Southwest Airlines Community

@Sayspence wrote: Thanks You are welcome. I'm sorry for the delay you experienced and hope you reached your destination at a reasonable time. ... View more

As somebody who has done my share of "plane swapping" at another airline, I can tell you that there is no such thing as a "plane swapping policy." The reasons for aircraft swaps are numerous and there isn't a manual to explain all the events that warrant (or don't warrant) a swap. As an example, a flight on a maintenance delay may have a flight crew that is close to their legal duty limit. If the maintenance delay stretches on, the crew may not be able to legally complete their flight resulting in not only the cancellation of the delayed flight but also the return flight from wherever the the crew was flying to. In this case, it makes sense to swap to an aircraft without maintenance so that the flight crew can depart before they run out of duty time. While it may inconvenience the passengers whose aircraft is taken, in the big picture it's better to delay one flight's passengers than cancel two flights. Other reasons for aircraft swaps include unforeseen maintenance events that require routing to an overnight maintenance base, inoperable auxiliary power units ("APUs") that prevent a given aircraft from operating to an airport without equipment for performing engine starts, cancellations and passenger backlogs at a given airport that require a change from a 737-700 to a higher-capacity 737-800, etc., etc., etc. Swaps are never desirable but the ultimate goal is to keep the network operation running while inconveniencing as few passengers as possible. I realize my explanation does nothing to reduce the inconvenience that you are experiencing tonight, but I hope it at least gives you a better sense of why plane swaps are done. ... View more

Hi Taylor! You have some interesting airports on your list for Southwest to consider. I'm curious to know how you chose these particular airports. Note that Southwest does plan to start service to Honolulu and Maui (OGG) soon. Thanks for your suggestions! ... View more

@tberasi wrote: No updated connecting flight info or gate changes. Then the connecting flight was delayed. Horrible customer service. Never flying Southwest again.  I'm sorry to hear that you experienced horrible customer service on Southwest. Exactly what about the service you received was horrible? For future reference, connecting flight and gate information is available at no charge through the inflight wifi. If for some reason the wifi isn't working, the same information is available on monitors throughout the airport terminal once you land. Finally, the title of your post is "Worst flight attendants..." but the post itself doesn't seem to have anything to do with flight attendants. I'm curious why you mentioned the flight attendants. ... View more

Sorry to hear about your poor experience on Southwest but, honestly, delays occur at every airline. During 2017, Southwest flights were only delayed 21.45% of the time which is consistent with both United (20.13%) and American (21.03%). ... View more

From what I've seen, Southwest flight attendants do clean the cabin between flights. I've seen the same policy at other airlines and worked for an airline that required all traveling employees to help clean the cabin between flights. The process is far more efficient than having contract cleaners clean the plane. ... View more

When you apply online, you'll be asked whether or not you are a resident of whichever state the job is in. If you answer "NO", your application is automatically marked "closed/complete" once you submit it. So, based on my personal experience, you cannot apply for the position if you are not already a resident of the state. ... View more

Great job, David!!! Hopefully your baby is now a Southwest passenger for life. Southwest learned long ago that if you put your People first, they will take great care of the Customers and the Customers will take care of the shareholders. The other airlines still haven't figured this formula for success out. ... View more

@bennyblack wrote: I earned points with this company and planned to use them. Without any kind of notice, Southwest voided my Rapid Rewards points and reset them to 0.  Did Southwest void your points or did you simply allow them to expire? If they truly voided your points, what reason have they given you? @bennyblack wrote: This is highly unethical, especially for a company that recently had a technical problem that killed a passenger.  Trying to draw a connection between losing your points and the tragic death of a passenger is disgusting. ... View more

@lmuckey wrote: I received an email saying I received a response to my question but there is no text.  Hi Lisa. I can't be positive, but I think the previous post may be written in invisible computer ink. I'm sorry to hear about the frustration with your Flight Attendant application. However, these forums are mainly for customer-to-customer interaction so I'm not sure anybody can help you with your application question other than directing you to the Southwest Careers website. For your protection, you will probably want to delete your phone number from your original post. You never know how many lonely guys are out there looking for somebody to call! 🙂 ... View more

@MilitaryDenied wrote: This very thing happened to me today (20180607).  Phoenix to Ontario flight 2111. First time I've received this from a SWA gate agent - "Sorry for the policy confusion, but Southwest policy only allows early boarding for service members on military holidays and for those in uniform."  FYI SWA, 99.9% of service members don't travel in uniform. Southwest just lost another frequent flyer for good. First of all, thank you for your service to the United States. Were you traveling on military business today or on personal business? I'm sorry to hear that you've given up on Southwest over this incident. In my experience, irritating incidents happen at every airline but, in the end, Southwest always rises above the rest. I hope you will be back. ... View more

You can upload your resume and personal information here: https://careers.southwestair.com/jointalentcommunity?applyType=JTC I recommend checking the Southwest careers website often for open positions. By often, I mean several times a day if possible. (Some Southwest positions are so popular that they're only posted for a day or two before they are taken down.) ... View more

Hello Zoltan. How lucky you are to live in Monument with a view of Pikes Peak right outside your window. I don't know anything about Southwest job fairs but if you are interested in working for Southwest, I suggest checking the Southwest careers website often...as in, many times a day. https://careers.southwestair.com/search-results ... View more

Have you considered leaving from Philadelphia instead? From PHL, Southwest has at least four Saturday non-stops to Orlando in September. It may be worth the longer trip to the airport if it saves you the hassle of connecting. ... View more

You could always create your own certificate and send it to Southwest with a note requesting that the crew that worked your flight sign it. It may take a while to get around to all the crew for signatures but it would be an awesome keepsake for your daughter! ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: There are a few exceptions, i see Corpus Christie as a lower volume location, and new service at Paine Field would be below that figure. But the idea would be one or two planes a day full is fine - many a day full is even better. There could also be obstacles as far as accessing gates if the current carriers have the capacity tied up. Corpus Christi is a low-volume exception as are Harlingen, Amarillo, Lubbock, and Midland-Odessa. The difference is, all of these are part of Southwest's orignal intra-Texas network from the 1970s and are well-established and predictable stations. I doubt that any of those cities would get Southwest service in today's market. I'm intrigued by the Paine Field service not just by Southwest but by Alaska and United as well. What is the draw? Is it planned as a reliever airport for the northern suburbs of Seattle much like ONT, BUR, SNA, LGB are for LAX? Are they planning on attracting Canadian passengers from Vancouver with lower airfares? What's the Boeing connection (since all three carriers are exclusive Boeing customers right now)? You're right about other carriers tying up capacity at airports. Most airports, however, keep open a number of "city" gates which are not leased to any airline and are charged on a per-flight basis for use. Usually airlines with low frequency (Allegiant, for example) or airlines with unexpected delays which tie up their leased gate, use the city gates. That said, if Southwest flew a 737 into Knoxville tomorrow morning, I have no doubt the airport authority would find a gate (and a red carpet) for them! ... View more

@mlawton425 wrote: Thanks for your insight rtbarron! TYS is in the process of expanding its runways with the hope of attracting SW. Do you think that could make a difference or is it mostly about O&D? I have a suspicion that Knoxville is going to see massive growth in the next several years, similar to many other Southern cities that are going through downtown revitalizations. I hope it might be enough to get SW. The other airlines don't compare 🙂  For the Southwest business model it's all about the the O&D. Since Southwest flies only 737s and doesn't have any "regional" partners (like United Express or American Eagle), they are unable to downgauge equipment to better match demand like the legacy carriers are. There has to be sufficient passenger potential to justify the high fixed costs of opening a new station. That said, if Knoxville does see massive growth there's no doubt that it will catch Southwest's eye. It's a great college town set against the Tennessee hills and river. My father earned his Masters Degree at Tennessee and both my parents have told me that it's beautiful. And you are correct when you say that the other airlines do not compare. I've flown Southwest since 1976 and have worked in the airline industry for 20+ years at other carriers. The Southwest People make the difference and set Southwest head and shoulders above the competition. ... View more

Unfortunately, Knoxville is a small market and doesn't have the origin and destination ("O&D") traffic to justify frequent flights on 737 aircraft. This is why all of the "legacy" airlines at TYS operate with smaller regional jet aircraft. While Allegiant and Frontier operate Airbus narrowbodies to TYS, their service is infrequent. On a related, but totally trivial note, my first ever flight was on a Delta DC-7 from Houston Municipal (now Hobby) to Knoxville in 1967. ... View more

I would check your Southwest Careers dashboard to make sure that your status for the job isn't showing "closed/complete."  I've noticed in the past that if you answer "no" to the residency question, your submission is automatically closed. I honestly don't know how to reach out to HR to let them know that you're planning to move to Texas soon. I commend you for taking the high road and answering the question honestly. However, if you are absolutely certain that you're moving back to Texas and have already completed an apartment application, I don't see a reason why you could not answer "yes" to the residency question. ... View more

The radar shows thunderstorms around Baltimore and the FAA website (http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp) shows arrival and departure delays for BWI due to Weather/Thunderstorms. Also, most of the flights between Baltimore and Raleigh today have been delayed, including on Delta. ... View more

Hello Carl. I'm sorry for the bad experience you had on Southwest but I have to wonder how much was Southwest's fault and how much was yours. I don't know if both of your dogs were "service dogs" or not since I can not see the paperwork. However, if Southwest told you that you had to pay for one of the dogs, it sounds like only one of the dogs had proper paperwork. If that's the case, Southwest was correct to charge you $95 to carry the other dog. Also, you referred to the Operations Agent at the gate as the "Dog Patrol." Did you actually say that to her? If so, what else did you say to the Operations Agent? The fact that a Southwest manager was involved indicates that the situation was escalated somehow and Southwest felt that you might be a safety risk if allowed to board. You said yourself that you had to go to the USO to calm down. By the way, the Operations Agent is, in fact, the "Dog Patrol" because it's their job to ensure that anybody boarding the aircraft with a service animal has the proper paperwork. I'm curious why you called the airlines "racist pigs." Because they wanted you to pay the pet fare for your dog? Because they wouldn't let you board when you created a scene at the gate? Nothing in your complaint indicates that racism was remotely involved. And, how exactly was the life of your service dog ever in danger?  Finally, while I am sorry that you are disabled and am grateful for your service to the U.S., I wonder why you believe that Southwest has no consideration for Disabled Veterans. There is ample evidence that Southwest cares a great deal for Disabled Veterans. You can start here: https://www.southwestaircommunity.com/t5/Southwest-Stories/IAVA-Vets-Southwest-Airlines-and-Stories-From-the-Field/ba-p/41454 Based solely on my reading of your complaint, it seems to me that you tried to sneak an extra dog on board and then created a scene at the gate when you were called out on it. You then used hot button phrases like "disabled veteran" and "racist pigs" in your complaint to try to take the focus off of you actions and put it on Southwest. Please remember that Southwest is responsible for the safety and comfort of all Customers and when one passenger acts up or tries to break the rules, Southwest must do what's best for the rest of the Customers, no matter what the offending passenger's status is. ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @chgoflyer wrote: Personally, I never recline in coach (or on Southwest) unless there's no one behind me. Even then, I don't find the reclined position to be much more comfortable than non-reclined. I have my laptop crunched (luckily not permanently damaged -- yet) multiple times by people who slam their seatback back with no warning. As much as I hate the latest Southwest seats (slimline, in Max and some 800s) at least they've limited the range of recline. (One silver lining at least.)  😉 I don't prefer reclining most times either, and happy to let the person behind me keep their airspace/trayspace.     I can't remember the last time I reclined my seat and personally don't see a need for it. The difference between the fully upright and fully reclined position really isn't that noticeable to me. Now that tray tables are used primarily for laptops instead of Coke and peanuts, the airlines would be smart to reduce or eliminate recline all together. On the flip side, I'm a tall guy and when I fly Economy on other airlines, my knees are planted firmly against the seat in front of me thanks to the less-than-adequate seat pitch other airlines get away with. Whoever sits in front of me isn't able to recline whether they want to or not. That doesn't happen on Southwest, thankfully. ... View more

Without knowing the actual passenger numbers in the market, it's anybody's guess why Southwest is cutting flights. However, looking at the number of daily flights and aircraft flown in the market, it appears that there may be too much capacity and Southwest is simply reducing flights to better match demand. I looked at a few flights in October vs December and it appears that Delta is actually cutting their daily DEN-ATL flights from eight (on Mon. 10/8) to six (on Mon. 12/3). United is holding firm at four daily flights, but one of those flights is on a smaller regional jet and the other three flights are on either 737-800s or A319s, similar in number of seats to Southwest's 737s. So, even with three flights a day, Southwest is in line with United in terms of capacity. Delta, is actually reducing flights (I can't say whether they are reducing capacity because I didn't see what aircraft they were using). ... View more

Ultimately it comes down to "yield." How much is a given market like IND-DCA earning per seat and are there other markets where the aircraft used for IND-DCA could make more money. When I worked on the ramp at (unnamed luv-less airline), we always had a full load of transfer bags for Reno. So we were amazed when our airline dropped Reno as a destination. How can we drop a city when the flights there are always full??? I asked that question to the V.P. of Finance and his explanation was, "full flights don't always mean lots of revenue." He pointed out how despite the flights being full, the fares for Reno were some of the lowest of any market. "So why not raise the fares? The demand is obviously there since the flights are full." Wrong again. Whenever the fares to Reno were raised 10%, passenger bookings dropped by more than 10%. In other words, the majority of passengers traveling to Reno were very price sensitive and would only fly if the fare was low. It made more business sense to redeploy the aircraft to other markets which commanded higher airfares. I suspect that's the reason that Southwest stopped direct service between DCA-IND. And, given that DCA is a slot-restricted airport, Southwest has an incentive to make sure that their limited slots are used on only the most profitable markets to/from DCA. ... View more

I think Early Bird Check In is worth the money. I pay for it and then don't worry about checking in until I'm ready to. I know that EBCI doesn't guarantee me a great boarding position and was expecting a B position for my next flight since I'm flying on a Friday afternoon. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to get A43. Maybe Early Bird isn't for everyone, but it totally works for me. ... View more

@DancingDavidE wrote: @TheMiddleSeat wrote: How many years of bad luck would come from opening an umbrella in a plane?   --TheMiddleSeat Less than opening a limburger and fried liver sandwich.     Mmm, limburger and fried liver...with deviled eggs on the side. That sounds delicious. Think I'll take that on my flight tomorrow. Check the boards tomorrow evening to see how it goes over with my fellow passengers. ... View more

It's a simple explanation actually. At 36 hours before departure, you and your wife were assigned B48/49 because those were the next available boarding positions at the time. By the time your daughter and her friend checked in, there must have been a few cancellations by passengers holding A boarding positions. They were given these A boarding positions because, at that time, those were the next available boarding positions. ... View more

Love Field is under the jurisdiction of the Dallas Police Department. http://www.dallaspolice.net/division/lovefield/lovefieldunit However, it is not obvious that your item is "now stolen." You admit that you lost it at the gate and somehow the gate agent or operations agent received it. For all we know, the item is sitting in Lost & Found at Love Field right now. ... View more