Southwest Airlines Community

The Company did admit their mistake...thats why we're here discussing it. Obviously some of you dont have the slightest clue. Ground SWA airplanes? Tell me again why you dont think their safe? Once again 37 years without a single maintenance related accident. #1 safest airline in the nation, #2 in the world. But I guess that doesnt mean anything. You get a report of a violation because SWA owned up to it and now the opinions of the media and a politician say the airline is a horrible safety violator. Millions and millions of people flown safely since 1971. Bob McKay..Those planes were never unfit to fly. If SWA leadership was that concerned about profits they would have followed suit with every other airline and laid people off and put their families on the street. They trust their Employees, thats why its an employee owned airline. When you get in the office today tell Oberstar I said hello. ... View more

Why dont some of you people grow up and read get the facts straight for once. 37 years of flying without a maintenance related incident (crash or accident whatever you want to call it). If Safety was not one of their top priorities why aren't these aircraft falling out of the sky? To those of you making the posts about flying SWA for several years and now are considering flying someone else....if they were not safe I dont think you would be sitting in front of your computer typing on this blog. Get real. A special thanks to the media for trying to think they know what the hell they're talking about. ... View more

Some of you posting negative comments are going off of emotion rather than fact. Fact: Southwest has never had a maintenance related incident involving injury or death in it's 37 years of history. Many of you have said that you have flown SWA for years and are considering not flying them again. So okay...that makes sense, you have flown them for years and are still here to talk about it without incident, but now they're unsafe? Good call. ... View more

Folks, The baggage policy used to be up to each individual airline on its enforcement. This was done by those checking ID's when you came through security. This was actually taken over by the TSA. It is their rule now. However, the airlines will still try and enforce it at the gate if necessary. The TSA is so concerned with security that less attention is now being paid to how many or what size. This has also lead to more people coming through with 3 carry-ons or two large bags instead of one carry-on and one personal item. The policy is still very reasonable. Like mentioned above if you are not a frequent flyer with United you will be charged for anything more than one. ... View more

As to those of you complaining about the fares. There are going to be differences if the cheaper fares are already gone. If there is an increase compared to when you traveled last year, well, oil prices were not $98 a barrel either. Southwest hedged its fuel in order to help the Company and the consumer! It helped them not have to raise fares until they absolutely had to. It was hedged at $28 a barrel one year and then hedged at $32 a barrel the next a couple of years ago. The difference in that $4 raise meant the Company had to come up with over $300 million in additional revenue somewhere else. In the next five years it is hedged at probably close to $50-$60 a barrel. If you really dive down into it the only people who get penalized with the oil prices is the Customer. The airlines have to do whatever necessary to stay in business. Southwest always had the Customer in mind first. If their intent was to raise fares everytime the oil went up each one of us would be paying $1000 roundtrip no matter where we traveled. Lets give them a chance before we judge. ... View more

I haven't seen one post yet on anything to do with the simple fact that SWA is the safest airline operating in the industry. It is also one of the top in on-time performance of any legacy carrier. If they get me and my family there safely and on-time I don't know what else there is to complain about. In addition, although the boarding arrangements have changed I believe what usually keeps Customers coming back is the Customer Service. If I have someone from an airline spit in my face every time I fly them I will pay the additional 5 or 10 bucks to fly someone who treats me good. ... View more

I received the call from my wife just before the second aircraft hit. She had just flown from Raleigh NC to Providence RI that morning and was admiring the view from the left side of the aircraft of New York about 30-45 minutes before it all happened. I stood in the living room watching as the second aircraft hit. She is a flight attendant and I work on the ground. I drove into work even though I wasnt due in until 2:00 p.m.. Later that morning myself and a couple of other coworkers drove around the Ramp looking at all the different aicraft that we normally dont see at our airport. It looked like an abandoned airfield. Planes were parked anywhere they could put them. Those who lost their lives are in our thoughts and prayers. The aviation industry has never been the same. There have been many changes to the rules, but seeing the record load factors this year has proven that this country has risen above those horrific acts. The innocent lives lost and the lives of our dedicated troops will never be forgotten. God bless America. ... View more