11-28-2018
11:28 AM
Denver is NOT podunk and it is over half way to my final destination. My luggage went to Denver and got to my final destination 12 hours before me. Had I been allowed to board the flight for which I had a valid ticket to board, I would have arrived at my destination 12 hours earlier with my luggage. The reason I wasn’t allowed to board the flight to Denver was if I missed my connecting flight, Southwest WOULD be obligated to provide a hotel. Instead I slept on a bench at BWI for the SECOND consecutive flight to California. I got a Luv Voucher for twice what a hotel would have cost. I am expected to cash it in for more free bad Southwest service.
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11-28-2018
10:56 AM
I am amused to be satisfied Southwest passenger/customer but am now amcompletely dissatisfied with Southwest. They refused to let me board a flight from Baltimore to Denver because I was at risk of missing my connecting flight to California. The flight to Denver left late but it did leave and my luggage went with it. I had a paid legitimate ticket but wasn't allowed to board. Instead I slept on a bench in Baltimore for the second consecutive trip to California. The first was in June. Southwest refused to give me a hotel. Instead I got a Luv Voucher for twice the cost of a hotel, which I view as free bad service. My next trip is to Oklahoma City the first week of Dec. This time I am flying American Airlines to OKC and flying Southwest back so I will have a real-time comparison. I am also flying out of Reagan instead of BWI. Maybe the problem is related to Southwest employees in Baltimore. I am eliminating a variables related to my two consecutive bad experiences. If I have another bad experience with Southwest I will be completely done with them and BWI. If I have a great experience with American I will begin flying them exclusively out of Reagan.
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11-20-2018
05:52 PM
I have 32 years experience in military Aviation and random bad things can happen anytime because of mean old Mr Gravity and bad weather. However, I am talking about treating people as human beings and doing the right things. American Airlines provided a hotel room for all passengers in Chicago when weather prevented flying to Detroit. Southwest prevented me from boarding a plane for which I had a legal and legitimate ticket to board. That plane flew to its scheduled destination under booked with lots of open seats. My luggage boarded and flew. I did not. Southwest refused to provide me a hotel room. Instead, I will get another Luv Voucher for more than what the hotel room would have cost. The bet is that the Luv Voucher will sucker me into flying Southwest again.
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11-20-2018
05:38 PM
I understand both your bad experience and your frustration. To repeat what Southwest employees are posting here, and I know it won’t help you, it sounds like you experienced an isolated incident that happened one time.
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11-20-2018
01:05 PM
It has been suggested that I give Southwest three chances. The reality is I have given them eight chances and been disappointed. This is not an isolated incident or even a rare incident. I could tell you about Orlando last year where we boarded the plane at 4:15 PM and was still at the gate until 8:45 PM due to a passenger manifest issue. Flight attendants served no drinks or snacks the entire time. We were barred from leaving the plane. I asked for water and the flight attendant said very loudly so the entire cabin could hear “I don’t get paid until the plane leaves the gate and I am not working for free.” Another passenger had a bag of snacks for her kids and walked the aisle distributing them to passengers in need. I already mentioned flying from Grand Rapids MI to Ontario CA through Chicago and having one bag go to Ontario and the other go to LAX, 85 miles away with no delivery option because it’s too far. On this event, I had a ticket from Baltimore to Denver to Ontario. I was prevented from boarding the flight to Denver. The flight went to Denver with my luggage but without me. The first leg was not canceled for weather. It flew and arrived. Southwest violated my co Dont get me wrong. Southwest has some excellent employees but they are becoming an exception not the rule. Martha at Ontario baggage claim is great. She helped locate my bag at LAX because LAX baggage claim wouldn’t answer the phone. She also took care of my luggage for this trip because it arrived 14 hours before me. Laura, the flight attendant on the BWI to Oakland flight is also great. She was very sympathetic and attentive. The gate lady in Oakland was also very helpful and helped me to my connecting flight gate. I am sorry I dont remember her name. So Southwest does have some capable employees. I could tell you how arriving late Sunday night instead of Saturday as scheduled affected my wife’s early Monday morning major surgery but I won’t because it is too personal. Doing the right thing is sometimes hard especially when no one is watching and you won’t get credit for it. I suggest you watch the movie “Music Within” and Southwest hires Richard to give their employees a motivational speech. He is also worth it.
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11-19-2018
12:08 PM
I will do that. I am an educated person as well as a frequent Southwest customer and I understand that nothing will be resolved in this forum. I want other Southwest customers and potential customers to understand loyal Southwest customer issues. Again, Southwest’s solution will be to offer me free bad service vouchers. I really want Southwest to revert back to their original business model when service was stellar. A cheap flight with poor service and being left stranded in an airport multiple times only to arrive at the destination 24 hours after you were supposed to be there is NOT a sustainable business model. That is what happened to me on two consecutive Southwest trips.
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11-18-2018
08:05 PM
The flight wasn’t canceled. I just wasn’t allowed on the flight because my connecting flight was at risk of being missed. The flight flew on a delay without me. I know about getting transportation assistance but I had no money for a tip and didn’t want the derogatory look and negative comments. I was under enough stress. You are wrong about other airlines not providing accommodations. American Airlines gave me a hotel in Chicago when weather affected my flight. I guess they know how to treat customers. They weren’t required to but they did it because it was the right thing to do. Southwest gave me a discount coupon for a room at $160.00 for one night. It works out to over $30 an hour. I didn’t have money to pay it. When I flew through Chicago on Southwest, one checked bag went to Ontario and the other went to LAX. Riddle me that. Also this is the second time this year I flew from Baltimore to Ontario. Both times, in June and in November I had to sleep on a wooden bench in BWI airport. That averages out to 100% for sleeping on a wooden bench courtesy of Southwest. When a passenger is removed from a scheduled flight that passenger is automatically the lowest priority for rebooking. It’s not first in, first out. It’s first in, last out. That makes absolutely no sense. I paid just as much if not more for my trip as the people allowed to fly infront of me. I have flown Southwest exclusively since 2009. I have ten years experience so I know what I am talking about. Today’s Southwest service is significantly below what it used to be. Problems used to be rare. Now problems happen on every flight. I have flown Southwest nine times this year with a tenth trip scheduled in December. None of those flights were without issues. It used to be issues were rare now issues are the norm. One of the flight attendants suggested I quit flying Southwest. I am seriously considering it. When ever I complain about bad service, Southwest’s solution is to send me a Luv Voucher for free bad service. I pay for good service and that is what I expect. I have never had another airline force me to sleep on a wooden bench in an airport. Not even Spirit or Jet Blue does that. Only Southwest. I made a sign that says “Disabled Vet forced to sleep on this wooden bench by Southwest Airlines” and I took pictures and a video. I will be posting them on Facebook and YouTube as well as sending them to local and national news agencies. I will tweet them to President Trump as well.
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11-18-2018
12:52 PM
I am a 61 year old disabled veteran. I have had 5 surgeries and have 3 more in my immediate future, including total hip and knee replacements. I have been flying Southwest exclusively for last 10 years, 8-10 round trips a year. That ends today. I have been pulled off consecutive flights from Baltimore to Ontario, CA. and forced to sleep on a wooden bench inside BWI airport twice. My reward for getting pulled off yesterday and sleeping on a wooden bench last night was to be booked on a flight departing from gate C13 which is the absolute farthest gate from the Southwest counter. It took me over an hour to walk to the gate. Southwest refused to give me a hotel accommodation because it was weather related and they don’t have to accommodate displaced passengers. There is what the right thing to do and what you have to do. If I see a child drowning in a pond, I don’t have to help them but I have because it’s the right thing to do. I have given 32 years of my life to the US Navy serving and defending this country including Southwest and I didn’t do it because I had to. For Southwest to treat me and others so poorly is inexcusable. And to do it twice on consecutive flights is simply astonishing. the response from the plane crew was “Then don’t fly Southwest.” I am taking that advice to heart.
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