Why fly Southwest?

[skyrider 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnOxvbGOTbM

[d_squared431 0]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnOxvbGOTbM

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[fossg 0]

I like Southwest. When I flew home from Ft Lewis after out processing from my recent deployment I was the only GI on the plane. All the stewardewsses gave me a hug ( being an old geezer I appreciate stuff like this)

[Lastchance 0]

Because they love bags.

I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands.

[skyrider 0]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnOxvbGOTbM

ooops thanks, I left off the tags.. My chat board, they post as links automatically!

[jumpwally 0]

and cuz' my wife is a flight attendant for them....

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[NWFlyer 2]

http://failbooking.com/2010/01/15/funny-facebook-shhh-nelly-or-taco-bell-fans-will-lynch-you/

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[riddler 0]

After flying Continental to Mexico, and getting charged for my checked bags (did I mention this is an international flight?), I'm convinced that Southwest is the best airline going right now.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[rhys 0]

i was impressed ith south west.

When we left vegas we missed our flight by simply not paying attention, when we got to the gate, and realised we had missed it we were upset with ourselves and expected to pay another fare.

They simply said "don't worry", and guided us down to another gate and let us on board another aircraft that was going to the same destination but via another airport. they didn't charge us a thing and were nothing more than friendly and helpful.

I will always fly with them from now on when flying domestic in the US for that reason.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[NWFlyer 2]

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After flying Continental to Mexico, and getting charged for my checked bags (did I mention this is an international flight?), I'm convinced that Southwest is the best airline going right now.

Agreed. Before I moved to Oakland, I had a bad impression of SWA from about a dozen years ago. Knowing that Southwest was the dominant carrier out of Oakland, and a preferred carrier for my employer, I was dreading having to fly them all the time.

I couldn't have been more wrong. In the last 18 months, about 95% of my travel (and 100% of my business travel) has been on Southwest. I've made probably 30 trips and can only remember a couple times that the flights were meaningfully late. Southwest has an amazing corporate culture and it's reflected in the attitudes of its employees, which I've found to be uniformly great. People "LUV" to work for Southwest, and it shows every time you interact with them. The boarding process is vastly improved from years ago, with online checkin allowing you to get better boarding cards without having to show up early at the airport (and now that I'm on the "A List" I don't even have to worry about checking in early). Of course, most of my flights are about an hour long so even if I do make a last minute change and end up with a middle seat, it's not a huge deal.

The fact that they 1) don't charge for bags and 2) don't charge change fees makes it an airline that's ridiculously easy to use. My business travel plans change all the time, and the flexibility that a lack of change fees gives you is awesome.

Reading the WSJ in the hotel earlier this week I saw an article about how two airlines (Continental and someone else, I think) were raising their baggage fees again and I thought "they just don't get it, do they?" There's a reason Southwest is profitable, and it's not from nickel-and-diming, it's from smart pricing and efficient operations.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[wmw999 2,121]

I too love flying Southwest. No surprises, unless it's one of the crews that still does the funny announcements (those seem to be waning unfortunately). One of the advantages of always flying 737's is that their parts are mostly all interchangeable, their mechanics are mostly all interchangeable, and their planes can be maintained in any of their facilities. Cuts down on costs.

One of their trademarks is the ability to turn around an aircraft in 15 minutes. That only works if the aircraft are well-maintained, all the time.

And yeah, their people generally like working there, and that makes a difference in how they deal with customers.

Don't get me wrong -- there are other airlines. But SWA is generally my first choice.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[NWFlyer 2]

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unless it's one of the crews that still does the funny announcements (those seem to be waning unfortunately)

The OAK-BUR crews that I see most of the time are pretty straight-laced, but when we flew to PHX for the holidays we had a real comedian giving the announcements. b/c it was a free ticket we had a routing through LA so we got to hear his announcement twice (and he did mix it up a little). He also did "truck races" where he took two matchbox trucks that were glued onto a large button for stability and set them at the front of the cabin just before takeoff. Of course once the plane takes off, the buttons slide down to the back of the plane and each side of the plane cheers for its truck to win the race.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[wmw999 2,121]

One time when a flight was late leaving (don't remember the reason, but it was a good 30-45 minutes late), the attendant helped to diffuse the tension by sliding bags of peanuts down the aisle as we took off, so that people could grab them as they went by. That helped. Making up time so that we landed only about 10 minutes late helped more though

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[riddler 0]

Last summer, hooknswoop and I were flying back from the Idaho bridge. He wanted to leave a day early, and decided to see if he could change his flight on Southwest. He looked online and saw a flight a day earlier, that was $5 cheaper than his booked flight the next day.

I told him, for sure, they were going to charge him money to change his flight, because that's what all the other carriers do. But I was wrong. They changed his flight, and refunded the $5 difference back to him I was amazed.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[LyraM45 0]

I've done a huge chunk of work/study on SWA for my masters degree. Years ago I despised them. I hated being hurded into that huge group like sheep into the free for all boarding; having to stand up for hours before your flight to make sure you're first in line for a good seat. Now, my opinion is changed and has changed even more for the better after my research into the company for a business aviation class I took last year.

SWA believes the success of their business hinges on their employees. By making a happy work place for people to look forward to coming to will in turn create happy customers when they meet the gate or flight attendant who has a big smile on their face and obviously like the job they're doing. Being in a good mood is sometimes contagious. They realize that they are in the people business, not the airline business. Their slogan they started off with was about fun, even from day one when they were founded in the late 60's-- "We'll get you from point A to point B and make sure you have a darn good time doing it." It's why their employees are more casually dressed, and can even be found rapping or making jokes during your preflight brief before you take off.

They also are smart with their business model. They don't have to route each flight through a hub, wasting fuel and time. Instead they use a point to point route system that allows them to maximize profits off of one single trip, like when they make a quick stop to let some passengers off and pick up others before departing again. They use Boeing 737's that are work horses and don't require as much maitenance as some other aircraft models. They are also some of the more fuel efficient planes and are great for non long haul trips that they do. Their quick t urn around times (about 15 minutes) also keep's the props turning and profits coming in. They were also VERY smart in hedging their fuel at market prices from the early 2000's. All of these things has made it possible for them to be the ONLY airline to turn a profit consecutively for the past 30 years, hence why you do not have to pay for your baggage with SWA. They are not bleeding money, in the red, and scrambling for every dime they can like other airlines that are looking to charge you for going to the bathroom so they can get their business out of the hole they are in.

Why fly SWA? Like I stated above I love the fact that they are in the people business and not the airline business. Employees are usually easy going and comical. I don't have to pay for my bags, and I like supporting a company that believes their success starts with their employees and goes out of their way to make sure they are happy. (I hear google has the same mentality... bravo for them!)

Sorry for the long post, but I have a lot of info in my head about SWA since I've done so much research on them. OK, I'm done my little southwest rant now.

PS-- edited to add. The reason some of their flight attendants have such great personalities is because their HR "hires for personality and trains for skill." You can teach somebody to hand out peanuts or do emergency procedures, but you can't take a very quiet uncofident person and teach them how to have a personality.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[ridestrong 1]

I prefer Frontier.

*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

[MiataMan 0]

I do not see myself using Southwest Airlines unless I move out of Dallas/Fort Worth Area. For commercial flights I use DFW airport. Since SWA only uses Love Field, in Dallas, for all flights in an out of the region I can't fly with them. When DFW Airport was planned and constructed the Cities of Dallas and Fort Worth agreed to only allow flights within Texas and to bordering states at the existing City owned airports for commercial flights. The City of Dallas has gone back on this agreement and allowed current users of the Love Field to directly compete with DFW airport.
I won't spend my money at Love Field. I wish SWA would move their operations to DFW airport so that more people could use them and they could fly more places. However, it is more expensive to fly out of DFW than Love. This would raise the fares for most flights originating from the region.

A man without a mustache is like a hamburger without a bun, Un-American.

[floatnfly 0]

Southwest isn't that bad. I used to get the "Welcome Wal-Mart shoppers" vibe when I flew them, but not so much anymore. It still kills me to hear passengers that complain about something insignificant and act high and mighty, just because they are on an aer-o-plane. Hey... you only paid $59. Sit down, shut up, and enjoy the cab ride.

Not using a 'hub-n-spoke' system is great for the point to point crowd... as long as they're flying where you want to go. Although my wife used to fly for them and I'm a bit biased, Continental is still a top notch airline. I'll go out of my way and pay more (within reason) to fly Continental over another airline. I know loads of people love them, but I avoid Delta every chance I get.

About the extra charge for bags... Have you seen how much shit people are lugging up to the ticket counter these days? Kind of the same reasoning everybody thinks they need a SUV to carry all their 'necessary' crap everywhere they go. Quite some time ago, I took a weekend trip with some friends. I had three bags, but one was camera gear and one was a computer bag. All I really needed for the weekend away was in the third bag... a backpack. A couple of my traveling companions also had three bags each : a huge rolling bag, a large roll-aboard bag (carry on), and a backpack. There were also a couple of purses in the mix.

This phenomenon is heavily slanted toward female travelers, but there is a large number of guys that fit into this category. Some folks just can't be without their stuff, even if it's just for a day or two. Makes me think of a George Carlin routine...

[Rookie120 0]

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(did I mention this is an international flight?), I'm convinced that Southwest is the best airline going right now.

But if you fly international SW is not an option. Not even to Hawaii is it even a choice.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[Andy9o8 0]

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I prefer Frontier.

You make a compelling case. From now on, I only fly Frontier!

[Remster 24]

I prefer when people give me all their money.















Its worth a try, no?

Remster

[Squeak 17]

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I prefer when people give me all their money.

Its worth a try, no?

I prefer free tunnel time, i'd just waste the money on useless stuffs

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[jumpwally 0]

and how often do you do that ?

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[riddler 0]

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But if you fly international SW is not an option. Not even to Hawaii is it even a choice.

No, but I have flown Frontier international a few times, and they didn't charge me for a second checked bag. Continental has demoted themselves into the "we suck" category in my opinion.

And I did need two bags, because one bag had my scuba gear (it was a dive trip), and I have close to 50 pounds of scuba gear. Needed the other bag for clothes, etc.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD