traveling revenue on SWA

[BentOver]

Bought family a couple tickets to the West Coast on SWA.

They have a 50 minute connection in Denver, however, I noticed on Flightaware that their first outbound (to Denver) from small town seems to be late pretty often. (Doesn't look weather related, just that the a/c seems to go through LAX/DEN before heading to where they are starting their travel so it gets behind by :30 or so)

I am going to check them in ASAP so hopefully they can sit close to the front to deplane faster.

What does SWA usually do for passengers who seem to arrive very close to their connection? Will they try to hold the plane seeing that it is the last flight of the night. They are supposed to meet me on the West Coast so we can all fly home together on my airline)

I assume SWA getting them a hotel in DEN would be out of the question if the delay/missed connection is anything but mechanically related?

They are on full fare normal bought tickets, not ID90 or ZED. They are normal paying passengers for this trip

 

[Bake]

They will hold usually if it is the last flight of the night.

 

[BentOver]

They will hold usually if it is the last flight of the night.

Thanks, that is what I'm hoping. It seemed they did that often on the "Airline" show

My wife is traveling with our 4yr old. It's been an long couple week visit home for them, they are definitely ready to get back to meet me .. Doing it with a 4 yr old in strange towns/getting hotels is not what they really want to have to do!

 

[SWA Bubba]

Bought family a couple tickets to the West Coast on SWA.

They have a 50 minute connection in Denver, however, I noticed on Flightaware that their first outbound (to Denver) from small town seems to be late pretty often. (Doesn't look weather related, just that the a/c seems to go through LAX/DEN before heading to where they are starting their travel so it gets behind by :30 or so)

I am going to check them in ASAP so hopefully they can sit close to the front to deplane faster.

What does SWA usually do for passengers who seem to arrive very close to their connection? Will they try to hold the plane seeing that it is the last flight of the night. They are supposed to meet me on the West Coast so we can all fly home together on my airline)

I assume SWA getting them a hotel in DEN would be out of the question if the delay/missed connection is anything but mechanically related?

They are on full fare normal bought tickets, not ID90 or ZED. They are normal paying passengers for this trip

50 minutes is actually more than the normal connect time of a lot of Southwest flights, and is generally no problem at all. If the inbound is delayed, the connection is generally delayed, especially if it's only a few minutes. Exceptions: if there's another flight to the same destination (with room on it!) shortly thereafter, they might not wait. If it's the last flight of the day to that particular place, they'll typically wait even longer. I've personally waited 45 minutes on the last flight of the night to a destination, waiting for connections.

People at the stations and in Dallas keep track of this, and make these decisions as they happen. Sometimes they even know hours in advance that a flight will take a delay waiting on connections. To be honest, I thought all airlines do this, but I've heard stories saying otherwise.

No, Southwest won't generally buy a hotel room for someone in that case, but it is very infrequent, due to them watching connections and holding flights as needed. On the cases where they can't hold a flight for a connect, they tell that person before he leaves his first city, so he can elect whether to not go at all, or only make it part way on that day.

By the way, this is for revenue passengers, like your family. Non-revs are on their own (although they'll get info on whether or not they're liable to make a connection), and passengers late due to their own incompetence are S.O.L. I've heard a CSA recently tell an ops agent to push a plane without a connect after looking at her computer: "he's been on the ground here in <city> for an hour, I've made three pages, go without him."

Anyway, this is the way it's supposed to work (and generally does), but I'm sure that every now and then, someone slips through the cracks. We do it this way to inconvenience (or piss off!) the fewest number of people.

Hope this helps.

Bubba

 

[BentOver]

Awesome, it's a relief knowing that they generally look out for connecting passengers..

I'll tell my wife, she's already a nervuous flyer, and is pretty worried about having to figure out hotels in Denver, and then having to get to the West Coast the next day. If that happens she'll miss the flight I'm working and be on her own non-revving home.

She's the type that'll still show up 2 hrs before the flight even at podunk airports because she worries about long lines!!! I've been hearing about this :50 minute connection all week, and unfortunately she knows how to use flightaware.com.. She's been checking the departure delays all week too!!!

 

[scoreboardII]

Please tell me you bought the ticket on the SWA website as a through flight under one itinerary? I've seen lots of folks trying to game the system, buy the cheapest ticket from A to B, then cheapest ticket B to C, thinking 30-40 minutes is enough at B, usually it is. BUT, if there is a delay, and you didn't buy it on one itinerary as a through flight or as a connecting flight, then SWA will not hold planes. I've seen plenty of folks trying to game the system, and get left behind. I know this because inevitably, the late passenger will ask an FA, who asks us to call, we do with the name, and the company says that person did not buy a connecting ticket, to bad, so sad.

 

[BentOver]

Please tell me you bought the ticket on the SWA website as a through flight under one itinerary? I've seen lots of folks trying to game the system, buy the cheapest ticket from A to B, then cheapest ticket B to C, thinking 30-40 minutes is enough at B, usually it is. BUT, if there is a delay, and you didn't buy it on one itinerary as a through flight or as a connecting flight, then SWA will not hold planes. I've seen plenty of folks trying to game the system, and get left behind. I know this because inevitably, the late passenger will ask an FA, who asks us to call, we do with the name, and the company says that person did not buy a connecting ticket, to bad, so sad.

Nope, no gaming here.. I'm a pilot but when it comes to getting my daughter where she needs to be I'm not a cheapskate.. 1 itinerary, connecting flight in DEN. It was also the easiest, most convenient, most direct way to get them where they need to be. I wasn't going to send them through ATL, BNA, and MCI to get them where they needed to be 15 hrs later to save $100 bucks... I'd do that to myself, but not family...

Only after the fact did we start worrying/notice about the connection time, historical delay, and last flight of the night thing. I figured :50 minute connection was acceptable, but then noticed it was the last flight of the night to destination.

I understand about pasengers trying that and getting hosed though

 

[StopNTSing]

Appreciate the business. Our operation gets a bit more jacked-up over the summer months with the weather & high load factors (as do all airlines), but I hope your family's trip goes without any glitches!

 

[GIZMONC]

You did not specify the departure date. You have couple of options. #1 exercise early bird boarding lets you check in 36 hours before departure time which will cost $12.50 per passenger. This at least puts you higher on the boarding priority. Option # 2 was that you can purchase ( if not already sold out) a boading position 1-15 for business select those are $40.00 per ticket and purchased day of flight just before boarding again if available. FYI next time you are booking if you are sure you have to make a connection, sometimes it is possible to book on a flight that just makes a stop and you do not have to make a connection ( late connection situation solved). Forgot last option if your wife is traveling with a child that is 4 or younger family boarding on SWA is between the A and the B. Hope this all helps. But as another posted indicated earlier, a 50 min connection with another SWA flight is NICE. Most ICO flights ( Inner connect opportunity) flights ususally only 25 min. However with Denver being a larger airport that 50 min connection should be fine.

 

[GIZMONC]

FYI Bentover check your private messages I also sent you a MESSAGE.