No LUV for Southwest?

[skoker]

Anybody who knows me knows that I'm a huge fan of Southwest Airlines, so when I recently had a pro-Southwest message as my iChat status, I was appalled to get a bunch of massages telling me how much everybody hates Southwest.

So the question is: Do you like or dislike Southwest Airlines? Why?

[skoker]

Anybody who knows me knows that I'm a huge fan of Southwest Airlines, so when I recently had a pro-Southwest message as my iChat status, I was appalled to get a bunch of massages telling me how much everybody hates Southwest.

So the question is: Do you like or dislike Southwest Airlines? Why?

I was looking for comments too, voters :D

[3rdpath]

they do a great job with their niche market. not to say i haven't had a few bad experiences with them but overall they do their job well.

i remember the days when they mainly flew around texas and the flight attendents wore hot pants and go-go boots. ahhh, the 70's...
check it out! (http://www.southwest.com/multimedia/PLANEOVR.MPG)

ntm, their stock(LUV) has treated me very nicely thru the years.

[dmw007]

Never travelled with them before- sorry. :o

[Cfg5]

I flew Southwest a couple of times. The flights were smooth, but the plane was kind of noisy, there wasn't a meal, and no movie. I think the tickets were cheap though so the meal/movie were justified.

Also, Southwest hasn't had one single person die on any of their flights.

[Jon'sLightBulbs]

They're cheaper than the others almost every time. They're quick, and they fly into smaller secondary airports like Burbank, instead of Los Angeles International. Midway instead of Chicago O'Hare. San Jose instead of San Francisco. If you want service, go get a facial. If you want to fly without hassle, SW is the way to go.

[~Shard~]

They, like all airlines in the USA, don't know the meaning of customer service (I've flown multiple times on pretty much all of them), but apart from that, I think they run a really good outfit, better than many of their competitors.

[dmw007]

Also, Southwest hasn't had one single person die on any of their flights.

Which, is generally regarded as a good thing. :) ;)

[Kwyjibo]

the walmart of the airways ...

[Zman5225]

I used to fly Southwest West often but I got sick of the tier group seating method they used. I never liked showing up really early just to make sure I had a chance of sitting next to my wife. If they changed it to where you could buy actual seats like a normal airline, I would go back. Until then, no way, not even to save 20 bucks.


&Z

[Counterfit]

They're pretty cheap, and they fly out of PVD. (which is in Warwick :confused: ) so I like them. Of course, I wouldn't fly cross country with them, unless they let me have some time to buy food at a stop.

[WildCowboy]

I've only flown them once (Oakland to Salt Lake), and it was okay. My parents swear by LUV, but I'm rather ambivalent about them.

<waits for iGary to chime in>

[katie ta achoo]

Southwest is better than AirTran.

omg.. airtran.. NO. Just. NO.
where else can you fly for ~$89?
Heck yea, Southwest!

and the dude who founded it revolutionized the airline industry! He's a business dude of awesome!

[buryyourbrideau]

Flew on SWA today.

From Chicago Midway to Detroit Metro.

Home for the holidays. Haha all the flight attendents were young and were cracking jokes on the PA the whole time. It was an experience

not a bad one BTW......;)

[MacFan25863]

<waits for iGary to chime in>

My thoughts exactly.

While I don't mind WN, I don't fly them often, either. I fly United most of the time.

I do enjoy the typical WN jokes, however...and I love Airline.

[amacgenius]

Anybody who knows me knows that I'm a huge fan of Southwest Airlines, so when I recently had a pro-Southwest message as my iChat status, I was appalled to get a bunch of massages telling me how much everybody hates Southwest.

So the question is: Do you like or dislike Southwest Airlines? Why?

ARG, SW SUCKS YOU DESERVED TO BE http://whitesoap.com/media/banned.gif

Just kidding skoker, but you know how I feel about your obsession with airlines/airplanes.

[Golden_315]

Don't really know anything about southwest, but if they are anything like Northwest I like them. If only because I got bumped up to first class on an 8 hour fliht. Otherwise they are a decent airline

[watcher2001]

I am all about flying cheap. Through work we do a lot of travel and we refer to SW as "The Bus" not bad for what you pay and I don't mind the "Cattle Call" seating as I usually fly alone. Great for business, maybe not so great with a family.

[MacFan25863]

Don't really know anything about southwest, but if they are anything like Northwest I like them. If only because I got bumped up to first class on an 8 hour fliht. Otherwise they are a decent airline


Haha...NW and WN are completly different.


WN Flies only 737s...while NW is still flying DC-9s and DC-10s
WN is one class only
WN has no assigned seating
WN offers no meal service apart from drinks and peanuts
WN isn't broke
WN doesn't have as many maintence problems

[dmw007]

the walmart of the airways ...

For only a few choice words, that analogy speaks volumes! :) ;)

[iGary]

http://homepage.mac.com/garybooberry/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-12-19%2005.22.15%20-0800/Image-5C373F44709211DA.jpg

[gwuMACaddict]

was wating for the reality tv show clip to show up :D

[zelmo]

Yeah, I was waiting on iGary to post something, too.
Funny, everytime I happen across that program, it is always this episode.:p

I'd like to see the unedited version, though.;)

I don't mind SW, but I don't fly often enough to really care one way or the other.

[gwuMACaddict]

I don't mind SW

this sums up my feeling as well... i fly whatever is cheapest- usually southwest

[iGary]

Considering all but the foreign airlines have gone to ****, I don't mind flying Southwest at this point, because you get the same service (none) on just about any airline you fly...

I will not fly SW cross country on SW, though. I need a movie and a meal on a 5-hour flight.

As far as the uncut version of my Airline episdoe, just add a few "Jesus Christs," "****ing Hells" and "This is ********s."

[skoker]

*screeches brakes*

Does iGary work for WN or something?

Secondly, I'm proud to see that a few of you use WN to refer to Southwest. Makes me feel like a true airline dork :D

Thirdly, you wanted to come planespotting at BUF with me a few months back amacgenius :P

[yellow]

I fall somewhere between Hate and Dislike. I hate the open seating policy, mainly because I'm VERY tall and short people sitting in the exist rows irritates me. The employees are generally very nice, which is a breath of fresh air on a flight, but I'd rather have a surly b*tch and leg room, particularly on a long flight.

[buryyourbrideau]

*screeches brakes*

Does iGary work for WN or something?

Secondly, I'm proud to see that a few of you use WN to refer to Southwest. Makes me feel like a true airline dork :D

Thirdly, you wanted to come planespotting at BUF with me a few months back amacgenius :P

I am somewhat intrigued and nervous at the same time as to why you love this airline or any airline by that matter so much.

Care to explain?

[yellow]

I am somewhat intrigued and nervous at the same time as to why you love this airline or any airline by that matter so much.

It Cuddles? :)

[skoker]

I am somewhat intrigued and nervous at the same time as to why you love this airline or any airline by that matter so much.

Care to explain?

Why do people like Mac's so much?

No, real reasons:

A) I have a few friends at the company who tell me it's great to work for the company
b) I fly them alot and have never had a negative experience
c) I always get the exit rows because I can pre-board ahead of the rest of the cattle :D (I'm 6'2" and get to pre-board because of a hearing loss in my left ear, but I still have near-perfect hearing so I'm eligible to sit in an exit-row)

[yellow]

A) I have a few friends at the company who tell me it's great

This is why Symentec is still in business. :)

c) I always get the exit rows because I can pre-board ahead of the rest of the cattle :D (I'm 6'2" and get to pre-board because of a hearing loss in my left ear, but I still have near-perfect hearing so I'm eligible to sit in an exit-row)

While you're 5" shorter than me, I wouldn't be upset. It's the people who are 5'10" and under that sit there. Be warned short people, I will risk getting kicked off the flight to beat your head in if I catch you in "my seat".

[watcher2001]

*screeches brakes*

Does iGary work for WN or something?

Secondly, I'm proud to see that a few of you use WN to refer to Southwest. Makes me feel like a true airline dork :D


Two things.

1: There was reference a few posts back to iGary and a reality show? Details? I have only been on the board about 8-9 months, are there things I need to know?

2: exactly why is Southwest coded as WN? I could understand if SW was taken by another airline, but that does not appear to be the case.

[yellow]

1: There was reference a few posts back to iGary and a reality show? Details? I have only been on the board about 8-9 months, are there things I need to know?

He was immortalized on an episode of Airline (http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/airline/).

[skoker]

This is why Symentec is still in business. :)



While you're 5" shorter than me, I wouldn't be upset. It's the people who are 5'10" and under that sit there. Be warned short people, I will risk getting kicked off the flight to beat your head in if I catch you in "my seat".

I edited my post.

Additionally, I had to fly US from Buffalo to Washington Reagan this past summer, and the legroom on their planes is ABHORID! The A319 I was on going there had OK legroom, but on the return flight I was on a 737-400 and the legroom (as well as the brakes) on the plane sucked. To add insult to injury, the fabric on the seat pouch was torn in the corner, and whenever we hit a bump, the metal frame would dig into my knee and rip the skin. I eventually asked the FA for some napkins, so she wet some and threw them on over it. I actually have taken a liking to US's Airbus fleet, but I'll only fly on a Boeing if it's with WN.

[skoker]

He was immortalized on an episode of Airline (http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/airline/).

Which one? I have every single episode on my media server, I'll look it up. I was on Airline at BWI once, but only in the background (and for like 2 seconds)

[skoker]

2: exactly why is Southwest coded as WN? I could understand if SW was taken by another airline, but that does not appear to be the case.

Southwest's IATA code is WN, no clue why they picked that. Many of their 737-300's have reg # like NXXXWN, while a few of the newer planes have NXXXSW, which I'm guessing is to alleviate confusion.

US Airways got many of their newer fleet with NXXXUW reg #'s, which I can only speculate and guess stands for US Airways and America West

JetBlue has the IATA code of B6, but registers their aircraft with NXXXJB

[watcher2001]

Which one? I have every single episode on my media server, I'll look it up. I was on Airline at BWI once, but only in the background (and for like 2 seconds)
If you find it, can you link it. I have never seen the show and it looks like it might be pretty good.

[iGary]

Which one? I have every single episode on my media server, I'll look it up. I was on Airline at BWI once, but only in the background (and for like 2 seconds)

"Timing is Everything" is the name of the episode.

[yellow]

JetBlue has the IATA code of B6, but registers their aircraft with NXXXJB

Hmm I figured it would be CRASHY.

[skoker]

Is this you Gary?

http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/airline/photos/airline_59_timing_is_everything_gary.jpg

[iGary]

Is this you Gary?

http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/airline/photos/airline_59_timing_is_everything_gary.jpg

Uh huh. :D

[skoker]

Uh huh. :D

Oh duh, I just realized that you already posted that :p

*plays episode*

[yellow]

http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/airline/photos/airline_59_timing_is_everything_gary.jpg

He's gesturing threateningly at me, as if he was armed with an invisible handgun! Get him! <tackle>

[skoker]

He's gesturing threateningly at me, as if he was armed with an invisible handgun! Get him! <tackle>

LOL! I just finished watching iGary's part on the episode, I expected more F-bombs and such :P

[amacgenius]

*screeches brakes*

Does iGary work for WN or something?

Secondly, I'm proud to see that a few of you use WN to refer to Southwest. Makes me feel like a true airline dork :D

Thirdly, you wanted to come planespotting at BUF with me a few months back amacgenius :P

Planespotting, not just for SW, but in general. ;)

[skoker]

Planespotting, not just for SW, but in general. ;)

For US, DL, UA, AA, WN, B6, AT, and CO

Oh and Indy Air too :P

[CompUser]

My dad travels a lot. He says they are "ok". His favorite airline is Delta and he absolutely hates American Airlines.

He also prefers Boeing to Airbus

[~Shard~]

My dad travels a lot. He says they are "ok". His favorite airline is Delta and he absolutely hates American Airlines.

Wow, that really says a lot about the airline industry in America when Delta ends up being someone's favorite. :eek:

He also prefers Boeing to Airbus

Boeing is great, I can't wait for the 787 Dreamliner in a few years... :cool:

[watcher2001]

Wow, that really says a lot about the airline industry in America when Delta ends up being someone's favorite. :eek:

I remember back a few years ago Delta's slogan was
"We love to fly, and it shows"

We remade it as
"We love to F Up, and it shows"

Delta has got to be one of the worst airlines I have ever flown.

[iGary]

LOL! I just finished watching iGary's part on the episode, I expected more F-bombs and such :P

I'm a lover, not a hater. :D :p

[ITASOR]

I'm a lover, not a hater. :D :p

Do you have the segment anywhere? I want to watch iGary get pissed off too...

[leekohler]

They, like all airlines in the USA, don't know the meaning of customer service (I've flown multiple times on pretty much all of them), but apart from that, I think they run a really good outfit, better than many of their competitors.

I can't stand them. I'm very claustrophobic and got there late once. I explained to them that I really needed a window seat so I could look out. They flatly refused to accomodate me. As a result, I ended up sitting between two people and started turning green and hyperventilating after about 10 minutes. The woman next to me talked me down until we landed, but it was the most unpleasant thing I've ever been through. The ********** from Southwest never once asked me if I was OK. They're a crap airline. And I'm not the kind of person to start yelling at servicepeople and throwing a fit. My answer is- I just don't go back.

[~Shard~]

I can't stand them. I'm very claustrophobic and got there late once. I explained to them that I really needed a window seat so I could look out. They flatly refused to accomodate me. As a result, I ended up sitting between two people and started turning green and hyperventilating after about 10 minutes. The woman next to me talked me down until we landed, but it was the most unpleasant thing I've ever been through. The ********** from Southwest never once asked me if I was OK. They're a crap airline. And I'm not the kind of person to start yelling at servicepeople and throwing a fit. My answer is- I just don't go back.

Yikes, that's bad. Yeah, by saying they run a good outfit, I was referring more to their business model for a discount airlnie (which itself is somewhat suspect), but as I stated as well, customer service is non-existent.

[iGary]

Do you have the segment anywhere? I want to watch iGary get pissed off too...

I have it on DVD, but I do not have the time or knowledge to go about ripping it and hosting it...sorry. :(

[IJ Reilly]

SWA does what it does very well. The only treatment I didn't care for was a couple of years ago when they refused to allow me to board an earlier flight without an upgrade to full fare. They'd always allowed me to do it before, if seats were available and I was willing to board last. The agents didn't even want to acknowledge that they'd changed the policy. So that flight took off with empty seats and I spent another hour cooling in the terminal. Who wins? :rolleyes:

Anyway, they're no worse than any other airline and better than many.

[hcuar]

I originally liked the concept of Southwest... until I flew them over and over between Albuquerque and Phoenix. I then understood what people were talking about... It's the cattle car airline. Unassigned seating leads people into a panic to: A) sit together B) Not sit in the freakin backwards seats... yes some of the planes have seats backwards facing another set of seats about 2 feet away from your seat. C) People are generally roaches that must be controlled thru price control... aka if you shop at the more expensive stores you avoid the "Walmart shopper"

/end rant

btw: work made me fly Southwest

[Pittsax]

Being that I live in NYC, I don't get much opportunity to fly Southwest. From what I'm reading, I don't think I want to either...

I think I'll stick with JetBlue. I can't say enough about them.

(on an aside, I just hope JetBlue can come to my apartment and pick me up tomorrow, because I don't know how I'm going to get to the airport now thanks to the transit union :mad: )

[EricNau]

Their [Southwest's] record is the best of the best; 100% of all passengers have survived. (at least if one didn't - it wasn't Southwest's fault).

What more can you ask for?

BTW: Southwest is the 3rd largest airliner in the world, so to be that big, and still have 100% passenger survival rate (due to incidents) is incredible.

[IJ Reilly]

Are people willing to pay $300 for a one-way fare between Los Angeles and Phoenix for a stewardess wearing a short skirt and white gloves serving complementary drinks? Even those of us who are old enough to remember airline travel when that was the norm don't expect those days to come back.

Sure, SWA is a flying Greyhound bus -- but it's a pretty darned efficient flying Greyhound bus. I just miss the days when the flight attendants gave crack-up safety equipment lectures ("fasten the belt securely across your lips..."). I guess the FAA didn't see the humor.

[skoker]

I originally liked the concept of Southwest... until I flew them over and over between Albuquerque and Phoenix. I then understood what people were talking about... It's the cattle car airline. Unassigned seating leads people into a panic to: A) sit together B) Not sit in the freakin backwards seats... yes some of the planes have seats backwards facing another set of seats about 2 feet away from your seat. C) People are generally roaches that must be controlled thru price control... aka if you shop at the more expensive stores you avoid the "Walmart shopper"

/end rant

btw: work made me fly Southwest

WN phased out the last rear-facing seats around 5 years ago. If you want to get a good seat, CHECK IN ONLINE! You'll almost always get an "A" boarding pass and everybody getting an "A" can get a window seat, as well as most of the "B"'s. I got a window seat as a "C" once, sitting with my two traveling companions MCO-BUF in the very last row, through a HUGE snowstorm. I'll never do that again.

Personally, if traveling with my family, I prefer the middle seat, which shocks a lot of people, but I've never sat in a aisle.

[skoker]

Their [Southwest's] record is the best of the best; 100% of all passengers have survived. (at least if one didn't - it wasn't Southwest's fault).

What more can you ask for?

BTW: Southwest is the 3rd largest airliner in the world, so to be that big, and still have 100% passenger survival rate (due to incidents) is incredible.

Not exactly, there was one fatality on a flight to Vegas a few years back, some nutjob tried to take over the plane and was killed by his fellow passengers.

[leekohler]

Yikes, that's bad. Yeah, by saying they run a good outfit, I was referring more to their business model for a discount airlnie (which itself is somewhat suspect), but as I stated as well, customer service is non-existent.

Exactly, and I'm sorry but I can fly American Airlines, United or any other similar airline for about $20 bucks more and I get to:

1. Choose my own seat beforehand.
2. Get to the gate a little later and not worry that I'll get a crappy seat.
3. Not put up with a singing crew.
4. Be treated with a measure of respect by the crew.
5. Not have my knees jammed into the seat in front of me (I'm 6'3" and their seats are made for people who are 5' tall, I swear).

Southwest blows bigtime. Proud to say I only flew them once.

[EricNau]

All of you who complain about bad service on SouthWest - I'd rather get to my destination safely, even if it means I don't get the best seat, compared to not getting to my destination at all! :eek:

[EricNau]

Not exactly, there was one fatality on a flight to Vegas a few years back, some nutjob tried to take over the plane and was killed by his fellow passengers.
It wasn't SouthWest's fault though - They are 100%! :D

[iGary]

Exactly, and I'm sorry but I can fly American Airlines, United or any other similar airline for about $20 bucks more and I get to:

1. Choose my own seat beforehand.
2. Get to the gate a little later and not worry that I'll get a crappy seat.
3. Not put up with a singing crew.
4. Be treated with a measure of respect by the crew.
5. Not have my knees jammed into the seat in front of me (I'm 6'3" and their seats are made for people who are 5' tall, I swear).

Southwest blows bigtime. Proud to say I only flew them once.

I'm with you. I can usually fly cheaper to LA or San Jose on one of the other guys anyway.

You know what I hate about Southwest? Everyone gets there 3 hours before the flight leaves just so they can get a seat. You can drive to some ofthese places you fly to quicker.

With the other guys, I know where I am sitting, I get to the airport an hout before my flight (or less) walk up to the gate and sit in my seat (3/4 back, left window always).

Not to say that Southwest's model is inefficient. I just don't like flying them.

The morning my dad died in August I called and asked for a bereavement fare. "We don't do those."

Nice.

[MacFan25863]

*screeches brakes*


Secondly, I'm proud to see that a few of you use WN to refer to Southwest. Makes me feel like a true airline dork :D



Haha...yeah, I am a total airline dork as well. My uncle worked for Raytheon and kinda dragged me into it. Do you go to airliners.net by any chance?

Oh, and I can't stand DL, either. I last flew them on a red eye from LAX to MCO on a 767, and it was quite possibly the worst flight I have ever been on. We only got drinks once (!) the entire flight. The rest of the time the FAs were just sitting around in the back. One of the reasons why I like UA so much is that they come around about a half hour prior to landing and give out water, and are constantly serving drinks throughout the whole flight (I've never flown WN for longer than a 2 hour flight so I don't know much about their long-haul drink service...)

[skoker]

Haha...yeah, I am a total airline dork as well. My uncle worked for Raytheon and kinda dragged me into it. Do you go to airliners.net by any chance?

Oh, and I can't stand DL, either. I last flew them on a red eye from LAX to MCO on a 767, and it was quite possibly the worst flight I have ever been on. We only got drinks once (!) the entire flight. The rest of the time the FAs were just sitting around in the back. One of the reasons why I like UA so much is that they come around about a half hour prior to landing and give out water, and are constantly serving drinks throughout the whole flight (I've never flown WN for longer than a 2 hour flight so I don't know much about their long-haul drink service...)

a.net is one of the best sites on the web, in my opinion. The only turnoff as of recently, though, is that stupid "snow" that keeps crashing Safari on me.

The longest WN flight I've been on was MCO-BUF on one of their 737-500's in April. The aircraft was late, coming in with a sports team from Manchester, and so they were really whipping people off of that plane so we could board. I had the bad luck of getting a "C" boarding pass that day as a large group traveling together had checked in online the night before. Once we got on the plane, we (with my 2 companions) had to all sit together, and the only available row was in the VERY back, LAST ROW. Great. After taking off, we hit a bunch of chop over the Carolinas as we were flying through a cold front. When we were about 15 minutes inbound to BUF, which is an EXCELLENT airport that I'm proud to call my home base, the capt. came on the PA system and told us that the airport had shut down due to zero visibility on the field. We began circling over downtown Buffalo, and then dropped down south a bit so (I swear) the center of our circle was my house, which I could barely make out under the fog. We landed over an hour and 15 late.

^Now to get to my main point of the drink service. We were first served drinks and those cute little bags of Ritz Sticks, which were very good, about 20 minutes off the ground. They came around with a full drink service (very impressive) about an hour inbound and passed out peanuts, and then did a water service for those who wanted it as we began to circle. They also did a barf bag service, as many people had 'lost' their drinks and snacks from the first service :D

[leekohler]

All of you who complain about bad service on SouthWest - I'd rather get to my destination safely, even if it means I don't get the best seat, compared to not getting to my destination at all! :eek:

Tell that to the parents of the kid killed by a Southwest plane that skidded off a runway, onto the highway and into a car. I guess this makes them 99% now.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0512210278dec21,1,7037348.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[EricNau]

Tell that to the parents of the kid killed by a Southwest plane that skidded off a runway, onto the highway and into a car. I guess this makes them 99% now.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0512210278dec21,1,7037348.story?coll=chi-news-hed
If you re-read my statements, you'll see I said passengers, that was a horrible thing that happened, but that kid was not a passenger. Southwest is still at 100% as passengers go.

[leekohler]

If you re-read my statements, you'll see I said passengers, that was a horrible thing that happened, but that kid was not a passenger. Southwest is still at 100% as passengers go.

Oh- so killing people outside the plane is OK? That makes no sense. "Hey guys, fly Southwest! We only kill people outside of our planes!". Sorry, doesn't make it in my book. A death was caused by their plane, period. And someone else mentioned people killing another passenger before. That illustrates a failure on their part to maintain control on their planes. Sorry- point is, no airline is 100% safe.

[watcher2001]

Oh- so killing people outside the plane is OK? That makes no sense. "Hey guys, fly Southwest! We only kill people outside of our planes!". Sorry, doesn't make it in my book. A death was caused by their plane, period. And someone else mentioned people killing another passenger before. That illustrates a failure on their part to maintain control on their planes. Sorry- point is, no airline is 100% safe.

True, nothing is 100% safe. however Southwest is one of the safer airlines overall.

You mentioned
A death was caused by their plane, period.

I have trouble with this. After reading the story you linked to in the trib I see that the family is going to sue
Attorneys for the family plan to file suit in Cook County Circuit Court seeking unspecified damages against the airline, the pilots and the City of Chicago, said family spokesman and lawyer Ron Stearney Jr. The lawsuit would allege negligence and wrongful death, and seek damages for pain and suffering, he said.
Also stating that
The suit also names the city and Boeing as co-defendants.

Boeing, mind you is the manufacturer of the 737 used by Southwest. This to me is plain ****** stupid. What are they going to claim, that they should have given the 737 better ability to stop in the snow?? To me this is kind of like taking Smith and Wesson to court because someone got killed due to negligent handling of one of their guns.

Should the pilots be in trouble/fired/sued? Possibly, depends on what the NTSB accident team reports.

Should Southwest be sued? Once again, it all falls back to the NTSB. If they determine that there was an issue with the plane that Southwest should have taken care of, then yes.

Should the City be sued? Why, for allowing an airport to be too close to a road? Not in my opinion.

Should Boeing be sued? As I stated above to me this is just stupid.

To me it appears that the family is out to get as much money as they can from this tragic event.
Don't get me wrong, I do feel sorry for the family and I know they need someone to blame, but no amount of money can bring their son back. In this case it will be interesting to see what happens. This may have been just a freak accident.

Forgive me for my rant.

[zyuzin4]

i like Southwest. I have only been on one trip with them but it was easy to board, courteous crew, I liked it.

[MacFan25863]

a.net is one of the best sites on the web, in my opinion. The only turnoff as of recently, though, is that stupid "snow" that keeps crashing Safari on me.



Really? The snow isn't causing problems for me at all.

Do you go on their forums? I browse, but I still haven't signed up (I know I know...but I still don't feel the need to pay $25 to participate in a forum!)

[EricNau]

Oh- so killing people outside the plane is OK? That makes no sense. "Hey guys, fly Southwest! We only kill people outside of our planes!". Sorry, doesn't make it in my book. A death was caused by their plane, period. And someone else mentioned people killing another passenger before. That illustrates a failure on their part to maintain control on their planes. Sorry- point is, no airline is 100% safe.
If you re-read my statements, you'll see that I said that was a horrible thing that happened. Don't get me wrong, a innocent 6 year-old boy was killed, that's terrible. But this thread is about flying on a plane, and as for flying on Southwest, it is 100%, so far.

You say no airline is 100% safe, this is absolutely true, but currently, Southwest does have 100% flying record in terms of fatalities of passengers due to an incident caused by SouthWest. All arguments against Southwest have been STUPID. If I were to compare this to buying/renting a car, you all are saying that you'd choose the car with the most comfortable seats, not the safest. It doesn't make any sense people!

[leekohler]

You say no airline is 100% safe, this is absolutely true, but currently, Southwest does have 100% flying record in terms of fatalities of passengers due to an incident caused by SouthWest. All arguments against Southwest have been STUPID. If I were to compare this to buying/renting a car, you all are saying that you'd choose the car with the most comfortable seats, not the safest. It doesn't make any sense people!

Uhh- all arguements against Southwest are stupid? Excuse me BUT- read my arguements against them. They were hardly stupid. And if you're comparing that to buying a car, my arguements hold up nicely.

[EricNau]

Uhh- all arguements against Southwest are stupid? Excuse me BUT- read my arguements against them. They were hardly stupid. And if you're comparing that to buying a car, my arguements hold up nicely.
All arguments against them have been service-related. (not getting a good seat, rude attendants, etc.) Not one argument has been against safety, which is the most important thing when looking for an airline.

Safety is my first concern.

[Moof1904]

SWA routinely wins awards for being one of the best companies to work for. By all accounts I've heard (internal and external), they treat their people very well.

To me, how they treat their employees says a great deal about a company.

[leekohler]

All arguments against them have been service-related. (not getting a good seat, rude attendants, etc.) Not one argument has been against safety, which is the most important thing when looking for an airline.

Safety is my first concern.

Then that is YOUR concern. Some of us have serious, valid issues with their service.

[watcher2001]

Then that is YOUR concern. Some of us have serious, valid issues with their service.
and what serious valid concerns are those?

So far the only concerns I have heard are (From no one person in particular)
1: Not getting the seat you like.
2: Lack of meals and or drinks.
3: Having to listen to the flight attendants.

You know what, this is all part of their business model. Discounted fares, less perks.

If you want to pick your seat, fly someone else. Southwest tells you up front that it does not have assigned seating. If that is your complaint than boo on you.

If you want a meal and or drinks on your 2-5 hour flight then you have two options
a: find an airline that offers these and pay the extra money.
or
b: Bring something on board with you. Believe it or not, most airlines don't care.

If you don't want to listen to the flight attendants try to entertain you then do what I do. Plug in your ipod or watch a movie on your laptop.

I have logged countless hours and miles on over 200 flights (Probably 50 or so on Southwest) and in my opinion, as a business class traveler flying alone, they are the best. They have never lost my luggage, they have only been delayed once or twice (Which they made up for most graciously) and they have always gotten me to my destination safely.

[EricNau]

SWA routinely wins awards for being one of the best companies to work for. By all accounts I've heard (internal and external), they treat their people very well.

To me, how they treat their employees says a great deal about a company.
Yes, here's a Link (http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/factsheet.html).

It can be found under "Southwest Airlines' Recognitions"

[leekohler]

and what serious valid concerns are those?

So far the only concerns I have heard are (From no one person in particular)
1: Not getting the seat you like.
2: Lack of meals and or drinks.
3: Having to listen to the flight attendants.

You know what, this is all part of their business model. Discounted fares, less perks.

If you want to pick your seat, fly someone else. Southwest tells you up front that it does not have assigned seating. If that is your complaint than boo on you.

If you want a meal and or drinks on your 2-5 hour flight then you have two options
a: find an airline that offers these and pay the extra money.
or
b: Bring something on board with you. Believe it or not, most airlines don't care.

If you don't want to listen to the flight attendants try to entertain you then do what I do. Plug in your ipod or watch a movie on your laptop.

I have logged countless hours and miles on over 200 flights (Probably 50 or so on Southwest) and in my opinion, as a business class traveler flying alone, they are the best. They have never lost my luggage, they have only been delayed once or twice (Which they made up for most graciously) and they have always gotten me to my destination safely.

Did you read my earlier post? I said:

I can't stand them. I'm very claustrophobic and got there late once. I explained to them that I really needed a window seat so I could look out. They flatly refused to accomodate me. As a result, I ended up sitting between two people and started turning green and hyperventilating after about 10 minutes. The woman next to me talked me down until we landed, but it was the most unpleasant thing I've ever been through. The ********** from Southwest never once asked me if I was OK. They're a crap airline. And I'm not the kind of person to start yelling at servicepeople and throwing a fit. My answer is- I just don't go back.

Now- you may not feel that's a serious, valid reason for not wanting to fly an airline, I do. I like to not feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin or get nauseous when I fly. The question here was whether or not we liked them and why. I answered it. I don't like them and I don't patronize them.

[EricNau]

Now- you may not feel that's a serious, valid reason for not wanting to fly an airline, I do. I like to not feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin or get nauseous when I fly. The question here was whether or not we liked them and why. I answered it. I don't like them and I don't patronize them.
There are a limited number of Window-seats on a plane. If you got there late, and they had already given all of them away, what are they supposed to do, take it from another passenger?

If you need a Window-Seat, it is your responsibility to make sure you get there early enough.

[leekohler]

There are a limited number of Window-seats on a plane. If you got there late, and they had already given all of them away, what are they supposed to do, take it from another passenger?

If you need a Window-Seat, it is your responsibility to make sure you get there early enough.

OMG! What are you not getting? I don't like their policy. I don't fly them, understand? You know what? If they had just done one tiny thing, like ask people if they might give up a seat for someone, that would have been fine even if no one did it. Instead, they were rude and dismissive. And even after I was obviously having difficulty on the flight, someone could have said "Other than getting you a new seat, is there something we can do to help?" That also would have been fine. Instead, nothing. Not one whiff of concern.

[EricNau]

OMG! What are you not getting? I don't like their policy. I don't fly them, understand? You know what? If they had just done one tiny thing, like ask people if they might give up a seat for someone, that would have been fine even if no one did it. Instead, they were rude and dismissive. And even after I was obviously having difficulty on the flight, someone could have said "Other than getting you a new seat, is there something we can do to help?" That also would have been fine. Instead, nothing. Not one whiff of concern.
I'm sorry they were rude to you; but they did get you there safely.

That's all I have to say.

[leekohler]

I'm sorry they were rude to you; but they did get you there safely.

That's all I have to say.

And I'll never fly them again. That's all I have to say.

[watcher2001]

Did you read my earlier post? I said:



Now- you may not feel that's a serious, valid reason for not wanting to fly an airline, I do. I like to not feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin or get nauseous when I fly. The question here was whether or not we liked them and why. I answered it. I don't like them and I don't patronize them.

My question to you is this. If you knew you were claustrophobic going in, and I assume you knew about Southwest's business model of "Cattle Car" seating, then why in gods name did you ever choose to fly with them in the first place. Did you even try to talk with other passengers to see if they would accomodate your clastrophobia? You have to look at southwests side of the coin as well. Say for example that you had gotten there on time and gotten your window seat. Now say a little old lady got on board and had her own set of issues and requested a window seat. The Flight attendant tells you that you are going to have to move to accomodate someone else.. How is that going to make you feel? You are going to be pissed off and vent about poor customer service. There is no way for the airline to win?


Edit, wow this post was started a while ago but had to run and help the kiddos . There have been some replies that I had not read. Oh well

[leekohler]

My question to you is this. If you knew you were claustrophobic going in, and I assume you knew about Southwest's business model of "Cattle Car" seating, then why in gods name did you ever choose to fly with them in the first place. Did you even try to talk with other passengers to see if they would accomodate your clastrophobia? You have to look at southwests side of the coin as well. Say for example that you had gotten there on time and gotten your window seat. Now say a little old lady got on board and had her own set of issues and requested a window seat. The Flight attendant tells you that you are going to have to move to accomodate someone else.. How is that going to make you feel? You are going to be pissed off and vent about poor customer service. There is no way for the airline to win?


Edit, wow this post was started a while ago but had to run and help the kiddos . There have been some replies that I had not read. Oh well

First of all, if someone needed my seat more than I did, I would gladly give it up. I do it all the time here in Chicago on mass transit. Secondly, I asked several people if they would be willing to move, including the person in my row. Southwest is more than welcome to their policy, I don't have to fly them though. Lastly, I was booked on an emergency flight through a travel agency to go to my brother's funeral. It was the earliest flight that was available, so I took it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have flown them in the first place.

[skoker]

Really? The snow isn't causing problems for me at all.

Do you go on their forums? I browse, but I still haven't signed up (I know I know...but I still don't feel the need to pay $25 to participate in a forum!)

I browse, but I think I'm buying myself a membership for Christmas :D

[skoker]

{...}
Should the City be sued? Why, for allowing an airport to be too close to a road? Not in my opinion.

{...}

Forgive me for my rant.

Should Chicago be sued? I think so. They ignored an FAA directive to extend the safety zone at the end of the runway and install crushable concrete to stop a "runaway" aircraft. This death could have been avoided if they had some better city planning :(

[mjstew33]

Is this you Gary?

http://www.aetv.com/tv/shows/airline/photos/airline_59_timing_is_everything_gary.jpg
yeah, that's him.

[skoker]

yeah, that's him.

Pretty sure we figured that out a few days ago :D