Had yet another really annoying day with them yesterday.
For context I was A list from 2009-2021 and was a big fan. Retired into the pandemic and have only flown about a dozen times in the last few years.
The last half dozen flights have been rife with issues. Starting with missing a wedding due to their flight system meltdown.
Yesterday the new and improved app screwed me on check-in. When I tried to get an improved boarding position I was told by customer service on the phone they didn't have the access to do anything that I could ask at airport. Airport transitions to a conversation with a smartass who also refused to do anything. When I pressed his decision (irritated but no cursing or the like) he became triggered and was feeling disrespected. Immediately pivoted to threatening to deny my boarding for safety reasons. You will just have to trust me that this was TOTALLY unwarranted.
Fast forward I get to my destination city and the plane is held until the gate clears. In the 8 minutes we are waiting some tool decides it's time to use the bathroom. This results in an additional 15 minutes delay where flight attendant and pilot come on four times to say everyone has to be in their seat before we can go to gate.
Yeah, don't address the source of the problem just keep making your announcements. No apparent consequences for the offender. Total flipping clown show.

So a serious question. Have other frequent flyers on SW been having similar issues?
Or have I just been really lucky? Seriously, I flew them regularly for 10+ years with zero issues and now the last couple years have been a crap show.

The problem isn't contained to just SWA.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
The problem isn't contained to just SWA.

I realize we have a larger issue in society as a whole. My experience with SW had always been better than those in general society. What I am seeing is not any more. If anything the pendulum has swung to the other extreme.

I'm still flying 12-15 times a year on SW with A-list preferred status. Been on Southwest regularly since 1998 and A list for the last 15 years.

I've noticed fuller flights, fewer delayed flights, but more morons. I find SWA continues to do the right thing in most circumstances. Sometimes you're just screwed and there's not much anyone can do. I was screwed on a return flight from El Paso. Mechanical issue caused me to rerouted through Denver and didn't get preferred boarding on next available flight. I wasn't mistreated as much as my elite status didn't do much to give me a leg up on non elite status fliers.

I still believe each SWA has the authority to do the right thing. Trying to pee in their Cheerios isn't likely to endear yourself to an otherwise sympathetic employee.

Russ,
That had been my prior experience with them. I am familiar with the options at their disposal and always thought they have some discretion. They were having none of it.

Someone or something had already pee'd in their Cheerios at the airport.
I do think if I had been sporting guages my chances would have improved drastically.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
Someone or something had already pee'd in their Cheerios at the airport.
I do think if I had been sporting guages my chances would have improved drastically.

I've got around 600 round trips with SWA. When things happen, I've been treated fairly. Only a handful of times did I get the impression that I wasn't gonna make any progress.

I feel for those gate agents who get the Karen's of the world who are making demands on their $59 one way fare to LAX.

Good luck next time. Don't give up on SWA.

Flying can suck. As for your friend who needed to pee, what exactly did you want them to do? They can’t move by Federal regulation (pilot ticket on the line) and you can’t physically drag them back to their seat. You make a PA and hope for compliance. Nothing else you can do.

As for the triggered employee that just sucks. Write a letter you will probably get a voucher and you sound like you might deserve it.

I probably won't be giving up on them. Largely because I know the other carriers aren't going to be any better.
Yes, I pretty much expect someone to suck it up for 8 minutes to pee when it means failing to do so is going to inconvenience 120 others. I'm kind of a jerk that way.

Won't be any vouchers. They have the AI Chat box programmed to apologize for whatever you list as the issue. It is impossible to get to anyone at SW in a capacity to actually resolve any problems. Even when my wedding flight was just cancelled I was never able to discuss it with a SW employee. They TOLD me after the fact what they would be doing. And it wasn't a response to my complaint. It was a mass email to all impacted. Their CS is frankly a joke but again not worse than the others. My disappointment is in my mind they WERE better at one time.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
Won't be any vouchers. They have the AI Chat box programmed to apologize for whatever you list as the issue. It is impossible to get to anyone at SW in a capacity to actually resolve any problems. Even when my wedding flight was just cancelled I was never able to discuss it with a SW employee. They TOLD me after the fact what they would be doing. And it wasn't a response to my complaint. It was a mass email to all impacted. Their CS is frankly a joke but again not worse than the others. My disappointment is in my mind they WERE better at one time.

It pains me to say this but these days the best way to get a complaint resolved is to use social media, specifically FB or X. Trying to go through the normal channels seems to be an exercise in futility. There is literally a live Twitter/X “waterfall” in the operations center that is continuously monitored, probably by a college intern but it is what it is. As soon as you pitch your bitch publicly the motivation to actually address the issue goes up exponentially. I wish us employees could use it for our gripes but that would probably result in a friendly “chat” with HR!

SWA is my least-favorite airline. I am a United 1K and most of my travel is on UA metal or other star alliance partners. When I'm booking a leisure trip, I often go to SWA and check the fares. They are usually double what United is asking, and sometimes more than that. I got ONE cheap trip on Southwest this year, in conjunction with one of their fare sales. I also hate the boarding scrum. Some people love it, especially if you are A-list. I have checked in within 1 second of T-24 and gotten boarding position C-5. Can you say middle seat in the back? I do like their free checked bags and general service, but overall, it's just not for me.

I went from being something of a Southwest fanboy to now avoiding them if at all possible, in the span of about 4 years. I don’t fly all that often, just a few times per year. Despite that, every one of the last 4 trips that I took on Southwest resulted in canceled flights which set me back at least a full day on my travel plans. First flight on a Sunday morning got canceled, couldn’t get me out until Monday. Also it wasn’t like there were weather issues either on 3 of the 4 trips.

I’m done with SWA for now. On the plus side, I used to avoid American Airlines whenever possible. However, the last couple times that I’ve flown American have been excellent. While Delta is still my favorite airline if price wasn’t a consideration, I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised that American seems to really be upping their game.