11-21-2007
03:03 AM
1 Love
Instead of a free drink I will take a 10% coupon on my next flight, recovering AA here. Gary one thing I ask is please enforce a program that if you use a blue card to get on or wheel chair they need to make note and not allow these people to race off the jet, too many 35000 foot recoveries take place on every flight. All the FAs I have talked to see it all the time. One flight from MDW to PHX had 38 wheelers out of MDW in the spring, we were delayed and I can understand it, but upon arrival in PHX, the chairs were lined up and maybe 10 if they were lucky used them. Now on UAL and AA and others that have check in and assigned seating they know who these folks are and pretty much make them wait. Not sure what you can or can't do and it is sad that people do these things.
One more is when a young troop is in Uniform, let them on before anyone else, as they need to be recognized as if it were not for the troop we would not have the "Freedom to Move about the Country".
I am looking forward to seeing how things go, but am sure that the best folks on the front lines the FAs will put on that SWA charm and all will go well.
Happy Thanksgiving Gary, I am thnkful for your airline that gets me around the USA,,,,,
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11-14-2007
12:44 AM
1 Love
Emily,
Never ever fly on any distance without a car seat and purchasing a ticket. At any point and time on any distance you can hit turblence and you are not strong enough to hold any child and guess what, that precious child can be killed, Saw it my self on United flight and know a few FA's from other airlines that have seen kids severly hurt. How would you like to have to live the rest of your life knowing that you were to cheep to secure your chils. The AFA and SW FA's and a few other Airline FA's all support efforts bye the NTSB and Congress to not allow lap kids. No child is worth less than the cost of a plane seat and unbeknown to most travelers that choose to fly with them as a lap Kid and something happens the airlines are not responsible. So please I beg you to buy that ticket. I think Brian and Herb and the whole gang at SWA would agree.
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11-12-2007
07:53 PM
2 Loves
Kevin,
Please make some sort of statement to let these folks know that A-list is for originating aircraft and that it is not on the through flight so that people could better understand the system, I think that the little toutorial that Brian Lusk put out on the blog and web site clarified things. I think on on this A-List 15 would help. Looking forward to my trip coming up out of MCO and will let you know how it goes...
Thanks
B P
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11-09-2007
07:27 PM
2 Loves
Go back to the 5th of burbon and plastic seating cards...Get back to basics and hire management like former Pilots and FAs and Customer Service agents and dump people like Kevin who will soon run this puppy into bankruptcy...Herb you sure are not going to live forever but I hope and pray that you and Collen can quickly find some former employees to take over and dump the over educated MBAs who know nothing about what you built. Kevin from now on I suggest that you have your speachs and such screened, just saw a quote of yours on AeroNews Online and you are actually think people want to pay more, come on look at the economy today, people like things like DING and my company has us with over 2000 computers loaded with DING and changing our business to use that tool, As for last second travel the beauty of SWA was that we could walk up to a counter if needed and buy a ticket anywhere for at a minimum of 50% less than any other carrier. Yes, that is smart business, you need to cater to the business travler but institute a program that allows a DING customer or really any cutomer to be offered to pay an extra $25 each way to get your new A1-15? But like most of you MBAs you have some great brains and it is an achevement to get that education, but common sense and knowing what is really going on out there on the front lines you don't have.
I too will not say we won't fly SWA but I can tell you that we will look to other airlines again and I already dropped in the suggestion box today that maybe for a month or two we freeze using DING and if everyone else did too and SWA were to have a quarter in which you see some RED you may then and only then look to what you are really doing...
Please HERB, visit Gary and Kevin and talk to them. Show Kevin his quote on Aero News and ask him if he was the average "Joe" would he actually think his statements would bring more business....
Good Luck
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11-08-2007
12:04 AM
1 Love
Herb, an SOS is needed we need you back and find folks that will follow your lead as the Fuel Hedge Program you revolutionized is now gone thanks to $100 oil, now you have these young whipper snappers who will ruin your airline. Folks, "If it is not broke, you don't need to fix it"! Nice try Kevin but you don't get it and will have this airline either merged or in Bankpuptcy within 4 years......Care to make this bet?
I agree and think in 2 weeks we will see a meltdown over the Turkey Day holiday and you soon are going to over work your F/As are the front line to keeping the peace and I have had 4 flights so far that have left late due to through flights not having room for the responsible parents that use car seats and being a loyal SAT flyer and saw the problems in the middle of summer that the books were cooked for your management to make the changes they did and not I can tell you, I am a sucessful business owner and did not fall off the turnip truck and do not see how you think you can hoodwink us into paying more for more credits, we made you the airline of choice due to DING and the fact you were unique but now you are joining the ranks of the big boys and you will fail. Sorry to see but you will be another Republic, Piedmont, Braniff soon unless you all wake back up and get back to what the true flyers of SWA like...
Good Luck but I am a realist and the majority of F/As I talk with do not like having to take the gruff of your bad decisions...You need to get back to basics..
B.P. just offering my advice and two cents,,,,,
I think I am going to cancel my Turkey-Day travels too as I see nothing but angry families and travelers and feel for the F/As and Pilots.
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Hey Brian, looks like the issues brought up in the seating game that I experienced in SA over the summer has come back to bite you 10 fold and an article on it is on Aero-news.
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=f04cc91e-bda0-4290-b5a6-322e6d529667&
Hope you can check it out and tell us how you plan to handle the upcoming Holiday Travel Zoo...
I told you someone was cooking the books as I have talked to may FA's on my travels and they all said San Diego was a failure and they never got a warm fuzzy over the summer in SA? What gives, I know this is a different blog but when I saw your name thought I would ask and hope you can start another blog on the seating system and hope that SWA can come clean and be truthful like the FA's that are the face of the airline and are the ones that face the customers and are the ones who are most reaponsible in getting customers to return. Most tell us that this is a step toward seats at a price and business travelers will be paying a premium to getting those asile seats? I will be watching for a response and other media outlets to talk about how much of a failure this program really is....
I'd say during that holiday season we will be seeing on the nightly news about how much of a fiasco the new process really will be...
Too bad to see as if it was not broke, why try to fix it...
BP...
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Brian,
Your FA's do a wnderful job, they actually make the money for you as they are the face of LUV...I am just very disturbed with the comments of some of these people out here. Last I checked I was a kid too and I also had to be born and grow up. Some of these people's views sicken me and hope they can afford a piper jet and air taxi, then they will not have to fly with kids and I bet 90%4 are spoild rotten ones who ran wild and were exactally complaining about what they did as a kid. Yes we do have a few out there that cheat the system. Next year my youngest turns 4 and my oldest is 21 and 6 inbetween and we always fly SWA when we can and you know what, we will continue as we do buy the tickets for the car seat s to be used as their lives are more precious that a bump in the air and having them harmed. the FA's will continue to help those of us who need to be together, but I can tell ya as they get older they like to sit away from mom and dad. I love your airline and no one is perfect, but you are all trying to do your best. It is a changing society and it will continue to change, but Luv will still be in the smiles and attitudes for the great employees of SWA and I look forward to our next family flight. Keep up the good work and I bet if you notice problems and see fixes SWA will get it done. Looking forward to Turkey Day and that mess. I just hope everyone takes a deep breath and just have open minds and smile, we could be in a country that doesn't allow girls in schools and other opressions. God Bless America and God Bless SWA and some of the kindess folks in the Airline Industry.
One thing we all need to keep in mind is that SWA is a wonderful eample of people who may or may not be having the greatest day in their life, but you never see it on the face of an SWA employee, a little sugar goes a long way and I love how SWA prides it self as looking at everyone from an infant to a grandparent and inbetween as someone who should be honored and respected and smiled upon. I think we can use a little LUV training in our lives. Thanks Brian and Herb and Gary and Collen for all you do to motivate your folks and make SWA so special.
B P Heiss
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Brian,
Sorry your arms are tired from moving chairs, but with your comment is sounds as if you only moved chairs and not removed any? It was sure a nightmare in SA over the summer months and no where to sit compared to before. I am glad SWA fought back with SA and their trying to bully you to the new terminal they are building, 3000sqft less and higer rent. That is another reason why I wish the test would have been in BWI, MDW, or TPA as they have modern facilities and SAT does not and the new terminal if SWA went was going to give you 3000sgft smaller.
The true test will be rolling this out in time for the holiday travel, I think that will be the true test. Thanks for your reply and please do not remove seats, just move them around and easy on the power stations. Plus use the boarding poles, cleaner sleeker look and better that the long numbered ballet style line up.
Thanks B P Heiss
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One other thing Brian if I can add, I have noticed several posts of parents talking about and using the term "LAP CHILD" they are playing a very dangerous game by not purchasing a seat and having that child in a car seat on the plane. Unfortunatly I was on a flight on another airline and we hit choppy air and guess what we got to witness a child flying out of big strong dad's arms. I hope SWA can educate parents. The life of your child is worth much more than that plane ticket and I am sure any responsible parent carries Life Insurance on your kids and so why not do the right thing. I know many flight attendants that continue to lobby the FAA and congress to stop allowing the "LAP CHILD" so I just want to add that SWA needs to encourage and educate parents about the dangers of "LAP CHILD". Thanks again.
B P Heiss SAT frequent flyer and SWA fan
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Brian Lusk,
Are you going to bring back the extra seats you took out in SAT, did you see the congestion over the summer travel months and no places to sit and relax. Not sure the family plan will work as 3 of 4 flights I flew out of SAT were late, got big strollers and car seat issues, not sure if someone was cooking the books to Gary Kelly on that one. Wish you would have looked at testing more at say TPA, BWI or MDW. Seems those airports had the seats starting to line up in A, B, C fashion and you would get to sit down in order and yes a few would stand or you could put your bag first and it worked well, even the airport manager for SWA in BDL used this method and it was well liked. Gary Kelly and SWA should stop using the slogan "Free to move about the country" as I am no longer free to be first with and A 35 or A12 as the numbers have always existed, had many of fun times in line with A1 folks and teasing with them as I beat them to the head of the line. Southwest is about freedom and now you are trying to conform to the rest of the whiney world, if you want to sell more business travelers how about a real commercial about how you are the only Airline in the USA that I know I can walk up and pay under $650 RT if seats are available and fly. No other airline does that and you all think the new boarding will bring travelers on business, just one weekend of commercials that show that pricing structure you have and your planes will be full forever, but I have a theory that it is an unwritten rule and SWA is in bed with all the rest and will never ever put a commercial on like that. Just my opinion. Sure wish this could have been rolled out in Jan/Feb 08 as it will now make for a wonderful holiday travel season and you all know how much fun that can be. One last question for you. I am flying from MCO to MCI with a connection in STL, I go on get my passes and get A17 from MCO and A3 from STL, my flight lands a little late in STL due to storms in MCO I get to the gate and you are boarding the plane and are about to call C group, but wait I have A3 and want an A3 seat, now what are you going to do to make me happy, unload and start over that is too close to assigned seats. Plus I have my family and say the through flight is full, now how is that going to work. I hope you thought these scenarios through and in this place called America your legal department is ready to defend these practices. I always had a saying my pop and grand pop would say, "IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT" and I hope SWA tries to keep its unique ways for in the future and does not try to conform to the other airlines and such. On my flights out of SAT this summer many business men especially the lawyer types heading to LUV for the day were saying exactly that. I LUV my SWA and wish you all luck and some growing pains rolling this out over the holiday will happen. Thanks and I will look forward to your response.
B P Heiss SAT resident and SWA frequent flying fan
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Please do not change the seating to what you did in San Antonio this summer. It was a disaster, sounds like someone cooked the book on this one as on all the flights I took and it was quite a few since I live in SA, most said one thing, IF IT AIN"T BROKE DON"T FIX IT. I hope Herb and Collen realize that Mr Gary Kelly is not going to be a good replacement when they walk away. He reminds me of a Frank Lorenzo or Steve Wolf. Young whippersnapper with his MBA and kooky ideas. Southwest serves a nich in America, tell me Gary, as a business man what airline can I walk up to the counter and purchase a round trip ticket for under $650 on any given day besides Southwest? You see that is why we like it, we don't want to see us go International until we are in all 50 states, when are you going to go to MSP and take on NWA? Your ideas that we need to have asile seats and pay for windows and going to Mexico and such will not work. Herb and Collen built something that is unique, you and your MBA knowledge can lead to only one thing, the failure of SWA in the near future. Please Herb and Collen think hard about who you want to run SWA after you leave, to me this man cooked the books out of SA this summer. Did you happen to go there and witness the long lines and people in the aisles of the terminal and the fact that due to the new design they took out seats? Be like Baltimore and Tampa where you have seats that go down A, B and C. Did you witness the delays of people getting on the plane in the B and C groups because Mom and Dad had to get the kids car seat in or close up the stroller, come on before it was bing bang lickity split when boarding the plane with the pre-board people. IF IT AIN"T BROKE DON"T FIX IT can be well said here.
Just hoping that Herb and Collen see this and maybe stop Gary before he ruins a great airline.
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