02-15-2010
02:16 PM
Okay, here goes !! To date, my son and I have flown with SWA three times. The only reason we have continued to fly with them at all is because we have LUV (an inappropriate name for anything associated with SWA) Vouchers issued as credit from their COS policy ! The first time we flew with them, the check in agent asked if my son would need a second seat and then explained the COS policy (at no point during the online reservation procedure was it ever notated that people of size would have to purchase a second seat), we told the agent that he had always fit into the seats at Delta and that we didn't anticipate that we would have a problem with SWA seats either, so he sent us through with the one ticket. When we arrived at the boarding gate, the agent there informed us that the ticketing agent had phoned ahead to inform her that we refused to purchase a second seat. She looked at my son and said “There is no way he will fit into one seat. Look at him! “Of course, the airport was crowded and she made the statement in a tone that could be heard by everyone within relatively close proximity. My son was so embarrassed that he walked away to let me deal with it. The board gate agent was not only unsympathetic; she was extremely rude and unprofessional. I asked to speak with a supervisor. He allowed us to enter the plane, made sure that my son fit into the seat with the armrest down, then told my son, “You are not to raise those armrests for the entire flight or it will be assumed that you could not fit into the seat comfortably. " What the heck??!!! I didn't hear a single comment to any of the other passengers aboard that plane that they were not permitted to raise their armrest during the flight!!! I was angry, but assumed the worst was over. I was wrong!! Once we arrived at our destination, we had a wonderful vacation. However, when we arrived at the airport in Las Vegas for our return flight home, we were faced with a nightmare!!! The ticketing agent was rude, he told us " You MUST purchase a second seat in order to fly “I advised him that the supervisor in Columbus had boarded my son first, insured he fit into the seat, that we flew nonstop from Columbus to Las Vegas without discomfort and that there was no conceivable reason we shouldn't be able to do the same on the flight home. He replied “I don't care what they did in Columbus; your son is too fat to fit into one seat “ WHAT ??? By that time I was pissed ! I told him that SWA had set a precedent by allowing him to fly in one seat and they should honor the original determination and allow him to fly in one seat. Again, we were sent on to the gate with one ticket. When we arrived at the boarding gate, the flight was overbooked and they were requesting volunteers to be ' bumped ' . My son and I had a flexible schedule and we told them that we would give up our seats and take the next flight. While we were waiting, two SWA employees approached us...we assumed they were going to tell us that they had accepted our offer to take a later flight and give us the details. The woman spoke first, she said that we were scheduled on flight **** to Columbus, but the flight was overbooked, we only had one ticket for my son and " there is no way he is boarding that plane with one ticket and unless someone is willing to give up their seat, there isn't another ticket available for him, so he can't fly " It was an overbooked flight...there were hundreds of people all around us, they did not ask us to step aside so they could address this with a modicum of privacy to avoid embarrassment or unpleasantness, they voiced their opinions in a crowded venue for everyone to hear ! Why is it that am I no longer surprised at the complete unprofessionalism of Southwest employees ? I advised them that we had already volunteered to take a bump in order to accommodate other passengers, but I also informed them that I didn't appreciate their lack of compassion, nor their lack of judgment in how to address such a delicate matter. She said that we HAD NO CHOICE, that we had to accept a bump to a later flight and directed me to the agent who would be making those arrangements, but again, she stated, " He must purchase a second seat or I absolutely will not permit him to board the plane " She followed me to the desk to make our new flight arrangements and then she told the agent there that she would just do it herself to insure it was done correctly. She then told us that instead of a nonstop return flight that we would have a four hour wait, take a flight to Salt Lake City, then board another plane for the return to Columbus. After she had the basic details arranged, she told the other agent to finish up and then she walked away without a word to my son or me. The second agent was very polite and extremely apologetic, but when he went to print out our tickets, it seems that Ms High n Mighty had neglected to reserve our tickets from Salt Lake City to Columbus, that it had over booked in the meantime, and there wouldn't be another flight out until the following day ! So, had the other agent not verified the details, we would have been stranded in Salt Lake City ! He told me that the best he could do would be to arrange for us to take a flight from Las Vegas nonstop to Columbus the following day. I asked him if SWA was going to pay the expenses related with another night's stay since it was only due to a SWA agent's error that we were being forced to stay. He called the same woman who had approached us and who hadn't confirmed our reservations, to ask if SWA would absorb the cost of the stay. He looked very surprised, and when he ended the call, he informed us she refused to absorb the cost of the stay. Soooo...not only would they not permit my son to fly home in one seat as he had flown in to Las Vegas, they wouldn't allow us to board the plane for our flight home, the offending agent didn't follow through on her end so we weren't able to go home at all that day, and then we had to pay expenses for another night in Las Vegas due to disrespectful, incompetent SWA employees.
Unfortunately, the next two trips we have made with SWA were almost identical ! Extremely rude, extremely disrespectful, extreme incompetence. I will be flying SWA alone this weekend and since I am far from a Customer of Size, I shouldn't have an issue with that policy but I am looking forward to seeing if I am treated as I was when I travelled with my son...or if I will be treated differently when I am not with a person that SWA considers " too fat " to grace their planes...because I can't help but feel that much of the reason we were treated so badly is because SWA and its employees don't realize that if you treat a person differently because of their color, their religion, their handicap, OR THEIR SIZE, it is clearly a matter of DISCRIMINATION.
And Southwest Airline, I want to know, why is it that when a high profile film producer complains, you supposedly offer apologies via phone calls, Twitter, and an open apology on your web site, yet I have sent at least three email complaints about issues and treatment my son encountered which was far worse than that to which Mr. Smith was subjected...and SWA never once offered an apology of any kind to my son !!!! And I am sure there are numerous others who have had similar experiences due to SWA's discriminatory COS policy...have any of you received an apology ??? Just curious...
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