Southwest Airlines Community

The Pillars of the Earth and, its sequel, World Without End by Ken Follett. Incredible reads! Both are about 1000+ pages but SO worth the read! Can't recommend them enough! ... View more

That little stir stick has brought many smiles to the faces of children...and adults alike. I always include a few stir sticks in little gift bags for the kids...usually it's their favorite thing in there! Recently, I had an adult female customer who asked for two stir sticks. When I brought them to her, she put her hair into a bun and used the two stir sticks to keep it in place. She said those little sticks make the best hairclips...so I brought her a few more to take with her. Something so insignificant can make all the difference in someones day! Long Live the Luv! CHAD SWA FA ... View more

Emily, last comment I swear! haha! Even if you board in the Family boarding, there MAY be 60 people in front of you in the "A" group, which leaves another 77 seats onboard, with lots of windows left over for your carseat. Even on a through flight, with continuing passengers still onboard, families take priority when it comes to a carseat being next to the window, per FAA rules. I have never had to move anyone just to get a carseat next to the window, but if needbe, that's what has to be done. And as for the "corporate" passengers with priority tickets ahead of you, you're talking maybe 15 people at the most....leaving another 122 seats onboard. No reason to worry. Ease your mind that SWA would NEVER leave you in a lurch onboard and would make sure you AND your family were accomodated. I think you're jumping to conclusions and rushing to judgment about something you haven't even experienced yet. Give it a shot! Happy Flying! Oh and P.S., Just in case, to further ease your mind, I have NEVER had a problem getting a volunteer to change seats so that your family can sit together! People would much rather move than babysit, trust me. Haha! ... View more

RB, I certainly was not dismissing Emily and my post never indicated that. If you look back you'll see I said I understood Emily's frustrations. I was simply pointing out to Emily that the boarding process is, indeed, VERY family friendly (speaking from LOTS of experience) and that there were procedures in place that answered her concerns, which were later confirmed by the blogmaster. I'm the first one on the plane to jump to the aid of moms traveling with children. They deserve my attention on the plane and they get it. I'm the first to admit that our passengers, business and leisure alike, are the reason we are here. All I can say, and I have said it before, try it before you dismiss it. I love my job and will certainly continue to do all I can on the plane (and not on this blog anymore) to ease the minds of those who choose to settle in on our planes for some good old Southwest LUV! Give it a shot! I know you'll be pleasantly surprised! ... View more

Emily, while I appreciate your frustrations, the reality is that I spoke PERSONALLY to these families traveling with small children and they like the new family boarding. All you have to do is take the time to actually check in 24 hrs in advance and get that "A" boarding pass, you can still board with the "A" group. I'm sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water if you don't take some responsibility for yourself and make sure you get the "A" boarding pass. Also, it is not "Southwest Law" that carseats go against the window...that's the FAA...I'll let you take that up with them. And again, while I understand your frustration, I'm glad that you weren't "too damn busy" (as you say) to comment on this blog. ... View more

As a VERY proud SWA Flight Attendant and having worked FOUR flights just today, I have to put my two cents in here. If you haven't flown SWA since the changes took effect, please, please, please withhold judgment until you do. We took the time on our flights over the last three days (NINE flights in all) to speak to our passengers about the new procedures. We had approximately 800+ passengers that we dealt with over the course of this trip (both business and leisure travelers) and I can honestly say that approximately 95% LUV the new procedures. The most often heard comment was the joy not having to line up for an hour or so before boarding knowing their place in the boarding line was assured. Our business travelers, just this morning on a full flight from San Francisco to San Diego, were SO grateful to be able to get on the plane, get to work on their laptops once we took off and exit the aircraft quickly to get to their meetings. Also, I specifically "targeted" our passengers traveling with small children to ask their views. They like the family boarding. The most often heard comment from them was that they did not feel "pressured" to get everything situated with other passengers waiting behind them. They prefer this system as it ensured they had seats together even if those seats were in the middle or towards the rear of the aircraft. They didn't care one bit where they sat as long as they had seats together. One mother, traveling alone with three small children had the quote of the day..."What's the big deal? Every seat on this plane is going to Phoenix and they all get there at the same time." Now, I know that most of you will automatically side with the 5% of those passengers on our flights that didn't like the new changes. To you I say, there will always be naysayers no matter what we do. I've had flights with only THREE passengers onboard and two of them still found something to gripe about. Since the changes were implemented, ALL but one of our flights left the gate five minutes early. That rarely happened with the old system. So, take it from one on the front lines! It's easy to automatically dismiss change when you feel it will negatively affect you, BUT please, save your comments until you have actually set foot on a SWA plane and have experienced the changes for yourself. This blog has been primarily negative since the changes were announced, but trust me, on the plane, the passengers are LUVing it...and that's what counts! ... View more

As a SWA Flight Attendant, I can confirm from lots of experience that families boarding AFTER the "A" group has been wonderful! We have had absolutely no problem in getting families seats together. Also, if you are concerned about getting seats together (which you shouldn't be) you can always just make sure that you check in 24 hrs in advance. Families with "A" boarding passes can still board with the "A" group. A limited number of seats on each flight are designated as Business Select leaving lots of other "A" boarding passes out there.. Trust me, as very proud SWA flight attendants, we have the "front line" experience to back up the Company when it says Family Boarding after the "A" group is a good thing. Family Boarding has been a wonderful improvement. Please keep in mind that change is inevitable and can be scary. Please give it a chance before you pass judgment. If you haven't flown since the changes have been implemented, try it out! We promise the same outstanding Southwest service that you have come to deserve and expect. I love my job because of the passengers I am able to interact with each and every day. Give it a shot, folks! I promise you'll be glad you did! ... View more