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Family angry after it says Southwest lost aging mother

Family angry after it says Southwest lost aging mother

Old Aug 27, 2014, 10:07 pm
  #31  
 
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Last edited by steved5480; Aug 27, 2014 at 11:06 pm Reason: Relocated to the correct thread
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Old Aug 27, 2014, 11:53 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by Bonehead
I think that direct flights can involve aircraft changes. The certainly have in my experiences on other airlines.
When southwest books you on a direct flight (same flight number), they intend that you stay on the same plane. In fact, they actually expect that you DO NOT get off the plane at the stopping point at all - which I learned the sort-of-hard-way when I booked someone on a "direct" flight something like SAN-PHX-MDW-TPA... poor guy couldn't get off the plane for 12 hours. Oops. (This was a few years ago and I'm sure I got that exact routing wrong but it was SAN-florida 2 stops.) At least I learned the lesson without being in the seat myself!

This has its upside too though - I've booked people last-flight-of-day MSP-DEN-ONT on direct flights and when MSP-DEN got delayed while everyone else connecting in DEN got hosed, the DEN-ONT direct flight just went late.
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Old Aug 28, 2014, 7:45 am
  #33  
 
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I once did SJC-LAS-TPA-ISP with 2 kids and it was about 12 hours. Same flight number. I actually broke up the booking into 2 segments to save points. Only way to get home WN wise. Still don't know how I survived...

Last edited by joshua362; Aug 28, 2014 at 7:54 am
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Old Aug 28, 2014, 8:03 am
  #34  
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For those who put more of the blame on the family here: I'd agree, if the family was comprised of Flyertalkers. We know better. @:-)

Flyertalkers know you can easily get a gate pass, but the TSA and airline have been pretty effective at making the general public think this is nearly impossible.

Flyertalkers are generally aware of which airport personnel are airline employees, which are contractors to the airline, and which are contractors to the airport. However, skycaps in particular have a vested interest in acting very much as if they are a counter agent. The ones positioned at the Southwest curbside will appear, to many travelers, to be wholly in support of Southwest Airlines. If one tells an inexperienced traveler "I'll take your mom to the gate and make sure she gets onboard", most people wouldn't think twice about that.

When something goes wrong with that, it's natural to be angry at the airline. Even if the airline says "The Skycap works for a contractor", it doesn't really change anything. (I hate that cop-out myself: "Blame our contractor, our subsidiary, our franchisee, etc." I don't do business with contractors: I'm doing business with the main brand, in this case that's whatever is painted on the side of the fuselage.)

What's done is done and there's probably nothing else the family can do. Southwest gave them $200 in vouchers for an 11 hour delay, which is effectively them stating "This totally wasn't our fault." But I also don't know how far they'll get complaining to the airport authority or the Skycap contractor either.
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Old Aug 29, 2014, 7:35 am
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by pinniped
For those who put more of the blame on the family here: I'd agree, if the family was comprised of Flyertalkers. We know better. @:-)

Flyertalkers know you can easily get a gate pass, but the TSA and airline have been pretty effective at making the general public think this is nearly impossible.
While I agree with where you're going on this, there is no way in hell I would have left my Grandmother or Mother with a Skycap. Long before I was on FT I knew that those folks weren't employees of the airlines in almost every city. Also if one of my family members needed assistance I either would have flown with them myself or at least bothered to call the airline to see what the proper procedures were. I flew a number of times as a UM and/or travelled by bus as a kid and never once did a parent or relative of mine NOT know exactly what the procedures were to get me on the plane or bus safely.
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Old Aug 29, 2014, 9:29 am
  #36  
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Originally Posted by HansGruber
While I agree with where you're going on this, there is no way in hell I would have left my Grandmother or Mother with a Skycap.
Oh, I know. I wouldn't either. I'd get a gate pass and stick around until I had either physically observed or viewed through Flightaware that the plane was airborne. So would everybody reading this thread.

Long before I was on FT I knew that those folks weren't employees of the airlines in almost every city.
I honestly had no clue who they worked for. Even though I now know they don't work for the airlines, I still don't actually know who they work for (usually). Some little local company contracting to the airport? Or contracted to each airline? Or are they independent contractors? I don't know...in theory, we shouldn't have to care...
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Old Aug 29, 2014, 4:32 pm
  #37  
 
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Mom, with mental and physical health issues shouldn't be flying alone, period. And the airline isn't there to do health evaluations on everyone before a flight. The airline is also not in the business of adult day care. This family learned an important lesson and should look inward for answers, not to the airline for a big payday.
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Old Aug 29, 2014, 7:19 pm
  #38  
 
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Either Mom was self-sufficient mentally or not.

If she was, then the issue is comparable to an IROPS screwup, A modest "sorry" jesture is reasonable for a few hours delay. No more of a story than any other of the thousands delayed every day.

If she was not able to fly on her own, then family needs to spend time in the hall of shame.
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