What were they thinking?

[CarolA]

Or perhaps that's the problem... they weren't thinking

I have had a three SW flights this week and so far...

1. Mother with baby in a sling did not want to check her luggage. Now how was she planning to get it into the overhead???? It was going to teleport up there? She looked miserable trying to lug all that stuff and had someone not helped her she probably would have given her child a life long skull injury by dropping that VERY heavy suitcase on it's head. It took TWO people to manhandle this thing into the overhead... (She then took two seats and was not happy when they told her that she had to HOLD the infant, flight was oversold, infant did not have a seat. We had a LOT of turbulence and I was really hoping she was holding on tight!)

2. Family of about 10 arrived at the airport half an hour before their flight without checking in on line. Then were upset that their 5 year old did not qualify for pre-boarding. They were C on a flight that started in Chicago so it had folks on it when the A's boarded. The FA's got on the speaker and asked for someone to give up either their window or aisle so that mom and child could sit together. (I couldn't since the middle seat on my row was already full) A man volunteered to move and the SW FA said "you can have this seat" (The only remaining aisle seat on the plane) A member of the late arriving family was FURIOUS that she couldn't have that seat. Never mind that it was HER family that had pushed the nice man out of his seat.

3. Today on my flight the agent announced that we had 50 people and the plane seats 167 (or something like that) SO... we nearly had a fight at the gate. The woman who had been camping out in the front of the A line for over an hour was SCREAMING that the preboarders were getting on. (The preboarder was a man in a wheelchair.) She accused him of faking just to get a good seat. (The man was in his PERSONAL wheelchair, just strikes me that most folks don't BUY a wheelchair just to preboard) Then this idiot wants to know why his wife gets to go with him. Gate agent finally told her that if she continued to cause a scene security would be summoned and she would not get on the plane... (She shut up!)


Some people should not leave home.....

 

[Slsguy]

OMG - What kind of person are you if you are capable of yelling at a man in a wheel chair!?!?!?

If common sense was so common, everyone would have it!

 

[chasbos]

Sure makes you wonder how some people act when people are not around!

Why do they have to make everyone elses miserable just because they are?

We had a rather humorous incident a few weeks ago while coming home from vacation (we thought it was funny because of how ridiculous this person looked, if I was the gate agent I would have snapped)

We were the first flight of the day and our plane was not at the gate - no big deal we still had 1/2 before take off. Well, this lady (I am using the term loosely) comes in with her husband in a wheelchair (we has young but had a soft cast on) and her 2 children and of course they are not checking any luggage! So they have 4 suitcases, 2 kids about 5 & 3 and a husband in a wheelchair - we all realize they are going to need assistance boarding and let them sit by the gate.

Well, the plane has not yet arrived so this lady gets up and leaves hubby in a wheelchair with the 5 & 3 yo. Finally the plane arrives and they are getting ready to board the people who need assistance. They have boarded a few people but of course Mom has the boarding passes with her, so here she comes with Tim Horton's in her hand (the whole coffee and donut thing!) just a screaming because "her family is going to need assistance boarding" and why is nobody helping them.

We we just sat there in awe at how rude she was! Yes, honey you need assistance but you did not have to carry on 4 peices of luggage and then head to get a morning snack that you cannot carry.

The gate agent had to get the flight attendants to come and get her darn luggage and kids and husband so she could carry her coffee and donut on board.

Nice to know the world revolves around that lady!

 

[nuke]

I flew Southwest on Saturday and United returning on Sunday. The southwest flight was wonderful. About 50 people on the plane, boarded in 5 minutes flat, pleasant flight attendants.
The United flight sucked. I swear United has smushed as many rows in the plane that they can. There was no room between seats. I never really realized it before this weekend and I think it's only because I flew WN on Saturday so I could compare. Anyways everyone on UA had a huge roll on and 1/2 the people had to gate check. We left 15 minutes late because people can't sit their butts down!

 

[Lewisc]

I'd probably have "helped" the mother by trying to get the FA or GA to gate check the bag. A bag that requires two adults to lift doesn't belong overhead.

 

[salmoneous]

Nice to know the world revolves around that lady!

But in all fairness, you've got to admit those Tim Horton's donuts are might tasty

 

[owtrbnks]

Some people should not leave home.....

I would have helped . . . . for a donut!

 

[Slsguy]

Yeah, I would have helped as well - helped her out of her own little self-absorbed world and back to reality!

I wont say how because I'm sure there are forum rules against it!


Mmmmmmm - dooooonuts. Krispy Kreme is better...

 

[chasbos]

I am probably sounding anti-Canadian here, but I prefer Krispy Kreme to Tim Hortons too!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

One of the problems flying SWA is they often have a large amount of flyers who are either newbies at flying or fly infrequently, so they don't understand the rules.

Shame on SWA gate personnel for not making that Mom gate check her luggage. Same for the United personnel for allowing huge carry-ons.

The FA's got on the speaker and asked for someone to give up either their window or aisle so that mom and child could sit together.

I have to admit that there is no way I would give up a window or aisle seat and take a center seat, especially for a family such as the one you described.

 

[DebbieB]

I flew SW for the first time last month and I agree there are alot more newbie flyers. One person stood up to get his bag out of the overhead while the plane was still taxing in! The flight attendent hollered.

There was a woman probably age 80+ with a rollaboard. She just stood there looking up at the overhead until someone came and helped her. If you can't lift it, you should check it!

 

[hjd0411]

As an airline employee (in Australia) it is refreshing to hear your responses to the attitudes of some people. We have to grin and bear a lot of abuse! I make allowances for everybody because most people don't fly every day, so can get stressed in an alien environment, but I'm afraid I can't tolerate rudeness - I understand anger, but there is no excuse for rudeness.
Happy flying, everyone.....

 

[snowy76]

I am probably sounding anti-Canadian here, but I prefer Krispy Kreme to Tim Hortons too!

Woooo, the gloves come off!

 

[MayMom]

I was a flight attendant for SW, based in Chicago. Oh the stories I could tell.......It was always just amazing to me that SO many people thought that the RULES did not apply to them!!! As in, "I understand that everyone else HAS to follow the rules for everyone's comfort and security, but you don't expect ME to do this, right?"

 

[Minnie]

A lot of this mess would be resolved if SW would just dump the stupid "cattle call" and assign seats just like the rest of the airlines.

This is the reason we fly Airtran.

 

[shafke]

A lot of this mess would be resolved if SW would just dump the stupid "cattle call" and assign seats just like the rest of the airlines.

This is the reason we fly Airtran.

That's why for out trip next year SW is not at the top of my list of airlines... it is number 2 after Jet Blue. The same mentality you see on SW I see everyday on the train. It is not everyone by any means but only take those one or two special few that seem to just annoy the piss out of you. Why do I want to deal with that on vacation. I would much prefer assigned seating.

 

[Servants of Evan]

You just have to love it. There's a reason why SW and some others are called "The Greyhound of the Sky." I've flown SW and others enough to know what to do (and what not) but people never cease to amaze me...

The only other funny one I can think of off the top of my head is on a flight from Atlanta back into Cleveland on Continental. Everyone has just about boarded when we get the usual person in the aisle looking for their seat. Granted, their seat is there but there is another person in it. It's virtually a full flight so the person goes to the FA and asks for help. The FA heads back and asks the gentleman sitting in the incorrect seat to move to his correct seat. He just looks at her and doesn't move. She asks to see his boarding pass and he coldly states, "I'm in 10C" and says it in such a way the FA just drops it. The other gentleman shrugs his head perhaps not wanting to make waves and heads to the back of the 737 to find an open seat. We're about ready for the push-back when the 1st Class FA starts to make the obligatory announcement "Welcome to flight XXXX with non-stop service to Cleveland. If Cleveland is not your destination, please see a flight attendant immediately." Wouldn't you know it, Mr "I'm not moving" -- his eyes suddenly go wide and he realizes that he's on the wrong plane!!! He then argues with the FA that when he boarded the sign at the end of the jetway door said Philladelphia! After taking his abuse for a minute, the flight attendant tells him, "You're right sir. I'm certain that all these people who boarded this plane had the Cleveland sign at the door except for you -- it must have changed just for you because you are special!"

 

[CarolA]

Well the woman with the luggage and the baby in arms was NOT SW's "cattle call" boarding's fault. No matter what airline you are on if you carry it on YOU need to be able to deal with it.

As for the others, I figure they would have had problems on any airline. As we see on here all the time booking a seat on an airline with assigned seating does NOT mean you get the seat you wanted, they can and do move you. A family of 10 stands a good chance of being split up.

Also, on any airline if you wander up to the gate at the last minute don't be surprised to find your seat gone.... I have seen several folks discover thier seats were taken when they "appeared" with thier coffee etc. wanting to board at the last minute. All the airlines have times you have to be there by and if your aren't it's your fault.

One of my favorites occured on a flight from France. I got on the plane only to find a man in my seat. I just hit the FA call button. The FA shows up and the idiot starts yelling at all of us about how he was a DL frequent flyer with tons of miles etc and he is not moving. (He must have been in the wrong seat, I have no idea) FA comes back a few minutes, smiles at me and hands me my new boarding pass. As she does she points at my new seat assignment. I took it and RAN. I got bumped to Business Class..... If half the things the idiot said were true he should have been bumped up ahead of me........

 

[Lisa_Belle]

Infrequent flyer here - please don't flame me!

Is "gate check" when the FA takes your carryon bag at the boarding gate or plane entry? I had that happen once. It was a small AA plane, and the FA's took everyone's larger carryons. Personally, I thought it was wonderful. I didn't have to go through baggage claim and I didn't have to deal with storing it overhead or under a seat.

 

[chasbos]

A lot of this mess would be resolved if SW would just dump the stupid "cattle call" and assign seats just like the rest of the airlines.

I still do not believe this to be true - I have yet to be on a flight that has assigned seats that we do not have to wait for people to get there boarding passes out to show the FA their seat number.

Just 2 weeks ago we were flying home from Calgary on WestJet and you get your seat assignment when you check in and if you are early enough and you do not like that seat you can switch.

Well, this lady must have boarded right away and asked a man to switch with her (he was in the middle seat and she was in the middle seat across the row. The reason she asked him to switch was because the window and aisle seat were full on her side and not his. So she just plopped herself in the aisle seat and just expected the person who had the boarding pass for the seat she was in to sit in the middle seat that she had changed for.

So of course the person who had the aisle seat boards and wants her seat but nobody moves - the plane is full, no extra seats. So finally the FA comes over and makes everyone get their boarding passes out and then they have to explain what was happening. Of course the lady who does not have a seat (except for the middle one that she did not have) was not going to sit in the middle - it was not her seat.

This of course is making us late for takeoff. Finally the lady without the seat asks why the person in the wrong seat needs an aisle - she did have a disability that she needed to have her legs stretched out, so finally the nice lady agreed to give up her aisle seat and sit in the middle, but this did take up about 10 minutes.

Never had that on SWA.