Southwest Airlines in a nationwide meltdown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never flown Southwest. Why do so many people choose this airline?

good prices, no change fees, no baggage fees on the amount of bags a normal human would take, drink coupons, a-list a group seating, an occasionally mildly funny flight attendant, among other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never flown Southwest. Why do so many people choose this airline?

Also wondering this.

I have miles with United and American so I mainly use those, though sometimes will fly Delta. But I've never tried Southwest, I don't know why.

Nonstop flights. I’m in the SF East bay, and OAK is easier than SFO, and I will use southwest for most nonstop flights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never flown Southwest. Why do so many people choose this airline?

Also wondering this.

I have miles with United and American so I mainly use those, though sometimes will fly Delta. But I've never tried Southwest, I don't know why.

For us, it’s because Southwest has the most options getting us from our small regional airport to another smaller airport where my inlaws are.

[Anonymous]

My kids are with family in MA. Flight home was supposed to be Tuesday morning and now the next available is Saturday evening. So 4.5 days later. Yes, I’m grateful they are not holed up in a $$ hotel but really? No flights between Boston and Baltimore - neither city affected by even so much as rain - for all that time? One way flights on other airlines are $300+

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are with family in MA. Flight home was supposed to be Tuesday morning and now the next available is Saturday evening. So 4.5 days later. Yes, I’m grateful they are not holed up in a $$ hotel but really? No flights between Boston and Baltimore - neither city affected by even so much as rain - for all that time? One way flights on other airlines are $300+

$209 on Amtrak from Boston to Baltimore currently for 12/29 departure.

[Anonymous]

I believe SW will finally invest in system upgrades after this. I will still continue to use them for nonessential travel. So much more flexibility and great prices. For work trips or when I need to absolutely be somewhere for work, it’s Amtrak or another airline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are with family in MA. Flight home was supposed to be Tuesday morning and now the next available is Saturday evening. So 4.5 days later. Yes, I’m grateful they are not holed up in a $$ hotel but really? No flights between Boston and Baltimore - neither city affected by even so much as rain - for all that time? One way flights on other airlines are $300+

Nobody in your family could drive them home?! Boston to Baltimore is not that far of a drive …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m going back to Reddit where people are offering to drop off formula and diapers for stranded babies instead or listening to this one a-hole talk about no one should “risk” flying around Christmas time.

Reading comprehension? Storm plus busy holiday. Do you really think that it is reasonable to expect that given those two factors that it would just be typical travel weekend?

Every other airline is handling it much better. I am trying to get to a family reunion so I know lots of people have had delays during the storm but no one has had delays since the storm or lost access to their luggage (even for canceled flights) anywhere near what Southwest has. The storm was over days ago and Southwest is still canceling half their schedule or more, possibly all week.

They are set up differently with aircraft and how they move/utilize them as I posted above and their system crashed which I also about. There are plenty of airports that southwest doesn't even serve that have cancelations and several hundred delays. Maybe other airlines are handling it better but my point is, that as a whole, for the most part this was not an unforeseen event.

Also expecting every airline to be impacted the same, therefore needing to handle it the same is a little naïve.

I really don’t get need to be an apologist for Southwest here. There are no severe weather issues right now and 99% of all cancellations are Southwest. If that doesn’t tell you something is effed up with the airline then It’s not me being naive.

[Anonymous]

I saw a flight attendant rummaging through my bag. She stole my favorite blouse. They’re scoundrels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never flown Southwest. Why do so many people choose this airline?

It is the major airline out of bwi

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are with family in MA. Flight home was supposed to be Tuesday morning and now the next available is Saturday evening. So 4.5 days later. Yes, I’m grateful they are not holed up in a $$ hotel but really? No flights between Boston and Baltimore - neither city affected by even so much as rain - for all that time? One way flights on other airlines are $300+

Nobody in your family could drive them home?! Boston to Baltimore is not that far of a drive …

or halfway and you meet them??

[Anonymous]

Companion pass is a great reason to use SW. Also no change fees and now flight credits don’t even expire. Free bags, free drinks and snacks, you don’t have to worry about booking seats together as long as you check in on time or buy priority boarding. All of these things have saved us so much money over the years, plus all the points we have. In 20 years of flying them, we’ve rarely even had delays.

I’m willing to see what happens after this before making any decisions. We have spring break booked with them and no plans to cancel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in Dallas/Fort Worth right now. Missed my connection and they are telling me they can’t get me on a flight until Thursday. This is on American.

The staff is rude. There is a 4 hour line for customer Svc.

It’s like the hunger games.

People are walking around crying.

I hate people.

And….no it’s not because people are traveling for the holidays. The entire system is broken.

They a rude because people are being rude to them. It’s not their fault they don’t have seats to give. You should rent a car and drive home unless you have family you want to keep visiting in Dallas.

Yeah, I’m normally a decently patient and polite person, but if I were one of those frontline SW workers and I wasn’t the only wage earner in the house, I’d probably quit on the spot. They’re going to be screamed at nonstop for weeks for — what? — $15-$17 an hour? No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you travel often enough, you learn that when they are cancellations you need to pivot and pivot quickly before your best options disappear. People are wasting too much time Hoping for a convenient nonstop flight home. Move on from that dream.

This!

Oh but dahling…that only leaves you exposed to more cancellations, over booked flights, time outs.

The best option is to get on the app and rebook as soon as you know you’re going to miss your connection.

I’m stuck in Dallas and I’m jumping from one flight to the next. You can only get on one standby at a time.

Did you know Einstein Bagels are not good when they’re stale?

I would just rebook for several days into the future and go chill at a hotel. How long do you plan to torture yourself at the airport?

How lovely that you can are willing to spend a few days in a filthy dump of an airport hotel.

Some people are not lazy and have a life.

Some people are flexible under suboptimal conditions and are not spoiled princesses like you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of these posts are just so classic DCUM. It's YOUR fault you are suffering and stranded in an airport due to an unprecedented confluence of circumstances during one of the busiest times of the year. You totally should have planned better.

And if you had the nerve to travel to see family at Christmas without an extra $5000 (again, at Christmas) to easily dump on backup travel arrangements, well, that’s what you get for thinking you had any right to travel on a budget!

Ha! I’m actually surprised no one has posted this as serious feedback. Especially the energetics who will stay at the airport no matter how long they have to wait for another flight.

Someone did. It was a few pages back as an “unpopular opinion”.

And they’re correct.