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The worst

bellthecat
Explorer C

Southwest is the worst airline in America right now.  I just got home from a flight that never got off the ground.  We began, 1/2 hour after the planned take off time, with a de-icing procedure that took 45 minutes and brought me dangerously close to the departure time of a connecting flight.  Fine, no big deal, I understand that it's an important step in the process, but why wait to do this?  After this is finished, and the plane is turning onto the runway, an unnamed, unknown passenger begins to have the most restrained "panic attack" I've ever witnessed.  I say that because I didn't witness it, no one did, but it set us back another hour and put us into another de-icing procedure.  We now have 1 hour to travel to Atlanta, 1 1/2 hours away.  Another customer inquires of a flight attendant if he can get some medication from the cargo hold of the plane.  They acquiesce, stopping the take-off cold to rummage around in steerage for a medication that this guy should have brought aboard.  Instead of booting this schmuck, and letting us all get along with our lives, we are held another hour while baggage handlers tear the cargo hold apart looking for this clown's bag.  I now have no chance of making it to Atlanta in time for my connecting flight.  Flight attendants and customer service personnel begin to board the flight with news for three separate connecting flights that their flights are cancelled.  My connecting flight is not among them.  I'm hopeful there's another flight later that day I can take.  Finally, after 3 1/2 hours of waiting, we are told that our connecting flight has also been cancelled and there are no future flights that aren't completely booked.  My entire trip is over.  Chaos ensues as 50+ passengers are shuffled around the gate by a single customer service rep.  Rather than donate another hour of my time, I decided to leave.  This was the single worst experience I've ever had on an airline, and I've taken JetBlue.  Southwest used to be a quality company, but beware, they don't give a toss about your itinerary, your time, your comfort, or your peace of mind.  Seek tickets elsewhere. 

2 REPLIES 2

Re: The worst

dfwskier
Aviator A

Sorry to haer of your troubles. See my comments within your post
@bellthecat wrote:

Southwest is the worst airline in America right now.  I just got home from a flight that never got off the ground.  We began, 1/2 hour after the planned take off time, with a de-icing procedure that took 45 minutes and brought me dangerously close to the departure time of a connecting flight.  Fine, no big deal, I understand that it's an important step in the process, but why wait to do this? 

 

Maybe because airports own the deicing equipment - not the airlines. Thus airports have to deice all planes belonging to all airlines.And airports decide who gets deiced and when that happens. Not under SW's control.

 

After this is finished, and the plane is turning onto the runway, an unnamed, unknown passenger begins to have the most restrained "panic attack" I've ever witnessed.  I say that because I didn't witness it, no one did, but it set us back another hour and put us into another de-icing procedure.  We now have 1 hour to travel to Atlanta, 1 1/2 hours away.  Another customer inquires of a flight attendant if he can get some medication from the cargo hold of the plane.  They acquiesce, stopping the take-off cold to rummage around in steerage for a medication that this guy should have brought aboard. 

 

Well I guess if this was life saving medication, the other option would have been to just let the guy die. -  and yeah he should have brought the meds onboard -- but he did not.

 

Instead of booting this schmuck, and letting us all get along with our lives, we are held another hour while baggage handlers tear the cargo hold apart looking for this clown's bag. 

 

See the comment above.

 

I now have no chance of making it to Atlanta in time for my connecting flight.  Flight attendants and customer service personnel begin to board the flight with news for three separate connecting flights that their flights are cancelled.  My connecting flight is not among them.  I'm hopeful there's another flight later that day I can take.  Finally, after 3 1/2 hours of waiting, we are told that our connecting flight has also been cancelled and there are no future flights that aren't completely booked.  My entire trip is over.

 

All SW can do is to try to complete it's flights. It does not control the weather. It does not control sick passengers. And when all is done, if there is no connecting flight, then there is no connecting flight. It's not like SW can snap it's fingers and mysteriously a plane with crew shows up. If there are lots of cancelled flights, then the airline has to try to rebook passengers on already full spring break flights. That's not easy and it does mean that some passengers are going to experience major disruption.

 

I've had stuff like this happen to me on several different occasions on several different airlines. It ain't fun, and I'm sorry to hear you had to go thru it.

 

  Chaos ensues as 50+ passengers are shuffled around the gate by a single customer service rep.  Rather than donate another hour of my time, I decided to leave.  This was the single worst experience I've ever had on an airline, and I've taken JetBlue.  Southwest used to be a quality company, but beware, they don't give a toss about your itinerary, your time, your comfort, or your peace of mind.  Seek tickets elsewhere. 

 

So, based on my responses, exactly how is Southwest responsible for your plight? It's an act of God. Maybe you should blame him.

 

Stuff happens.


 

Re: The worst

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

Repeating the earlier response... How is any of this Southwest's fault? What a horrible take on the situation.

 

--TheMiddleSeat