Southwest disaster

[CycloneSpinning]

At some point they are going to have to stop cancelling and just run their scheduled flights or its just going to keep getting worse. This is just unbelievable to keep canceling flights like this for no reason other than complete ineptitude.

Or just flat out shut the doors to the company. I am not sure what other options they have here, but continuing to cancel and exacerbate the situation every day is just digging them deeper in a hole.

If I was waiting for a flight with SW I would either be trying to book on another company, or looking for a rental car to drive or tickets on a train/bus. Because I don't see SW getting out of this mess any time soon, and I sure would not trust my plans to get where I need to go on them at this point. No matter what they say.

They should be running their normal flights and paying any amount they need to do deal with the customers they canceled on already. Get them on someone else’s plane, pay them to go away…whatever. Their management team is inept and their employees are clearly burnt out. They’re toast if they don’t figure it out really soon.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Saving 5 or 6 hours in travel time and being able to relax is worth it to me.

Driving is also dangerous.

 

[mkadl]

Glad we took vacation two weeks ago. (Southwest) One stop Houston. Things went almost as good as they could.

 

[Gunnerclone]

 

[cycloneworld]

For anyone that has flown Southwest even sporadically over the past 2-3 years saw red flags popping up back to the beginning of 2021. Flights started becoming randomly cancelled and the reasons given didn't line up. Their internal operations have completely been in the sh*tter for a while now, and the big 3 airlines waiving change fees has put a dent in their demand. Their prices are no longer the cheapest, and the free bags seem to be the only potential differentiator they have anymore. The lack of assigned seating also seems to have fallen behind the 8 ball with customers these days.

I do 100 flights per year and this is dead on. Once the majors gave people the permanent ability to change their flights for free, Southwest was in trouble. They are stuck in their place in the airline industry - they aren’t low cost (can fly Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit for that) and they aren’t “full service” like United, AA, and Delta. They still had loyalty from many people but I’m guessing that takes a big hit from this mess.

 

[Dopey]

There’s a huge opportunity for someone or some company that will market themselves to shareholders as a “a little less profit/slower growth for a lot more customers and a lot more loyal customers”. That goes for pretty pretty much every industry. I think Financial Services is slowly slowly slowly coming around to that kind of model with like a 60/40 split towards being customer-centric.

I don't disagree. But they won't be publicly traded corporations. Something like Patagonia, they're still privately held, correct?

Are there any privately held national airlines? I doubt it.

 

[dmclone]

There’s a huge opportunity for someone or some company that will market themselves to shareholders as a “a little less profit/slower growth for a lot more customers and a lot more loyal customers”. That goes for pretty pretty much every industry. I think Financial Services is slowly slowly slowly coming around to that kind of model with like a 60/40 split towards being customer-centric.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about this guy named Sam Bankman-Fried and the movement he supports called effective altruism. Seems like the type of guy we should all get behind and support....

 

[flycy]

Going to say they used to have press on being pretty good and good culture.

They unionized, predictably employee company relations have gone downhill.

 

[carvers4math]

I keep seeing these seas of luggage stranded all over the place. Is anyone making sure the right person picks it up? At least in Des Moines, the luggage isn’t behind security. Seems like a good place for the homeless to pick up a few items.

 

[Drew0311]

I saw a video of a cop threatening to arrest people who didn't leave the counter after they had their flights cancelled. Apparently southwest and the cops are teaming up to tresspass people who have no way of getting home after the holidays.

 

[Pat]

I keep seeing these seas of luggage stranded all over the place. Is anyone making sure the right person picks it up? At least in Des Moines, the luggage isn’t behind security. Seems like a good place for the homeless to pick up a few items.

Or senior Energy Department officials.

In DSM (and elsewhere) there is a secure area for unclaimed bags, but there is nowhere near the capacity for that amount of luggage.

 

[isufbcurt]

If it's less than 12 hours away, flying is more of a hassle it seems like. I'd rather just drive and be in control. Flying doesn't save you that much time unless you live very close to the airport. If you do fly, do not schedule a flight with a layover. But if you do that, flying probably isn't saving you any time. (<12 hours)

Exactly. I used to have to go to OKC a few times a year for work. After flying a couple times I determined it'd be better for me to drive.

1. drive time was like 1.5 hour longer than flying
2. I'd have my own car and not have to get a rental
3. The mileage reimbursement from my employer was more than double what it cost me in gas to get there.

 

[Drew0311]

Exactly. I used to have to go to OKC a few times a year for work. After flying a couple times I determined it'd be better for me to drive.

1. drive time was like 1.5 hour longer than flying
2. I'd have my own car and not have to get a rental
3. The mileage reimbursement from my employer was more than double what it cost me in gas to get there.

IM the same. If I can drive it and it's less than like 14 hours. I usually drive if I am by myself. Flying, with the time you spend in airports and layovers, is a little faster but not normally that much faster. It just seems so much faster. I mean if you can get small layovers and everything is on time, I guess it can be a lot faster depending how far you are going.

 

[KennyPratt42]

From Des Moines places like Denver, Detroit, Nashville, and Dallas are in the deciding zone for whether to drive or fly for me. It just comes down to things like weather, how much of a benefit it is to have my car there, and if I'm my time frame is really tight for some reason. Any place much closer and I'm driving. Farther away and it needs to be a road trip situation where time isn't an object and I can take my time as much as I want.

 

[BCClone]

I keep seeing these seas of luggage stranded all over the place. Is anyone making sure the right person picks it up? At least in Des Moines, the luggage isn’t behind security. Seems like a good place for the homeless to pick up a few items.

I can make a week with my carry on and personal pack. Haven’t checked in luggage for awhile, and our carryons are a hair smaller than the limits.

 

[chuckd4735]

From Des Moines places like Denver, Detroit, Nashville, and Dallas are in the deciding zone for whether to drive or fly for me. It just comes down to things like weather, how much of a benefit it is to have my car there, and if I'm my time frame is really tight for some reason. Any place much closer and I'm driving. Farther away and it needs to be a road trip situation where time isn't an object and I can take my time as much as I want.

Ill fly to anything outside of 4 hours if I can.

 

[cycloner29]

I can make a week with my carry on and personal pack. Haven’t checked in luggage for awhile, and our carryons are a hair smaller than the limits.

Turning your underwear inside out?

 

[BCClone]

Turning your underwear inside out?

One side says Sunday, second says Wednesday.

 

[drmwevr08]

This should help their public image.

SW calling the cops to disperse a crowd at the gate with an arrest threat because their cancelled flight tickets are "not valid" and they can't be in the secured area of the airport. Maybe, not sure, this could be technically true but I've never heard of that being done before. Woof. They were standing in line, not rioting.

**** that cop. **** whoever called him.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

From Des Moines places like Denver, Detroit, Nashville, and Dallas are in the deciding zone for whether to drive or fly for me. It just comes down to things like weather, how much of a benefit it is to have my car there, and if I'm my time frame is really tight for some reason. Any place much closer and I'm driving. Farther away and it needs to be a road trip situation where time isn't an object and I can take my time as much as I want.

I am in the same boat, we drive when going to S. Carolina or Dallas to visit our sons, only fly to places like Florida for a cruise when time off work is a problem.

With us retiring in the spring, I would guess we will just drive to Florida for our next cruise, stopping at our oldest son's house along the way to spend a day or two with them. Nice thing about retirement is that you are then on your own time schedule.