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"I have had the same bad experience
with Delta trying to use my frequent flyer miles.
"I enjoy your newsletter very
much.
"Southwest is a no-frills airline, but
the perks are excellent.
"I am not an air warrior - I fly a
couple of flights each month, mostly up and down the east coast. I use
the Southwest Visa Card and book on-line.
I use the car rental promos (quadruple points) and I usually get a free
ticket every 45 days - I can transfer the tickets to anyone I want, very
easy to get a ticket and even better yet, I can use them sometime with
just a day or two notice - saving me from paying the last minute higher
fares.
"On top of all of this, I accumulate
enough points to get a 1 year companion pass every 12 months. That
allows anyone I choose to fly free as long as they fly my exact
itinerary.
"Best program I have ever had.
"Kudos Southwest - keep doing what you
are doing." [Dan S. - Boca Raton, FL]
"Everyone surely has a story or two
regarding this remarkable airline. I was slow coming to try Southwest
even after they acquired Morris Air and started flying in and out of
PDX, my hometown. But, it didn't take long to observe and catch the
"Southwest spirit".
"They have a website that has to be
the fastest and easiest to use, including for rental cars and hotels in
U. S. cities where they don't even fly. Except for a few blackout
dates, if they have even one empty seat, it's yours for a free award.
(And one award ticket is good for two one-way flights; we do it that way
more than you might think.)
"In fifteen years, only once have I
have come home to Portland not to find my bags already going around the
carousel when I got there. (How Southwest does it where no one else can
is beyond me). More often than not, including in this summer of general
discontent, the flights arrive early wherever they are going. There is
an extra inch of pitch at every seat over what you generally find in the
"legacy" carriers. Their fares are reliably inexpensive, especially on
their daily "Ding" online promotions. And the flight and cabin crews
look after you with a smile (and a pillow).
"I have often told their crews that
even though Southwest does not fly international routes, I rate them #1
overall in that category because if they did, they would be.
"(Disclaimer: I am not a travel agent
and am not employed by anyone in the travel business, including
Southwest Airlines.)
"Best wishes (and thanks for a great
read every week)." [Ed N. - Portland, OR]
"I need to share an experience I had last week."
"I was flying from Hartford to Ft.
Lauderdale with a stop in Baltimore. The flight from Baltimore was to
leave at 6:30 PM. The plane did not arrive until 8:00 PM. The passengers
left the plane but we were not asked to board. A short while later
Captain Jim Stevens came out and addressed the waiting passengers via
the PA system. He told us, 'I don't want to stick you in a tin can.' I
don't want to leave you sitting on the tarmac for an indefinite amount
of time. There is severe weather south of here; all airlines going south
from all three DC airports are not departing until the weather improves.
He indicated he had found a flight path that went over the ocean and
would completely avoid the storm, but air traffic control had refused
permission. He indicated that dispatchers in Dallas would continue to
negotiate a departure with air traffic control.
"Southwest kept us informed and
updated frequently. They had a satellite image of the storm on their
computers so we could see how things were progressing. After the food
places closed at 10:00 PM, the Captain came out with a basket full of
beverages for the waiting passengers. The flight attendants handed out
the usual peanuts and pretzels. Shortly after midnight we boarded. I
asked the Captain how we were getting out as the storm continued. He
indicated that the new shift from air traffic control came on and
cleared for take off them right away. From my perspective I was quite
impressed. The Captain comes out and addresses the crowd personally; he
was honest and kept us informed. He cared enough to hand out
refreshments himself and had the computer monitors turned around for our
viewing.
"I think this is how an airline can
effectively build good feelings among its customers in a very bad
situation. My trip lasted 15 hours door to door, while I was frustrated
with such a long delay, I don't feel that the airline could have done
much more." [Stuart S.]
"You describe SW as a no frills. What
frills do they not give that others give?
"Some complain about not having seat
reservations. Just print out your boarding pass ahead of time and you
can receive a good seat, window or aisle.
"No food? A lot of airlines don't
give food and some that do, it is not that big of a deal.
"On the other hand, SW operators
answer 90% of the time, first ring.
"Frequent flyer awards are easy. Who
else gives a companion pass and tickets for liquor?
"Who else allows you to cancel and
bank 100% of your money?
"Giving away your frequent flyer
awards are as easy as can be.
"Who else has Ding, if you like to
bargain shop.
"There used to be a difference, but
now there is very little.
"As far as I am concerned, overall
they are the best." [Gary W. - Edmonds, WA]
"I find it increasingly awkward to
read Southwest described as a 'discount' or 'no frills' airline. What
are the criteria for comparison?
"After all, the Southwest coach
product provides peanuts or pretzels (Northwest does not) and Southwest
is completely free of regional jet mania, now required penance when
flying all network carriers. It is absurd to call the reasonable-sized
coach seat on Southwest "no-frills" compared to any seat on any regional
jet. In fact, the standard coach product on all other network carriers
is worse than Southwest's and accompanied by airline staff whose resumes
were pulled from a DMV reject pile.
"I am Platinum Elite on Northwest, but
always prefer Southwest to every other airline's coach product. Even
though Southwest does not pre-assign seats, I at least have the option
of grabbing an aisle. If I fly as a non-Elite member on any other
carrier, I will be in the middle seat, perhaps near the frequently used
and infrequently cleaned toilet in the back. On Southwest, a snack is
provided, in coach, Northwest expects me to pay for one. Southwest
delivers my luggage together with me, another added advantage when
traveling.
"The true 'no-frills' airlines in this
country are the network carrier's coach service and their regional jets.
The network carrier attitude that a seat is a seat has ended up causing
them to reduce service and commoditize themselves." [Orn
G.]
"I was looking for someplace in the
newsletter for replies but did not find such. Many people have
expressed their displeasure with Delta and their FF Program. Our
experience has consistently been good--good service and we have not had
any problems using FF miles (only once we had to make a one day change).
Whenever there has been any unforseen problem causing delay, etc. Delta
has always been exemplary in handling it. On the other hand, we do
have some horror stories with some other major airlines!" [Barbara
T.]
Until next
week...
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