Consumerist
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too fat to fly
Southwest Suddenly Decides Man Is Too Fat To Fly — Again
We thought this issue was taken care of the last time a Las Vegas Southwest employee randomly stopped someone from flying without checking to see if they could actually sit in a seat with the arms down (per Southwest's policy), but apparently not. Now a Chicagoland man says he was stopped from boarding a return flight home to Chicago because he was too big (6'2" 350lbs), but he airline wouldn't allow him to prove that he could fit in the seat. More » -
wifi
People Love Airplane Wi-Fi, But They Don't Love Paying For It
The WSJ's latest "Middle Seat" column is about that holy grail for all internet-lovers — airplane Wi-Fi. It turns out that people love, love, love it... but pay for it? Nah. More » -
bad consumer
Southwest Customer Exposes Self, Punches Another Passenger, Then Strips Naked
Here's an issue you probably didn't expect to run into on your flight from Oakland to Las Vegas. According to the SF Chronicle, a man exposed himself, then punched a passenger who screamed. After that, he decided to strip naked and resist while flight attendants and other passengers subdued him. The flight was turned around and both the man and the woman he punched were taken to the hospital. They apparently don't know each other, and the man is wanted on drug charges. More » -
joy
Wi-Fi Coming To Southwest Airlines Next Year
Southwest says a test of Wi-Fi on its planes was successful, so they're going to expand the service to all of their planes next year. More » -
grounds for concern
Southwest Jet Grounded Due To Horrific Burning Smell: Turns Out It Was Just The Coffee Maker
An early morning Southwest flight headed to Orlando from Connecticut only got as far as Long Island this weekend, after an inexplicable burning smell at the back of the plane forced an early landing. Turns out the unexplained smell was, well, something we're only too familiar with: airline coffee. The plane was quickly cleaned up and put back into operation. But let's call it a brewed awakening. More » -
travel bug
Scorpions On A Plane: Southwest Passenger Bitten By Venomous Beast, Panic Ensues
Doug Herbstommer and his 10-year-old son were preparing to disembark from a Phoenix flight when a three-inch poisonous bark scorpion dropped from the overhead compartment and bit Doug on the hand. On closer inspection, five more scorpions were found nestling nearby. Passengers started to scream and jump up onto their seats. Why, is there something scary about a bunch of poisonous scorpions whose bite can cause extreme pain, frothing at the mouth, and temporary paralysis??!? More » -
airplanes
Southwest Jet Makes Emergency Landing After Gremlin Rips Hole In Fuselage
Southwest Airlines flight 2298 made an emergency landing in West Virginia yesterday after a hole appeared on the top of the plane while in flight. "Passengers reported that they could see the sky through the rupture," writes the Washington Post. It left Nashville around 4:05pm, but landed only 50 minutes later. According to this WPRI video clip, Southwest spent the night inspecting 181 of its Boeing 737-300 jets, and they say there should be no delays today.
Update: Here's a passenger's blurry cell-cam video of the hole in the roof. (Thanks to Chad!) More »
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travel
Southwest Is Coming To LaGuardia. Hello, Price War!
Starting tomorrow, Southwest will fly out of New York's LaGuardia airport, which hopefully means that flying between New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington is about to get a whole lot cheaper. More » -
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happy endings
Southwest Apologizes To The Frequent Flyer Who Was Suddenly Too Big To Fly
Southwest Airlines has apologized to Chip, the frequent business traveler who was denied boarding because he was too big to fly. If you recall, Chip, a self-described "big guy," does not use a seat belt extender and says he has no trouble fitting into a standard airline seat. More » -
southwest airlines
Southwest Suddenly Decides Frequent Flyer Is Too Big To Fly
This is reader Chip. He's 6'1" and says he flies twice a week for business, without incident, on Southwest Airlines. He is a self-described "big guy" but says he doesn't have any problem sitting in an airplane seat — and doesn't need a seat belt extender to do so. So, why did he suddenly get stopped at the gate and told he needed to buy a second ticket? More » -
lucky
Man Leaves Camera In Airport, Then Actually Gets It Back
Reader Mike cc'd us on a complimentary email to Southwest Airlines, which is something that usually doesn't happen when the words "lost and found" are involved. Long story short— he lost his camera and the airline lost his bags — but he managed to get everything back with a minimum of effort. Lucky guy! More » -
flying pets
Southwest To Allow Small Pets In The Cabin For $75
Southwest previously did not allow animals in the cabin unless they were there for medical reasons — but times are tough, so the airline that doesn't charge for bags is looking for ways to add revenue without "angering customers." More » -
bag fees
Southwest Says They're Gaining Passengers Because They Don't Charge Fees
Are you more likely to fly Southwest Airlines because they don't have fees? Southwest thinks so... but US Airways, arguably the most fee-crazy of the airlines, says it doesn't matter because they're making so much money. More » -
scams
Conspiracy To Sell Tickets Meant For Customers Who Assisted Southwest's Flight Crew
The AP is reporting that 10 people have been indicted in a conspiracy to sell 5,600 fraudulently obtained Southwest Airlines tickets. The tickets were supposed to be for passengers who helped flight crews with seriously injured or ill passengers. More » -
irony
Hypocrisy Abounds: Southwest Paints Bikini-Clad Model On Jet
Do you remember Kyla Ebbert? She was kicked off of a Southwest Airlines flight for wearing clothes deemed 'too sexy' back in 2007. Nearly two years later, Southwest has come full circle: They've painted a swimsuit model on the side of one of their jumbo jets as part of a partnership with Sports Illustrated. More » -
southwest airlines
Video: Shuffle Fun Shuffle Shuffle Fun Shuffle Fun Fun Shuffle Fun Fun Shuffle Just Plane Fun!
Here's an internal pep video for Southwest Airlines from the 80's. It's got representatives from each part of the company rapping about their roles (do this do that we never get hairy we do it for you because we're your secretary), with an interstitial chorus singing "Shuffle fun shuffle shuffle fun shuffle fun fun shuffle fun fun shuffle just plane fun" on my elementary schools' auditorium stage while employees run around in plush airplane costumes. After about 9 minutes of that, it finally culminates in some sort of motivational orgy with singing and jiving and the CEO strutting around and the strobe lights flash and quick edits and a cascade of balloons drops from the ceilings and I can't take it anymore. I think if I step on a Southwest Airlines plane again I'll fall to the floor in like a PTSD-induced epileptic seizure... of excellent customer service! Video, inside, if you dare... More » -
no more cheap tickets
As Airlines Become More Efficient, Cheap Seats Become Harder To Find
Scott McCartney, who writes the WSJ's Middle Seat column, says that airlines are starting to use these newfangled things called "computers" to work out all their scheduling demons — and while it's good for business, travelers should expect fewer "off peak" cheap seats. More » -
southwest
Southwest's "Credit Cards Only" Policy Increases Sales By 8%
Here's the real reason for an airline to switch to credit-card-only sales on board its flights: people spend more. Southwest Airlines' customer service veep, Daryl Krause, told the Dallas Morning News that "since Southwest began accept credit cards (and no longer taking cash) on Sept. 9, its drink sales are up about 8 percent." Since in general "the goal was one more drink sale per flight," we wonder whether that wasn't the real reason for going cashless all along. More »
southwest
New York, 4:40 AM
Mon Nov 9
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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