US Airways Commits Suicide !!!

[GadgetFreak]

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On 8/29/2002 12:54:41 PM

Think I have the solution to this hotly debated issue, but kinda doubt it on the other hand...but here it goes. For those DM members who purchase a fully refundable tkt, they get double the segments. For those who buy NR type tkts they get actual segments. For those who buy NR tkts and throw away the return, they get NADA. For those who continue to buy non restricitive tkts their status should be above Gold maybe something like Gold Elite with a little more benis than Gold Preferred and a little less benis than Chariman's Preferred. Now why do I think this is going to nothing but imflame more emotions here.
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Yes, this is very similar to AA. I think something like this or even exactly like the AA plan makes perfect sense and solves the problem. The only problem remaining would be all the US1, US2 and US3 who are already gone to AA or CO because of this and the letters they are getting explaining the decision. But I think most, like me are waiting for a change to something more like you suggest.

 

[GadgetFreak]

Reality Check you keep missing the point. I do fly US because of the reasons you say, like being able to upgrade. But with the changes I wont be able to upgrade at some point. Then I wont fly US. It isnt complicated. After these changes go into effect the cheap US fare is nonrefundable and I cant upgrade. The cheap SWA fair is refundable and I can't upgrade. And I can buy SWA any time. That is simply a better deal on SW. Oh yea, and then there is AA. Even if they match this policy, they will sell me a reserve seat in coach for about the same as you, and there will be more legroom and for me probably better connections etc.

 

[RealityCheck]

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On 8/29/2002 9:28:29 AM

How many stops on SW? Frequency as comparison?? They have 4 one stop flts and 8 daily with 2 or 3 enroute stop flts outbnd and 3 one stops and 3 double or triple stops back..you can get almost anywhere on the US system with one stop or direct svc...

Well since you've asked, there are 4 one stop, with no change of planes and 5 one stops with a change (just like U...no nonstops out of BWI)

[
There are 22 rows on a Southwest 737. You've got a 33% chance of getting a center seat. That's about the same percentage that someone booking late on U will have of getting a center seat ASSIGNED to them two days before departure. And if you owned a business that was able to book in advance to get a lower fare, would you be inclined to book SWA with the full flexiblity - knowing that if anything came up, before or during the trip that you would get FULL credit towards another flight, whereas on U you'd automatically lose $100, and should plans change during the middle of the trip, you're out the money and should have paid 10 times the fare had you wanted a little "flexiblity". Put yourself in the businesses shoes- not grandma and grandpa and the horrible family going to Disneyland (if you don't want their money, I'll bet AA,UAL, or SWA will gladly take it). What would YOU do when it was YOUR dollars on the line?

FWIW, flights with 3 stops are very, very rare these days on SWA.

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Southwest Airlines Schedule for Baltimore to Oakland

Flights Departs Arrives Stops
499 7:05am 11:20am 1
135 7:25am 11:25am 1 994/988 7:30am 1:00pm LAS/2
994/956 7:30am 1:35pm LAS/2
994 7:30am 2:15pm 3 267/994 9:10am 2:15pm LAX/1
1525 10:50am 3:15pm 1
1867/103 11:40am 3:55pm MDW/1
1741/247 12:00pm 6:45pm STL/2
2989/247 12:50pm 6:45pm STL/2
1069/1544 1:30pm 7:10pm MDW/2
2201/1412 3:35pm 8:05pm MDW/1
1933/1407 4:50pm 9:10pm BNA/1
2304/1790 5:35pm 9:55pm LAS/1 x 99 6:35pm 10:30pm 1





This schedule is copied/pasted direct from sw.com with exclusions of the frequency
I edited..I grant you the accuracy of your quote of 4 one stop no change flights..
I correct your error on "5 flights with 1 stop and a change that is just like U"..this is not just like U..

U is one change period, their 5 flts you mention are 1 stop and 1 change for a total of 2 stops enroute.In the above schedule, there are 5,count m,5 flights with a total of 3 stops enroute,2 via LAS 2 via STL and 1 via MDW. I venture to bet that there are tons of others east to west like this as well.

Gambling on a 1 in 3 chance for getting stuck in a middle seat versus 99.9 pct chance of getting exit row or any window or aisle up to 11 1/2 months ahead is a large contrast to me, maybe not you.Or upgrading a coast to coast flt up to 11 1/2 months out with 20k miles on a 298rt fare...who else does that? Different perks, different schedules, different fares, or similar fares, it is impossible that 2 airlines can match alike.

 

[KCFlyer]

Au contraire Reality Check. HEre's something from the Southwest website:

Depart Aug 30 Fri 1
1867 Depart Baltimore (BWI) at 11:30 AMArrive in Chicago Midway (MDW) at 12:30 PM
103 Change planes in Chicago Midway (MDW) departing at 1:25 PMArrive in Oakland (OAK) at 4:00 PM

I can't format this here, but looking a little further, Flight 1867 is nonstop from BWI-MDW and flight 103 is nonstop from MDW to OAK. So where's that second stop you were talking about?? As I said - 5 flights with 1 stop and a change of planes...just like U. Well sort of...If anything changes, I get full credit towards another flight.

 

[KCFlyer]

Reality checked...I check another one of their 2 (no 3) stop flights. Flight 994 is BWI-LIT-LAS and Flight 956 is nonstop LAS-OAK. I only see two stops with 1 change of plane. Again, there are very very few 3 stop LUV flights anymore.

 

[RealityCheck]

Their website sched chart is a bit confusing until truly analyzed , thats how I mixed up the 2 stops versus one.Notice how they list a 1 stop no change without the stop city printed(MDW e.g,)..it just says 1...but they list a 2 stop flight with the city of change of planes(STL) and then a number 2 afterwards which to them means 2 total stops,as opposed to the change and 2 addt'l stops for a total of 3 as I assumed it meant.

 

[MrMarky]

Reality Check--

Your hypocricy has become a little overbearing. You have been ubiquitous on these boards in your loud and adamant refusal to give one dime in concessions to your bleeding employer. You have gloated about your misinformed impression that you and your fellow CWA telephone operators' would be just about impossible to replace, putting your company in a real bind.

You don't want to give anything but a big fat zero to your company to help them survive, yet you joyously jump on board in attacking your customers when your misguided company pulls out its knife and goes after them.

I've got some news for you. I'll tell you how difficult you are to replace. Did you know that TWA used to have a reservations center in a prison in California? That's right, a prison. They had a special arrangement with the California Dept. of Corrections. That's how hard it is to replace your multiple, incomparable talents.

BTW, jetBlue doesn't even operate a res center. ALL jetBlue res agents work from their homes in Salt Lake City! If you want to see how well they handle their duties, call jetBlue and make a reservation. You can fly them non-stop from Dulles to Oakland, for as little as $119 each way, with advanced seat selection for your leather seat with complimentary satellite TV in a brand new A-320.

 

[KCFlyer]

Marky - check your private messages.

 

[KCFlyer]

but they list a 2 stop flight with the city of change of planes(STL) and then a number 2 afterwards which to them means 2 total stops,as opposed to the change and 2 addt'l stops for a total of 3 as I assumed it meant.

Odd coming from a "pro" at this. Most of us "amateurs" at this pretty much figured that the city name mentioned implied the city in which the change of planes occured, and the number of stops was the total stops. Sort of like how U would put "CLT" or "PIT" as the place where you "stop" to change planes.

 

[RealityCheck]

And your profession is WHAT exactly? And your qualified HOW exactly to speak a morsel about my profession? Your remarks as per usual fall on deaf ears.

Attn MR MODERATOR(s)..posts you delete stillappear under the revision link..you might wish to disable that feature.[:halo:]

 

[RealityCheck]

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On 8/29/2002 706 PM

but they list a 2 stop flight with the city of change of planes(STL) and then a number 2 afterwards which to them means 2 total stops,as opposed to the change and 2 addt'l stops for a total of 3 as I assumed it meant.

Odd coming from a "pro" at this. Most of us "amateurs" at this pretty much figured that the city name mentioned implied the city in which the change of planes occured, and the number of stops was the total stops. Sort of like how U would put "CLT" or "PIT" as the place where you "stop" to change planes.

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If one is not guilty of tunnel vision, the SW chart could still have been interpreted,as I did at first, as the 1 change plus the 2 additional stops no change. Since U doesnt publish its schedules anywhere close to this format, there was easily room for error, even without counting up the elapsed flight time and seeing there was no way a 3rd stop could be involved, in those designated as rightfully 2.

 

[deelmakur]

Just checked my transcon for next Friday out of PHL. Sure enough, both Mrs. Deelmakur (she's US2, another freeloading cockroach like me) and I are in the compartment. Found it had been done a half hour before midnight. Guess res wasn't so busy with that stuff. Anyway, I can get into a CRS, so I pulled the map. Looks like us and one other. The company better be careful. With only 24 seats left in First, and fares as low as two thousand bucks round trip, those will go like hotcakes in the next 6 days. But not to worry, we'll get those cheap bastards out of that compartment soon enough. Let 'em take their 3 million lifetime miles over to somebody else. This here's the airline of the stars.