Flew Southwest Airlines for the first time

[thcri]

Southwest set up shop in the Minneapolis St. Paul area a while back but I have never used them as they didn't fly to where I was going anytime. Flying to Arizona last week we decided the money saved even with a lay over was worth a try.

It started out all really bad as when I got to the terminal I found out I had to buy my wife a ticket. Hey the TV ad said "Bags Fly Free (That's ok it is an inside joke between my wife and me)

Anyway they have an interesting way of loading people on the plane. Your ticket has not a seating number on it but a loading number. When your range of number is called you get to go on the plane and pick your own seat. You can upgrade your ticket to be one of the first 15 people on the plane for ten bucks if you wish. We elected to not do that but seating was not a problem for us. We got to seat together in decent seats. The seats seem to have a lot more room than other planes. All of their planes are supposed to be 737's.

About 80% of the staff is unionized but unionized by their own union. Sitting and watching the staff work it just seemed like they moved more people faster with half of the staff which is probably why their fares are so much less and one of the more profitable airlines. I was one four different planes in this trip and all four planes were full. The full planes I am sure helps their bottom line also. Beverages and snacks on all flights and they were not stingy with them. They actually handed the box of snacks for people to take and if you grabbed two or three that was fine.

All in all the Southwest experience was great and I defiantly would fly with them again.

Has anyone else flown with them and what do you think of the seating system they used compared to the others?


murph

 

[OhioTC18]

We have flown SWA once before. I didn't know they didn't have assigned seating. I walked all the way to the back of the plane and then back up and asked where my seat was. The attendant said "Any open seat that you sit in is yours". Overall we had a good flight. I'm booked for another one in May

 

[California]

I love them.

When I worked for the State and visited various highway construction jobsites I often had long assignments in Southern California that had me flying down Monday morning and returning Friday afternoon. Given that schedule, the planes were full of commuters like me who did the same thing every week and everything ran very smoothly since everybody was on the same page.

As I recall the Southwest departure lounge would suddenly go from a couple of tourists to full in an instant, about 20 minutes before flight time, just at the moment they walked down the line of waiting passengers and handed out those 'group boarding passes'. Those save everyone, flight crew and passengers both, a whole lot of needless complexity. I know there were times I had a rental car turn-in receipt dated 20 minutes before flight time (Burbank, and pre TSA) and made the flight easily.

Southwest also encouraged lots of carry-on luggage which made the commuters' travel simpler and saved Southwest some of the cost of baggage handling - another cost-saving efficiency.

And most of their routes cost $39 for their principal short hops! - about 400 miles in my case. At that price we didn't have to go through our internal travel office, (basically the State's purchasing department), we just called the airline ourselves and they billed the state. No hassle -much simpler than going to a non-Southwest city (Ontario) where the State internal travel office had to compare the much higher prices among competitors then buy the ticket for us and send a paper ticket to our home office. (At times the state contracted this function out to Travel Agents then due to cost, high markup, brought it back in-house.) That was a real nuisance picking up that paper ticket, I wouldn't have had to go in to the office otherwise for weeks on end. Flying home early just to go into the office to pick up next week's non-Southwest ticket was a nuisance and a waste of the taxpayers money.

At one point Southwest hired real dual-career flight attendants/Hollywood comedians, (yes real comedians, the kind that play small clubs), who livened up these commuter flights as well as doing the usual flight stuff. I haven't heard of that lately.

Yes, I like them and will fly Southwest in preference to anything else when possible.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I think I've flown almost all the airlines. Southwest was only bad to me once and I don't think they were that bad. I can't remember what it was so it couldn't have been that bad.

Southwest is a decent airline. The unions in the other airlines are killing them.

 

[thcri]

Southwest is a decent airline. The unions in the other airlines are killing them.

Dealing with the Flight Attendants is a total different experience. A nice one compared to the others. I also noticed that the person calling the border passes was also a person helping out on the ground until time to call you on the plane. Most airlines have two people standing there long before ready to board.

The first flight for us the First Attendant was more of a comedian. In fact some of the stuff she said during the pre-flight instructions was funny as all get out.

 

[California]

I also noticed that the person calling the border passes was also a person helping out on the ground until time to call you on the plane.

I think those people staffing the departure-lounge counter and tending the departure lines are the flight attendants who arrived on that plane from its previous stop and will leave on the plane with you. How's that for efficiency!

 

[EastTexFrank]

I've flown all over this world and I think that flying SWA is a trip and a half. They've always been one of the more casual and relaxed airlines but still the service is as good, if not better than most. I always remember sitting in the lounge for a flight from Dallas to Houston and having the attendant open the boarding gate, grab the mic and announce, "OK folks, go for it". That kinda dispells all the mistique that other airlines have about their boarding procedures.

 

[muleman]

I would use them if they serviced our local airport. It is not worth the drive to Rochester or Syracuse to save a few bucks. I put up with one stop in Philadelphia for the convenience of a local departure.

 

[Big Dog]

I've flown them numerous times. My wife's first was a couple weeks ago. I taught her how to get a great boarding number. Sit at the PC with the world clock ticking and sign in exactly at 24 hours before boarding time. She got a A26 ..... (the first 20 are reserved for business).

I use them if it's a direct flight, if I have to puddle jump I won't do it. My clients pay for my travel time and it's just not cost efficient for me to take an extra 4 hours in travel time hopping planes even with their pricing.

 

[thcri]

having the attendant open the boarding gate, grab the mic and announce, "OK folks, go for it". That kinda dispells all the mistique that other airlines have about their boarding procedures.

Ok folks we have been cleared for "Blast Off"

Go ahead and light that cigarette up and the Captain will come back and slap you.

If your sitting by the exit doors you must be 5'10" and you will be measured.

Just all kinds of funny things that I would even think would be against the FAA rules and regulations.

They were funny.

 

[DaveNay]

Ok folks we have been cleared for "Blast Off"

Go ahead and light that cigarette up and the Captain will come back and slap you.

If your sitting by the exit doors you must be 5'10" and you will be measured.

Just all kinds of funny things that I would even think would be against the FAA rules and regulations.

They were funny.

I had one SWA attendant who stood at the head of the aisle and threw the bags of peanuts to the first 10 rows while hollering "What'd'ya want to drink?"

 

[California]

I've seen them toss the peanuts too. Like feeding time at the zoo!

I wish I had been paying attention earlier, one time on the late Friday afternoon commuter. I glanced up near the end of the seatbelt demonstration and discovered that while the narrative was the same as always, what she was doing with the belt was a lot more entertaining.

 

[EastTexFrank]

Just all kinds of funny things that I would even think would be against the FAA rules and regulations.

They were funny.

I think that my favorite was, "We are beginning our approach to Dallas Love Field. The pilot will try real hard to put it down in one piece this time but, just in case, we need you to fasten your seat belts".

 

[thcri]

No carts down the center isle either and they seem to get the beverages and snacks out faster.

 

[DaveNay]

No carts down the center isle either and they seem to get the beverages and snacks out faster.

It always pisses me off when some ignorant asshole decides to go to the bathroom when the drink cart is in the aisle. I always end up with some dude sticking his skid marked ass in my face as they try to squeeze by.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

It always pisses me off when some ignorant asshole decides to go to the bathroom when the drink cart is in the aisle. I always end up with some dude sticking his skid marked ass in my face as they try to squeeze by.

Sorry about that Dave. You must not have noticed the other thing I left for you when passing!


Looks like you extra-tubby folk might not want to fly SW:

http://www.popeater.com/2010/02/14/kevin-smith-southwest-twitter/

Kevin Smith Kicked Off Southwest Flight for Being Too Fat

Posted Feb 14th 2010 09:22AM

Kevin Smith is not a happy Southwest customer.

The director was thrown off a flight from Oakland to Burbank, after being deemed too fat to fly. He would later end up on another Southwest flight and now he's expressing his anger on Twitter.

"Dear @SouthwestAir - I know I'm fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?" her began.

"Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn't give last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a "safety risk". Again: I'm way fat... But I'm not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up, and I'm seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who'd already I.d.ed me as 'Silent Bob,'" Smith continued in a succession of several tweets.

Smith even posted a photo of himself on the plane.
Then he got a little angrier. "So, @SouthwestAir, go f--- yourself. I broke no regulation, offered no "safety risk" (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually agreed). And f--- your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir. Thank God I don't embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I don't sulk off either: so everyday, some new f----you Tweets for @SouthwestAir."

Southwest issued a response on Twitter. "I've read the tweets all night from @thatkevinsmith - He'll be getting a call at home from our Customer Relations VP tonight."

"@ThatKevinSmith Again, I'm very sorry for the experience you had tonight. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do," the Southwest twitterer added.

But Smith didn't stop. "The @SouthwestAir Diet. How it works: you're publicly shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off has never been easier!"

And he wanted to let the airline know he had made it to his destination. "Hey @SouthwestAir! I've landed in Burbank. Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised."