Is this worth pursuing further? (Probably not) Incident on a Southwest Flight

[ibob52]

Possibly the email *helped*

Believe it or not
some people learn from their *on the job* mistakes.

Best case scenario ... the FA will double double check
bins are closed ... in the future.

 

[Peaseblossom]

Wouldn't it have been better to say something at the time? Then no agonizing over "what if" and perhaps, a free bag of mixed nuts.

 

[Disneyhappy]

Wouldn't it have been better to say something at the time? Then no agonizing over "what if" and perhaps, a free bag of mixed nuts.

Agreed- it would be beneficial to also say something at the time but I don't think it discounts the importance of feedback directly to the company.

 

[Chad819]

Really?? This is something you need to vent about?? I agree with others that it is extremely petty! The bin was closed, end of story. Nothing more needed to be done or thought about it. It was a simple error that was corrected.

 

[seashoreCM]

It is not petty to someone who has witnessed an overhead bin pop open during turbulence and two people getting bashed in the head with luggage.

OT: 1. Window seats are a little safer than aisle seats in this regard.
OT: 2. During takeoff and other stressful (to the aircraft as opposed to persons' brains) portions of the flight) be prepared to hold your arms up to protect your head, in much the same way you might raise your arms when riding a roller coaster.

 

[maxiesmom]

OT: 2. During takeoff and other stressful (to the aircraft as opposed to persons' brains) portions of the flight) be prepared to hold your arms up to protect your head, in much the same way you might raise your arms when riding a roller coaster.

Can I go Wheeeeeee!!! too????

 

[DebbieB]

Wouldn't it have been better to say something at the time? Then no agonizing over "what if" and perhaps, a free bag of mixed nuts.

I agree, what should have happened is when the passengers noticed the bin was open, someone should have hit the call button.

 

[aubriee]

Really?? This is something you need to vent about?? I agree with others that it is extremely petty! The bin was closed, end of story. Nothing more needed to be done or thought about it. It was a simple error that was corrected.

I agree also. Bin was open, FA closed it. No one got hurt. No way would I have reported something like that. It wouldn't have even occurred to me to report that FA. Very, very petty!

 

[paults]

mickeymedic;46746102]As I am writing this, I think I have come to the conclusion that there is really nothing more that can be done. But I will continue as a vent anyway...

On a recent flight - my one and only experience with Southwest - I witnessed what I believed to be a couple of concerning safety violations - an open overhead bin and an unbelted flight attendant during take-off. Here's what happened:

I was seated within the first few rows of the cabin. The crew was hurrying everyone along to get seated because we needed to "get out ahead of the storm" - or at least that's what they kept announcing over the speakers. Once everyone was finally seated, we taxied rather quickly to the runway and within a few short minutes we were barreling down the runway for takeoff. However, in the rush, the flight attendants neglected to close the very front overhead bin. As we are seconds from take-off, I couldn't take my eyes off of the open bin. I kept thinking that if we banked hard, the suitcases could fall out and injure one of the passengers seated below. I wasn't the only one eyeing this open bin.

Just as we are lifting off, one of the flight attendants in the front of the plane finally noticed the open bin. She unbuckled herself and managed to close the bin as the plane was taking off. (More power to her for not falling during this...I appreciate her putting her own safety aside for the benefit of the passengers). But happened next that made me wonder. She returned to her seat and didn't bother to buckle back in - she just sat there with her arms folded across her lap, bracing herself with her feet until we were no longer climbing at a sharp angle. Now, I will admit that I have no idea what the rules and regulations are for flight attendants. So it is entirely possible that there was no reason for her to buckle back in. But it struck me as strange. I always figured that the flight attendants had all the extra harnessing to wear during take off and landing so that if something bad happened, they would be least likely to get hurt and therefore be available to assist others. By not buckling in during takeoff, I would think that if the plane had to bank sharply or make another sudden maneuver that she would become a projectile - injuring herself and possibly others.

I voiced my concern about the bin being left ajar and the unbuckled flight attendant via Southwest's website. The first email I received said that they were investigating the situation further and that they would be contacting me for more information regarding the incident. But then I heard nothing else until today. The email they sent me read, in part:

"Based upon information provided by the Flight Attendants serving Flight #2390, an overhead bin did indeed pop open shortly after takeoff from HOU. In the best interest of Passenger Safety, one of the Flight Attendants stood up to close the bin, and then returned to her jumpseat in the forward galley.

The Flight Attendants further reported that all safety protocols were followed throughout this event, and for the remainder of the flight as well. Nonetheless, please accept our apologies if you witnessed any activity onboard Flight #2390 that made you feel unsafe, or apprehensive about the Safety of others. Your comments have been taken to heart, and will be included in our monthly summary, which is distributed to Senior Leadership."

I am now incredibly annoyed because they lied. The bin didn't pop open; they never bothered to close it in the first place. I realize at this point that there is nothing to be gained by pursuing this. I don't plan to fly Southwest again (this incident has pretty much nothing to do with that decision) and I don't expect the crew to suddenly change their story. I would have liked the opportunity to speak directly with someone from Southwest about the incident. Or it would have been nice if the email they sent me was something I could reply to. But no - it was a "no-reply" email address and the email was signed with a first name only.

Thanks for letting me vent.[/QUOTE]

I fly SW all the time now and love it. As for the opened bin , almost on every flight I've been on I watch the FA's close the bins and head to their seats while some person gets up to get somesome from their bin and not close it. It's a good chance a FA won't see this happen. In all the cases I've seen a FA came back to close the bin ( I guess the bin door was to heavy for the person to close).
All you had to do was hit your FA call button and point to the bin.

 

[Poohforyou]

Op, if you were so concerned about the bin being opened that you sat there watching it why didn't you immediately call out to the fa and let her know about it? Reporting her for not buckling was petty Imo.

 

[phorsenuf]

Oh I agree- I can't believe someone would actually write a letter and compain about this- seems very petty and like the OP wanted to get the flight attendant in trouble.

Believe it or not, people use these incidents to try and get something from the airlines, like milage or free flights or something like that. Im not saying the OP is doing that. I had a friend (who is no longer a friend) who used to report stuff like this and the airline would offer him things just to go away.

My guess is probably this. It's the same reason why people complain to Disney because a CM didn't say happy birthday to their kid. Complain, and get something free.

 

[goofy4tink]

Seriously???? On Thanksgiving??? We're done here.