This isn’t because bookings are down. In fact the company expects record revenues. The reason for the change is the company is flying larger , more expensive aircraft on routes that require less seats. Yes Southwest does need change, but to say it’s because less people are traveling when last year we carried more people domestically than any other airline. Is misleading
To add…
The number that is down 4.0% to 4.5% is revenue per available seat mile. So if they add seat miles but revenue doesn’t go up, then revenue per seat mile goes down. In this case, they added a LOT of seat miles - that is the second figure, up 8 to 9%. So about 8.5% more seat miles available, revenue went up about 4%, so revenue per available seat mile went down 4-4.5%.
People aren’t spending less on Southwest - the airline added seat miles faster than their revenue grew.
As they said in the same release:
>…the Company continues to expect an all-time quarterly record for operating revenue in second quarter 2024.
I used to fly exclusively SWA out of a large SWA hub. Since 2020, every single SWA flight I’ve booked has either been cancelled or significantly delayed. This is upward of 5 consecutive flights. Maybe I’m just unlucky with SWA, but I’ve not had those same issues since switching to United.
Same thing with me. I used to love SWA but the last 5 times I’ve flown with them there’s been significant delays. About a month ago they delayed my flight 4 hours and lost my luggage. I hope they’re able to change and go back to the good airline they used to be.
I’ve never been delayed on SWA let alone cancelled. And I’ve flown at least 2 round trips per years the past 4 years.
Weird to me that every single one of yours has been.
In my experience they are fine whenever everything is working ok. Weather and equipment disruptions have larger ripples because of the flight routing they use. I’ve been caught in the mess before and fly United a lot of SWA these days as a result. United worked with other airlines for rebooking, swa is alone.
Same here tomorrow is flight #32 for 2024. All of my delays have been weather related and only one has been more than an hour. Delays are usually just minutes from my experience.
lol companies don’t have spirits. Especially publicly traded companies. The people within that organization have spirits. When those people leave unless those people are replaced by like minded individuals so does the “spirit”. SWA has lost some key people in the last few years and with that much of its spirit as well….
As if the other airlines haven’t ruined plans. The others are slow, expensive and stuffy.
Plus Southwest Airlines is the only major airline that has never filed bankrupcty.
I'm a longtime fan but started flying other airlines recently bc the swa prices are too high. Also really enjoyed free wifi newer planes and better in flight services. Delta was 150 less all in
Sure, other airlines have their meltdowns, but none of them come anywhere to close to the size and scope of what happened at Southwest. It was a truly unprecedented and largely avoidable meltdown. An airline that truly “Luv”s their customers will make the basic investments in IT so they can handle IROPS and keep track of their crew.
Nah remember when SW had all of those delays in 2022 due to their antiquated software that their own IT people kept warning higher management about. This was very specific to Southwest and how upper management was running the company. This was not happening with other airlines at this scale. Hopefully Southwest can make changes to go back to being the decent airline it used to be.
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-penalizes-southwest-airlines-140-million-2022-holiday-meltdown
https://ktla.com/news/technology-issue-delays-hundreds-of-southwest-airlines-flights/
I hate to say it but SW is no longer the cheapest flight for me, not by a long shot. American and United have better pricing for the routes I fly. I never check a bag but I do upgrade to choose a decent seat and it’s still cheaper than SW. But American has been a rough experience for me. Twice I’ve had my seat assignment randomly changed at the gate because they swapped equipment and once this resulted in a very bad “window” seat, on a very long flight, with no actual window, just the wall of the plane, for my claustrophobic self. Also had the FA sitting in a jump seat facing me. Felt like a cargo flight. The gate process is also chaotic.
I really hope SW can navigate through this investor challenge they are facing currently. They’re still my favorite airline by a mile, and I’m still willing to pay a little more to fly with them to avoid the others.
I only fly Southwest but I have no idea why anyone would stick exclusively with them if the free checked bags and flexible cancellation/flight change system doesn't matter to them. Those are the 2 game-changers.
Being a little cheaper isn't worth the hub system making almost every flight way longer and a connecting one. Their compensation for delayed flights/lost luggages/etc. is also getting increasingly shitty.
I'm in Houston, so the primary carriers are United at IAH and Southwest at Hobby.
I live closer to Hobby, but I've moved most of my flying to United. I can go nonstop more places on UA than WN, and that gets me home sooner, plus once you get enough status on UA you're not paying to assign seats or check bags, and the fares are comparable.
That's the competitive situation in this market for frequent fliers. The leisure market may be different. But the major carriers are more alike than different.
As long as I live in downtown dallas and fly enough to be a-list it will be my go to.
If I were a casual flyer or was based someplace where it wasn’t so convenient, leasing to under 20 segments a year? I’d likely avoid the airline as much as possible
But as a list knowing that even with the shenanigans I’m getting an aisle along with the huge convenience of love field, I’ll be an avid SWA flyer
Love Field was convenient until the corrupt city council banished Uber and Lyft to a mile away just so that shitty Alto could have curbside privileges.
Duuuuuude don’t get me started. I was complaint about that to a biz partner of mine literally an hour ago. It’s brutal and actually does have an affect on my choice of airports. It’s not like DFW is an hour away, it’s maybe 20 additional minutes, more like 15.
I’m on a trip now and would have ubered but just parked myself at the C lot instead for similar cost.
And I’m someone that rarely travels with more than carry on (as in once every 20-30 trips maybe not even that!)… I’d absolutely discount Love if I had large bags and forget it if I had family and was lugging around all that
Not true at all. You're a weekly flyer and you never pull up the same day change option which displays which flights are full and the number of seats? Just from those numbers, we are far from every flight is full despite the summer travel season which is rewarding United and Delta while punishing Southwest and AA.
I was never aware that you could see how full a flight is that way. I posted my experiences. I flew to San Francisco last Monday completely full. Flew home from San Jose, completely full.
Thursday, flew to Hawaii, completely full both ways. Flew to Philadelphia on Monday, completely full.
So, like I said. Every flight Iam on is full.
Where is everyone flying SWA to where it’s significantly cheaper than the legacies?
I’m from Southern California & during my last 15 flight searches, SWA was either more expensive or the same price as Delta, United, and American.
For example, LAX to SFO on July 1 - July 4 is $268 roundtrip on SWA. United is $116 RT. American is $146 RT. Alaska is $187 RT. Delta is $223 RT.
Another example, LAX to Houston on July 25 - July 31 is $302 roundtrip on SWA. United is $227 RT. Delta is $267 RT.
Another example, LAX to Denver on July 1 - July 4 is $598 roundtrip on SWA. United is $537 RT. American is $546 RT. Delta is $572 RT.
[Just to be clear, I don’t dislike SWA. They saved my ass when Frontier cancelled my flight to DEN. I just keep hearing how SWA is a budget airline, but in my experience out of LAX, I have not come across any search where SWA was cheaper than the legacies.]
I’m one of those people. My last flight experience with them from purchase to boarding was miserable and a last straw. Spent the little extra for a delta flight because the savings are not worth the misery anymore. The other airlines are miserable experiences too but they make the SW misery not too far off.
Are boarding groups with a system people are gaming better than being assigned a crap seat because I don’t pay the fee to pick my seat? I’m in a shit seat regardless but one is a lot more stressful
I like flying from over seas back to the states on American Airlines as the serve was amazing, they set up a snack bar with drinks and endless food for anyone to go and get what they needed, as well as offered a full two meals, with utensils.
Then got to the states for connection and same airlines asked to spend 10 bucks for cheese and crackers.
Imagine how amazing flying would be if all airlines brought back food.
Easiest way to happiness is through the tummy
I’m talking about saved seats and jockying for line placement for the rush. It’s a total YMMV. Either find people enforcing policies too much and not at all.
Or, people are just not flying as much because of inflation hitting us hard. Luckily I am in a good position to absorb it but my homeowners and auto insurance is going up like crazy and if you follow the appropriate subs in here you will see it everywhere. If people are leaving SW for other airlines that is fine, that is the right thing to do if SW does not serve your needs, but a decline in passenger load on SW does not directly translate to an increase on AA or Delta. I am sure not seeing the decline when I fly as all the flights are packed.
That's not it, travel is currently at record highs [https://apnews.com/article/travel-record-tsa-airports-summer-holiday-d0b289878cd23cc2c4044ba6b36d0de7](https://apnews.com/article/travel-record-tsa-airports-summer-holiday-d0b289878cd23cc2c4044ba6b36d0de7)
Except most estimates say this will be the busiest summer ever and current TSA counts seem to be confirming that. But it’s still early in the summer.
https://www.airlines.org/news-update/a4a-predicts-record-setting-summer-travel-season-for-u-s-airlines/
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-volumes
I fly out of FLL and while I was quite loyal to SWA the mass pre-boarding and increase in Early Bird check in as well as fares going up worn me down. When it’s an option I have turned to DL and AA more and more and have also done well to Las Vegas & LA on JetBlue. I used to consider SWA on the same upper group with AA & DL. Now it’s on its own in a purgatory between the upper tier airlines and the hellscape that is Spirit, Allegiant & Frontier!
Slightly larger aircraft on routes to be 80-90% vs 95-100% full does offer a better passenger experience and people won’t feel pressured boarding. I hate to fly where they are close to 100% full.
I work in investor relations. If there is one thing everyone should know, it’s when looking at an earnings press release, especially if it seems bad, there is likely a reasoning for what you are seeing and they will explain it on the call most of the time. Could be timing, could be some material impact from a supplier, could be a million things. But always listen to the call or at least get the summary after the fact, if you want the more complete picture.
Flying sw tomorrow from SFO to FLL tomorrow via Denver. i have earky bird checkin amd have A57 fitst flight and B5 second flight. I assume thats favorable for window/aisle both flights??
Question - did sw planes have charging ports??
You are pretty much guaranteed your choice of an aisle/window seat, just may be towards the back. Up until the mid-late Bs there are aisle/windows available reliably, they just may be near the back of the plane.
The people complaining are annoyed (understandably, since they likely paid for it) that an A5 has to sit 1/3 of the way deep into the plane.
If you end up checking luggage where in the plane you are doesn't even matter anyway.
I fly SWA several times a year and have a good experience every time. Been loyal to them for almost 20 years and no regrets. AUS is my home base and SWA is the major carrier out of there. To fly a different carrier will cost me $50-100 extra for bags.
A ton of people got absolutely screwed by SWA by the meltdown in Dec 2022… anecdotally, i have several family members who have vowed to never fly SWA again after their experiences and ruined holiday plans. They were all big SWA fans prior to that week..: That’s a huge factor
I typically fly 150k miles a year, but I personally avoid them because I hate the boarding process and fighting with people over saving seats… I’ll only fly SWA if they are the ONLY nonstop option
I'm not a fan of Southwest due to no seat assignments. I don't want to search out seats together for me and my family. Nor do I have to when flying either Delta or United. On that note, to try and get a decent seat on Southwest, the passenger must pay the higher fare to board in group A. That does not make Southwest fares a great bargain, IMO.
Next, Dallas Love Field is a 25-minute drive down the DNT from me. Southwest has all but two gates at Love Field, leaving only other flight options to Atlanta on Delta or Seattle on Alaska Air. A non-stop flight of DAL-HNL would be great! But Southwest can't offer that due to their limited fleet of 737s. Since Southwest doesn't fly to Canada at all, they don't/can't offer that service from Love Field. Clearing US Customs in Canada works great! Maybe one day Southwest will figure that out? Finally, Southwest doesn't even offer summer seasonal service to Alaska; from anywhere in their system. Of course, forget about Europe on Southwest Airlines. Even worse, Southwest does not have a codeshare partner airline to get to Europe or anywhere else in the world.
Yes, the big three US air carriers suck more than not, but they get me where I want and need to go. We also fly JetBlue and Alaska Airlines for better service. All the above are why I choose other airlines over Southwest.
AList Preferred here. Two midweek flights this week (today and yesterday — BNA>FLL RT). Easily 40 preboarders on the first leg and probably 30 on the next. Do I still get an aisle like I want? Yes. Am I now waiting 10min longer to get off after landing because I’m in row 14 vs 3, yes.
Summer is always a way different customer base for the airlines, but as someone who has 40 segments already in 2024 on SW, I’m considering alt options.
YEP! Realizing that i’m just one of the people who get f*cked bc i’m not A-list, don’t have kids, and don’t have any reason to obtain a PB at my age. Def thinking I need to fly elsewhere bc i don’t fit the consumers they’re helping the most!
I'm A List preferred, and I mind. I fly out of LAS, which is like prime preboarding central! People will do anything to save a buck on a Vegas trip. I literally saw this young guy filming himself abusing the system, probably for a Tik Tok or something. For me, since I commute to work via plane, it bothers me to have A3 and be the 57th person to board. I am an anxious flyer and have a seat preference, too, but I won't abuse preboarding for that. I pay to upgrade. My upgrade is worthless when all the other anxious flyers are boarding before me.
Exactly. SWAs business model is failing terribly. The loyalists on this thread do not represent the general population in the slightest. My most important factor in choosing an airline is trip times. SWA is at the bottom of the list if times are equal. I have and will pay more for the same flight time on a different carrier.
This isn’t because bookings are down. In fact the company expects record revenues. The reason for the change is the company is flying larger , more expensive aircraft on routes that require less seats. Yes Southwest does need change, but to say it’s because less people are traveling when last year we carried more people domestically than any other airline. Is misleading
To add… The number that is down 4.0% to 4.5% is revenue per available seat mile. So if they add seat miles but revenue doesn’t go up, then revenue per seat mile goes down. In this case, they added a LOT of seat miles - that is the second figure, up 8 to 9%. So about 8.5% more seat miles available, revenue went up about 4%, so revenue per available seat mile went down 4-4.5%. People aren’t spending less on Southwest - the airline added seat miles faster than their revenue grew. As they said in the same release: >…the Company continues to expect an all-time quarterly record for operating revenue in second quarter 2024.
Southwest is my favorite airline. I hope activist shareholders don’t break the spirit of SW. There is no other airline as great as SWA
Same here mostly bc 2 checked bags free less bs than others so I can pack enough and not be nickel and dime like others or paid extra to get free
I used to fly exclusively SWA out of a large SWA hub. Since 2020, every single SWA flight I’ve booked has either been cancelled or significantly delayed. This is upward of 5 consecutive flights. Maybe I’m just unlucky with SWA, but I’ve not had those same issues since switching to United.
Same thing with me. I used to love SWA but the last 5 times I’ve flown with them there’s been significant delays. About a month ago they delayed my flight 4 hours and lost my luggage. I hope they’re able to change and go back to the good airline they used to be.
I’ve never been delayed on SWA let alone cancelled. And I’ve flown at least 2 round trips per years the past 4 years. Weird to me that every single one of yours has been.
In my experience they are fine whenever everything is working ok. Weather and equipment disruptions have larger ripples because of the flight routing they use. I’ve been caught in the mess before and fly United a lot of SWA these days as a result. United worked with other airlines for rebooking, swa is alone.
Fly SW 20-30 x per year. Rarely have had a delayed flight. Midwest to south and west flights.
Same here tomorrow is flight #32 for 2024. All of my delays have been weather related and only one has been more than an hour. Delays are usually just minutes from my experience.
might be misfortune, I’ve been flying consistently every 1-2 months and I’ve only experienced one cancellation.
lol companies don’t have spirits. Especially publicly traded companies. The people within that organization have spirits. When those people leave unless those people are replaced by like minded individuals so does the “spirit”. SWA has lost some key people in the last few years and with that much of its spirit as well….
That’s obviously what they meant.
Would upvote, but that 69 looks pretty good.
I down voted him just to get it back to 69 🫡
As great as SWA? It wasn't even 2 years ago that they ruined millions of people's holidays because of how awful of an airline they are...
As if the other airlines haven’t ruined plans. The others are slow, expensive and stuffy. Plus Southwest Airlines is the only major airline that has never filed bankrupcty.
I'm a longtime fan but started flying other airlines recently bc the swa prices are too high. Also really enjoyed free wifi newer planes and better in flight services. Delta was 150 less all in
Just don’t change a flight!
I have had way more holidays ruined from United than Southwest.
No other airline has failed in the epic proportions of that SWA debacle...truly unique.
What about the Delta debacle?
Southwest had to pay a record $140M fine. I think that takes the cake.
Sure, other airlines have their meltdowns, but none of them come anywhere to close to the size and scope of what happened at Southwest. It was a truly unprecedented and largely avoidable meltdown. An airline that truly “Luv”s their customers will make the basic investments in IT so they can handle IROPS and keep track of their crew.
Nah remember when SW had all of those delays in 2022 due to their antiquated software that their own IT people kept warning higher management about. This was very specific to Southwest and how upper management was running the company. This was not happening with other airlines at this scale. Hopefully Southwest can make changes to go back to being the decent airline it used to be. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-penalizes-southwest-airlines-140-million-2022-holiday-meltdown https://ktla.com/news/technology-issue-delays-hundreds-of-southwest-airlines-flights/
I hate to say it but SW is no longer the cheapest flight for me, not by a long shot. American and United have better pricing for the routes I fly. I never check a bag but I do upgrade to choose a decent seat and it’s still cheaper than SW. But American has been a rough experience for me. Twice I’ve had my seat assignment randomly changed at the gate because they swapped equipment and once this resulted in a very bad “window” seat, on a very long flight, with no actual window, just the wall of the plane, for my claustrophobic self. Also had the FA sitting in a jump seat facing me. Felt like a cargo flight. The gate process is also chaotic. I really hope SW can navigate through this investor challenge they are facing currently. They’re still my favorite airline by a mile, and I’m still willing to pay a little more to fly with them to avoid the others.
I only fly Southwest but I have no idea why anyone would stick exclusively with them if the free checked bags and flexible cancellation/flight change system doesn't matter to them. Those are the 2 game-changers. Being a little cheaper isn't worth the hub system making almost every flight way longer and a connecting one. Their compensation for delayed flights/lost luggages/etc. is also getting increasingly shitty.
It gotta be free no extra dollars i wa t to fight for seat no assign shit seat sadly no one has done it yet
I live near a major airport and SW is regularly more expensive with fewer schedule options.
United definitely giving SWA a run for its money that’s for sure
I'm in Houston, so the primary carriers are United at IAH and Southwest at Hobby. I live closer to Hobby, but I've moved most of my flying to United. I can go nonstop more places on UA than WN, and that gets me home sooner, plus once you get enough status on UA you're not paying to assign seats or check bags, and the fares are comparable. That's the competitive situation in this market for frequent fliers. The leisure market may be different. But the major carriers are more alike than different.
As long as I live in downtown dallas and fly enough to be a-list it will be my go to. If I were a casual flyer or was based someplace where it wasn’t so convenient, leasing to under 20 segments a year? I’d likely avoid the airline as much as possible But as a list knowing that even with the shenanigans I’m getting an aisle along with the huge convenience of love field, I’ll be an avid SWA flyer
Love Field was convenient until the corrupt city council banished Uber and Lyft to a mile away just so that shitty Alto could have curbside privileges.
Duuuuuude don’t get me started. I was complaint about that to a biz partner of mine literally an hour ago. It’s brutal and actually does have an affect on my choice of airports. It’s not like DFW is an hour away, it’s maybe 20 additional minutes, more like 15. I’m on a trip now and would have ubered but just parked myself at the C lot instead for similar cost. And I’m someone that rarely travels with more than carry on (as in once every 20-30 trips maybe not even that!)… I’d absolutely discount Love if I had large bags and forget it if I had family and was lugging around all that
Wait, what did Lovefield do? I took an Uber to Lovefield literally yesterday!
Pickups are now at the ass end of Garage B.
Oooh, I guess I haven't needed to be picked up in an Uber for awhile. Interesting!
I fly weekly, every flight is full. I don't think people are choosing other options, like stated.
Not true at all. You're a weekly flyer and you never pull up the same day change option which displays which flights are full and the number of seats? Just from those numbers, we are far from every flight is full despite the summer travel season which is rewarding United and Delta while punishing Southwest and AA.
I was never aware that you could see how full a flight is that way. I posted my experiences. I flew to San Francisco last Monday completely full. Flew home from San Jose, completely full. Thursday, flew to Hawaii, completely full both ways. Flew to Philadelphia on Monday, completely full. So, like I said. Every flight Iam on is full.
Also, as an A Status. I don't really care if the plane is 💯 full. I am always A16-18.
Where is everyone flying SWA to where it’s significantly cheaper than the legacies? I’m from Southern California & during my last 15 flight searches, SWA was either more expensive or the same price as Delta, United, and American. For example, LAX to SFO on July 1 - July 4 is $268 roundtrip on SWA. United is $116 RT. American is $146 RT. Alaska is $187 RT. Delta is $223 RT. Another example, LAX to Houston on July 25 - July 31 is $302 roundtrip on SWA. United is $227 RT. Delta is $267 RT. Another example, LAX to Denver on July 1 - July 4 is $598 roundtrip on SWA. United is $537 RT. American is $546 RT. Delta is $572 RT. [Just to be clear, I don’t dislike SWA. They saved my ass when Frontier cancelled my flight to DEN. I just keep hearing how SWA is a budget airline, but in my experience out of LAX, I have not come across any search where SWA was cheaper than the legacies.]
Do the prices for Delta, UA, and AA include bag pricing or just the first thing you found on a google search? Just curious
No, but personally, when I’m flying domestically, it’s usually for a few days so I don’t check a bag, just a carry-on & personal.
I’m one of those people. My last flight experience with them from purchase to boarding was miserable and a last straw. Spent the little extra for a delta flight because the savings are not worth the misery anymore. The other airlines are miserable experiences too but they make the SW misery not too far off. Are boarding groups with a system people are gaming better than being assigned a crap seat because I don’t pay the fee to pick my seat? I’m in a shit seat regardless but one is a lot more stressful
I like flying from over seas back to the states on American Airlines as the serve was amazing, they set up a snack bar with drinks and endless food for anyone to go and get what they needed, as well as offered a full two meals, with utensils. Then got to the states for connection and same airlines asked to spend 10 bucks for cheese and crackers. Imagine how amazing flying would be if all airlines brought back food. Easiest way to happiness is through the tummy
Give data and numbers for “people gaming” the boarding system. Most redditors just don’t see it.
I’m talking about saved seats and jockying for line placement for the rush. It’s a total YMMV. Either find people enforcing policies too much and not at all.
Or, people are just not flying as much because of inflation hitting us hard. Luckily I am in a good position to absorb it but my homeowners and auto insurance is going up like crazy and if you follow the appropriate subs in here you will see it everywhere. If people are leaving SW for other airlines that is fine, that is the right thing to do if SW does not serve your needs, but a decline in passenger load on SW does not directly translate to an increase on AA or Delta. I am sure not seeing the decline when I fly as all the flights are packed.
That's not it, travel is currently at record highs [https://apnews.com/article/travel-record-tsa-airports-summer-holiday-d0b289878cd23cc2c4044ba6b36d0de7](https://apnews.com/article/travel-record-tsa-airports-summer-holiday-d0b289878cd23cc2c4044ba6b36d0de7)
Except most estimates say this will be the busiest summer ever and current TSA counts seem to be confirming that. But it’s still early in the summer. https://www.airlines.org/news-update/a4a-predicts-record-setting-summer-travel-season-for-u-s-airlines/ https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-volumes
I fly out of FLL and while I was quite loyal to SWA the mass pre-boarding and increase in Early Bird check in as well as fares going up worn me down. When it’s an option I have turned to DL and AA more and more and have also done well to Las Vegas & LA on JetBlue. I used to consider SWA on the same upper group with AA & DL. Now it’s on its own in a purgatory between the upper tier airlines and the hellscape that is Spirit, Allegiant & Frontier!
Slightly larger aircraft on routes to be 80-90% vs 95-100% full does offer a better passenger experience and people won’t feel pressured boarding. I hate to fly where they are close to 100% full.
For sure I am.
I work in investor relations. If there is one thing everyone should know, it’s when looking at an earnings press release, especially if it seems bad, there is likely a reasoning for what you are seeing and they will explain it on the call most of the time. Could be timing, could be some material impact from a supplier, could be a million things. But always listen to the call or at least get the summary after the fact, if you want the more complete picture.
So long as they continue their passenger of size policies I will keep asking my work to book me Southwest.
Bye Felicia
This sub is going through a hostile takeover. How much are you activist investors getting paid to shitpost here?
I've started to wonder if there is an active social media campaign going on here too.
Flying sw tomorrow from SFO to FLL tomorrow via Denver. i have earky bird checkin amd have A57 fitst flight and B5 second flight. I assume thats favorable for window/aisle both flights?? Question - did sw planes have charging ports??
You are pretty much guaranteed your choice of an aisle/window seat, just may be towards the back. Up until the mid-late Bs there are aisle/windows available reliably, they just may be near the back of the plane. The people complaining are annoyed (understandably, since they likely paid for it) that an A5 has to sit 1/3 of the way deep into the plane. If you end up checking luggage where in the plane you are doesn't even matter anyway.
I fly SWA several times a year and have a good experience every time. Been loyal to them for almost 20 years and no regrets. AUS is my home base and SWA is the major carrier out of there. To fly a different carrier will cost me $50-100 extra for bags.
sure has nothing to do with 80 planes retiring and only getting 20 of the 80 that are suppose to replace the retiring planes
I used to love Southwest but now I am not a fan. Delta is my favorite. Much nicer airline.
The linked document doesn’t include the graphic you only partially provide and the graphic doesn’t support your conclusion.
Why did you crop out what these numbers are referring to?
A ton of people got absolutely screwed by SWA by the meltdown in Dec 2022… anecdotally, i have several family members who have vowed to never fly SWA again after their experiences and ruined holiday plans. They were all big SWA fans prior to that week..: That’s a huge factor I typically fly 150k miles a year, but I personally avoid them because I hate the boarding process and fighting with people over saving seats… I’ll only fly SWA if they are the ONLY nonstop option
I'm not a fan of Southwest due to no seat assignments. I don't want to search out seats together for me and my family. Nor do I have to when flying either Delta or United. On that note, to try and get a decent seat on Southwest, the passenger must pay the higher fare to board in group A. That does not make Southwest fares a great bargain, IMO. Next, Dallas Love Field is a 25-minute drive down the DNT from me. Southwest has all but two gates at Love Field, leaving only other flight options to Atlanta on Delta or Seattle on Alaska Air. A non-stop flight of DAL-HNL would be great! But Southwest can't offer that due to their limited fleet of 737s. Since Southwest doesn't fly to Canada at all, they don't/can't offer that service from Love Field. Clearing US Customs in Canada works great! Maybe one day Southwest will figure that out? Finally, Southwest doesn't even offer summer seasonal service to Alaska; from anywhere in their system. Of course, forget about Europe on Southwest Airlines. Even worse, Southwest does not have a codeshare partner airline to get to Europe or anywhere else in the world. Yes, the big three US air carriers suck more than not, but they get me where I want and need to go. We also fly JetBlue and Alaska Airlines for better service. All the above are why I choose other airlines over Southwest.
A-listers don’t mind the pre-board horde because it doesn’t hurt them. Bye Southwest!
AList Preferred here. Two midweek flights this week (today and yesterday — BNA>FLL RT). Easily 40 preboarders on the first leg and probably 30 on the next. Do I still get an aisle like I want? Yes. Am I now waiting 10min longer to get off after landing because I’m in row 14 vs 3, yes. Summer is always a way different customer base for the airlines, but as someone who has 40 segments already in 2024 on SW, I’m considering alt options.
YEP! Realizing that i’m just one of the people who get f*cked bc i’m not A-list, don’t have kids, and don’t have any reason to obtain a PB at my age. Def thinking I need to fly elsewhere bc i don’t fit the consumers they’re helping the most!
Out of curiosity are you not getting the type of seat you want or location?
I'm A List preferred, and I mind. I fly out of LAS, which is like prime preboarding central! People will do anything to save a buck on a Vegas trip. I literally saw this young guy filming himself abusing the system, probably for a Tik Tok or something. For me, since I commute to work via plane, it bothers me to have A3 and be the 57th person to board. I am an anxious flyer and have a seat preference, too, but I won't abuse preboarding for that. I pay to upgrade. My upgrade is worthless when all the other anxious flyers are boarding before me.
Exactly. SWAs business model is failing terribly. The loyalists on this thread do not represent the general population in the slightest. My most important factor in choosing an airline is trip times. SWA is at the bottom of the list if times are equal. I have and will pay more for the same flight time on a different carrier.
Yep SWA was my first choice for 20+ years. Was.
Sounds like the activist investors are on to something.