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Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@Suebedoo my comment about not being an employee refers directly to your question asked of me, "to whom did this e-mail go out to?"

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@VeryUnsatisfied it's silly comments about lawsuits that will never see the light of day that make this an unproductive thread in addition to the numerous names I will now be called for pointing out the truth. People can share their stories, but using foul language, derogatory names, and other unwelcome language will get attention of moderators. To think Southwest can or will even bother trying to limit legitimate sharing of stories is ridiculous. 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

SWAnotherWokeCo
Adventurer C

Although a USDoT investigation would seem like a positive, I wouldn't get your hopes up. USDoT has mismanaged just about everything they have oversight on.

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

VeryUnsatisfied
Explorer B

@TheMiddleSeat Once again, you've been super helpful, at least with regard to understanding the limits of certain folks' empathy and compassion when faced with human emotion and frustration. 

 

**WARNING: do not feed the trolls.**

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@VeryUnsatisfied no idea what you're getting at, but wish you the best with your travels

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

floridaguy
Aviator C

I believe that he is suggesting that you are a troll.

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

LawsuitforSW
Adventurer C

Southwest has denied thousands of folks vouchers for hotels and food the are entitled to by lying saying it is the weather when really it is a catastrophic failure of their airline.  Hopefully they do make it right and meanwhile I have filed a complaint with DOT and will not stop until they do.

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

VeryUnsatisfied
Explorer B

@LawsuitforSW I filed one with the FAA. DoT is starting an investigation into the company, and I assume FAA will follow suit. I really think the myriad and flagrant violations of their stated Contract of Carriage, and potential inability or unwillingness to cover those losses will result in the company filing for bankruptcy, or being acquired by a company with proper operating procedures in place.

 

BTW- The CEO of SW actually told all of the employees that they do not have the right technology in place to be able to handle staff rescheduling. Going back to the earlier posts, it would appear that Southwest's total and utter LACK of investment in technology has led to, or at least exacerbated, this company-wide systems failure. By their own admission, their technology across the board is not on par with competing airlines.

 

Baggage waiting at the Kansas City airport: https://twitter.com/ceaflynn/status/1607180743289241600

 

I think the likelihood of ever reuniting with my bag is unlikely, to say the least.

 

To be super clear: this was not due to the weather. American and United seem to be operating perfectly today, while upwards of 33-66% of all of Southwest's flights continue to be canceled.

 

It is going to be interesting and anxiety-inducing as customers are forced to eat their losses in hopes the airline- already failing to provide any type of accommodation or customer service- will actually reimburse them. If they do deny reasonable claims, as seems to be the case, that would constitute pretty unambiguous criminal behavior.

 

@TheMiddleSeat, wrt "lawsuits that go nowhere": Violating their own Contract of Carriage and absconding their stated responsibility to their customers and employees likely constitutes criminal malfeasance and/or negligence on Southwest's part - THEY ARE THE PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES. Moreover, continuing to blame the issue on the weather likely constitutes some form of false advertisement or fraud. As the fourth largest airline carrier in the country, Southwest's complete mismanagement affected hundreds of thousands of Americans. One PO'd corporate lawyer is really all it takes to get this moving, and as mentioned before, Dept of Transportation (and likely, FAA) is already opening an investigation. I imagine evidence of negligence, malfeasance, or fraud, will come to light in the coming weeks/months. As was the case with Wells Fargo and other large companies after ripping-off their customers, I'd put my money on this getting settled out of court for ~hundreds of millions. They will be forced to recompense all of their aggrieved customers, which, more likely than not, will lead to a bankruptcy filing and/or consolidation/merger with one of the bigger airlines, likely American or United. You read it here first, folks.

 

My genuine advice to you, and I'll leave it here, is that maybe the energy spent arguing with or trying to trivialize other customers' negative experiences and emotions could be channeled into something more productive. Your tone and unwillingness to accept this was Southwest's failure seem to be at the heart of any contention in the thread.

 

As this thread has become the most vigorous discussion on this board, I will continue to update this post with relevant information regarding updates I receive on my own bag/flight experience, as well as any forward progress made wrt legal consequences or class action against Southwest. Can't wait to fly United on the way home!

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@VeryUnsatisfied issues will be resolved and if you actually read the contract of carriage there's very little room for lawsuits. Again, speaking of such is unproductive.

 

Despite your suggestion, I will remain an active member of this Community to help those that have genuine questions and seek productive answers.

 

I'm glad you are getting home, I am still stuck elsewhere so your assumption that I am not dealing with any trouble just because I'm not screaming about lawsuits and filing complaints is completely incorrect. 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: SOUTHWEST - AN AWFUL AIRLINE (Cont'd)

jazzpilot56
Adventurer B

Southwest, nor any other airline, is liable in a force majeure, act of God, weather situation. It appears that this storm impacted Southwest more because of their point-to-point model versus the other major's hub-and-spoke. Can Southwest make improvements? Undoubtedly. Does the USDoT need to be involved? Absolutely not, complete waste of time an taxpayer dollars. Perhaps Southwest should do a better job of advising customers of their P2P model and the impacts severe weather can have so that they can choose other airline options; though I suspect many travelers wouldn't consider that. From my perspective, I appreciate that Southwest is prioritizing safety over schedule. And while I'm disappointed my 6-day family FL trip to Marco Island was canceled (twice) I'm relieved to know my family is safe, we're together (albeit at home in Ohio), and we've planned other activities to fill in as best as possible. I feel sorry for the Southwest customer service agents handling what are undoubtedly difficult calls. I've spoken with the agents a number of times myself and have thanked them for doing everything they can to get the system going again. The travelers I'm truly sympathetic with are the ones traveling for medical emergencies; thoughts and prayers are with them to get to their destinations and receive the medical attention they need. Honestly, I'd gladly give up my leisure travel seat (if I had one) so that someone in real need could get to their destination. My apologies for the long text, just hoping people can put things in perspective. Everyone has a choice in air travel (thank God we live in the United State with US Air Carriers). While it's apparent many, many people are truly angry with Southwest, my personal opinion is that they're not an AWFUL Airline.


- Will (where there's a will there's a way)