Assigned Seating At Swa?

[WNrforlife]

Listen,
If you want to preboard AND sit with your family, then go ahead and pay 5 times more for your ticket on some other carrier like Delta than you would on Southwest. We don't need your business anyway.

 

[JS]

emphasis added...

Originally posted by WNrforlife:

Listen,
If you want to preboard AND sit with your family, then go ahead and pay 5 times more for your ticket on some other carrier like Delta than you would on Southwest. We don't need your business anyway.

OK, I'll do that!

By the way, I don't pay 5 times more for a ticket on Delta, I don't need to pre-board on Delta since we have seat assignments, and, unlike Southwest, Delta employees don't tell people that they don't need their business.

You might want to re-think your comment before someone at Southwest finds out who you are and fires you for chasing away business.

 

[KCFlyer]

OK, I'll do that!

By the way, I don't pay 5 times more for a ticket on Delta, I don't need to pre-board on Delta since we have seat assignments, and, unlike Southwest, Delta employees don't tell people that they don't need their business.

No...you don't necessarily have to preboard, but believe it or not, there are folks who pay (full fare in some cases) for seats for them and their child and their childs car seat, and they would like to be preboarded. The point is - Delta won't preboard you. I suppose they'd rather have a bunch of "elites" get smacked with a car seat being toted down the aisle by a customer with small children. And...if you follow your own advice and wait until 30 minutes before showing up at the gate, Delta will cancel you and your travelling companions assigned seat (as well as their reservations). Judging from my mother in laws last trip on Delta, they won't preboard folks in a wheelchair either. They had "assigned" her a bulkhead seat...didn't preboard her, so that when her row ("last" boarding group) was called, there was no place to put her bag in the overhead bin...and the FA did not offer to stow it for her. Now, I've had SWA FA's offer to stow my daughters carry on (same as the one my mother-in-law had incidently). You may have the assigned seat on Delta, but for "special needs" passengers SWA runs rings around Delta's service. I will add a minor caveat - the FA on the Comair flight from AVL to CVG went above and beyond the call in assisting my mother in law. The FA on the "full service" mainline carrier treated her as if she was imposing on her.

You might want to re-think your comment before someone at Southwest finds out who you are and fires you for chasing away business.

I have an idea that if anyone wrote Herb about never flying his airline again unless they start assigning seats, Herb might respond with "We'll miss you".

 

[JS]

No...you don't necessarily have to preboard, but believe it or not, there are folks who pay (full fare in some cases) for seats for them and their child and their childs car seat, and they would like to be preboarded. The point is - Delta won't preboard you.

KCFlyer, earlier you wrote "After they called medallions, they began with general boarding. At that point, I asked the gate agent if she could preboard and was told "no"."

Obviously you can't pre-board if they've already started general boarding (definition of "pre-board"). You could post-board.

And...if you follow your own advice and wait until 30 minutes before showing up at the gate, Delta will cancel you and your travelling companions assigned seat (as well as their reservations).

Why do you keep bringing this up? It doesn't make any sense. Showing up at the gate earlier than 30 minutes doens't do you any good. You are going to sit there until 30 minutes to departure.

If you want to use the kiosk, you have to check in at least 30 minutes before departure. Otherwise, you have to check in at least 15 minutes before departure (except LAS and DEN where it is 45 minutes).

I have an idea that if anyone wrote Herb about never flying his airline again unless they start assigning seats, Herb might respond with "We'll miss you".

And if I wrote Herb and said an employee told me that Southwest didn't need my business, what would his response be?

 

[KCFlyer]

Obviously you can't pre-board if they've already started general boarding (definition of "pre-board"). You could post-board.

And they did...with two kids and one woman toting two car seats. I'm sure a couple of medallions enjoyed getting bumped in the head by a car seat. Point being, Delta only "preboards" medallions. When the customer that it effects usually flies USAirways and never has to ask to be preboarded, they don't think that it will be necessary to ASK to be preboarded on Delta. When they don't preboard a person sitting at the gate in a wheelchair, then put that person in a bulkhead seat and THEN don't offer to stow the carryon for them (no space "under the seat" in a bulkhead row), it comes across as "less than steller" service.

Why do you keep bringing this up? It doesn't make any sense. Showing up at the gate earlier than 30 minutes doens't do you any good. You are going to sit there until 30 minutes to departure.

I bring it up because of your statement:

When you show up two hours early, you are wasting an hour and a half in order to save Southwest five minutes. That makes no sense.

Just a friendly reminder that you might want to "waste" a bit more than 30 minutes if you fly Delta, lest they cancel your seat and reservation. And in my home airport, if you decide to be somewhere besides the gate 30 minutes prior, there's a good chance you won't be able to clear security in time to make your flight...

And if I wrote Herb and said an employee told me that Southwest didn't need my business, what would his response be?

While WNer4life is pretty much a rabble rouser on this board, here's what would happen if you wrote Herb...they would ask for WNer4lifes side of the story. When they heard that the person writing the letter was complaining about the lack of assigned seating, they most likely would write back and tell you that they are sorry you feel that way, but if you must have an assigned seat, you'd be better off booking on another airline.

 

[Ch. 12]

And if I wrote Herb and said an employee told me that Southwest didn't need my business, what would his response be?

Herb has been known to tell people that he WN doesn't need their business. I would think that as a passenger that refuses to show up early (potentially wreaking havoc on the boarding process if you plan to get there <30 minutes early and you should happen to hit traffic) and that seems to dislike everything about WN's operation, I think that Herb would gladly agree with WNrforlife.

Like it's employees, WN's passengers are generally upbeat people. To encourage a sour attitude to fly and infect the rest of the clientele...well...I'd tell you to fly on another carrier, too.

WN has rules that not everybody likes, but they make for the most efficient operation for the last 30+ years. People like getting to their location ontime and that is the number one priority. Keep in mind the purpose behind WN's rules when you critique them.

 

[JS]

Well, I guess that settles it. I was trying to decide whether to drive up I-45 from Houston or fly Southwest on my next circle trip (can't stop in both Houston and Dallas when I've already got LAX on the itinerary).

Thanks for helping me come to a decision -- 500 more miles on the rental car it is!

 

[KCFlyer]

Well, I guess that settles it. I was trying to decide whether to drive up I-45 from Houston or fly Southwest on my next circle trip (can't stop in both Houston and Dallas when I've already got LAX on the itinerary).

Thanks for helping me come to a decision -- 500 more miles on the rental car it is!

I believe long about Corsicana you'll be wishing you would have taken that unassigned seat, but more power to ya. Enjoy the trip.

 

[JS]

I believe long about Corsicana you'll be wishing you would have taken that unassigned seat, but more power to ya. Enjoy the trip.

I've driven up and down I-45 countless times, and I've flown between DFW and HOU/IAH lots of times. Regarding Corsicana, I will be sure NOT to stop at the McDonald's there; it's horrible!

Basically, driving and flying between the two is a toss-up (I hate driving, I love flying, driving is cheaper with 5 passengers, and flying only saves an hour at best).

The fact that an employee of Southwest Airlines told me they don't need my business (all $340 of it assuming a $34 sale) is just enough to tip the scales in favor of driving.

You are a LUV stockholder, right? Don't you think it's pretty stupid to blow off $340 of YOUR money?

 

[mga707]

The fact that an employee of Southwest Airlines told me they don't need my business (all $340 of it assuming a $34 sale) is just enough to tip the scales in favor of driving.

And you are absolutely certain that he/she is an employee because he/she said so...on the INTERNET?!!!

Hey, I'm a hot-looking 18-year-old female virgin who's extremely lonely! B)

 

[JS]

And you are absolutely certain that he/she is an employee because he/she said so...on the INTERNET?!!!

Hey, I'm a hot-looking 18-year-old female virgin who's extremely lonely! B)

Good point! KCFlyer believes it, so that's pretty good evidence.

 

[mweiss]

The fact that an employee of Southwest Airlines told me they don't need my business (all $340 of it assuming a $34 sale) is just enough to tip the scales in favor of driving.

Actually, you took the statement out of context. On purpose, near as I can tell, but that's not the point.

The point is, the (alleged ) employee of Southwest told you that if you need assigned seating or preboarding for your family in order to give them your business, then they don't need your business.

Every business gets to decide what their breakeven point is. Once a business concludes that satisfying a customer will cost more than not serving that customer at all, the business has a fiduciary responsibility (assuming we're talking about a public corporation) to encourage the customer to take his or her business elsewhere.

The old adage about the customer always being right is a rule of thumb, not a commandment.

 

[KCFlyer]

And you are absolutely certain that he/she is an employee because he/she said so...on the INTERNET?!!!

Hey, I'm a hot-looking 18-year-old female virgin who's extremely lonely! B)

Good point! KCFlyer believes it, so that's pretty good evidence.

Au contraire - I believe that WNrforlife is neither a LUV employee or even a customer. They claim they are a 20 year agent. But...I take everyone's credentials on the internet with a grain of salt. I let their words do their talking. Based on that, I thought mga707 must be Robert Serling. But if you're driving to Dallas and back, the flight would cost you $195, not $380.

 

[mga707]

I let their words do their talking. Based on that, I thought mga707 must be Robert Serling.

(blushing) Why, thank you!
While I've met the famed aviation author (he actually does live in my city), I'm most assuredly not him!

 

[JS]

Au contraire - I believe that WNrforlife is neither a LUV employee or even a customer. They claim they are a 20 year agent. But...I take everyone's credentials on the internet with a grain of salt. I let their words do their talking. Based on that, I thought mga707 must be Robert Serling. But if you're driving to Dallas and back, the flight would cost you $195, not $380.

KCFlyer, five people @ $34+tax one way (no sale fare, I definitely drive).