tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post7296085640238375309..comments2023-09-09T09:26:22.175-04:00Comments on Andrew Samwick's Blog: In Praise of Southwest AirlinesAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13514024573333057559noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-32813480956980702082004-10-08T02:51:00.000-04:002004-10-08T02:51:00.000-04:00I'd like to add something. I've never see...I'd like to add something. I've never seen employees so cheery on a flight. They're always in a good mood, and cracking jokes over the speaker.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-67946947773702510842004-10-10T00:43:00.000-04:002004-10-10T00:43:00.000-04:00I am puzzled. I flew Southwest a couple of times, ...I am puzzled. I flew Southwest a couple of times, and each time was so bad that I promised to myself to never do it again. After a few years, the resolved would weaken, and I would try again -- only to get the same result!<br><br>I hate it, absolutely hate it, that they don't have pre-assigned seats! The lines or nervous people eagerly awaiting the boarding remind me of the old Soviet Union (where I had a misfortune to grow up). Since I left the Soviet Union, I have not felt like a speechless animal -- until I flew Southwest! These lines are just nauseating. The prospective of standing in those lines is disgusting; the sight of people spending 30-40 minutes in those lines is scary. <br><br>The point is not that I care about a particular seat that much. The point is that I don't want to be competing for a seat with another passenger. I want a basic dignity of knowing that I've got my seat, and that nobody will take it from me, even if they show up at the airport three hours ahead of time and stand for an hour in line by the gate. I want to be treated like a civilized human being, not like some refugee camping for hours in a fancy airport. <br><br>Disgust. That's all I feel about Southwest and their business model. Never again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-31830926322482270162004-10-13T01:26:00.000-04:002004-10-13T01:26:00.000-04:00I fly out of houston whcih has a strong southwest ...I fly out of houston whcih has a strong southwest and continental presence. I don't like southwest because 1) the upholstery in many planes is old and ugly, 2) the jokes the stewardesses tell over the PA are annoying, not funny, 3) it is more difficult to standby on an earlier flight (you risk losing your seat on hte original), and 4) in the airport if the first point of customer contact is unhelpful it is impossible to escalate your case to a manager they are not around. Continental always has red-jacketed bosses around. oh yeah, 5) the free 1st-class upgrades on Conti are nice, SW can't do that. <br><br>I don't really care if the company that provides me a service makes a profit or not, I just want a good product at a low price.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-5034415031682599642004-10-13T13:29:00.000-04:002004-10-13T13:29:00.000-04:00I have also always been fond of Southwest. I'v...I have also always been fond of Southwest. I've been flying with them alone since I was 17, and I've never had a problem.<br><br>Reading a couple of the other comments though, it is obvious that this is not the case for many people. For instance, my boyfriend cannot stand Southwest, although I haven't been able to pry the reasons out of him.<br><br>One person said that the lines in Southwest remind him of growing up in the old Soviet Union. He used words like nauseating and disgusting, obviously growing up in the Soviet Union left him with such a psycological dislike of these kinds of lines that cannot be overcome. I can assume that he does not pre-order movie tickets for opening night releases for the same reasons.<br><br>This seems to be a better reason to me however, than the last poster, who said that they did not like the plane's seating material, the corney jokes by the employees, and other such smaller concerns. <br><br>It shows just how badly he is missing the point when he says "I don't really care if the company that provides me a service makes a profit or not, I just want a good product at a low price."<br><br>If a company does not make a profit, it will go out of business. End of story. I don't care how many times the government tries to bail them out, eventually they will either adapt to a more Southwest-like way of doing business, or they will fold. A "good product" at a "low price" is not impossible, but it is very dependent from person to person, depending on what they consider a "good product" to be and the "low price" they are willing to pay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-78620164818092210842005-11-02T12:56:00.000-05:002005-11-02T12:56:00.000-05:00I tend to fly whichever airline is cheapest to my ...I tend to fly whichever airline is cheapest to my destination. Often with varied results, and almost always with one long sprint through an airport terminal.<br><br>I love Southwest for in-Texas business travel, and if I were flying to Portland, OR more often instead of Eugene, I'd fly it all the time. I don't mind the queue, I can get my boarding pass up to 24 hours before the flight, , and I don't have to worry about things. Show up, sit down, eat penuts, arrive mostly on-time.<br><br>Southwest treats flying as what it actually is: glorified, faster bus service. The larger carriers don't serve food anymore, are late more often than Southwest, and often charge more. I'm unwilling to pay a premium for an assigned seat. If TSA is going to make me show up early anyway, I might as well just stand in line and take the first Aisle that I can grab. Screw the extra $150 for the assigned seat in 7C, I can take 15C instead without much difficulty.Timothyhttp://www.onehandedeconomist.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-14483622786071652992006-04-05T12:48:00.000-04:002006-04-05T12:48:00.000-04:00Southwest is a wonderful airline, but you need to ...Southwest is a wonderful airline, but you need to know how they work as opposed to traditional airlines to make your trip less stressful. About.com has a great piece on how to effectively fly on Southwest:<br>http://gosw.about.com/od/resortsandtours/a/southwest.htm<br><br>Also, the new trend is to use a service company such as www.GetAnAPass.com to secure your A Boarding Pass which will give you control over your seating (the About article mentions GetAnAPass.com as well)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-4798701576971478422007-08-24T02:52:00.000-04:002007-08-24T02:52:00.000-04:00Southwest Airlines is the most fat un-friendly air...Southwest Airlines is the most fat un-friendly airline, I'm sure. I hate it, really. I had a horrible Southwest experience last summer. The service is terrible and the on-line check in is complete suck. I will never ever fly Southwest again!CreditBosshttp://www.credit-cards-rates.com/Site-Map-1464624-page.phpnoreply@blogger.com