Surviving Southwest Airlines: Part 2

Southwest Airlines is a blessing to the budget traveler. Yes, the airline has its issues and glitches. The whole being herded like cattle thing can be a major deterrent, but overall it is a pretty sweet deal. I previously wrote an article that touched on a few of the pratfalls and minor issues of Southwest Airlines. Since then, I have done more research and flown the airline once again. With this new information in hand, I would like to expand on that first article.

The first item I would like to address is the whole being herded like cattle scenario. This is my biggest pet peeve with Southwest. I guess I do not mind not having an assigned seat. It is the whole having to all but fight for a spot in line for a seat I have already paid for. When I was in Midway on Labor Day, I even saw a woman place her bags in the front of the A line to "save her place." This was over an hour before we could even think about boarding. A Southwest employee quickly came over and told her she had to keep the bag with her. However, I did discover that starting August 7, Southwest was doing a trial run of new procedure in San Antonio. People are still assigned a boarding class A,B or C depending on when they check in. There are 60 people allotted for A and B classes, and everyone else s put in C. The major change is that along with you boarding class, you are given your number within the boarding class. Yes, your number in line. That means no more fighting the lines or getting in line a good hour before the flight. Hopefully, this trial run will go well, and southwest will start implementing it at other airports.

Another thing I would like to address again is the consistency in the flight crews. In my previous article I referenced my Indianapolis to Las Vegas flight and the return flight. The flight to Vegas was delightful. The flight crew was attentive and entertaining. The return flight was not so great. Maybe it is a training issue. With every company there are instances where there are less than enthusiastic employees. My question is how do they all end up on the same flight?

Over Labor Day weekend, I witnessed another example of the lack of consistency. My sister and I flew from Indianapolis to Chicago. Normally I if I was just going to Chicago would just drive or take the train, but I won this trip and airfare was part of the prize package. I have flown this route to get a connecting flight or a codeshare flight in the past, and it has always been a short but pleasant flight The flight to Midway was more of the same. The crew was great with helping with the passenger flow during boarding. They were courteous and entertaining. The crew did everything in their power to make this short flight enjoyable. The return flight was a nightmare. It took nearly double the time it should for the Omaha passengers to deplane. By then we were already running late. When we did board, no one from the crew was helping keep the flow of passengers going. It was chaos. After taking an eternity to board, we finally took off. The flight crew stood around and socialized instead of doing beverage service. Only about half the plane was served, and when our attendant did try to bring us drinks (she had the tray in her hand) she was yelled at by another flight attendant in front of all the passengers. It was very unprofessional and rude. This flight was less than an hour, but it far surpassed my ATA codeshare flight and connection from hell, and that was a cross country flight. Like I said, I'm not sure if it a training issue, but if I were unfamiliar with Southwest, and my first few flights had the crappy flight crews, I would be much less inclined to fly with them again. My advice is if you have a bad flight experience, let Southwest know. If they can identify the problem crews, they can start making changes.

Southwest's Customer Service was also something I discussed. After writing my article, I decided to look into my initial complaint surrounding my lost luggage from a codeshare flight. I sent a letter, and I heard nothing in return. When I was doing my research for my first article, the consensus was that Southwest usually responded quickly and made things right. I followed up with Jim Ruppel, the Vice President or Customer operations. He responded to me and he sent my complaint on to his people. After investigating it, they called (well within the 30 day window Jim gave me) and it seems my complaint was lost in the mail. They apologized, and even though it was long after the flight occurred, they still gave me a LUV voucher. I was impressed with their dedication. I also discussed the not being able to e-mail issue. After speaking with the very knowledgeable rep, I understand their stance a little better. Their way helps keep the angry, but not really all that pressing, complaints down. If a passenger had a problem, they have to work to file the complaint. That makes it easier for the service reps to get back to the major complaints that come in. He did say that the airline was looking into more electronic ways to communicate with their customers. As much as they have resisted, electronic communication is almost becoming a requirement.

Hopefully, this info added to my first article will be helpful in helping you decide if Southwest is for you. Well at least it can help you make sense of the budget airline that makes travel affordable for some of us!