I have a leg injury that’s been bothering me since August. I requested wheelchair assistance on a trip. On one flight, I took the wheelchair to the gate, boarded the plane, and then we sat and sat and sat. We got into Charlotte very late. Maybe as a result, there were NO wheelchairs waiting for us as there was supposed to be, and I had a short connection. So I just sucked it up and walked. Anyone seeing me might have thought I was faking it, but I wasn’t. My leg ached for a couple of days after that.
I don’t see how assigning a random seat 24 hours in advance would be considered a premium service. In fact I would be willing to bet a lot of money that there would be better odds that someone would want to upgrade if they knew in advance that they got a bad middle seat, as opposed to going to the airport and finding out that they got a bad seat only to have all the other good seats assigned already. It may encourage some to get to the airport early, but for the majority of frequent flyers, they’re not going to come to the airport early.
Regarding Southwest ticket prices: one thing to consider is that the “equivalent” fares on other airlines are not so equivalent if you have to factor in baggage fees or need to get refundable tickets. Southwest wins hands-down for fare transparency.
Airlines are setting their fares with search results in mind and then trying to stick it to you later once you’re well into the purchase process.
I 100% agree with @ProfessorPlum168 and @Otterma : some of the things these airlines are charging a premium for are NOT premium services. They are pretty basic expectations. And if I am going to compare a Southwest flight to another flight, I need to compare it bearing in mind the garbage-y extra fees on other airlines.
I would like to add this point: the garbage-y extra fees make the flying experience worse for almost everyone. Now everyone has an economic incentive NOT to check a bag, so everyone wants to bring a roller bag on board. Then there isn’t enough room, so some people have to gate check the bag. But that means that we have to wait longer while that happens. Then the people with connecting flights are grumbling and stressing out.
REALLY? Are we trying to make this as unpleasant as possible?
ALL INCLUSIVE PRICING benefits everyone. Just tell me what this flight will cost. Incentivize checking bags so we can get this flight out of the airport on time! Let people sit with their family members without charging extra. Let people pick an aisle seat or a window seat without treating that like a super duper premium special worth extra $.
When the head flight attendant gets on the intercom to say that they knew I had lots of choices in who to fly and they thank me for flying American, I am absolutely thinking that it is an entirely thankless flying experience other than this final send off. Ugh. Give me my joke-telling Southwest flight attendants any day of the week! (Or Virgin Atlantic!)
Overall, I will admit I’m mostly happy/satisfied with United and most of the airports we fly in and out of. We mostly leave on time and arrive on time. When they need seats, they generally offer enough in vouchers that someone wants the $500 in vouchers to take the next flight.
I miss the days when it would be fine for us to take the vouchers and hang around in the airport and catch the next flight but am fine that others are able to.
I’m glad that there are usually great movies to watch on our long flights and that lately the entertainment system has been working better on the airplanes. .
Seems like the Southwest model.
Interesting that what was once a no frills economy class experience is now a premium economy class experience as other airlines have raced to the bottom.
Southwest may not be price competitive, but we have found them to be convenient for many of the destinations we are flying to because they offer nonstop flights. Also, when one D moved to the other coast for her Master’s, she and I could each check two bags. And their rescheduling policy really came in handy when H became ill and couldn’t make the trip. Now we get to plan another trip we “have” to take.
I just got off the phone with American Airlines. I have Global Entry with a Known Traveler Number attached to my frequent flyer account. I just returned from a long weekend away. I check-in on-line and TSA Pre-Check didn’t appear on either leg. One time, I would figure I was randomized out of Pre-Check, but when it happened on the return trip, I stopped at an airport kiosk and checked-in a second time. TSA Pre-check appeared on the boarding pass.
American Airlines Advantage service tells me that it is common for the system to ignore the Known Traveler Numbers. I should continue to stop at a kiosk or at the counter for a corrected boarding pass if it is missed.
This is service??? At least United has never failed me with the Pre-check.
“Airports have been undergoing a renaissance in food/restaurants the past 10 years or so, to the point that I like to wander around a bit and check out the various offerings when I’m in a new airport.”
Agreed. They are opening a Bud & Marilyn’s outpost in Philly airport which is a restaurant in downtown Philly. Give it a try if you have time to kill there.
We had a blast watching the Super Bowl in a pub in the Atlanta airport, just a few miles from where the game was being played!
Southwest has gotten so pricy that it was recently comparable to my first class tickets to nyc
My friend had her known traveler number not on her United boarding pass. When she got home, she complained. They apologized, re-added it and compensated her with an e-cert that counts as a discount off another flight
@ProfessorPlum16, SW also flies into Chicago, and if it’s cheaper, you certainly would have booked it. I looked up at a random date on SW’s site and it seems their ticket price going from SFO-MDW costs more than $30 than at United. If you would just pay the extra $30, plus all the benefits of UA’s credit card, all your stated problems wouldn’t be there.
I’ve found it to be true that SW’s tickets are more expensive than United for the routes I’ve flown, so you get better perks with them. I guess you get what you pay for.
Booked SW flights last month for May. They weren’t more expensive than other flights and given we’ll need to bring stuff back for graduating senior, the generous luggage allowance is coming in handy.
Way back when, SW used to be the discount carrier but that hasn’t been true for awhile.
Southwest isn’t usually less costly for me…but it is more convenient. I would rather die than have to connect in Philly or Charlotte which the other airlines do. I’ll take BWI, thank you…even though they have horrible WiFi and no outlets at the gates in Concourse A.
I had to spend 4 hours at the airport on my latest trip (due to a drop off time thing). Went to the Escape Lounge at the airport. I could have used Groupon or AAA. I used AAA…it was so much more pleasant than sitting for for hours at the gate. Comfy, and decent food…and very good coffee. I’ll do it again if I have to be dropped off early.
Vino Volo at BWI for a pleasant wait when there is lots of time to kill ; )
Vino Volo is at many airports, they consoled me well in Columbus Ohio during a flight delay!
I thought I was over my anger yesterday, but now I am 10x angrier. Rather than fight stupid United’s policies, I decided to get the Explorer card and book with this new card. Unfortunately, I used some other link to apply instead of using the United reservations link. I got instantly approved but I can’t use the card for any usage for 7-10 business days. Just great. Off to Rome during that time period.
Call them to expedite for free. Tell them you need it ASAP.
My daughter flew home for spring break on one of United’s regional partners. It was a small plane and she had to pay extra to bring her backpack on board. No way was she going to check her laptop and let it out of her sight. She had a small credit from United for being stranded in Newark at midnight. The credit didn’t even cover the luggage fees.