Southwest Airlines

I have flown with Southwest several times, including my very first flight back in December 2017. It was also my 8 year old son’s first flight from STL to Denver and we were all so nervous. It was an extremely early flight, 5:30am departure. When we first boarded, the pilot was standing in the aisle and introduced himself to my son. We told them it was our very first flight ever and he could see that my son was in tears. After introducing himself he told my son that he will safely get us there and will make sure it’s a wonderful flight so he will love flying, so do not worry about a thing, and even showed my son the cockpit area, it made his day, week, year. They also gave him a little airplane sticker pin. We hit a little bit of turbulence on the way however the pilot told us every single time prior to possibly hitting it and even explained why and that it was perfectly safe and how long the turbulence might last. It made us all so comfortable. I have flown at least 20 flights just since then and have yet to have a bad experience with Southwest. Their crew is unbelievable, always going above and beyond for us. My son has flown two more times and looks forward to it every time, gets super excited to meet “his pilots” as he says. And they always shake his hand 🙂 We will always fly Southwest.

Some of the friendliest and most helpful people in the Airline Industry! They always treat you with a smile! I am handicapped and their whellchair assistance is VERY good and they always make sure I am comfortable. The seats on the &37-700 are a bit too small and crowded. the seat belt length is to short to be easy to use. The worst seats in the aircraft are on the left first row in the front of the aircraft and the best seats are in the front row on the right side of the aircraft. the snacks are adequate, but I miss their peanuts!

This airline is doing everything as cheap as they can. If you want bad service, cramped waiting to board areas or overall low quality of life then use Southwest Airlines. Not only do they crowd people in these small areas for preboarding they have absolute minimum staff making it hard to get help. On my trip from Reagan National to St Louis, while en-route, I heard a gentleman ask for something to drink. Well he had missed the initial walk through to get drink orders and the staff certainly let him know that. He was told that he was sleeping when they took orders and if he wanted something it would have to wait until they got time latter. Of course this sort of makes sense as they were in the middle of handing out the people drinks that they already took orders for. It was really the way the flight attendant addressed it that seemed rude. on the way back (STL to DCA) the same happened again only to me. I shut my eyes for about 10 minutes and somehow missed the order taking. I guess the two others in my row were sleeping also as they were still sleeping when the drinks were being served. Regardless I was slightly dehydrated and was going to ask for some water. When they brought drinks for the area I was sitting in they handed out 2 to the other side but did not even acknowledge me trying to look straight at them. They basically fully ignored and rushed to hand out drinks to others. The flight attendants did what they could to avoid any interaction with customers except what I am guessing they were required to do. I certainly am going to take a harder look at other options to fly as Southwest has hit rock bottom and has overall bad customer service now.

The Air Squeeze: Profit Is Up But Comfort Is Down! According to the Transportation Department, airlines had their second most profitable year ever in 2017. Passenger planes are also at their largest size ever, yet a disturbing trend of disrespect for customers continues–flying has become more and more uncomfortable and its easy to see why! It’s obvious after reading “The Incredible Shrinking Airplane” by Ryan Bradley in the Fall 2018 edition of Popular Science. Though profits are up and planes are bigger, customers are continuing to be squeezed into smaller and smaller spaces during flights. For example, average 1960 legroom (35″) and seat width (18″) has dropped to 31 and 16.5 inches respectively, with some budget carriers only providing 28 inches of legroom between seats, the smallest of any commercial flights. Add to that Americans are 24 pounds heavier and an inch taller than in 1960. Taller people make seat backs and luggage bins closer. Heavier people, which hold that weight mostly in the hips, makes seats and armrests tighter. The situation is so blatant that airlines are now using distracting cabin lighting to help reduce instances of “air rage”! Manufacturers claim it’s a battle between comfort and profit. But that argument doesn’t stand in the current profit boom in the industry that raked in $15.5 billion in 2017, up from $14 billion in after-tax net profit in 2016 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics). Manufacturers also claim that customers who want low fares are willing to be squeezed, but that argument also doesn’t pass the smell test in a climate in which larger corporations have proved they can make great profits while treating customers, and the environment, with the utmost respect. In short, it’s time to stand up! For those of you reading this note, I appeal to you to write to your congress members who generally take business and first class on your tax dollars. Tell those reps you care and vote this November only for those who feel the same way. As a stockholder and customer of Southwest Airlines, one of the most profitable in the air, I’m writing this note to promote the idea of more respect for customers who pay the bills and make the profits. To Southwest, and other airlines I say, “Reverse this pattern now”. You can only squeeze customer seating and legroom so much before they will kick back! Sincerely, ErgonomicsDr.com Los Angeles, CA

Last October 5, I booked a flight from Burbank to Oakland for a conference. At the last minute I cancelled my flight, and used my budgeted money for gas so another member could go with me, and share my hotel room. (I had to pay for the plane ticket out of my own pocket and Southwest Airlines put it in my “bank” or whatever they call it.) This year I am being sent to San Francisco again, on October 19, for the same annual conference. The ticket in my “bank,” will not be valid on October 19 because Southwest requires me to USE it (not book it) before October 5, 2018. If I do not, Southwest Airlines will take $100 of the fare as a penalty and issue the rest as a six-month voucher. I have spoken with at least seven “customer service” agents, in different departments, but they have been robotic – impersonal, patronizing, and unhelpful. This marks the end of my time as a customer of Southwest Airlines.