Full video: https://youtu.be/HbKjrjhvBW8 If you are a longtime Southwest fan, you may not recognize the airline at this point. In about a year they went from 2 free checked bags to $45 a bag. Their new assigned seating system launched in January and the rollout has been rough. Earlier boarding groups fill the overhead bins in the front, leaving passengers in the back with nowhere to put their bags. Families are getting separated. And Southwest has said more changes are still coming, including a new first class cabin. #traveltips #southwestairlines #travelsmarter #airporttips #travelhacks
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These are the same people who complained about not having assigned seats. They just found out, the old way wasn't so bad after all. 😂😢
Southwest screwed themselves hard. Loyal customers are gone.
Changes are they quit…. Where are the carnival cruise ppl gonna fly now
Dear Megan. Seems like today’s Southwest Airlines reminds me of the air carrier People’s Express from the 1980s. This is awful. Flying People’s Express is like having chickenpox - you’ll only have it once in your life. Megan, you and Ollie take care. An airline news update: Unfortunately Spirit Airlines has closed operations.
Is it time for the ailines to start reconsidering offering proper customer service for a fixed ticket price instead of seeing how much they can screw out of every passenger in "extras"?
I have flown Southwest quite a bit lately and the overhead bin nonsense is what has me about ready to call it quits. If you don’t pay for better seats, you get put in the last boarding group and you are pretty much guaranteed they are going to gate check your roller bag. That doesn’t work for me, as I have a chronic neck problem and I can’t carry my backpack for very long without serious pain. I need my roller bag to wheel my backpack around on layovers. It also makes me mad that they created this problem by changing their baggage policy in the first place. Airlines should be required to have enough space on the plane for every person to have space for an appropriately sized carry-on bag/suitcase.
If early-boarding passengers fill the overhead bins in the front, then how are passengers in the back left without bin space? It's passengers in the FRONT that are left without bin space.
We flew on Southwest on two flights in mid-April. We have their Visa credit card, so no baggage fees. We did use points from the credit card to fly free on both segments, but did have to pay (more points) for preferred seating. The second flight was more full, nobody complained about seats. I actually like assigned seating better -- no more paying for Early Boarding (like being A-16), only to have someone with a C-30 boarding group sit between you on row 4.
Gate checking is no big deal. PS I haven't flown Southwest since 2019. I stick with the Big Three.
I am looking for alternatives. I chose Southwest BECAUSE it was an alternative. Not so anymore.
Their renewed enforcement of the Customer of Size policy is generating a lot of controversy on TikTok.
Southwest is tweaking their boarding process as issues arise. The first few bins on the newer planes are now color coded and reserved for premium seats. Also when I flew them a month ago, the flight attendants were strongly encouraging everyone to put their bags in the overhead above their seats. Everything went smoothly on my flight, but boarding did take longer than the old way.
I was one of the people who initially did not like the change but now I like it. I am an A lister. I still dislike the bag fees and higher ticket processing but I can see many needed improvements have been made. The FA’s act more professional and behave friendlier, the cabins are much cleaner, the snacks are somewhat better, and so far the new seating has turned out better for me but maybe it is because I book well in advance for my business trips. IMO I have seen fewer problems with overhead space - the FA’s on my flights make sure as best as possible that passengers put their bags as near their seats as possible. I used to hear tons of ridiculous complaints and frequent confusion over opened seating and I hear complaints now so it seems to be a wash.
Maybe Southwest can try offering reserved overhead bin space. That would alleviate congestion on the plan and save time.