Site still down. Can't log in. Just reached phone agent after 35 minutes. He couldn't help me and suggested I call back later since "the system is down."
Can't change flights or access status. 3rd day now - since "re-launch" and of course that doesn't include the two days it was down for the transition preceding the re-launch.
WN needs to compensate us for these problems. I suggest that everyone's RR account get credits added - in proportion to our account activity.
"I'm terribly sorry" just won't do here. We need a bit more than that. About to book my first flight on United in six months .. 😞
... View more
Since my short post above (sorry about the typos - I was at the airport using my Treo to make the post) - I've been impressed with the number of comments.
I would agree with the folks who suggest that the company is good - indeed better in many ways than most airlines. For me - Southwest has become nearly a business partner. I have felt that I can depend on Southwest in ways that I could not depend on any other airline. Until now.
I have felt that I could depend on them to do the right thing - like the time that my two teenagers were stuck in Midway in a snowstorm overnight - and the staff found a way to feed them, get them cots to sleep on in a a safe place, and onto a flight home ASAP despite the fact that it was sold out.
That was two years ago.
Today - my business partner violated some guiding principles - and it's not about what happened (grounding the planes) its about how they did it.
When they grounded the planes and canceled the flights - they had ample time to contact the passengers (phone, e-mail, etc) and take PROactive steps toward meeting the customers' expectations.
The didn't do this - and that's the fatal flaw from which everything else has fallen today.
To quote Jim Ruppel: (WN VP of Customer Relations)
"If you always err on the side of the Customer, you will never get in trouble."
The errors were all on the side of the airline.
(http://www.southwest.com/swamedia/bios/jim_ruppel.html)
BTW - Neither Jim nor Gary Kelly would take my call today.
By waiting until the passengers found out - they chose the RE active path - rather than the PRO active one. Reschedule flights, parry requests for accommodation or explanation.
Indeed - when I called customer service initially - the representative I spoke with would not acknowledge that the planes that were grounded had anything to do with the FAA "cracks" issue. She pretended that she didn't know that there were any planes grounded!
Her supervisor (who returned my call 2 hrs later) refused to discuss compensation until I arrived at my final destination. Of course - my arrival time fell after the time that the Customer Relations office closes!
Bottom line: had they contacted me as soon as they made the decision, and offered me some token compensation - I would have been frustrated but accepting. Now that I've been patronized, jerked around, lied to and insulted - I will require a lot more compensation.
There is simply no argument that my business partner Southwest Airlines can make that holds water. If one of THEIR business partners made bad decisions that caused the airline to be unable to fly - (say a fuel company didn't maintain the brakes on the fuel trucks and had to take them out of service suddenly) - you know the Southwest attorneys would be lining up to make the case that the business partner caused loss of revenue.
I'll reiterate what I said earlier: this was NOT an unexpected mechanical problem, or a weather delay - or even a staffing problem. Today's cancellations were caused by Southwest's bad decisions and nothing more.
In such a case - I would argue that they ARE ethically (if not legally) responsible in some way for the lost revenue of their passengers. Let's see if they can make good on even a portion of their obligation.
... View more
No mention here (Are you trying to keep this quiet?) of the fact that Southwest suddenly cancelled many flights today - a consequency of taking 48 planes out of service.
Notably:
No effort was made to contact customers in order to make arrangements. In my case - there was an earlier flight I could have taken. Since they didn't let me know until I arrived @ the airport .. I have spent much of my day waiting for another flight ... and will go home via BWI .. meaning I lose a full day of work.
b) No offer of compensation was made.
c) No acknowledgement of the inconvenience of this was made. This was a rare event in this business - as these cancellations were wholly due to Southwest's management decisions. Neither weather nor unanticipated techical malfunction - this whole event rests on the decusions the airline made at one point or another to either service (today) or not service (2007 and 2006) these planes. So I lose a day .. eat a yucky lunch .. and I'm expected to say 'thank you?'
d) I'm an uncommonly avid fan of this company. I fly several times a month .. almost always on Southwest. Alas .. my conversation with the customer service reps on this matter have been infuriating .. due to the inability of these folks to take ownership of the root cause of today's problems: Southwest's decisionmaking.
Finally ..addinginsult to injury .. I was told when getting my boarding pass (I am in the 'A' group as I travel so often) that no 'A' passes were available. When sitting @ the gate I watched the agent give one to another customer. When I asked her why one 'appeared' she told me that he had a business select ticket. Just spoke with him ... no he didn't. Why are WN employees lying today?
... View more
