Tag Archives for southwest airlines.
Southwest Airlines and JetBlue rumors have been swirling all weekend. It’s not clear exactly what is going on, but some expect that there will be an announcement on Monday with markets closed for Presidents Day. Another rumor – without a JetBlue component – is that Southwest could be announcing a 10% layoff.
Southwest Airlines is trying to tailor their product to get customers to spend more. They’re going to introduce assigned seats and extra legroom seats. You’ll no longer pick your own seat when you board. This means changes to their credit cards. At competitor airlines, cards usually come with boarding benefits. Southwest’s premium card offers a statement credit for buying earlier boarding, which gets you a better seat assignment. They’ve talked about card benefits needing to evolve with the way they’re changing the airline, but haven’t talked specifics. I haven’t seen much notice of this, but Southwest Airlines has posted how their credit card customers will be treated under new assigned seating and premium seating that the carrier plans to roll out. All Rapid Rewards Credit Cards will include new complimentary seating and boarding benefits, as…
Southwest Airlines flight attendants union board member Chris Click just came out of an executive board meeting and took to social media, fueling speculation that the carrier could be close to announcing a deal to acquire another airline.
Elliott said from the beginning that they were interested in Southwest’s “Unlevered Balance Sheet.” They saw a company that could load up on debt. That can fund share buy backs.
Now here’s Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan during the airline’s earnings call last week.
In the fall, I was first to report that Southwest Airlines would end onboard service earlier, and make passengers stow their laptops earlier. This means less time where service is available on board, and as a result Southwest is cutting drink service entirely on some flights.
Fewer flights means less of a need for pilots, and Southwest has now shared internally with employees how many pilot positions they’ll be shedding across various bases.
It’s being broadly reported that Southwest Airlines is freezing hiring and promotions to save money, and also pausing summer internships. But the details of cost cuts are actually much deeper, and hit at the core of Southwest’s identity.
A parent in this situation should be the most sympathetic passenger imaginable – but not when she drops the f-word a second time, and calls the agent something else too. And that’s before even bringing the employee’s race into it through use of an epithet sometimes used to describe African Americans.
The passenger is in a wheelchair and preboarding. She is being taken onboard by a contractor. The agent scans her boarding pass, he begins to push her onto the jetbridge, and then the agent calls them back. The woman apparently called the agent a “jackass” after he scanned her boarding pass. This was the tipping point that led him to remove her from the flight.
A Southwest Airlines passenger’s 7-month-old kitten had a potty accident after getting scared during a rough landing. She cleaned up the mess, but the crew on the continuing flight segment closed the lavatory due to the smell, confronted her, and removed them from their next flight on the same aircraft.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
