Southwest Airlines now charging $10 to check in
Ginny Favers
Basically, if I'm reading this right, if you have a family that wants to
sit together, you now have to pay an extra $10 per person, each way. If
you wait for the free check-in, you're certain to get a spot in the
"line" that will make it impossible for you to sit together, from my
experience watching Southwest's boarding process.
I think this stinks.
~Amanda
JackM
The Early Bird check in can be done by just one person who then boards
and saves the seats for the rest of the family. Not really a big issue
AFAICS.
Jack
--
My email address on the header is a non-monitored spam catching account.
I can be reached via http://www.wvnh.net/contact.htm
The dates for the next RADP Meet are December 4-7, 2009 for RADP-XIV
(http://meets.radp.org).
Ginny Favers
> Ginny Favers wrote:
>> http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-faq.html
>>
>> Basically, if I'm reading this right, if you have a family that wants
>> to sit together, you now have to pay an extra $10 per person, each
>> way. If you wait for the free check-in, you're certain to get a spot
>> in the "line" that will make it impossible for you to sit together,
>> from my experience watching Southwest's boarding process.
>>
>> I think this stinks.
>
> The Early Bird check in can be done by just one person who then boards
> and saves the seats for the rest of the family. Not really a big issue
> AFAICS.
>
>
> Jack
>
>
How on earth are the flight attendants supposed to handle that scenario?
What happens when the majority of people on the plane are families,
and they've all paid $10, and are some are trying to save seats, and
then others can't sit together who've paid the $10...
Honestly, I've just bought tickets on US Airways so we can have assigned
seats, for our trip this Christmas. I never thought I'd switch from
Southwest but there's no way I'm hassling with this mess.
~Amanda
Bob Me.
news:h7ugf4$r6d$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
I agree. I'd never fly Southwest before because of their unusual boarding practices,
this sounds like a brawl waiting to happen. Give me an assigned seat any day.
--
Bob Me.
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
To reply to me via email, remove the "spam_and_eggs." from my email address.
Patty Winter
In article <BSyom.653023$fo6....@en-nntp-09.dc1.easynews.com>,
JackM <not...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>The Early Bird check in can be done by just one person who then boards
>and saves the seats for the rest of the family.
Are you allowed to do that on Southwest?
Patty
Charles McGuinness
If not too many people pony up the $10, you can still get your A (or
low-B) boarding passes at the 24 hour mark.
I don't fly Southwest that much, but I've found that even if I miss
checking in right at the 24 hour mark I've still done pretty well. So,
at least for the flights I've been on, people haven't been that
aggressive about checking in at the first opportunity.
So, perhaps it won't be that big of deal? Or maybe it will ... I sure
don't know!
-- charles
aksco33
> In article <BSyom.653023$fo6.52...@en-nntp-09.dc1.easynews.com>,
>
> JackM �<notr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> >The Early Bird check in can be done by just one person who then boards
> >and saves the seats for the rest of the family.
>
> Are you allowed to do that on Southwest?
>
> Patty
I was just on a Southwest Flight from Orlando--got a late A Boarding
number and a business class person who got to board before A people
saved a bunch of seats for people who had B boarding cards--i was
alittle ticked but still manage to get a front of plane aisle seat
right behind his group but others were getting mad because they wanted
his seats.
aksco33
>
> - Show quoted text -
Well if I am flying alone no big deal--with my family then yes it is a
big issue and we probably would pay.
Bashful
Actually, as I understand it, it's worse than that. You can pay $10.00,
and you may or MAY NOT get to sit with your family. Anyone can pay this
fee, so if *everyone* does, than obviously, some of them aren't going to
get that "A" boarding number. You have no way of knowing if everyone,
or anyone, will pay this. Total gamble.
And total bummer. As much as I value every dollar right now, I would
rather that they had simply raised their prices by $10.00.
(Also, it's worth noting that if you pay the $10.00, all it does is
allow you to check in 36 hours before, instead of 24. For a lot of
folks and a lot of flights, this will mean checking in during the middle
of the night.)
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful, who bought her SW tickets a couple days before
learning of this wonderful new policy)
Raoul
wrote:
>
>I was just on a Southwest Flight from Orlando--got a late A Boarding
>number and a business class person who got to board before A people
>saved a bunch of seats for people who had B boarding cards--i was
>alittle ticked but still manage to get a front of plane aisle seat
>right behind his group but others were getting mad because they wanted
>his seats.
Is this official policy or just a guy staking out the space and
relying on other people being courteous?
Just curious since I fly JetBlue out of Boston but have a lot of
friends/family that take Southwest from Manchester NH and swear by it.
Rudeney
>
> Actually, as I understand it, it's worse than that. You can pay $10.00,
> and you may or MAY NOT get to sit with your family. Anyone can pay this
> fee, so if *everyone* does, than obviously, some of them aren't going to
> get that "A" boarding number. You have no way of knowing if everyone,
> or anyone, will pay this. Total gamble.
>
> And total bummer. As much as I value every dollar right now, I would
> rather that they had simply raised their prices by $10.00.
>
> (Also, it's worth noting that if you pay the $10.00, all it does is
> allow you to check in 36 hours before, instead of 24. For a lot of
> folks and a lot of flights, this will mean checking in during the middle
> of the night.)
Very good observations, Kitty! I'll refrain from dragging out my
soapbox and preaching my usual anti-SWA rhetoric as you guys all seem to
be doing quite well! ;-)
--
- RODNEY
Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!
Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?
Charlie Foxtrot
wrote:
>On Sep 5, 4:22?pm, Patty Winter <pat...@wintertime.com> wrote:
>> In article <BSyom.653023$fo6.52...@en-nntp-09.dc1.easynews.com>,
>>
>> JackM ?<notr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>> >The Early Bird check in can be done by just one person who then boards
>> >and saves the seats for the rest of the family.
>>
>> Are you allowed to do that on Southwest?
>>
>> Patty
>
>I was just on a Southwest Flight from Orlando--got a late A Boarding
>number and a business class person who got to board before A people
>saved a bunch of seats for people who had B boarding cards--i was
>alittle ticked but still manage to get a front of plane aisle seat
>right behind his group but others were getting mad because they wanted
>his seats.
If I'm flying with more than one person I always go with a different
airline for the purpose of assigned seats.
Just me or if I'm with one person, I'll go with Southwest if and only
if it's the best fare.
If I ever encountered one person who was claiming more than one seat
as "saved," I would sit down and if he gave me any grief, I'd calmly
ask him if he really thought there was something he could do to move
me out of the seat.
Actually, that's not fair since I'd win that one every time. More fun
would be to be behind his "Me, me, me" ass and have a nice old couple,
or something want to sit down and offering my assistance to ensure
they get the seats should the oaf complain about them wanting his
"saved" seats.
Foxtrot
If you think you hate me from what I write here, check out my blog on my MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/bennettron
If you actually think I'm an okay guy, go ahead and add me as your friend if you are active at MySpace.
John Mc.
To me this is somewhat parallel to the folks who think that by going
ahead of the rest of their party in one of the ride queues, the others
will be able to do another attraction or something. No way, Jos�,
"t'aint" happening. Now, if we're talking little one had "potty
emergency" while in queue "maybe". If we're talking a horde of rude
teenagers, not in this lifetime.
John Mc.
Notice I used "rude teenagers" instead of the "B" word?
--
si hoc legere scis nimium eruditiones habes.
Dillon Pyron
Just out of curiosity, how many bags are you checking?
>
>~Amanda
--
- dillon I am not invalid
"Iran wants nukes? North Korea wants nukes?
I'm sure we can give them some. Or the Navy."
- former B52 wing commander
PattiNH
>
> - Show quoted text -
We usually do Southwest out of Manchester. Besides the direct flights
to Orlando, they are just about the only airline that allows you to
check 2 pieces of luggage and not charge. Jet Blue to Portland was
cheaper when DD came home from college in June, but she had luggage
issues there so she ended up back on Southwest.
I've already got my tix for December, but honestly, do you think
anyone isn't going to switch with me if they have the prospect of
sitting next to a 14 year old the whole way to Florida or back? Hey,
they wanna deal with her going in the bag and all that, more power to
them.
I also can say in the trips we've taken, I haven't come across a full
plane yet either.
Patti
Paul Lalli
> (Also, it's worth noting that if you pay the $10.00, all it does is
> allow you to check in 36 hours before, instead of 24. For a lot of
> folks and a lot of flights, this will mean checking in during the middle
> of the night.)
Incorrect. The $10 is to be *automatically* checked-in at 36 hours.
You do not check in manually.
This is the benefit SW passengers who've made A-List get for free.
What's new now is the ability to buy it for $10 on a flight-by-flight basis.
Paul Lalli
Bashful
Thanks for correcting me, Paul. I'm glad I got that wrong - it's the
first "not so bad" thing I've heard about this.
However, if SW automatically checks in all the people who paid the
$10.00, how do they determine what order they check them in? And you're
still stuck with the (admittedly remote) possibility that *everyone*
will pay the extra $10.00, so there are still no guarantees of a decent
boarding number. (I'm pretty much resigning myself to *not* sitting
with my hubby this trip - can't see paying the extra money unless/until
there seems to be some sort of guarantee of a real benefit.)
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful, lurker-at-heart)
Paul Lalli
> Thanks for correcting me, Paul. I'm glad I got that wrong - it's the
> first "not so bad" thing I've heard about this.
>
> However, if SW automatically checks in all the people who paid the
> $10.00, how do they determine what order they check them in?
1) Folks already on the plane from a different origin (ie, your first
flight is their connecting flight) will be on the plane before you.
2) Folks who purchased Business Select fare get A1-A15, ordered by who
purchased sooner.
3) Folks who've made A-List will be checked in at T-36 first, based on
some proprietary algorithm SWA won't release.
4) Folks who've purchased Early Bird Check-In will be checked in at T-36
next, based on who purchased EBCI first.
5) Then the regular online-checkin window starts at T-24, starting
whereever A-List and EBCI left off.
> And you're
> still stuck with the (admittedly remote) possibility that *everyone*
> will pay the extra $10.00, so there are still no guarantees of a decent
> boarding number.
You are correct. Please don't mistake my factual correction for liking
this new "service". On the contrary, I'm one of the biggest
pro-Southwest folks there is, and I'm pretty damn steamed about it.
It's entirely possible all 137 people on the plane could pay the extra
$10, all be checked in at T-36, and have whole bunch of really pissed
off people getting low A's, B's, and even C's.
Paul Lalli
Paul Lalli
> Bashful wrote:
>
>> Thanks for correcting me, Paul. I'm glad I got that wrong - it's the
>> first "not so bad" thing I've heard about this.
>>
>> However, if SW automatically checks in all the people who paid the
>> $10.00, how do they determine what order they check them in?
>
> 1) Folks already on the plane from a different origin (ie, your first
> flight is their connecting flight) will be on the plane before you.
> 2) Folks who purchased Business Select fare get A1-A15, ordered by who
> purchased sooner.
> 3) Folks who've made A-List will be checked in at T-36 first, based on
> some proprietary algorithm SWA won't release.
> 4) Folks who've purchased Early Bird Check-In will be checked in at T-36
> next, based on who purchased EBCI first.
Ugh ugh UGH! I was wrong. I thought it was first-come-first-served,
like it is for BS. But no. It's whoever paid more. From the FAQ:
"Is there an order in which EarlyBird Check-in Boarding Passes are reserved?
Yes, Customers who have purchased Anytime Fares will receive priority
over other fare types during the initial boarding position assignment."
In other words, if you buy a Wanna Get Away Fare and pay the EBCI fee
the day the schedule is released, you're still gonna be put behind
someone who buys an Anytime Fare and pays the EBCI fee at T-37.
I like this less and less every day.
Paul Lalli
aksco33
> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 13:31:05 -0700 (PDT), aksco33 <aksc...@aol.com>
I believe this was just a guy staking out spots for his friends--noone
argued with him for his seats they just got frustrated looking for a
seat--Like I said I will go with the cheapest air first whether you
pay for luggage or not--If Southwest is cheaper then a bonus
especially from Pittsburgh these days because there is only like 2
airlines offering non-stop on 2 flights a day if your lucky to and
from Orlando. My trip this fall we went with Airtran since it was
cheaper price wise but will end up being the same as Southwest by the
time we pay luggage fees but we can have our seats together and check
our luggage at the resort the day we leave.
Paul Lalli
Over on flyertalk.com, some Southwest FA's have posted, telling us that
Southwest's official policy is that there is no official policy. And
that basically, Flight Attendants aren't playground monitors. Customers
are allowed to save seats, and customers are allowed to take seats that
other customers are saving.
Seems like they don't have a problem with the potential for a physical
altercation on the plane due to their policy. :-(
Paul Lalli
Caren
I didn't know you were from Pittsburgh. I stopped flying Air Tran when
they started charging for luggage. Honestly, I've never had trouble
with seating on Southwest. It's not like people fling their bodies
over favorite seats and hang onto them for dear life--even on full
flights, there's a bit of give and take and everyone that's together
winds up sitting together. Also, Southwest seems to have more space
between seats so you don't wind up with a seatback in your knees.
--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland
Barry L. Wallis
I wonder how SWA will board handicapped flyers. Do they board before the
$10 people or after?
--
- Barry as TDC Sorcerer
- Magical Manager of the Mysteriously Missing Main Street Magic Shop
- Curator: The Disney Extinct Attractions Graveyard
- <http://www.flickr.com/groups/disney_graveyard/>
- Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barrywallis/
- Photo albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/barry.wallis
Patty Winter
In article <h83fqf$f88$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>Over on flyertalk.com, some Southwest FA's have posted, telling us that
>Southwest's official policy is that there is no official policy. And
>that basically, Flight Attendants aren't playground monitors. Customers
>are allowed to save seats, and customers are allowed to take seats that
>other customers are saving.
Yeah, it's fuzzy on their website:
"Because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy,
general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat."
Patty
Patty Winter
In article <RIbpm.121780$nL7.1...@newsfe18.iad>,
Barry L. Wallis <barry_...@acm.org> wrote:
[extraneous quotage removed]
>I wonder how SWA will board handicapped flyers. Do they board before the
>$10 people or after?
They pre-board. Since EBCI uses the A/B/C categories, it's just
a way to get a better group assignment during regular boarding.
Patty
aksco33
>
> - Show quoted text -
I can agree with you Caren about not flying with the others since they
started charging for the luggage and I will also say this was the
first trip on Southwest were I saw a guy saving the seats. I know
when I am flying solo I like to be close to the front as possible and
like the ailse seats. I was trying to get Southwest for this fall
trip but the price has not been ideal and we are a group of 10. I got
Airtran at a very low price and one bag each would come out to what I
would have paid on Southwest--I figured we are using ME and since
Airtran takes resort check-ins it was a good choice for us and we will
have a good arrival at MCO at the end of the trip.
Paul Lalli
> I wonder how SWA will board handicapped flyers. Do they board before the
> $10 people or after?
Before.
1) People already on the plane from a different origin
2) Pre-boarders (medical disability). Not allowed to sit in an Exit Row.
3) Business Select customers (A1 - A15)
4) A16 - A30 (regardless of how they got it - EBCI, T-24, or at the airport)
5) A31 - A60
5) Families with children 3 and under. (who also aren't allowed to sit
in an exit row)
6) B1 - B30
7) B31 - B60
8) C1 - C17 (There are 137 seats on a SWA 737)
Paul Lalli
LVTravel
"Ginny Favers" <ginny...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:h7ucgp$sqe$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-faq.html
>
> Basically, if I'm reading this right, if you have a family that wants to
> sit together, you now have to pay an extra $10 per person, each way. If
> you wait for the free check-in, you're certain to get a spot in the "line"
> that will make it impossible for you to sit together, from my experience
> watching Southwest's boarding process.
>
> I think this stinks.
>
> ~Amanda
And now is the time to go to Southwest.com and click on the contact us at
the bottom of their web page. Fill out a email (boarding passes as topic)
and deluge them with emails telling SWA how much you hate the new program.
I don't know how much good it will do but I have already sent mine and I
know a few others that have done the same.
Barry L. Wallis
<Italian accent> "I claim this seat for the empire of Spain!" <plants
Spanish flag on seat>
Ginny Favers
ts, and
>> then others can't sit together who've paid the $10...
>>
>> Honestly, I've just bought tickets on US Airways so we can have assigned
>> seats, for our trip this Christmas. I never thought I'd switch from
>> Southwest but there's no way I'm hassling with this mess.
>
> Just out of curiosity, how many bags are you checking?
>
>> ~Amanda
Zip. We only travel with one roller bag per person.
~Amanda
Lisa Cubbon
> Patty Winter wrote:
>> In article <h83fqf$f88$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Over on flyertalk.com, some Southwest FA's have posted, telling us
>>> that Southwest's official policy is that there is no official
>>> policy. And that basically, Flight Attendants aren't playground
>>> monitors. Customers are allowed to save seats, and customers are
>>> allowed to take seats that other customers are saving.
>>
>> Yeah, it's fuzzy on their website:
>> "Because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy,
>> general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat."
>
> <Italian accent> "I claim this seat for the empire of Spain!" <plants
> Spanish flag on seat>
>
Lisa
Ginny Favers
>
> I also can say in the trips we've taken, I haven't come across a full
> plane yet either.
>
> Patti
Must be different per route, but every flight we've been on has been
totally sold out, for years now.
~Amanda
Ginny Favers
> Bashful wrote:
>
>>
>> However, if SW automatically checks in all the people who paid the
>> $10.00, how do they determine what order they check them in?
>
> 1) Folks already on the plane from a different origin (ie, your first
> flight is their connecting flight) will be on the plane before you.
> 2) Folks who purchased Business Select fare get A1-A15, ordered by who
> purchased sooner.
> 3) Folks who've made A-List will be checked in at T-36 first, based on
> some proprietary algorithm SWA won't release.
> 4) Folks who've purchased Early Bird Check-In will be checked in at T-36
> next, based on who purchased EBCI first.
> 5) Then the regular online-checkin window starts at T-24, starting
> whereever A-List and EBCI left off.
>
> Paul Lalli
Don't forget, people who pay the $10 for Early Bird and are flying
"Anytime" fares get ahead of other fare types.
~Amanda
Paul Lalli
> And now is the time to go to Southwest.com and click on the contact us
> at the bottom of their web page. Fill out a email (boarding passes as
> topic) and deluge them with emails telling SWA how much you hate the new
> program. I don't know how much good it will do but I have already sent
> mine and I know a few others that have done the same.
Well said, LV. I've just submitted my feedback as well.
Paul Lalli
Bob Me.
>news:ba72844b-6aa6-409c...@y21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
>On Sep 7, 1:28?pm, Caren <dri...@sgi.net> wrote:
>I can agree with you Caren about not flying with the others since they
>started charging for the luggage and I will also say this was the
>first trip on Southwest were I saw a guy saving the seats. I know
>when I am flying solo I like to be close to the front as possible and
>like the ailse seats. I was trying to get Southwest for this fall
>trip but the price has not been ideal and we are a group of 10. I got
>Airtran at a very low price and one bag each would come out to what I
>would have paid on Southwest--I figured we are using ME and since
>Airtran takes resort check-ins it was a good choice for us and we will
>have a good arrival at MCO at the end of the trip.
Just as an FYI, we did fly United to Orlando on our recent trip. Paid the $44 for 4
bags (instead of $60), apparently a discount by paying online prior to departure.
Anyways, when using DME to return to the airport at the end of the trip, United
waives the baggage charge, so it didn't cost me anything to send them back home.
They were the only airline that did that.
--
Bob Me.
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
To reply to me via email, remove the "spam_and_eggs." from my email address.
Firestorm
> if it's the best fare.
>
> If I ever encountered one person who was claiming more than one seat
> as "saved," I would sit down and if he gave me any grief, I'd calmly
> ask him if he really thought there was something he could do to move
> me out of the seat.
>
> Actually, that's not fair since I'd win that one every time. More fun
> would be to be behind his "Me, me, me" ass and have a nice old couple,
> or something want to sit down and offering my assistance to ensure
> they get the seats should the oaf complain about them wanting his
> "saved" seats.
>
> Foxtrot
100% agree. You are my hero for the day. Someone who understands
English and can read, "Southwest has an open seat policy." There is
no policy against saving seats and there is no policy against taking
seats.
If you want to save a seat, travel on another airline instead. This
open seat policy is suppose to get people on board quickly. See a
seat you like? Plot down ASAP and keep the line moving.
aksco33
Yeah--I know from Pittsburgh Airtran and Southwest offer the only Non-
Stops from Pittsburgh and 2 flights from each of those airlines and
there are no empty seats.
My last trip to WDW at the begining of August, I carried on and there
were so many others carrying on that Airtran had to ask if people
would volunteer to check their luggage--the fee was waived--to make
space. I thought about taking the smaller cases for this trip and
carry-on but we are a big group and staying longer this time.
Charles McGuinness
> I like this less and less every day.
>
> Paul Lalli
But would you say that SWA is still fairer than traditional carriers in
terms of how the infrequent, leisure traveler is treated?
Rob Steere
news:782c290f-7217-48ac...@u36g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
>
>100% agree. You are my hero for the day. Someone who understands
>English and can read, "Southwest has an open seat policy." There is
>no policy against saving seats and there is no policy against taking
>seats.
>
>If you want to save a seat, travel on another airline instead. This
>open seat policy is suppose to get people on board quickly. See a
>seat you like? Plot down ASAP and keep the line moving.
>
My own outlook on saving seats in a situation like on Southwest pretty much
parallel's my views toward saving places while waiting for a parade,
Fantasmic, whatever: A 1:1 ratio is acceptable, more than that is not.
A husband who is saving a single seat next to him for his wife (and it's
most likely the less-desirable middle seat anyway) is OK. A husband saving
five seats for his entire extended family is not. If you have six people
boarding the flight, you'd better have at least 3 people doing the
seat-saving, or better-yet 4 people (two windows and two aisles, saving the
middle seats between them).
Of course, I actually kinda liked it when families pre-boarded before
everyone because I altered my seat selection style to take advantage of
their boarding habits. When families with young kids boarded first, they'd
almost ALWAYS sit at the very front of the plane. Thus, I knew that if I
walked 2/3 of the way back, I'd have all the kids well in front of me, and
I'd have a relatively peaceful flight.
-Rob
Paul Lalli
>
>> I like this less and less every day.
>
> terms of how the infrequent, leisure traveler is treated?
Oh definitely. The service and friendliness that Southwest offers is
beyond compare to the legacies. United/AA/US/Delta/etc treat their
frequent fliers well. Which means you have to put in a year or two of
being treated like sh** in order to get good service. Southwest treats
everyone well from the get go.
By "this" that I like less and less, I meant this new Early Bird Check
In thing. Not Southwest itself.
Paul Lalli
Charlie Foxtrot
wrote:
>"Firestorm" <fromaclo...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>news:782c290f-7217-48ac...@u36g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
>>
>>100% agree. You are my hero for the day. Someone who understands
>>English and can read, "Southwest has an open seat policy." There is
>>no policy against saving seats and there is no policy against taking
>>seats.
>>
>>If you want to save a seat, travel on another airline instead. This
>>open seat policy is suppose to get people on board quickly. See a
>>seat you like? Plot down ASAP and keep the line moving.
>>
>
>My own outlook on saving seats in a situation like on Southwest pretty much
>parallel's my views toward saving places while waiting for a parade,
>Fantasmic, whatever: A 1:1 ratio is acceptable, more than that is not.
>
>A husband who is saving a single seat next to him for his wife (and it's
>most likely the less-desirable middle seat anyway) is OK. A husband saving
>five seats for his entire extended family is not. If you have six people
>boarding the flight, you'd better have at least 3 people doing the
>seat-saving, or better-yet 4 people (two windows and two aisles, saving the
>middle seats between them).
That's where I'm at. A guy saving a seat for his wife, friend or
child is going to be talking about the really nice big guy he met on
the plane.
A guy who says, "These seats, the ones across the aisle and the three
behind these are saved for my golfing buddies," is going to be talking
about the fat asshole who thought he was tough.
Foxtrot
If you think you hate me from what I write here, check out my blog on my MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/bennettron
If you actually think I'm an okay guy, go ahead and add me as your friend if you are active at MySpace.
PattiNH
Going out of MHT to MCO and vice-versa? Haven't hit it full, yet.
Even DD had a whole row to herself last year going back to college on
the Tuesday following New Year's. Now if she'd been traveling the
weekend, I think we would have had different issues....
Patti
Erwin M.
> It's
> entirely possible all 137 people on the plane could pay the extra $10,
> all be checked in at T-36, and have whole bunch of really pissed off
> people getting low A's, B's, and even C's.
This was one of the first conclusions that DW and I came to when we
heard about this. The BWI-MCO route is always full for every flight in
both directions, and we tend to do the web special and Wanna Get Away
fares. Under the old system, we could check in manually right at T-24
and end up (at absolute worst) in the single-digit B range. Under the
new system, the absolute worst case for us would be to pay an extra $10
each way per person and be assigned to C16-17.
Oh wait...say the flight is overbooked, as every single "full" flight
is, because airlines count on no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
No-shows are normally handled by people not checking in...but this
system *automatically* checks people in. Let's still assume that every
single seat has paid the extra $10, so the whole flight is checked in at
T-36. How do you handle the no-shows for seating standby folks? Do you
get everyone seated, A1-C17, and then check the manifest to see if there
are any empties? I don't see how that saves time.
And now for the new absolute worst case: more than 137 people pay the
extra $10. You now have people who have paid an extra fee for an
automatic check-in, only to be told that they are on standby. And it's
through no fault of their own (unlike folks flying SWA who know how the
system works and yet still wait till an hour before takeoff to check
in). Awkward, much?
I know it stinks to get charged for baggage and to book your seat
assignment in advance with a carrier like AirTran, but at least you know
what those fees buy you. From the look of things, there's no way of
knowing what you're actually going to get with the new SWA policy.
Steve Russo
I agree with all of the above. Unfortunately, flying from ALB to MCO,
there's really no alternative. SWA has the only direct flights. Others
(USAirways) are 25-75% more expensive, charge for luggage and involve
commuter flights, plane changes and 4-7 hours of travel vs 2.5-3 for
SWA.
I may change my mind but, right now, I'm advocating a boycott of the
Early Bird Check In. We're going in December and my plan is to NOT pay
the fee and see what happens. I've also sent a complaint to SWA about
this new program.
Sandi Femino
Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On the contrary, I'm one of the biggest
> pro-Southwest folks there is, and I'm pretty damn steamed about it.
> It's entirely possible all 137 people on the plane could pay the extra
> $10, all be checked in at T-36, and have whole bunch of really pissed
> off people getting low A's, B's, and even C's.
Right there with you, Paul- Pro-Southwest and dislike of this policy.
--
Rudeney
My whole problem with SWA is that *every* passenger is flying standby.
SWA does not guarantee anyone holding a ticket a seat on any particular
flight, regardless of being checked-in or not. I've been stuck twice
having to switch to a "real" airline because of this. Luckily, I didn't
have to pay the $700+ to get where I was going because it was company
business. I even worked for a very large Fortune 100 company that would
not allow employees to fly SWA because of this. They realized it cost
too much in the long run due to missed appointments and travel agent fees.
I know many people fly SWA routes that aren't as crowded, but most of
the flights in and out of Birmingham are always overbooked. On top of
that, Birmingham tends to be a stopover for flights coming from other
cities. It's entirely possible to have a flight going from BHM to MCO
that may have only ten or twelve available seats because it's coming in
from another city full of Disney vactioners. Now, regardless of how
many people did early check-in or even paid the $10 "upgrade" fee, there
are only so many open seats *and* only two flights a day. How would you
feel taking your family on a WDW vacation only to find that you arrive a
day late because there were no seats on the plane? Other airlines
conform to industry codeshare rules that will require them to do
whatever is necessary to get ticketed, confirmed passengers to their
destinations (not counting events beyond their control like weather or
FAA groundings, of course).
I know that the traditional airlines may not treat the casual traveler
as well, and that there may be extra luggage fees, but knowing that I
have a confirmed seat, and my party can sit together, and knowing that
if the airline screws up that they will have to make things right is
enough to make me pay a little more.
--
- RODNEY
Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!
Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?
Paul Lalli
> In article <h839vd$tr...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On the contrary, I'm one of the biggest
> > pro-Southwest folks there is, and I'm pretty damn steamed about it.
> > It's entirely possible all 137 people on the plane could pay the extra
> > $10, all be checked in at T-36, and have whole bunch of really pissed
> > off people getting low A's, B's, and even C's.
>
> Right there with you, Paul- Pro-Southwest and dislike of this policy.
For what it's worth, that does seem to be the trend. If you head over
to SWA's own blog posting on this subject, you'll see that it's about
95% people who are not happy with this new fee.
http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/earlybird-check-a-convenient-way-travel
Paul Lalli
Rudeney
One thing I find interesting in all this is how people react to special
privileges being available for a fee. Before this, when all SWA
passengers had pretty much the same odds of getting a good seat (or, a
seat at all as is the case on some flights) no one complained. Now that
there's the possibility that others might pay $10 for better odds, we
have an outcry. I'll bet that if Disney did something like this for
FP's, we'd have the same public reaction (and yes I know there are ways
to get special FP's, but the availability and price is much more
exclusive than this SWA deal).
Paul Lalli
> One thing I find interesting in all this is how people react to special
> privileges being available for a fee.
It's not special privileges being available for a fee. It's our
normal every day as-we've-come-to-expect privileges suddenly being
*taken away* unless we pay a new fee. That's very different.
Paul Lalli
Erwin M.
Or preferential treatment being given to those who pay a voluntary
fee...and then when *everyone* pays that fee, the playing field is once
again level, except that we've all paid additional money for no net gain
in quality or quantity of service, when paying the fee was supposed to
give you an advantage.
Rudeney
As I understand it, the $10 fee gets you automatically checked-in 36
hours before flight time. That is something you didn't have before
since you could only check-in 24 hours ahead and it had to be done
"manually" by going online and doing it. To me, that is "extra". The
only thing being taken away is the odds that you will get an "A"
boarding card when checking in manually 24 hours in advance.
Rudeney
I seriously doubt that everyone will pay the fee. There will be plenty
of people who won;t spend the extra money and will take their chances.
if it were me, I'd probably not pay the fee, but that's a moot point
because I won't fly SWA, either.
Steve Russo
news:b5e5fdcc-ffdb-4588...@y20g2000vbk.googlegroups.com...
> the fee and see what happens. I've also sent a complaint to SWA about
> this new program.
The response:
Dear Stephen,
Thank you for contacting us to share your thoughts regarding our new
Customer offering--EarlyBird Check-In, which was recently launched on
southwest.com. As you can well imagine, we thrive on feedback from our
Customers as we realize that it is one of the best ways to evaluate our
efforts and improve the product we offer to the traveling public. We
appreciate this opportunity to respond to your comments.
Our goal with this new amenity is to provide extra convenience (since
Customers who choose to add the EarlyBird option won't feel the need to
wait at their computer for the 24-hour mark to receive a good boarding
pass), a better boarding position (we'll begin reserving boarding passes
for our EarlyBird Customers 36 hours before the flight's scheduled
departure time), and earlier access to overhead bins (EarlyBird Customers
will receive boarding passes before general boarding). Nevertheless, we
understand that you are unhappy with this new offering, and we are sorry
that you are disappointed. As our Leaders will be monitoring the Customer
feedback we receive, we have noted your concerns in our monthly summary for
distribution to our Senior Leadership.
Again, we appreciate your taking time out of your day to offer your
feedback as we know it can only make us a better airline. We hope to have
the privilege of welcoming you onboard very soon as your patronage is
important to us.
Sincerely,
Lyric, Southwest Airlines
Brian
wrote:
>And now for the new absolute worst case: more than 137 people pay the
>extra $10. You now have people who have paid an extra fee for an
>automatic check-in, only to be told that they are on standby. And it's
>through no fault of their own (unlike folks flying SWA who know how the
>system works and yet still wait till an hour before takeoff to check
>in). Awkward, much?
Is that possible or do they cut it off at some point?
Ginny Favers
> My last trip to WDW at the begining of August, I carried on and there
> were so many others carrying on that Airtran had to ask if people
> would volunteer to check their luggage--the fee was waived--to make
> space.
I've heard that going on at nearby gates for non-Southwest airlines,
just about every trip this past year.
Wonder how long before passengers on carriers that charge for bags
figure out that eventually they will be offered the service for free if
they just carry on their bags.
~Amanda
Ginny Favers
We've gone from Baltimore to Orlando and back, Philadelphia to Orlando
and back, and Philadelphia to Phoenix, AZ and back. Always totally full.
Also, my son travels from Baltimore to New Orleans and back a few times
a year, and I always hear announcements about offers to give up your
seats for free tickets, which means they're oversold.
~Amanda
Bashful
> I seriously doubt that everyone will pay the fee. There will be plenty
> of people who won;t spend the extra money and will take their chances.
> if it were me, I'd probably not pay the fee, but that's a moot point
> because I won't fly SWA, either.
Rodney, I really hope you're right. I'm not planning on paying it, but...
When I first learned of this, I was worried that hubby and I wouldn't
get to sit together. However, when you consider that just about every
flight we've been on has been full, and most of them have been
over-booked, I now realize that we really, truly could get bumped
altogether. (And yes, I realize that that has always been a
possibility. However, it used to be pretty remote as I always checked
in at 24 hrs on the nose.) If we don't make it to the RADP meet, you
all will know why. (We're booked on the only flight that's early enough
on the day of the big meet to ensure we get there in time.)
And yes, I took the time and sent a lengthy e-mail to SW. Not sure if
it will help, but it can't hurt.
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful, lurker-at-heart)
Paul Lalli
The FAQ very specifically states they don't limit the number of EBCI
sold. "All eligible customers" may purchase it.
http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-faq.html#ebQuestion8
Paul Lalli
Paul Lalli
> Paul Lalli wrote:
>> On Sep 8, 3:33 pm, Rudeney <rude...@mickeypics.com> wrote:
>>
>>> One thing I find interesting in all this is how people react to special
>>> privileges being available for a fee.
>>
>> It's not special privileges being available for a fee. It's our
>> normal every day as-we've-come-to-expect privileges suddenly being
>> *taken away* unless we pay a new fee. That's very different.
>
> As I understand it, the $10 fee gets you automatically checked-in 36
> hours before flight time. That is something you didn't have before
> since you could only check-in 24 hours ahead and it had to be done
> "manually" by going online and doing it. To me, that is "extra". The
> only thing being taken away is the odds that you will get an "A"
> boarding card when checking in manually 24 hours in advance.
Yes, Rodney, that is exactly what has been taken away.
Paul Lalli
Caren
They're setting up a system where, if you buy a basic fare and check
in at the airport, you've got a good chance you'll be bumped from your
flight. On very busy routes, you'd be practically guaranteed to bumped
from your flight.
--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland
Rudeney
> "Steve Russo" <sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:b5e5fdcc-ffdb-4588...@y20g2000vbk.googlegroups.com...
>> the fee and see what happens. I've also sent a complaint to SWA about
>> this new program.
>
> The response:
Hey Steve, I noticed there was some text hidden behind the HTML code in
this message. I think I was able to recover it all.....
> Dear Stephen,
>
> Thank you for contacting us to share your thoughts regarding our new
> Customer offering--EarlyBird Check-In, which was recently launched on
> southwest.com.
Yes, thank you so much for making us have to take time out of our busy
schedules to write a response, even though it is a form letter.
> As you can well imagine, we thrive on feedback from our
> Customers
Although we prefer that feedback to be in the form of photos of dead
presidents.
> as we realize that it is one of the best ways to evaluate our
> efforts and improve the product we offer to the traveling public. We
> appreciate this opportunity to respond to your comments.
And lucky for you, our response is in the form of this letter rather
than our usual method, which involves sending your luggage to the
Albuquerque zoo to be used for elephant training.
> Our goal with this new amenity is to
increase revenues with practically no cost to us. As a side effect, for
those customers who decide to make such a generous donation to our
executive bonus fund, it will also
> provide extra convenience (since
> Customers who choose to add the EarlyBird option won't feel the need to
> wait at their computer for the 24-hour mark to receive a good boarding
> pass), a better boarding position (we'll begin reserving boarding passes
> for our EarlyBird Customers 36 hours before the flight's scheduled
> departure time), and earlier access to overhead bins (EarlyBird Customers
> will receive boarding passes before general boarding)
>
> Nevertheless, we
> understand that you are unhappy with this new offering, and we are sorry
> that you are disappointed
but really, it does not matter as we are sure there will be plenty of
bonus fund donors.
> As our Leaders will be monitoring the Customer
> feedback we receive, we have noted your concerns in our monthly summary for
> distribution to our Senior Leadership.
That summary is nicely packaged in a clean, white paper roll which will
be placed conveniently in the stalls of the executive wash room.
> Again, we appreciate your taking time out of your day to offer your
> feedback as we know it can only make us a better airline
by being able to identify those passengers who might be a threat to our
future revenues and properly take car of them.
> We hope to have
> the privilege of welcoming you onboard very soon as your patronage is
> important to us.
We have have placed your name on our "special handling" list so we will
make sure that your next flight (or "attempted" flight) on SWA will be a
most "memorable" experience.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Lyric,
And no, I did *not* used to work for Song Airlines.
> Southwest Airlines
;-)
Rudeney
>
> Also, my son travels from Baltimore to New Orleans and back a few times
> a year, and I always hear announcements about offers to give up your
> seats for free tickets, which means they're oversold.
Is that something new? I've never hear SWA offer to compensate
passengers for giving up seats on oversold flights.
Rudeney
Ah, but since those odds will be based on the number of people who
choose to pay the $10 upcharge, then it's really their fault and not
SWA! :-) Seriously, I do understand what you are saying, but based on
my past bad experiences, I am so cynical when it comes to SWA that I
just don't see anything about flying them that is a "privilege".
Paul Lalli
> Ginny Favers wrote:
>>
>> Also, my son travels from Baltimore to New Orleans and back a few
>> times a year, and I always hear announcements about offers to give up
>> your seats for free tickets, which means they're oversold.
>
> Is that something new? I've never hear SWA offer to compensate
> passengers for giving up seats on oversold flights.
Define "new", Rodney. You say you never fly SWA, so when was your last
experience with them? I've heard requests for VDB for at least 3 years
now, and taken the option myself three or four times.
The Contract of Carriage that specifies their VDB compensation can be
found at: http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/coc.pdf
Paul Lalli
Paul Lalli
(oh, and according to that, the current Denied Boarding compensation
policy has been in place since at least June 2, 2003.)
Paul Lalli
Steve Russo
> > Our goal with this new amenity is to
>
> increase revenues with practically no cost to us.
Bingo! Which is why I'm advocating a boycott of this new "service".
Just say "NO!"
Patricia Barber
> I may change my mind but, right now, I'm advocating a boycott of the
> Early Bird Check In. We're going in December and my plan is to NOT pay
> the fee and see what happens. I've also sent a complaint to SWA about
I'm with you, Steve. Even when we've gotten the B boarding passes,
we've managed to get our seats together. I like Southwest but I won't
pony up the extra $10. We usually manage to get the A passes and
there are plenty of seats when we board, together and exactly where we
want tos it. I don't know what the rationale was for initiating this
new procedure but I have a feeling it won't work and won't last.
Heather Eberhardt
here are my thoughts.
About everyone using it: I don't see that happening. I was only
online once during our vacation and happened to get a msg about it. I
signed us both up for it (the idea of signing only one and saving a
seat never even occured to me) at about the 33 hour mark, and we got
passes A17 and A18. And the flight was full with every seat taken.
About the system automatically checking you in: YES PLEASE! We were
staying at Pop Century, so no free internet. Add in the fact that at
4:30pm on any day we were there, we were buried deep in a park, and we
could not have used the online checkin at our 24 hour mark exactly no
matter what. We're both cellphone haters (though otherwise I'm as
gadget geeky as it gets) so we don't have phones that would let us use
the mobile site to check in. I read the FAQ and realized there was no
guarantee I'd get a "great" boarding pass, but anything was better
than what I was likely to get without it. For our flight down, I
checked in online at 24 hrs on the dot (I'd had to keep refreshing to
be able to do it) and still ended up with A60 and B1 as our passes.
And finally:
Was it worth $10 to me? Yes. My DH is a terrified flier (he takes
tranquilizers to even get on the plane). Having the chance to board
early and hope to get an exit row seat and have him seated, tucked in
and zoning out doing deep breathing etc to try to stay calm was worth
every penny. I'd pay it again in a heartbeat.
Heather
I promise, the TR is coming!
Paul Lalli
>> I may change my mind but, right now, I'm advocating a boycott of the
>> Early Bird Check In. We're going in December and my plan is to NOT pay
>> the fee and see what happens. I've also sent a complaint to SWA about
>> this new program.- Hide quoted text -
>
> I'm with you, Steve. Even when we've gotten the B boarding passes,
> we've managed to get our seats together. I like Southwest but I won't
> pony up the extra $10. We usually manage to get the A passes
I will be curious to hear if you are still able to get an A pass now
that people have the option of jumping ahead of you by paying $10. If
the posts over at FlyerTalk are any indication, I'd say the answer is
"unlikely".
Paul Lalli
Paul Lalli
> based on
> my past bad experiences, I am so cynical when it comes to SWA that I
> just don't see anything about flying them that is a "privilege".
We've had this go-round at least 3 times now. There's no point in
having it again. You've had nothing but bad experiences on Southwest.
I've had nothing but good experiences on Southwest, and at least 75% bad
experiences on US/United/Delta. Our opinions and viewpoints therefore
are irreconcilable.
Paul Lalli
Steve Russo
Which is why I wrote "I may change my mind...". This thing riles me
because it's so obviously just another way to suck dollars from
passengers. What will drive people (and even me) to it is the fact
that everyone else is ponying up the bucks so I'll *have* to in order
to avoid sitting on the wing..
Rudeney
> Rudeney wrote:
>> Ginny Favers wrote:
>>>
>>> Also, my son travels from Baltimore to New Orleans and back a few
>>> times a year, and I always hear announcements about offers to give up
>>> your seats for free tickets, which means they're oversold.
>>
>> Is that something new? I've never hear SWA offer to compensate
>> passengers for giving up seats on oversold flights.
>
> Define "new", Rodney. You say you never fly SWA, so when was your last
> experience with them?
OK, point taken - it's somewhere north of seven years since I have flown
SWA. Maybe longer than that. But of course to us old guys, that's not
really a long time, now is it? ;-)
> I've heard requests for VDB for at least 3 years
> now, and taken the option myself three or four times.
>
> The Contract of Carriage that specifies their VDB compensation can be
> found at: http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/coc.pdf
I am glad to hear they are doing something about that. They did not
used to do this as they pretty much treated everyone like other airlines
treat standby passengers. IOW, if you get a seat, great, if not, then
you are welcome to come back for the next flight and try again.
Rudeney
No, your opinion is just wrong, Paul! (Oh, of course I'm just kidding!!!!)
Seriously, it's not that I've had only bad experiences on SWA. I've
actually had good flights with them and I do have to admit that their
flight crews are among the friendliest. However, the problems I have
had with being stranded because of overbooked flights ended up being
very costly and caused major headaches. I've had the same problems on
other airlines, but because they all codeshare, I've always had a
solution.
Bashful
Thanks for sharing your experience! I was pretty set on *not* paying
the $10.00, but it remains to be seen if I can hold out (especially
after reading your positive experience). The thought that we could get
bumped entirely (and miss the RADP meet) is enough to make me wonder if
I should just give in, and try to find an alternative to SW on our next
trip.
(If we do this, we'll pay the $10.00 for both of us - which would
actually be $40.00, total. It wouldn't feel right to hold a seat.)
Bashful
For what it's worth, I just got the same exact response. (Well, not the
"Dear Stephen" part, and mine was from Jennifer, but otherwise, exactly
the same.)
Brian
<heather....@gmail.com> wrote:
>About the system automatically checking you in: YES PLEASE! We were
>staying at Pop Century, so no free internet. Add in the fact that at
>4:30pm on any day we were there, we were buried deep in a park, and we
>could not have used the online checkin at our 24 hour mark exactly no
>matter what. We're both cellphone haters (though otherwise I'm as
>gadget geeky as it gets) so we don't have phones that would let us use
>the mobile site to check in. I read the FAQ and realized there was no
>guarantee I'd get a "great" boarding pass, but anything was better
>than what I was likely to get without it. For our flight down, I
>checked in online at 24 hrs on the dot (I'd had to keep refreshing to
>be able to do it) and still ended up with A60 and B1 as our passes.
>
>And finally:
>Was it worth $10 to me? Yes. My DH is a terrified flier (he takes
>tranquilizers to even get on the plane). Having the chance to board
>early and hope to get an exit row seat and have him seated, tucked in
>and zoning out doing deep breathing etc to try to stay calm was worth
>every penny. I'd pay it again in a heartbeat.
>
>Heather
>I promise, the TR is coming!
how does the automatic checkin work? If someone buys a ticket now for
Feb., as an example, and pays the $10 now, do they get checked in
automatically before someone who pays the $10 two months in advance?
I hate to mention this but after taking tranquilizers, can your
husband function well in an emergency in an exit row seat?
Paul Lalli
> how does the automatic checkin work? If someone buys a ticket now for
> Feb., as an example, and pays the $10 now, do they get checked in
> automatically before someone who pays the $10 two months in advance?
Assuming that both people bought Wanna Get Away or DING! fares, yes. If
one of the people bought an Anytime fare, that person will be checked
in first (ie, get a better boarding number), regardless of when the
purchase was made.
Paul Lalli
Ginny Favers
> Ginny Favers wrote:
>>
>> Also, my son travels from Baltimore to New Orleans and back a few
>> times a year, and I always hear announcements about offers to give up
>> your seats for free tickets, which means they're oversold.
>
> Is that something new? I've never hear SWA offer to compensate
> passengers for giving up seats on oversold flights.
>
to accommodate overbooked folks.
If that doesn't work, then what happened to you next is what happens, I
guess.
~Amanda
John Mc.
> Patty Winter wrote:
>> In article <h83fqf$f88$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Over on flyertalk.com, some Southwest FA's have posted, telling us
>>> that Southwest's official policy is that there is no official
>>> policy. And that basically, Flight Attendants aren't playground
>>> monitors. Customers are allowed to save seats, and customers are
>>> allowed to take seats that other customers are saving.
>>
>> Yeah, it's fuzzy on their website:
>> "Because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy,
>> general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat."
>
> <Italian accent> "I claim this seat for the empire of Spain!" <plants
> Spanish flag on seat>
>
Italian accent? Empire of Spain? Dang my geography needs refreshing!
John Mc.
--
si hoc legere scis nimium eruditiones habes.
Heather Eberhardt
> how does the automatic checkin work? If someone buys a ticket now for
> Feb., as an example, and pays the $10 now, do they get checked in
> automatically before someone who pays the $10 two months in advance?
>
> I hate to mention this but after taking tranquilizers, can your
> husband function well in an emergency in an exit row seat?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Fair enough question! He is actually only lightly tranq'd and still
fully functional. (As much as ever anyways...) We'd never sit in an
exit row otherwise. His big panic aspect of flying is takeoff so he
takes just enough (about 1/4 a regular dose, developed over time with
his Dr. and well before boarding) to take the edge off to the point
where he can talk himself into walking onto the plane. It still takes
a fair bit of talking though, and thus the deep breathing exercises
etc. once in the seat. Once in the air, he's fine! In case of
emergency, I'm actually the one sitting at the exit door and am fully
capable of doing what needs to be done. I promise you though, should
it ever be needed, he'd be first one out that door then standing on
the wing helping others get out safely.
Heather
Charles McGuinness
Lisa Cubbon
Italian accent and his hands too. Isabella and Ferdinand were Spanish. Lisa
Brian
<heather....@gmail.com> wrote:
>Fair enough question! He is actually only lightly tranq'd and still
>fully functional. (As much as ever anyways...) We'd never sit in an
>exit row otherwise. His big panic aspect of flying is takeoff so he
>takes just enough (about 1/4 a regular dose, developed over time with
>his Dr. and well before boarding) to take the edge off to the point
>where he can talk himself into walking onto the plane. It still takes
>a fair bit of talking though, and thus the deep breathing exercises
>etc. once in the seat. Once in the air, he's fine! In case of
>emergency, I'm actually the one sitting at the exit door and am fully
>capable of doing what needs to be done. I promise you though, should
>it ever be needed, he'd be first one out that door then standing on
>the wing helping others get out safely.
>Heather
That's different than what I had pictured.
When we were first married and for a number of years, my wife would
take a Valium before flying. Eventually she stopped using it. She's
still somewhat anxious taking off and landing though. I can't remember
when she stopped. It may have been when she was pregnant.
Dillon Pyron
>Patty Winter wrote:
>> In article <h83fqf$f88$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Over on flyertalk.com, some Southwest FA's have posted, telling us that
>>> Southwest's official policy is that there is no official policy. And
>>> that basically, Flight Attendants aren't playground monitors. Customers
>>> are allowed to save seats, and customers are allowed to take seats that
>>> other customers are saving.
>>
>> Yeah, it's fuzzy on their website:
>>
>> "Because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy,
>> general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat."
>
><Italian accent> "I claim this seat for the empire of Spain!" <plants
>Spanish flag on seat>
<twitty British accent> "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
--
- dillon I am not invalid
"Iran wants nukes? North Korea wants nukes?
I'm sure we can give them some. Or the Navy."
- former B52 wing commander
Derek Janssen
> [Default] Thus spake "Barry L. Wallis" <barry_...@acm.org>:
>
>> Patty Winter wrote:
>>> In article <h83fqf$f88$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>>> Paul Lalli <mri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Over on flyertalk.com, some Southwest FA's have posted, telling us that
>>>> Southwest's official policy is that there is no official policy. And
>>>> that basically, Flight Attendants aren't playground monitors. Customers
>>>> are allowed to save seats, and customers are allowed to take seats that
>>>> other customers are saving.
>>> Yeah, it's fuzzy on their website:
>>>
>>> "Because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy,
>>> general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat."
>> <Italian accent> "I claim this seat for the empire of Spain!" <plants
>> Spanish flag on seat>
>
> <twitty British accent> "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
The take to the audience now signals that the punchline has been
delivered... -_-
Derek Janssen (who got the right comedy group?)
eja...@verizon.net
Steve Russo
news:h8c8ib$lkk$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>>
> nope! Christopher Columbus was Italian and undoubtedly spoke with an
> Italian accent and his hands too. Isabella and Ferdinand were Spanish.
> Lisa
But... can it be considered an Italian accent if he's speaking Italian? ;-)
Caren
Why would he be speaking Italian to Isabella and Ferdinand?
--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland
Sue in NH
> On Sep 7, 3:49 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> PattiNH wrote:
>>
>>> I also can say in the trips we've taken, I haven't come across a full
>>> plane yet either.
>>> Patti
>> Must be different per route, but every flight we've been on has been
>> totally sold out, for years now.
>>
>> ~Amanda
>
> Going out of MHT to MCO and vice-versa? Haven't hit it full, yet.
> Even DD had a whole row to herself last year going back to college on
> the Tuesday following New Year's. Now if she'd been traveling the
> weekend, I think we would have had different issues....
>
> Patti
Our last trip in June NHT to MCO, left 7:50 am on a Saturday, plane
was full. Returned Monday, July 6, plane was full (probably because of
the holiday). But, of all the times we've flown SW, we've always had a
full flight, and even on other airlines, always full. Could be the
timing..summer travel :)
Sue in NH
Lisa Cubbon
Lisa Cubbon
Spain's flag in the New World. You should hear Stan Freeberg's "song"
about this. Very funny. Anyway, Christopher was just a sailor discoverer
pirate for rent.
Lisa
Lisa Cubbon
Spanish. Missed that in school? Maybe they just used hand signals or
Latin. Lisa
John Mc.
Yeah, I tripped to this after I'd posted. I was too ashamed to admit my
faux pas.
Marilyn
My son, who speaks Portuguese (the Brazil version, not Portugal) says
Spanish is just Portuguese with bad spelling, so maybe it was close enough
that they could understand each other?
--
-Marilyn
PattiNH
>
> - Show quoted text -
When I came back from MCO it was an early flight last August, so I was
against the grain for what they usually have out of MCO - most
families stay later in the day. I'm not getting the first flight out
in the morning in December - I have to work the night before. I think
cause we travel like that - mid-days and opposite of trends we tend to
see it.
Patti
Caren
> http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-faq.html
>
> Basically, if I'm reading this right, if you have a family that wants to
> sit together, you now have to pay an extra $10 per person, each way. If
> you wait for the free check-in, you're certain to get a spot in the
> "line" that will make it impossible for you to sit together, from my
> experience watching Southwest's boarding process.
>
> I think this stinks.
>
> ~Amanda
I just checked in for my 7:00 am flight at the stroke of 7:00 and got
boarding position # A57. Obviously, some people are paying the extra
$10.
Steve Russo
a $10 increase in each one-way fare because (almost) everyone will pay
it - saying "after all, it's *only* $10".
Caren
If almost everyone pays the extra $10, then some people who thought
they were paying for a good boarding position will be royally ticked
off.
Paul Lalli
> I just checked in for my 7:00 am flight at the stroke of 7:00 and got
> boarding position # A57. Obviously, some people are paying the extra
> $10.
There's a couple threads over on FlyerTalk where people are posting
what they get for Boarding Positions with both T-24 and EBCI:
EBCI: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-rapid-rewards/991379-post-your-boarding-card-eb-checkin.html
T-24: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-rapid-rewards/993524-new-post-your-boarding-card-non-earlybird-list-bs.html
For myself, I paid for EBCI from ALB->BWI->PIT on Friday morning, and
got A22 & A18. Then I didn't pay for it on the way back (PIT->MDW-
>ALB) and checked in at T-24. I got A33 & A45.
I think I've resigned myself to paying for it on my return trips from
Orlando (when I don't want to have to be on the computer or iPhone at
exactly T-24), but rolling the dice on the way down. Similarly, I've
resigned myself to never again getting an Exit Row on the way down to
Orlando. Still less than happy.
Paul Lalli
Heather Eberhardt
And yet on my flight down to MCO, shortly before this was introduced,
we checked in on the stroke of T-24hrs (I had to refresh a couple of
times) and I got passes A60 and B1...
Heather
Rudeney
> On Sep 15, 7:26 am, Caren <dri...@sgi.net> wrote:
>> On Sep 5, 3:00 pm, Ginny Favers <ginnyfav...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-faq.html
>>> Basically, if I'm reading this right, if you have a family that wants to
>>> sit together, you now have to pay an extra $10 per person, each way. If
>>> you wait for the free check-in, you're certain to get a spot in the
>>> "line" that will make it impossible for you to sit together, from my
>>> experience watching Southwest's boarding process.
>>> I think this stinks.
>>> ~Amanda
>> I just checked in for my 7:00 am flight at the stroke of 7:00 and got
>> boarding position # A57. Obviously, some people are paying the extra
>> $10.
>>
> a $10 increase in each one-way fare because (almost) everyone will pay
> it - saying "after all, it's *only* $10".
Even worse than that, it gives priority to those who paid higher fares.
It could end up making people think twice about buying the low cost
super-saver fares because they are afraid of getting crappy seats, or
worse, not getting on the flight at all. Of course that's great for SWA
because they can still advertise super low fares, yet increase revenue.
Again, I know you guys get tired of my soap-boxing over SWA, but it's
just the boarding and seating issue I have a problem with. Their fares
are great and their staff is friendly. I simply like to have an
assigned seat an know that as long as I show up on time for the flight
and that there are no problems beyond the airline's control (i.e. FAA
groundings) that I will fly. Unfortunately, SWA cannot promise that. If
someone had asked me a month ago if SWA could be any worse in regards to
its ope-seating boarding process, I'd have said no, but lo and behold,
they have found a way to do it!
--
- RODNEY
Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!
Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?