Southwest disaster

[madguy30]

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.

The jacked up prices for checking bags have been great for me to simplify what I bring.

You can wear the same outer clothes and pack plenty of underwear/socks if you're just lounging around and if something really needs to be washed it's not like a laundromat or similar isn't nearby.

Have they started charging for carry on since many people are doing similar? I'd guess that's next.

 

[BCClone]

The jacked up prices for checking bags have been great for me to simplify what I bring.

You can wear the same outer clothes and pack plenty of underwear/socks if you're just lounging around and if something really needs to be washed it's not like a laundromat or similar isn't nearby.

Have they started charging for carry on since many people are doing similar? I'd guess that's next.

Sun Country, what we are flying now is 45/ bag for carry ins (each way). Have a personal item for free. Backpacks can give you a couple days.

 

[CycloneSpinning]

The jacked up prices for checking bags have been great for me to simplify what I bring.

You can wear the same outer clothes and pack plenty of underwear/socks if you're just lounging around and if something really needs to be washed it's not like a laundromat or similar isn't nearby.

Have they started charging for carry on since many people are doing similar? I'd guess that's next.

The issue with most airlines is they act like they are doing you a favor by letting you ride on their plane to wherever they are going. They act like they hate their customers…and if they can find ways to get you to pay more for things that should be free, they will. Best case scenario is you pay and they never see you. They’re constantly annoyed…I can’t think of another “service provider” that is like them…

 

[BoxsterCy]

Pretty good summary, including an explanation of the SW point-to-point vs hubs.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/29/business/southwest-airlines-service-meltdown/index.html

 

[FerShizzle]

The issue with most airlines is they act like they are doing you a favor by letting you ride on their plane to wherever they are going. They act like they hate their customers…and if they can find ways to get you to pay more for things that should be free, they will. Best case scenario is you pay and they never see you. They’re constantly annoyed…I can’t think of another “service provider” that is like them…

mediacom comes to mind

 

[aeroclone]

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

For business travel, 4 hours is the max my company will allow for driving. For personal, my cutoff is probably in the 8-10 hour range.

 

[Cyinthenorth]

Can't really blame SW. Bad storms across the midwest last week, little wonder so many flights were cancelled.

 

[CycloneErik]

Can't really blame SW. Bad storms across the midwest last week, little wonder so many flights were cancelled.

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Other airlines didn't approach this level of cancellation. We knew that right away.

 

[Gunnerclone]

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Other airlines didn't approach this level of cancellation. We knew that right away.

Saw some stat that SW cancelled more flights over the past week than Delta and American combined over all of last year.

 

[Cyinthenorth]

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Other airlines didn't approach this level of cancellation. We knew that right away.

I should have inserted the

My post above is just me regurgitating what my Iowa Hawkeye-loving father in law had to say about it. I was utterly dumbfounded. When I brought up the other airlines to him he tried to change the subject and since he's my father in law, I allowed it.

 

[dmclone]

3/4 of these problems would be solved if the U.S. had tough penalties. If airlines were charged $2k per lost bag, 2x cost of ticket for any flight delayed by more than 2 hours(non weather). 4x cost of ticket for any flight delayed by more than 4 hours(non weather). 6x cost for 6+hours.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

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 saw a “sizeable” collection yesterday evening in Portland, Oregon. Nothing like what’s on TV though. Not cordoned off. Also a lot more than usual outside the lost baggage office. I’d think those were ones identified and owners contacted.

 

[2speedy1]

Oh it is definitely part of the issue. While there is a lot of factors that go into why the US does not have any real high speed rail infrastructure. The extreme efforts by the Airline industry to stop any attempts to start any such progress has been shown at every turn.

They attempted to build a Zip Rail line from Rochester to Minneapolis for commuters and travelers. The plan was to eventually connect La Crosse and then Chicago as well.

The Rochester Airport, Minneapolis Airport and the Mayo Clinic who is heavily invested in the Rochester Airport did everything they could to Kill the plan. Airlines in the US do not want competition.

 

[dafarmer]

Cheap flights mean less money to modernize. The old saying” you get what you pay for” comes to mind.

 

[Jer]

Cheap flights mean less money to modernize. The old saying” you get what you pay for” comes to mind.

That still necessitates that you get something in return, other than stranded and frustrated

 

[CycloneSpinning]

Cheap flights mean less money to modernize. The old saying” you get what you pay for” comes to mind.

It would seem Southwest had plenty of money to modernize if they had chosen to do so. Also looks like the President of the Pilots Association was correct.

Southwest reinstates dividend; says no signs of slowdown in travel demand

Southwest Airlines Co on Wednesday became the first major U.S. airline to reinstate its quarterly dividend, more than two years after suspending it in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

www.reuters.com

 

[carvers4math]

I saw a “sizeable” collection yesterday evening in Portland, Oregon. Nothing like what’s on TV though. Not cordoned off. Also a lot more than usual outside the lost baggage office. I’d think those were ones identified and owners contacted.

I read an article about a woman who SW told her that her bags were in one city but her AirTags told her they were in another. I think this incident proves the value of those things. I rarely fly and never take enough to check a bag.

 

[Clonehomer]

3/4 of these problems would be solved if the U.S. had tough penalties. If airlines were charged $2k per lost bag, 2x cost of ticket for any flight delayed by more than 2 hours(non weather). 4x cost of ticket for any flight delayed by more than 4 hours(non weather). 6x cost for 6+hours.

Problem is that those penalties would be passed on to the customer. Yes, you may see some improvements as the worse providers would be priced out of the market. But in the end, it'll just cost more to fly.

 

[Clonehomer]

I read an article about a woman who SW told her that her bags were in one city but her AirTags told her they were in another. I think this incident proves the value of those things. I rarely fly and never take enough to check a bag.

You'd think that an airline would make some money by coming out with their own tag system. Simple RFID tags with a scanner to track where the bags are would save them a lot of time and expense for lost baggage. And I'm sure they'd be able to get the customers to pay for the tags.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

You'd think that an airline would make some money by coming out with their own tag system. Simple RFID tags with a scanner to track where the bags are would save them a lot of time and expense for lost baggage. And I'm sure they'd be able to get the customers to pay for the tags.

I know it’s not the same thing, but when we fly Delta, the app tells us where our bags are - on and off which flight/plane. All airlines should be able to do that with the bar codes on baggage tags.