For those of you worried about bad breath once you've crossed that gate, just bring aboard apples (if you're flying out of California, that is, because of the state Agriculture Department restrictions on "importing" out-of-state fruit) or sugar-free gum! Floss or floss piks are also great to keep in your carry-on. 🙂
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09-16-2006
02:05 AM
7 Loves
As with anything else involving humans, Southwest isn't infallible--but it sure comes pretty close! [Will y'all at SWA settle for that?! ;-)]
Seriously, since I started flying SWA in the '80s, I've had nothing but excellent service on the phone (when I used to do my reservations that way, and in more recent times when having to change a flight) as well as in person.
Even when flights are delayed because the plane hasn't yet arrived (sometimes by more than a few minutes), gate attendants have always provided frequent status reports. Such announcements make all the difference between relative calm and major ballistics. (Most of us know the domino effect once even one person starts the latter--dangerous anywhere, but even moreso at terminals that are already madhouses!)
And, where else have I always avoided fees--those in addition to the customary fare difference--when having to change flights at the last minute? (The only thing in such a transaction I might suggest on behalf of RapidRewards members is having the information to the credit card, on which the ticket was originally billed, visible to the reservations agent for faster service. While security precautions are completely understandable, keep in mind that they go right out the window anyway if a member makes the phone call from an open area and has to say the information aloud! )
To end this back on a light note, keep up the fun--including the occasional wacky print media announcement and frequent on-board jokes! (I'll always remember the headline in a San Jose Mercury News ad for a San Jose-Burbank special in '97 or '98: "Fly Silicon Valley to Silicone Valley..." And my overall loyalty to SWA was sealed on the ground at Reno a couple of years ago when one of the FAs, in pointing out the emergency exits, said, "Don't like our service? There's six ways to do something about that!")
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