[richright]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

Which, had you read my statement thoroughly, is not something that the crew should allow. With Dad in the exit row and Mom and kids elsewhere on the plane, what do you think Dad is going to do if something goes wrong? His parental instinct will kick in and not only will he not assist with evacuation, he'll become an obstacle as he goes against the flow trying to get to his family who are elsewhere on the plane.

Perhaps, but that is allowed by FAA regs. Southwest changed their policy a long time ago due to complaints like mine I believe.


I don't know why you assumed I am a Southwest employee. Guess what, I'm not. Nor am I an employee of any other airline. I do, however, log anywhere from 125,000 to 150,000 miles a year and that's actual flown miles excluding bonuses etc. Two of the airlines I fly most invite me once a year to attend meetings with their top people in marketing, revenue management, loyalty programs, etc. Anyone in airline revenue management, Southwest included, will tell you that your statement that most people pay the lowest fare is absolutely false. If any southwest flight was more than 50% full of people paying the lowest fare it would probably not be profitable. In my example, I used Phoenix-Philadelphia which I know to be a popular and profitable route for Southwest and also one of the longest they serve with non-stop flights. Their current one-way fares, excluding taxes and airport/security fees, are $210, $232, $255, $282, $312, $345, $382 (Anytime) and $407 (Business Select). So by your logic, the $407 business fare is twice the "typical" fare paid by "most" passengers, or $204. As you can see, $204 is lower than the lowest Southwest fare for this market and I can say pretty assuredly that somewhat less than half of the passengers on any given flight actually pay the lowest fare.

People pay the lowest fare available. Maybe on your Phoenix flights there is little discount. On my Providence-Orlando flights the AVERAGE discount fare offered (not the lowest) is typically about HALF the full fare. What are MOST people going to pay. Only business travellers with tickets paid by their corps. are dumb enough to pay full fares.
Frequent flyers like you may be treated as important but unfortunately represent a small percentage of the revenue. After all how many of you are on an aircraft at the same time? The average Southwest passenger is probably once or twice a year Spring breaker or trip to Disney with the kiddies. In fact it would make as much sense to interview first time flyers as it would be you. I offered to work for Southwest for a measly 100K per year. As an engineer with a critical eye I would fly throughout their system and report my observed deficiencies to management for correction. My backround would in fact be more helpful for troubleshooting than the typical "people oriented" airline type of attitude. After all airllines are run by business people not flight attendants. Inconsistencies are flushed out by engineers.


The only time an airline is aware of a special needs customer is when there is a request for wheelchair assistance, an indication that a passenger is traveling with a service animal, etc. Many persons who self-identify as having a special need have no such special services requested in their reservation. What I'd like to ask is do you consider yourself a special needs customer simply because you are a person of height?

I am a special needs customer as I can't fit in a normal seat and will inconvenience other passengers sitting next to me. If you were that guy in the seat next to me you would want the airline to treat me as a special needs person also. Southwest unfortuantely treats me as a criminal if I ask for the emergency exit row seat. They preach, "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED" when in fact that is NOT exactly the case. It is business select and frequent fliers, THEN first come, first served. If that is what they are, then fine. However that is not what they market themselves as. The kiddie families to Orlando used to annoy me, but the fact was they were treated well with the preboard. Now that this is no longer done they feel alienated just as I do. I see the business select boarders are virtually non-existent. Therefore, I don't see what Southwest is gaining in this process. No more catering to the proletariat and the frequent flier business guys are still on United, American, and Delta. Makes sense? I for one am taking the Logan Express to Boston and going on Delta, or Jet Blue where I get to select MY exit row seats (thank you very much) when purchasing my ticket. I was a very loyal Southwest fan until they became elitist and did their best to drive me away. Not that the other airlines are any better, but the emergency exit row seat is a deciding factor when there is more than one choice.


Perhaps you should consider consolidating your flying to one carrier or carriers in an alliance. If you fly a minimum of 25,000 miles a year you would then be eligible to pre-select seats which give you extra room or even get an occasional upgrade to first class. United comes to mind. They aren't always the cheapest option but have an Economy Plus section (all rows from the exit rows forward) that elites (25K+ miles per year) can select at the time of booking. You can also pay a one-time fee annually ($349) and be able to select those seats as well. Plus the miles you accrue flying United and their partners can get you alot further than Southwest's Rapid Rewards program. Can RR credits get you flights to Europe and Asia? Hell no.

I was driving from Boston to Providence for the convenience of using Southwest. Mainly low airfares and quick in and out of the gate that no one can match. During my last flight from Providence the aircraft albeit not full deplaned, loaded, and was back on the runway (that is runway not taxi-way) taking off within THIRTY minutes. No one else even remotely does that.

You call me arrogant yet there is just a hint of a sense of entitlement in your statement. "...NOT my exit row seat." (Emphasis mine) I'm sure we are both intelligent and educated people and if that comes off as arrogant than so be it. Actually I am of quite average height (5'11") and do appreciate the extra room that most exit rows provide. Were you aware that the 737-700, which currently comprises just over 60% of Southwest's fleet and is the only 737 variant for which Southwest has any aircraft on order, only provides a little more than an inch of additional pitch in the exit rows? Just a fact that I thought I'd pass on.

ALL of the Southwest 737's that I've ever flown on have SIGNIFICANT extra legroom in FOUR of the exit row seats. Generally three on the port side over the wing. The other on the starboard side with no seat in front of it. In these seats anyone short will barely be able to to touch the seat in front of them with their legs fully extended.

I do fly Southwest, albeit very infrequently. Most of the time it is for leisure travel and when my destination is either Las Vegas or Southern California. (I have residences in both Phoenix and New York but call Phoenix my permanent residence.) For short-haul flights I can endure the "cattle-call" boarding process and having to settle for a less than desirable seat.

I dislike their route system and how they market it. They say they save their customers money by not having a "hub and spoke" system like most legacies yet to fly from coast to coast you are sometimes on a flight that makes two stops with one change of plane. What's the difference? I can fly from Phoenix to any of the three New York area airports (five if you count Westchester and Newburgh) on either non-stop or one stop service on any other airline and their claim of having service to "New York" by virtue of their flights to Long Island's MacArthur is laughable.

So you see, I am neither an employee or huge fan of Southwest. As they say, "it is what it is."

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