07-31-2009
05:29 AM
25 Loves
Paula- I was looking for your email address but found this page, and hope you receive my comment.
I am deeply distressed about flying with my husband and our 2 year old son tomorrow. This will be our first flight on SWA in years, since we've become avid ORBITZ customers, generally getting great fares and service through them on other airlines.
Before using Orbitz, I flew with SWA frequently. Our parents bought us tickets to fly from Portland to Salt Lake City tomorrow for a family reunion, and after learning more about your lack of pre-boarding for families, I am dreading our flight.
Flying is a big deal for us- it's not something we get to do very often as a family. We want to share a 3 seat row and talk with our son about what he is seeing out the window. Kai needs both his father and me with him- We've been talking about this flight with him for weeks- and he expects that we will all be flying together.
Now I didn't know that SWA had switched to the ABC group system. The confirmation email we received said NOTHING about obtaining a boarding pass online 24 hours before the flight. It really, REALLY should have. As it stands we are in group B with no guarantee we are going to be able to get 3 seats together tomorrow.
Here's what you need to do- reinstate family pre-boarding. If you want families further back in the plane, then tell them they have to go there- but put changing tables in the rear restroom, for goodness sake!
Or, how about informing your passengers, CLEARLY, on their confirmation emails that if they want to sit together, they need to check in online 24 hours in advance. That would be a nice disclosure.
Tomorrow, we're going, we'll do everything we can to make it work. If we get on that plane and can't get 3 seats together, we will enlist the aid of a flight attendant, and we will not sit down until we have seats with our son. Now on the return trip, we'll be sure to check in 24 hours in advance. But on this trip, what can we do but stand our ground? And I will feel terrible about holding up the plane potentially, or inconveniencing other passengers- but at this point, what else can we do?
This was your chance to win old customers back. My son and I fly frequently together- it's just a rare treat for us to bring Daddy with us. Instead, we will use every means available to us to either recommend or warn off other families from your airline, depending on how the flight goes for us tomorrow. Please email me if you can possibly make arrangements for us, for tomorrow's flight.
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