SWA - Ending Open Seating!

30,904 Views | 244 Replies | Last: 2 days ago by drewser95
Aggiemike96
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Did Southwest quote their pending baggage fee? Before we get all ruffled, let's understand the facts.
AtlAg05
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wangus12
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TXAggie2011 said:

It wasn't that long ago that SWA said their (expensive) outside research found they'd lose more market share over time than bag fees are worth.

But the stock is way up and I'm sure Elliott and others will cash in a little in the coming weeks before the next earnings call.

Total mismatch of timing here, considering they just lowered earnings expectations the other day due to economic concerns.

I guess they're betting they maintain their total monopolies at a few key airports and can keep families on board with their point to point network. But bag fees and families don't mesh. I imagine the legacies will now be trying to chip away at those advantages with a little more "oomph."
And the person who led that research I believe was let go in the fall during the initial Elliot pushouts.
insulator_king
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Oh the irony!

I rarely fly, and this will even encourage me to drive even more. WN is going to go down the tubes in the next few years.

Time to sell the remainder of my stock. The jump in price has not been that great with the decision, and is slowly going to decay I'm afraid.

Sorry to hear about your wife losing her job.

drewser95
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insulator_king said:

WN is going to go down the tubes in the next few years.
I am completely stumped - - what is WN? That's at least the second reference to it I've seen on this thread.
txags92
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drewser95 said:

insulator_king said:

WN is going to go down the tubes in the next few years.
I am completely stumped - - what is WN? That's at least the second reference to it I've seen on this thread.
It is the IATA designator code for Southwest. Air Namibia already had SW when Southwest was formed, so they chose from the two letter codes available. The urban legend was that Herb Kelleher's legal secretary was a big Willie Nelson fan, but it is likely that WN was just what was available.
insulator_king
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Here is the handy search tool.
https://www.iata.org/en/publications/directories/code-search?airline.search=southwest
insulator_king
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It's all pretty confusing. 3 different acronyms all referring to the same thing.
Southwest Airlines Co. - SWA
as mentioned, IATA code - WN You'll see this on tickets.
Stock code - LUV
flown-the-coop
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Don't forget ATC call sign. For SWA it is Southwest I believe. But America West before merger with AA had the ATC call sign of "cactus" given its base in Phoenix and to avoid confusion with American.

There are some other unique ones as well.

https://123atc.com/call-signs
I Am A Critic
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drewser95 said:

insulator_king said:

WN is going to go down the tubes in the next few years.
I am completely stumped - - what is WN? That's at least the second reference to it I've seen on this thread.
It's how antisocial virgins refer to Southwest.
insulator_king
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I Am A Critic said:

drewser95 said:

insulator_king said:

WN is going to go down the tubes in the next few years.
I am completely stumped - - what is WN? That's at least the second reference to it I've seen on this thread.
It's how antisocial virgins refer to Southwest.
Welp, your username sure checks out.
wangus12
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Oh we got jokes now. Looks like they can't read the room the same way Nico can't.

https://instagr.am/p/DHJROA9zVJo
CDub06
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You just beat me to it. They're wildin.

And some of the responses they have to the comments? Oof

Mr.Bond
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I'm ironically being forced off a SW plane right now due to mechanical issues
Im looking for Ray Finkle.... and a clean pair of shorts. Im just a very big Finkle fan. This is my Graceland, sir.
Captain Winky
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I find it so much more enjoyable to be able to walk off the plane and right out the front door after my flight lands. I try to avoid checking bags like the plague and I have had to stand around and wait every single time for my bag to come out.
Aggie Pharmer
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Aggie Pharmer said:

AgOutsideAustin said:

So are we mad at the Aggie CEO ??
I sent him a message through AggieNetwork.com expressing my disappointment with SWA.
I was surprised to open up an email this morning with a response from one of Bob Jordan's assistants.
flown-the-coop
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What did it say?
Aggie Pharmer
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flown-the-coop said:

What did it say?
Dear [me],

Bob Jordan received your email, and we are sorry to learn of your disappointment with the recently announced changes. I appreciate the opportunity to respond on his behalf.

As a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card holder, you and up to eight additional Passengers traveling on the same reservation are eligible to receive a credit for each first standard checked bag. We will provide additional details in the coming weeks, so be sure to visit our Help Center for information.

While I recognize this is still a change from your previous travel experiences with us, I hope this makes it easier for you and your family to continue to choose Southwest Airlines. We appreciate your taking the time to share your perspective, and I have made sure it is documented for our Leaders.

I assure you that we remain committed to doing our best to provide low fares and ontime flights along with the highest level of Customer Service in the industry. Your confidence and business remain important to us, and we hope you will continue to choose Southwest when making your travel plans.

Gig 'Em,

[assistant]
flown-the-coop
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Not bad. At least they took the time to respond, which is more than you get with most public company C-levels.

Also congrats to you on a thoughtful way to contact him to get a response. Years ago there used to be a website that would share direct numbers and direct, non-public emails of big corporate CEOs. Used it to email AT&T CEO over an issue with our business account and I was handed over to a customer "crisis management" team that fully resolved the issue with one call.

Not sure it will result in any changes but you made your voice heard and I applaud that.
P.H. Dexippus
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Not sure if yall saw this video SWA pushed out yesterday. It gathered thousands of negative comments before they turned comments off. Best one I saw was to the effect that this looked hike a hostage video.
drewser95
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P.H. Dexippus said:

It gathered thousands of negative comments before they turned comments off.
1,200+ "Likes" and zero "Dislikes" - - everyone must be super-excited about this change!
The Chicken Ranch
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I'm switching to United anyway. SW has lost my business and personal travel at this point. Absolutely no reason for families (with lots of bags) to fly them.

And no, I'm not a CC holder, nor will I be.
YouBet
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With all of these cost cutting measures they should cut out WiFi all together considering it never works anyway.

Whole thing makes me sad though. Sold the rest of our LUV yesterday. It was close to my price target anyway after languishing for a while.
CanyonAg77
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drewser95 said:

P.H. Dexippus said:

It gathered thousands of negative comments before they turned comments off.
1,200+ "Likes" and zero "Dislikes" - - everyone must be super-excited about this change!
I thought Youtube disabled "dislikes"?
drewser95
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Ahh ok that would explain it then.
TexAgs1992
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AtlAg05 said:


Regarding this, if I book a flight for my wife and her two friends using points for May 30-June 3. Does this mean the "basic" aka Wanna Get Away fee is no longer refundable considering the product fare piece goes into effect May 28th, 2025?
Aggiemike96
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A-List Preferred (maybe A-List as well?) - Are we losing the ability to make same-day confirmed changes? Looks like we'll be limited to same-day standby.
Marauder Blue 6
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TexAgs1992 said:

AtlAg05 said:


Regarding this, if I book a flight for my wife and her two friends using points for May 30-June 3. Does this mean the "basic" aka Wanna Get Away fee is no longer refundable considering the product fare piece goes into effect May 28th, 2025?
It's for flights booked on or after 5/28.

https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/news-release/southwest-airlines-outlines-changes-to-drive-revenue-growth-and-reward-its-most-MCR5UCS6BF65HVRGPWNL43DHWTFY
WES2006AG
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Marauder Blue 6 said:

TexAgs1992 said:

AtlAg05 said:


Regarding this, if I book a flight for my wife and her two friends using points for May 30-June 3. Does this mean the "basic" aka Wanna Get Away fee is no longer refundable considering the product fare piece goes into effect May 28th, 2025?
It's for flights booked on or after 5/28.

https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/news-release/southwest-airlines-outlines-changes-to-drive-revenue-growth-and-reward-its-most-MCR5UCS6BF65HVRGPWNL43DHWTFY
I booked flights for September but didn't have a choice for picking seats. Seemed a bit weird because that is after the open seating is supposed to be over as far as I can tell.
Marauder Blue 6
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WES2006AG said:

Marauder Blue 6 said:

TexAgs1992 said:

AtlAg05 said:


Regarding this, if I book a flight for my wife and her two friends using points for May 30-June 3. Does this mean the "basic" aka Wanna Get Away fee is no longer refundable considering the product fare piece goes into effect May 28th, 2025?
It's for flights booked on or after 5/28.

https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/news-release/southwest-airlines-outlines-changes-to-drive-revenue-growth-and-reward-its-most-MCR5UCS6BF65HVRGPWNL43DHWTFY
I booked flights for September but didn't have a choice for picking seats. Seemed a bit weird because that is after the open seating is supposed to be over as far as I can tell.
Assigned seating is coming later this year.

https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/news-release/southwest-airlines-announces-reimagined-fare-products-new-benefits-for-rapid-rew-MCRP57QGYGTJBWHMKF3JL3RLNOSI
Aggiemike96
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Happy "Bags No Longer Fly Free" day.
62strat
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Marauder Blue 6 said:

WES2006AG said:

Marauder Blue 6 said:

TexAgs1992 said:

AtlAg05 said:


Regarding this, if I book a flight for my wife and her two friends using points for May 30-June 3. Does this mean the "basic" aka Wanna Get Away fee is no longer refundable considering the product fare piece goes into effect May 28th, 2025?
It's for flights booked on or after 5/28.

https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/news-release/southwest-airlines-outlines-changes-to-drive-revenue-growth-and-reward-its-most-MCR5UCS6BF65HVRGPWNL43DHWTFY
I booked flights for September but didn't have a choice for picking seats. Seemed a bit weird because that is after the open seating is supposed to be over as far as I can tell.
Assigned seating is coming later this year.

https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/news-release/southwest-airlines-announces-reimagined-fare-products-new-benefits-for-rapid-rew-MCRP57QGYGTJBWHMKF3JL3RLNOSI
I just booked for late October and still no seat selection.
permabull
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I'll still be flying southwest mostly bc I would rather fly out of DAL than DFW.

The bag fee is only a minor annoyance because I churn their credit card and as long as I have the credit card I get one bag free per ticket. My wife and I never check more than two bags between us so not that big of a deal. I usually close the card before the annual fee hits so the minor annoyance is I'll hold on to since the base cards annual fee is $70 it basically pays for it self checking one bag round trip.

For a short amount of time being a list I should be able to get extra leg room for free since the modified planes with extra leg room seats are starting to make their way into rotation.

I'll reserve judgement until I see what the prices are for the nicer seats before I completely bail on Southwest.
P.H. Dexippus
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Nice feedback
https://www.facebook.com/share/1A1jN78ZxK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
drewser95
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FYI, I happened to have a free moment to read my annual "Terms of Service" changes that came in the mail today on my SWA Chase Visa. The annual fee for my "Priority" card is jumping from $149/year last year to $229/year this year.

I didn't fly SWA at all this year and don't have plans for more than 1-2 roundtrips next year, so I downgraded to the next lower tier (Premier), which is now the same $149/year that the Priority card used to be.

For those who fly a lot, I can see the Priority card still making sense (seat upgrades, annual $75 credit, etc.). But just thought I'd give a heads-up to the more casual flyers like myself who might have overlooked that notice (I can't remember the last time I ever opened mine). It's a pretty big jump.

 
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