Pax poll on what is most important when flying

[Vector4fun]

The SWA boarding policy doesn't bother me a whit. I want to get where I'm going somewhere close to on time, and have my baggage arrive with me. I avoid major hubs whenever possible, I book direct flights when I can. Can't remember when I had 2 connections or more and arrived on time. Not that it's a big deal to me that there's a flight scheduled every 40 minutes, just hate sitting for hours in airports, especially not knowing if/when I'll ever get on. I'd pay 10% more easy to get on a direct flight over a connection in one of the hubs that backs up five days a week or more. I'll fly to a different airport an hour away and rent a car if it saves a few bucks or keeps me out of "hub-he!!" with outrageous rental car fees, security lines with a hundred or more pax, and mile long hikes between gates, etc.


I'm anti-social, hate crowds.

 

[JimNtexas]

Southwest is OK Austin to San Antonio to Dallas, but I hate it for anything longer and won't fly them for anything longer because of the Darwinian seat assignment system.

The last time I flew them, about 2 years ago, they switched gates at the last minute. Fine , it happens. So I rush to the new gate. As I enter jetway the gate agent screams "RUN RUN". I answered "NO"! I guess technically I should have been arrested for disobeying an order from an airline employee.

I didn't see the need to run into my middle seat on the back row.

Thank God I have a share in a C-177!

 

[Yahtzee]

And if you don't think SW is afraid of any competition, which has been mentioned several times on this board, then why did they pay 87 million dollars for six gates that they don't need just to keep a rival (seat assignment) airline from gaining a presence at that airport.

For a unbiased opinion you can read about the SWA-ATA deal in the latest issue of www.planebusiness.com

or if you don't care to subscribe, I'll paraphrase it for you...GK is a smart man and this deal looked like a knockdown four seconds into Round One. Neither AirTran nor the rest of the industry expected a deal like this. SW isn't afraid of competition, but rather very aware of it.

 

[Steeler Fan]

Sorry kernel, that's not the boarding process.

"kernel" ???? I'm thinking that was over the top...I'm assuming there are more than a handful of SWA pilots who have proudly served in the military and wondering exactly where you're going with that. All the Southwest pilots I've associated with are great, and to see this comment kind of threw me.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and the opportunity to clarify what you meant here...Maybe I'm too sensitive here, but slamming a servicemember is NOT the type of comment I expected from a Southwest Pilot...


BTW...


I think Canyonblue and AF Citrus would make an excellent Pay-Per-View match

 

[TexaSWA]

...Darwinian seat assignment system.

I dont get the analogy.

 

[N1kawotg]

the boarding process follows the K.I.S.S. method. Its simple and it works for SWA. Instead of 5 gate agents dealing with changing peoples unwanted seat assignments and taking an hour plus , SWA has 1 or 2 that lead them down the jetway, smiles, and shuts the door in 25 min or less. Efficient and works.

 

[canyonblue]

"kernel" ???? I'm thinking that was over the top

Then quit thinking. Actually the "kernel" remark has nothing to do with my disparaging a SWA employee that may have been in the military. It was actually a "stolen" line from the many military pilots that I have flown with at SWA. I had never been privy to such a remark until I was hired here. Apparently when a former military pilot is acting like an a$$, they would all say, another frickin' kernel . I have heard that few are great to fly with though so I probably should not join in the generalization. I don't ask, nor do I care, what "rank" a pilot at SWA attained in their former job, we are all civilian pilots at Southwest. I have probably flown with a few "kernel's", but it didn't get through to me as I would not know the difference. 99.9% of the pilots I have flown with here have been awesome, ex-military and ex-other airline. So as far as the kernal remark meaning anything or an SWA ex-military pilot being offended, they are the ones who taught it to me. The only other thing I have learned from ex-military pilots at SWA is that the fighter guys tell me the non-fighter guys all suck, and the non-fighter guys tell me that the fighter guys suck. So can you see my grasp of military flying.

 

[Steeler Fan]

Then quit thinking. Actually the "kernel" remark has nothing to do with my disparaging a SWA employee that may have been in the military.

I THINK that this forum is a great place for people to express differences of opinion. Obviously you and AFCitrus disagree, and I think it's pretty funny watching you two go at each other.

I never said nor accused you of disparaging a SWA employee that may have been in the military. I was implying that I thought you went into attack mode on FredDriver for no reason (that's where you were directing the "kernel" and "Aye aye, Skipper" comments, NOT at a SWA employee)...What I was saying is that it seemed pretty condescending and unwarranted...That's what I thought--FredDriver obviously felt the same way, and if some of your former military SWA pilots read your posts, they very well may have thought the way I did.

I just don't THINK that Fred's input warranted what you tossed back at him. btw, I like thinking...it sure beats the alternative.