[Hate2Fly]

20 years ago on Mothers Day no less, we were pre-boarded at SF with two children -- a 4 year old toddler and a sleeping 1 year old. My wife had just had back surgery and we took the first empty seats we saw -- two on one side of aisle, two across. Several attendants stopped buy and gushed over the sleeping baby,but when passengers began boarding a stewardess who had just come aboard came stomping down the aisle and yelled (yes yelled) at my wife "Get up and move to back of plane! NOW!" My wife asked what we had done wrong and stewardess said "dont act stupid, you were told to move to back of plane on pre board instructions!" I started to say we werent given any such instruction when the stew wheeled aroud and said "was I talking to you? This is none of your business!" I said my family is my business and you are not listening to facts.

Without a word she stomped away to pilots cabin. A minute later, the captain came back and said "do you want to go to los angeles tonight or jail, youre choice? Now do as your told.

We moved and as flight continued, the stew announced "sorry for the boarding delay -- some people think theyre better than you and sit wherever they want. NOTE: no one ever sat in row we originally sat in.

When I later complained in writing to the then President Kellerher I got a form letter back saying we should have been arrested for disobeying an order from a flight attendant. I wrote back to president and this time asked for his personal response. He wrote back and said he apologized for stewardess behavior and sent two free tickets on southwest. Since we did not plan to fly southwest again I sent tickets back and suggested they be sent to a charity for transportation of ill children and families etc.

I got a NASTY letter back saying tickets already had our name on them and could not be transfered -- STOP MAKING TROUBLE. (like they never rewrote a ticket before)

To this day I will not flyy southwets if there is an alternative, regardless of price!