Comments on: Southwest Airlines

By: Gail Perry

Gail Perry — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:37:12 +0000

There are some things no company can fix. “Someone was rude” is a “he said, she said” situation. There’s nothing the airline can do about one person reportedly being rude one time. In addition, they may be legally bound to not report about minor disciplinary actions. In other words, if this person has repeatedly been reported for being rude, you may remember her name. They can’t tell you what they may have done.

You left your Ipod on the plane and don’t have it any more? Have to be careful with those gadgets. It’s easy to misplace things while traveling, and the notion that someone working for minimum wage wouldn’t want something like that is not realistic. Sometimes those things will get turned in, and sometimes they won’t.

I’m also sorry for the person hit by luggage but they tell us over and over that luggage can shift during flight. Everyone IS warned of this, every single time, on every plane I have ever been on.

No airline is perfect. I have had far fewer problems on SW than other airlines and even take them to NYC (via Islip) even though that’s the most distant airport.

If all of us had to be perfect — as perceived by everyone else — 100% of the time, or be fired, the unemployment rate would be 100%.

By: Patti Gibbs

Patti Gibbs — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:26:23 +0000

I was also hit by someones overstuffed hard case piece of luggage. My head has ached for now over a week. I had my wristed X-rayed and have a chipped bone and slight fracture. I have heard nothing from Southwest and wasn’t treated the way you would think after being hurt while sitting in your seat waiting for the rest of the people to board. I was taken off the airplane and evaluated by the paramedics. Blood pressure a couple of questions and all they can really do is take me to the hospital if I wanted to. I was in SanDiego and live in IL. It was bad enough getting home at 2 am because now I wasn’t on a direct flight home. This to me is insane!!!!!! Everyone needs to be warned of this.

By: Eric Shroba

Eric Shroba — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:42:47 +0000

I just had a christmas present stolen out of our bag. We checked in at the skycap I had a hdmi cable wrapped and a GPS for my in-laws for Christmas. I get to my destination and get to the condo what happens? Its gone hdmi cable is still there though. No tag anywhere that someone went through the bag. I had to file a police report and a lost report through SW. Which you get the run around at SW (call this person, no call that person, your in the wrong dept) Crappy customer service. I believe they should have cameras while people check the bags. Those SOB’s who stole it should have there butts putt in jail for theft. So much for protecting us from Terrorists. You have all this security crap, but yet its ok to steal out of people’s bags. So now not only do we have to worry about Terrorists we have to worry about our items been stolen. I’ve read all the other comments on this page it looks like I’m not the only one that has gotten screwed by this airline. Maybe ABC news or NBC should do a special report on stolen items at this airport and have the police and detectives get involved.

By: GARNETT LEARY

GARNETT LEARY — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:25:15 +0000

PLEASE DO NOT CUT ANY MORE FLIGHTS. PLEASE DO NOT LAY OFF ANY WORKERS PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANY CUTS.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:52:24 +0000

No wonder Southwest’s stock is in the tank.

By: Craig Dawson

Craig Dawson — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:30:03 +0000

Flying out of MDW midway to phx on stand by then plane goest to San Jose Ca. Never got on any SW planes that day out of MDW. Spent the night at a hotel in MDW> Flew another airlines next day no problems. Problem is We showd up at phx SW claims baggage and not luggage one piece. INSTEAD bunch of excuses no one returned phone calls, SW made up peoples names allways making up lies and giving us the run around. I cant believe that an airline can loose a piece of luggage. Thus I cant believe an airline would have employees with no respect no care ect to find or give the right answers with concern!

By: Bonita A. Marshall

Bonita A. Marshall — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:59:37 +0000

I posted a description of my experience with an overly aggressive flight attendant on this blog on Feb. 28th, 2009. After emailing and dealing with a defensive company representative named Karen Voelkel, want to share with other Southwest passengers trying to get a resolution to inappropriate treatment on the part of Southwest employees…DON’T BOTHER!!!! This employee repeatedly stated the company would not intervene or even examine the incident. Southwest will no longer be my airline of choice. Frontier and Jet Blue are definitely more customer friendly and seem to value their customers. Southwest’s attitude is the company is doing you a favor to let you fly on their planes. The price is right; the company’s response to genuine complaints needs a major adjustment….no matter what the latest surveys on customer satisfaction state.

By: Jim Sineni

Jim Sineni — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:40:17 +0000

I was injured on SW flight 2740 flight from Chicago Midway to Las Vegas on
> August 10th. As the plane landed in Las Vegas a fellow passenger attempted
> to remove an oversized and over stuffed piece of luggage from the overhead
> bin and dropped it on my head as I was still seated in my seat
> causing me great pain as well as a lump on my head. When loading this plane
> in Chicago my wife and I observed this passenger and a flight attendant make
> several attempts to load this luggage in the overhead bin. I was
> transported via ambulance to Desert Springs Hospital where several tests
> were administered. I was diagnosed with a head injury and a sprained neck.
> I spent most of my vacation recuperating in my hotel room. I was promised
> by 2 SouthWest airlines supervisors who made reports on the plane that they
> would send me copies of the reports. I was treated by my personal doctor
> upon returning home. I made numerous phone calls to SouthWest as well as a
> letter to Mary Mortensen, Supervisor, Customer Claims Administration Finance
> Dept.Tele 214-792-4387. I received a letter stating she was sorry for my
> injury and that all reports are considered internal documents and cannot be
> released. She also encouraged us to travel with SouthWest again soon and
> that my family’s patronage is very important to them. I’m no sure how
> important our patronage is. I feel that SouthWest should accept some
> responsibility for allowing this passenger ,who was one on the last
> passengers to enter the plane with an obvious oversized, oversized piece of
> luggage and helping her to place it in the overhead bin.
>

By: Gary Pflanzer

Gary Pflanzer — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:51:27 +0000

Problems with Southwest Airlines lack of baggage security. On March 25, 2009 we traveled on SW flight #1011 from San Diego, CA. to Detroit, MI. When we arrived home my wife’s jewelry was missing, after verifying it was not left in S.D. we tried to contact Southwest Airlines. The Southwest Airlines Claims Department was at a “Staff meeting and would not answer there phone from 12:01 until 4:14 over their (4) hour limit to report a theft. It must be nice to set your own rules. Now Southwest Airlines is sending us letters indicating it is our fault because we packed jewelry in our luggage and did not report it in a timely manner. I agree there must be some protection for the airlines from fraudulent claims but the public also needs some protection. Every phone call or letter we have sent has met with an unsatisfactory response, it does not appear that Southwest Airlines wants to improve their baggage security. By taking no action to correct the situation is in itself condoning the theft of personal property from their customers.
I am now A disappointed customer.

By: Kelly Bosworth

Kelly Bosworth — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:51:32 +0000

My husband surprised me for 40th birthday with a trip to Disney! We left on Saturday, January 10, 2009. Direct (no stops) flight to Orlando. Needless to say, we NEVER got our bags. How do you lose two bags on a direct, non-stop flight? SW gave us $50 per person to buy things. It resulted in shopping @ Walmart wearing $5.00 t-shirts, socks & underwear that was never washed. I wore the same pants for 5 days. We had big plans of going to shows, and nice dinners & wound up eating fast food and back in our room by 7pm each night. I have wrote Jim Rupel the VP of customer relations 2 letters and no response. I did get a voucher for $378 (price of our airfare) that I literally wouldn’t wipe my ass with. Myself and everyone I know will NEVER fly them again. I did get two checks last week (3 months later) that were depreciated. How can you depreciate someone’s things? I have to go buy all new things at FULL price. What I don’t get is the nickel and diming that they do. I will not stop until I get the price of the trip paid for, $1800.00. I could have “roughed” it in my backyard for free! I am not asking for my spending money down there, but my trip and 40th birthday was ruined by Southwest and they need to take accountability! Flyers beware…. Southwest is cheap, but you get what you pay for!!

By: mike

mike — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:12:48 +0000

For all of you that has complained that you left an item on the plane and that Southwest airlines employee stoled it. Come on! Take some resposibilty for losing it. Anybody could have seen that very nice IPOD or such being left behind and just waited for you to leave and snatch, I’m shocked how so many of you don’t take responsibility for your own dumb actions like leaving such high priced items on the airplane in the first place. Goodness!!!!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:24:23 +0000

I cried all the way home. I misplaced my ipod touch just last night and they called someone to go check to see if they could find it. The woman called back and said she didn’t find it. I was the very last passenger off the flight so the only thing that comes to my mind (I wish it didn’t, but it does) is that one of the flight attendants got it or the cleaning people. Sad, b/c i rode on the train back to the baggage claim with the whole flight crew, so if they found it they had the chance to do the right thing, and I called the cleaning lady and she said “sorry, no one turned anything in”…I called the Airport lost and found and sure enough they had an ipod touch but it wasn’t mine. I hate thinking the worst, but what else can I do, what am i supposed to do when no one else will think that there is a POSSIBILITY that one of them might have taken something worth over $400.00.

Extremely Sad in Colorado.

Jennifer, Jonathan, Micah, and Caleb

By: rick oliver

rick oliver — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:01:44 +0000

i work for swa on the ramp and i too hate the skycabs they take bags that are heavy tell the customer no problem tip me and you do not have to pay the heavy fee it gets to me i do not know the bags weighs 60+ lbs i go out oji all because you do not want to do the right thing and tell us its F**king heavy i was out for 6mosoji because somebody had to take river rock home to Omaha

By: Bonita A. Marshall

Bonita A. Marshall — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:07:35 +0000

I am certainly glad I looked at your site before proceeding with the apparently futile efforts of contacting anyone at Southwest directly.

As many others I had to deal with a rude and overly aggressive flight attendant on my flight from Austin to Baltimore on Feb. 24th 2009. The attendant’s name is Brandy Zaychuk. The attendants were placing obviously over sized bags that should have been checked in the overhead bins. I got upset when Brandy placed a large suitcase on my new $300 cashmere coat and asked for my coat. When I stated my frustration of the bags not being checked and the concern of damage to my coat, Brandy became resentful and accused me of being rude. From there Brandy tried to escalate the confrontation.

I asked another stewardess to make sure I had no further exchanges with Brandy. I was not going to take this further, but Brandy had several passengers around me…the ones with the over sized bags she helped…write statements. Another stewardess wanted my name as a “witness”. At this point I declined and asked if I was going to be arrested on leaving the plane. I also asked the second stewardess what the problem was and to please tell me what they thought I had done. She could not respond.

I also have flown Southwest for years. This is my first complaint. It’s a shame the company doesn’t address sincere complaints and concerns as on the three other legs of my trip, the service, care, and courtesy shown toward passengers were commendable. It is interesting to note that the stewardesses on the other flights asked passengers to hold coats and place them on top of luggage so the coats would not be soiled or damaged. People that don’t like people should not be stewardesses. Southwest should address their rogue workers so the public does not have to endure uncalled for abuse!!!

By: L Hamilton

L Hamilton — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:43:55 +0000

I have had the same experience as M. Lortie above. Two teachers and myself were scheduled to go to a conference in San Antonio in November 2008 (one-time experience paid for by the school district). One teacher made the hotel reservations on her credit card and the other made the airline reservations on her credit card. We were to reimburse each other for each item. I had to cancel the trip. The hotel gave me no problems with canceling, but Southwest will not give me back the $316 for the ticket. They claim I can use it in the future and I have explained time and time again that I will not fly in the future. Customer Service Manager Anthony Whaley always ends his letters with this condescending remark: “We hope to see Ms. Hamilton flying with us soon.” I know there have been other consumers who have received a refund from Southwest, why I cannot is beyond me.