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Nice "seat"

rsweet
Explorer B
Why is it I always tend to write my posts while flying around the country? It probably has something to do with trying to find a quiet moment in the office…things seem to be so crazy all the time…that might make for an interesting post sometime but not right now...seats_300.jpg I've actually found a quiet moment and all I can do is think about my seat…not my butt but my seat on my most recent Southwest flight …did I just write butt but...man how I digress when I write these things…anyway, back to my seat. I'm 6'2" and weigh 185ish and the design of our new leather seats is very comfortable for me. In fact, I fly other carriers from time to time and there is no question in my mind our seat is more comfortable and gives me more personal space than any other coach seating I have experienced. Because of the contour of the seat, I feel I get more personal space to work on a laptop and read important business documents…okay, I'll admit it…read the newspaper or a good book, watch a DVD on the laptop, have a few cocktails, and catch a few Zs…remember, if my boss asks, it's working on the laptop and scouring important documents. Am I biased? I don't know…I should be…that's why I'm putting this post out in the blogoshpere. We'd love to know what your seat thinks of our seat.
32 Comments
Shelley1
Explorer C
Ditto, Richard! I, too, am biased, but my seat thinks that our seats are the best in the business (along with our Flight Attendants, Pilots, Ground Ops folks, Res Agents, Provisioning Agents....well, you get the picture). 😃
Ewan_Spence
Explorer C
What's important to me in a seat is the size of the seat back pocket. It must have decent depth to take a slimline laptop, an A4 hard bound work folder of notes, a bottle of water, a PSP, and my Sony Minidisc. Without hear of it falling out the top or slipping through some cheap velco edge at the bottom. It's no surprise that the first thing I do on most flights is lift out all the magazines and paperwork from the seat, take out the safety card and return that, then dump *everything* else into the overhead
BLD
Explorer B
WN seats are much more comfortable than those of most other airlines; I'm 6' 1" and find the seats to be roomy and the leather very nice. The 32-33" of seat pitch is wonderful compared to the 31" of room on a CO 737-700 or AA 757-200. Why doesn't Southwest attempt to capitalize on the comfort of the new 737 interiors? I work in corporate travel and know of many of clients who are unaware of the leather seats and extra 1 or 2 inches of seat pitch vs. the competition, yet most people are aware of Jet Blue's leather seats. Thanks for the nice seats!
DEJr_
Explorer C
I have to agree with Shelley's "seat"...as a SWA pilot that flies on probably half a dozen "other" airlines each year I find our seats quite comfortable and the legroom to be ample compared to carriers. Thanks for posting your post Richard, it is quite humerous...
kfrancis1
Adventurer C
On my way back from SeaWorld a couple weeks ago, my beat-seat loved our new leather seats. Made me feel oh-so complete. An additional treat was it was still warm from the previous seat. That leather held the warmth well. Mmmmm, and I love that leather smell.
d_Martig
Explorer C
Regardless of the seat, I have had to fly Southwest on the saddest of times when my parents passed away. The kindness, patience, and caring I received was beyond wonderful. SW staff did not know why I was travelling either so the effort was really amazing. Sudden shock and grief makes the most competent traveler vulnerable. With Southwest, I felt like I had a whole team of supportive people who got me from Ne to Florida quickly and for a price far less expensive than any other airline, even with bereavement rates. My seat was roomy and comfortable as well but the kindness of the ground crew and the flight crews really made it special. Thank you Southwest.
Stan_Green
Explorer C
I used to be nuts about SWA too - that is until they grew up and adopted the same "big airline" policies - such as Rapid Rewards Awards are subject to seat availability restrictions. Rapid Reward Awards with Blackout dates are subject to holiday blackout periods during which they may not be used. Blackout dates for 2006 on this type of Award are January 1 and 2, March 12 and 19, May 26 and 29, November 21, 22, 26 and 27, and December 22, 26, 29, and 30. Blackout dates for 2007 on this type of Award are: January 2, 2007. Reservations are required prior to arrival at the airport for use of Awards and must be made through southwest.com or the reservations phone number that appears on the Award notification. When making your reservation, please advise the Reservations Sales Agent that a Rapid Rewards Award will be used for travel. At the time of reservation, the government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 per roundtrip must be paid by credit card. Rapid Rewards Awards with Blackout Dates are not subject to seat restrictions. In other words, the number of seats available for Award use on any flight on nonblackout dates will be limited only by the capacity of the aircraft. Rapid Rewards Awards will be subject to capacity controls, meaning seats for travel on those Awards will be limited and not available on all flights. It may be particularly difficult to secure a seat during holiday travel periods such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, and Labor Day and other peak travel times. Please note: Any Rapid Awards with Blackout Dates that are reissued for any reason will be reissued as Rapid Rewards Awards and be subject to capacity control restrictions. anyone understand this gobblygok?
Michele_Levine
Explorer C
I think that SW herds you on the plane like cattle. I arrive at the airport 2 hrs prior to departing only to get on the plane behind healthy adults taking advantage of the pre-boarding OR families with screaming children obviously over 5 years old. An example - flight from LV to Balt (9/20/06) I sat in the 3 seater behind the 2 seats by the emergency exit - only to be behind 2 older woman in their late 60's. The airline attendent looked at them, then proceeded to advise my husband and the 2 gentlemen on the other side of the isle what to do in case they had to open to doors. Thank goodness that all the passengers didn't have to depend on the 2 old ladies, sitting by the emergency exit who pre-boarded due to a handicap. SW needs to change their boarding rules and allow us to reserve our seats when we make our reservations. In response to Brandon (above) who gives a hoot about seat pitch! The fact remains that traveling on an airplane is not what it used to be.
BLD
Explorer B
Michele- while the Southwest "cattle call" may not be the most ideal, an assigned seat does not mean you'll be in the land of milk and honey (and Wild Turkey). As a travel consultant, I always run into problems trying to secure seat assignments on one the "major" airlines for our clients or the airline has nothing but middle seats available; think about a middle seat from LAX to EWR after buying a $600 ticket! Quite often, there are no seats available for pre-assignment (UA is one of the worst offenders); how is this better than an open seating system? At the very least, a business traveller who buys a last minute ticket on Southwest has a chance for a good seat by checking in early (offered via internet or mobile device) while flying with a "major" carrier provides no such guarantees. Fortunately, we live in a free country, and if an assigned seat is of the utmost importance, there are many other airlines available. To your second point, a lot of people care about seat pitch as more seat pitch equals more leg room. While you may not "give a hoot", frequent travellers or anyone that wants a little extra room cares. Have a great day!
Drew1
Adventurer C
Stan: What you posted is pretty straightforward. If you have an "old" award ticket (these types of awards have not been issued since February if I remember correctly), it is subject to blackout dates but can otherwise be used for a seat on any flight that is not sold out. If you have a "new" award, it is no longer subject to blackout dates, but it is subject to capacity controls meaning there are only X seats available for award tickets on any given flight. So you may run into a situation where the flight you want is not sold out, but there are no award seats available. In my experience this is most likely to happen during holiday travel times.
Tommy_Blog2
Explorer B
Hi Bloggers! OK - so this post got off a little topic but I would like to respond with a few coments to the SW folks in this blog space.. 1. I think your seats are really comfy. Even on long flights cross crounty they remain comfortable and the legroom is great too. 2. Please don't go to assigned seating! This will slow down the boarding process! And on any southwest flight, I rarely see anyone stomp there foot when they end up with a middle seat. They take it knowing A. they were probably one of the last people to check in for the flight so they got a C for Center, or B they are traveling together with someone and the two people want to sit together. 3. The Southwest reward program is VERY liberal! Yes I know there are some rules now regarding seating capicity, etc.... but there is NO other airline that gives you the freedom to book an award ticket a day before you want to travel (if the seat is available) for no charge! Biggie airlines charge you fees if you are within a three week window to use award tickets. Shame on them. 4. Hooray for Southwest for thanking them on getting to an award ticket with a drink coupon book. Could you imagine a trunk carrier doing that? The execs at those airlines would probably have heart failure. With Southwest, I know what to expect, I know what I get when I fly, I take my drink coupon book, and behave myself upstairs! Thank you. Tom
Vicki1
Explorer C
I haven't had the opportunity to plant my seat in one of the new seats yet...I flew to Philly last month sitting in an old seat. My only complaint about that is the missing (or misplaced?) lumbar support. I'm very short and my back hurt the entire trip. Other than that, I LUV SWA! I purchased tickets to fly my daughter and her hubby in for a visit in December. He's 6'7" - any advice from any super-sized travelers about where he should attempt to sit? Looking forward to trying those new seats...
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Vicki, Wow, 6' 7", huh? Well, the folks at SW are always so accomodating, I'm sure they wouldn't mind him sitting anywhere he wants (sounds like the punchline for the 400-pound canary joke). I would suggest that he bring his own set of wrenches and crowbars, though, so he can remove the entire row of seats in front of him. Even on the new 700s, the seat pitch isn't likely going to be wonderful for him! Kim 🙂
Vicki3
Explorer C
Hey, Kim! Thanks for the great suggestion....wonder if his wrenches and crowbars will pass through Security? Fortunately for him, it's only a two-hour flight - their drive to the nearest SWA airport takes longer than the flight itself! Personally, I'm looking forward to his visit so he can replace all our light bulbs and smoke detector batteries! Vicki
Glenn4
Explorer C
I want to compliment the crew on flight 2417 on 10/12. MCI-AUS. Two birthdays celebrated, clever safety and other messages and smooth flying. Positively Outrageous!!! More! More!
doncie
Explorer A
Brandon... We Are A MAJOR Carrier. The definition of a Major Carrier according to DOT is Operating expenses that exceed $1Billion in a 12 month period, which happened in 1989.
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Vicki, Well, if you were generous enough, you could buy THREE seats for them. Adjoining seats for your daughter and your son-in-law and then an extra empty seat in front of him, so he could just drape his legs over the seatback like I have to at small movie theaters. One thing that I especially appreciate about your post is not the humor, though. Obviously, I have no idea where they live, but I do note that they are willing to drive more than two hours to get to the "nearest SWA airport" for a flight that will be shorter than their drive. Your use of the term "nearest SWA airport" implies that there might be an airport that is closer to them, but they are driving past it for the chance to fly on Southwest. That is awesome! I have heard so many stories of folks who avoid a closer airport because they prefer to fly on the best airline in this country. What a testament to Southwest Airlines! I hope you guys have a great visit! Kim P. S. Don't forget to also have him dust the top side of all of your ceiling fan blades, too! 🙂
IT4LUV
Explorer C
Vicki-- to your question asking for suggestions on where to sit for super-size (Customer of Size?) passengers-- I've always found that the first row (left/right of the aisle) has the roomiest leg room (for a non-emergency row). Also-- remember if you are a COS, you should purchase two seats, and ask the gate agent about a refund voucher. If the flight is not full, you are entitled to a refund for the second seat purchased. If you are COS, you may request a pre-board if you need a little extra time to walk down the jetway to your seats. Happy Flying!
Matt18
Explorer C
Seats are as useful as having baggage arrive with them. Why the heck does SWA not use a tracking system for bags? Seems to me that baggage tag numbers with barcodes are already part of the SWA system, yet there is no way to utilize them for 'real-time' tracking? How bizarre is that? That tidbit roudly presented by the outstanding folks at SWA Oakland, who simply rely on a five-day turnaround for baggage. Can anyone say "we don't give a ding?"
Vicki1
Explorer C
Hey, Kim! They live in Western KY within a two-hour drive of several small airports (where they could catch a commuter flight to a larger one) and one mid-sized airport (EVV), but our family has always preferred flying with Southwest, so they choose to drive to BNA (and pay to park!), which takes about 2-1/2 hours. The non-stop flight from BNA to MCO is typically just under two hours. As for the rest of my immediate family, we live in Orlando and we have many choices of carriers, but we always attempt to book on Southwest whenever possible. We LUV SWA! Oh, and thanks so much for reminding me about those pesky ceiling fans, too! Vicki
Mark3
Explorer C
This blog post is just comepletely crazy! A better coach seat? For a customer flying years with Southwest all Southwest can offer is lie in your face and tell you of a comfy coach seat??? Ha, this is the biggest joke I've heard. I fly with US Airways and everytime I fly in coach I can preassign myself an exit row due to my elite status which SWA does not even offer. Most of the time however I get a free upgrade to First class cabin. Now that is a seat we can actually talk about. No middle seats, drink all I want, attentive FA's and meals on many flights. Have I ever flown SWA? No, never? Will I ever? HELL NO!
Julie10
Explorer C
Mark, Flying US Airways or any carrier that offers first class seats may be fine for you and flyers like you who have enough miles on that carrier to upgrade to first class or qualify for "Elite" status. For the rest of the flying public, Southwest is the much better choice. Southwest also has the best Customer Service both on the ground and in the air than the other major carriers, and I've flown them all. Their frequent flyer program is the most generous in the industry, too! Hey, at least we all have a choice. You certainly have a strong opinion about an airline you have never flown. Happy flying!
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Mark, Clearly you have very passionate and positive feelings about US Air, and I know that they are proud to have you as such an enthusiastic and supportive customer. Most companies strive to create such loyalty within their customer base, and US Air has obviously succeeded in your case. I would suggest, though, that comparisons between SWA and US Air are more of the "apples and oranges" variety. They both operate airplanes, but beyond that, there are significant differences. From the beginning, Southwest determined that they would not offer various classes of seating. The only cabin separation was in the old days when smoking was permitted in front of a bulkhead and not behind it. I'm glad those days are over. Passengers on 'full service' airlines pay for, and expect, preferential treatment based on their ticket price. Affinity programs that allow you to accumulate air miles that can be exchanged for upgraded seat locations are a wonderful perk if that is what you're after. The Southwest approach has been to maximize efficiency and to provide low-cost air service on a point-to-point basis. They have never advertised themselves as offering luxurious first-class cabins and champagne service from New York to Paris. There is a significant marketing difference between Neiman-Marcus and Macy's or Dillard's, and there is room for all of those stores in the marketplace. Some people want to pay several thousand dollars for a coat and are free to go to Neiman's. Some folks only want to pay a couple of hundred, and they have choices as well. To say that one store is 'better' than the other doesn't make sense. Marketing that works is when you identify the customer you want to serve and then pour all of your efforts into serving THAT customer. That's the reason you see Chevrolets on the road alongside Lexuses (Lexi?). I've sat in airline seats on a variety of airlines, and for what I am willing to pay (not first-class fares), I've never found one of them that was as comfortable as my recliner at home. But, I travel for a living, and an airplane flight for me (unless it is vacation time) is a tool -- it's a means to an end. I get on a plane because it is often the fastest and/or most practical way to get where I'm going. People complain about the food onboard, but for me, the answer is the same. If I want good food, I'll go to a good restaurant. I'm not buying an airline ticket because of the cuisine that I'll be served any more than I'm buying a ticket so that I can relax in the most comfortable environment possible. In fact, my company operates its own private jet, and the legroom on it is not much greater, and in a few seats, is actually worse than on SWA. But, that's the beauty of the free enterprise system, Mark. You can choose to fly on US Air and I can choose to fly on SWA, although now I'm freer to move about the country than I was this time last week! Just for grins, though, you ought to give SWA a try or two before you judge them. And, yes, I am qualified to have first-hand opinions about other airlines, because I do fly on ones besides Southwest when I don't have the option. Happy flying, Mark! Kim
Mark3
Explorer C
Kim! The thing is, I always pay less on US then what I would pay on WN. I don't fly US only. To cities where US doesnt go I go with their partners. US is now an LCC just like WN and yet they(US) still offer a much better product than a true low-cost carrier. And even If I rarely find myself in Y, I still get an exit row that is confirmed unline WN. You keep flying WN and Ill fly with US. Dont try to offer me any other airlines.
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Mark, It's a deal! As I often tell my customers, there is a reason that they make Ford pickup trucks and Chevy pickup trucks. Some folks just love what they love. You say "toe-may-toe" and I'll say "toe-mah-tow", it's all good! Waving at you with LUV for my favorite carrier, Kim 🙂
Mark3
Explorer C
Hey Kim, You've never flown for real if you haven't flown with US! Try getting that 737 to LGW. P.S. Though were competing with each other head on in PHX, LAS, PIT and PHL were doing really well. And Southwest beings with SO(think: SO what if youre not comofortable with the cattle, we dont care) While the entire time US Airways beings with U(YOU!) Saying hello from 34,000ft wishing you were with US. I dont really tell my customers anything since I am the PAX, but being 16 and flying in a First Class is something you will never get on WN.
doncie
Explorer A
Mark... Our planes are FULLY FIRST CLASS only. We only allow first class people to sit in our leather seats.
Mark3
Explorer C
Donna... Try taking a look at the TV show called Airline, you'll see how much class those first class people have that sit in your so-called fully first class seats. And you claim your seats are fully first class? Why does your website say class of service: COACH? And those leather seats Southwest has? They have been tested and shown they are made from a material called SKY LEATHER, a fake, unhealthy leather material that catalyzes more perspiration in the human body. US Airways seats are made of fabric and cloth and are 100% cotton. Still luv flying WN's leather seats? FLY and stay healthy with US!
doncie
Explorer A
Mark... You sure frequent our blog a lot for not liking us....mmmmmm......jealous???
Mark1
Explorer C
Well... If you want to know how I landed in LUV land. Here goes, I am an airline fanatic and track every airline's every move. So every few days I check delta.com and all the other airlines site in curiosity for new routes just for plain curiousity, any new press releases and stuff. Any new info I can get is good! I like staying informed. Believe it or not, I check WN's site as well because I am curious whats new in WN land. Can lead to a very good airline discussion when Im flying F cabin Chicago to Phoenix on a US Airways(America West op.) flight and I talk to the investor next to me about WN's new DEN and IAD service and it's impact on United. Or I talk about Delta being the largest US based intl airline to Europe. Or US Airways' next possible merger. So when I go to southwest.com and click news I first see Coleen and her rants. She said something bout an airline blog and it sparked my interest. I was curious what was to be said here. Honestly I like the idea of an airline blog and will suggest it to some US Airways employees I fly with. Ill say thanks for a neat idea. And though I dislike WN, I wish all the crews safe flying and enjoyable trips.
Gus
Explorer C
I'm flying SWA for the first time. How can I reserve my seat? I hear SWA does not make seat reservations? Can someone tell me how the seating works for SWA?
Angela111
Explorer C
I love southwest.. I am a college student who has attended three different universities, and taken countless cross country flights. At first I had a typical love/hate realtionship with southwest.. cheap tickets-love it.. small airplane-hate it. UNTIL I flew Northwest and AirTran and US Airways only to realize.. I loved southwest. COmpletely and utterly loved southwest. They have the largest seats, and some of the newest airplanes because while everyone else is going bankrupt.. they are actually running a terrific business. I LOVE YOU SOUTHWEST!!!