@bec102896 wrote:
@SWDigits wrote:
It's fascinating to me because comments on news articles about other airlines people are furious about other airlines' policies too. Basically what I'm observing is that people are mad at airline X because they feel like the airline X policy, whatever it is, isn't a flat out cash refund.
My *personal* observation as another airline customer on Southwest and others.
What fascinates me is all the people saying all never fly airline X because of how they are handling this. Or I'll never fly them because it took this long to get though to someone.
I do wonder how many will stick to what they say and how many people will switch airlines (or hotel chains for that matter) once this is all over. With elite members I feel the how each airline/hotel chain handles qualifying for status will determine where loyalty will go for next year.
I generally roll my eyes at any "I will never fly x airline again!" comments. I know the statements are made in anger, and perhaps even from a legitimate place. But while it's possible perhaps to never shop at the same grocery store again, or never buy the same brand of a particular product again, most of us do not have a wide range of carriers to select from for our travel needs. And even for those that do, people who have flown only Southwest are likely to be very surprised when they encounter the policies of other carriers.
That said, I do suspect that with all the customer anger out there right now Airlines including Southwest will have to make some accommodations to customers impacted by this situation. I wouldn't be surprised if it's an extension of ticket/travel fund expiration dates.
Or, I could be completely wrong and the financial hit carriers are taking becomes so large that it precludes any sort of customer accommodations beyond published policy.
I guess we'll see. Crazy, crazy times.
