees throwing sand in the gears.....fuck them.

[DaysOff 7943]

Because it is and has always been a cowboy operation. With their largest crew bases in DAL and HOU, I wonder what their stance is on vaccinations. Pathetic.

[Your Mom 4805]

I'm in the middle of a couple weeks off and have been completely checked out.  No fucking idea what's going on but it isn't good.   It's embarrassing.  The hardline anti-vaxxer crowd is definitely there and especially in the southern bases.  I'm based in one of those and haven't heard anything about a concerted effort to fuck things up but I definitely work with a lot of guys not happy.  I'm also the guy that stays off the work-related forums and FB groups so I'd be the last to know.  

For months we've been way understaffed as the company expanded.  The training dept couldn't keep up with all the guys coming back from leaves and they weren't on the line as fast as the company hoped they'd be.  The operation was already beyond it's limits.  It hardly takes anything to completely wreak havoc right now.   I get the desire to overschedule to cash in on a nation of people chomping at the bit to travel all of a sudden, but the signs were there that we weren't operationally ready for that.  

[billfromlaketravis 11444]

United says 97% of their employees are vaccinated, but they started much earlier in August. They also put the vaxx exceptions on unpaid leave until Covid rates went down. That is ruling with a firm hand. 

[Biff Tannen 45660]

Wife has a flight to Cancun on Friday.  Hope that doesn't fall through.