I have to say that I've never experienced this in a couple of hundred thousand miles of flying but it sounds like the kind of experience I'd like to have. Once.

99+% of flying is just like sitting on an uncomfortable chair in a waiting room. I'd like to have just a *little* excitement once in a while.

Mike

And, on top of that, WN does not hand out vouchers like candy.

On Planebusiness.com I read about this lady who frequently complained to WN (now we have an official term for that -- serial complainer!) Herb wrote her a letter that said:

"Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with Southwest. We'll miss you.

Herb"


Now THAT'S the way to deal with serial complainers!

I have had go arounds for an aircraft on the runway just before landing and for Air Force One still being on the tarmac. The Air Force situation was relatively easy since the wheels were down and we were still a mile or so away but the other experience was a real treat (just before touchdown). I think I should have asked the White House for certs for being late to my son's soccer game.

Mikey-I have had an emergency for suspected fire (bad indicator) at DCA where I had a nice chat with the firefighter on how often they get called out each year. We had an emergency decompression near NYC where we did an emergency landing at LGA with high cross winds (I got a voucher unasked from this one). All on the same airline. Maybe you want to join me?

[This message has been edited by biggs (edited 07-03-2001).]

Thanks for all of your feedback.
Your comments have helped me to discern how to approach my friends who were tavelling with me.

I'll tell them, regardless of how stressful this may have been to them, they are greedy and serial complainers and will be missed by Southwest. Two of them, have a combined total of 1 flight in 14 yrs. Of those guys, one is in the hospital right now with heart complications from his MD, would you rather tell him, or shall I? NO THE LANDING LAST FRIDAY DIDN'T GIVE HIM THE BIG ONE, but he is nonetheless still there with tubes stuck in him.

I simply asked a question. If you want to slam an unknowing member, please refrain.

Thanks for your kind responses, for those of you that did.

I didn;t see anyone slamming you personally - just that to this group of frequent fliers , your request seemed out of line. I think the poster who told the story about Southwest was mostly trying to make a point about southwest and how unlikely it was that they would give a voucher. The fact that a number of people gave you honest feedback is hopefully what you wanted?

And in my book if you are implying your friend had a heart attack indirectly because of the stress of the flight that is a pretty serious accusation in its own right. FLying i s not totally without risk and while this must have been a very frightening experience, it does happen and mostly no one gets compensated for it...
edited for my usual bad spelling




[This message has been edited by squeakr (edited 07-03-2001).]

I don't want to put words in JS' mouth (and apologies if I am), but there was a thread here recently about someone being referred to as a "serial complainer." I took his post above as a reference to that, not as the personal slam you seem to have inferred.

Also, the reference to someone being "missed by Southwest" was similarly anectdotal. I doubt you'd hear that from Chairman Herb about one complaint.

Your traveling companions are understandably upset. You, being someone with more traveling experience, should simply point out to them that Southwest doesn't really bear any responsibility for what happened.

Sorry to be so un-emotional, but that's a fact.

Well said, SuperSlug. Mr1hotrod, I'm not trying to flame you; my apologies if it appears that way. The thread about serial complainers is:

Serial Complainer?


Also, Herb won't write a curt letter like that for just one complaint. Unless that story is urban legend (considering Herb, probably not!), I would imagine you would have to complain to Southwest several times before that could happen.

Anyway, I just don't see how Southwest could possibly be considered responsible for this kind of incident (or any airline). A letter to the FAA could be in order.

I disagree.

mr1hotrod,

You can go ahead and file a complaints to both the FAA and the airline, but I doubt very seriously that you are going to profit from this, unless you consider a form letter of apology an appropriate reimbursement.

That's my opinion, but go ahead, you may get a couple of free drink coupons, who knows?

Making it clear that I mean no personal offence to mr1hotrod, this whole discussion is absurd. While it is understandable that a person who seldom flies may find a routine go-around discomforting, talking about compensation etc is ludicrous. If we were talking about compensation if the pilot DID NOT go around, with whatever consequences that might have, it would make more sense for sure
Many unseasoned fliers, or even seasoned ones who have a fear of flying, worry about many events that happen while in flight. I've had people sitting near me getting worried with the noise of the gear coming up or going down, for example.

Let's put it this way: Say you are riding in the back of a NYC cab and the guy up front is driving like a bat of hell(hard to imagine, I know). He is doing his usual 50mph down 7th at 3:00 in the afternoon trying to get you to LaGuardia before rush hour. The tires screech as he slams on his brakes to avoid a truck that backed into the street. You tumble around in the back seat because, aside from ignoring Joan Rivers' gracious advice, you forgot to buckle your seatbelt. You are unhurt but shaken. The driver proceeds as if nothing had happened. You complain but he responds in broken English and gives you a card with the customer service number.

Do you call the company and demand compensation for your brush with death?

Or do you dismiss it as part of riding in a NYC cab a half hour before rush hour?

[This message has been edited by Peregrine (edited 07-04-2001).]

Mr1HotRod's complaint is exactly why I stay clear the hell away from WN and the types of passengers it attracts.

I don't really have any basis in fact to ground this statement on, but I'll say it anyway:

From what I've read, stories I've heard, and from what I've seen, Southwest pilots are the best "pure pilots" in the business. Other airlines operate far more complex craft then WN, and their pilots are much more reliant upon computers (not that that's a bad thing). WN goes out of its way to hire people who are naturally gifted in this area.

Takeoff and landing are the two most dangerous times during a flight. I don't think I'm too far off the mark in saying that the average 20-year WN pilot has far, far more experience than a 20-year pilot on most other airlines. They simply get more practice due to their point-to-point route structure.

Besides the fact that I don't have figures to back up my statements, don't you think I make a convincing arguement? Don't put your life in another man's hands until you've thought through the risks! You're entrusting him to make life and death decisions for you, and it isn't win/lose/draw. If you leave the plane alive, he has done his job. I strongly suggest that people who can't accept this stay off of planes.

This is NOT necessarily directed at the original poster, as I don't know all of the facts in his/her particular case.

[This message has been edited by SpuddBrother (edited 07-04-2001).]

I have had two aborted landings but none in the last ten years.

OTOH, regarding the 757...MAN, that baby is EXCITING on a full-power takeoff!

Leaving Spokane a few years ago I was pressed back into my seat and the plane seemed like it was standing on it's tail! After leveling out, the captain used the PA to say something like "...and that's what an inadverdent full-power takeoff feels like in a 757..."

Inadverdent or not, it was a blast!

RAD

mr1hotrod--This incident might give you some assistance. A couple of years ago, I was on TWA heading into St. Louis. As we were landing in heavy rain, and within about 20 feet of the ground (I was in a window seat watching), the pilot suddenly gunned the engines and we took off upward. They apologized, and said another plane had not cleared the runway sufficiently. We circled, came in for a landing again, and this time AGAIN aborted the landing while about 200 ft. off the ground. Pilot apoligized again, said he didn't like the look of the runway in front of us. Finally, on the third time, we came in for a nice, smooth landing.

What did I do regarding TWA after this unsettling event? I shook the hands of both pilots as I departed the airplane, and thanked them for watching out for our safety.

Djlawman

The one and only go-round I experienced was on a US 737-300 into DCA from the South. We got over the threshold and noticed we were a little high. Just as I said that, the engines were gunned, the plane pitched up, and we made our way back up. Being at the exit row window, the only thing going through my head was the 14th Street bridge. It was really odd, because it actually felt like the pilot was fighting to get the thing to climb and go back up, you could tell he was actually flying the plane. Needless to say, there was a plane at the far end of the runway who was taking his time clearing. We circled around and still landed 10 minutes early.