Southwest or American Airlines?

[Ardmore_Sooner]

Which would you choose? Anybody got any horror stories on either?

[BajaOklahoma]

Depends on where you are going. And the cost.
And I hate the drive to both Love Field (for SW) and DFW (for AA).

[SicEmBaylor]

Southwest.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

Goign to South Padre, price will be the same regardless.

[BajaOklahoma]

From Dallas or OKC? Direct flight or connecting?
Scheduled times?


Wait! We are boycotting South Texas. If you go there, don't spend any money. TIA.

[soonerboomer93]

find out what stormchaser is flying, and go with a different one...

[olevetonahill]

When was the LAST time you heard of SW crashing and Killing all aboard ?
nuff said . :eek:

[Ardmore_Sooner]

Im flying out of OKC,

and I will make sure that stormchaser is at least 100 miles away from my plain at ALL TIMES!

[jk the sooner fan]

i've NEVER had a problem with either airline

Northwest is the airline that possesses ALL of my travel horror stories.....

[soonerbrat]

I would choose American Airlines if the price was the same...if you book online you can choose your seat. Also, all my airline miles are with AA

[olevetonahill]

i've NEVER had a problem with either airline

Northwest is the airline that possesses ALL of my travel horror stories.....
Hell bro
Ive NEVER been in a crash with any of em .
just sayin

[jk the sooner fan]

yep, if they dont crash then you're doing ok

but some are better than others

[olevetonahill]

yep, if they dont crash then you're doing ok

but some are better than others
How ? dont they all have those lil bag of peanuts ?:rolleyes:

[jk the sooner fan]

i guess you'll just have to take my word for it......i've traveled lots in my old job, all over the country and a few places in the world

and northwest sucks........and its not about the peanuts

[olevetonahill]

i guess you'll just have to take my word for it......i've traveled lots in my old job, all over the country and a few places in the world

and northwest sucks........and its not about the peanuts
Is that the Airline that when I was heading to the Nam
The pilot came walking back thru the plane with a pair of pliers in his hand and a learn to fly book in his other hand ?:eek:

[MamaMia]

I like Southwest better.

[85Sooner]

sw

[SoonerStormchaser]

Since I am currently on a six-month Southwest boycott, you're safe. I'd still pick them over American, but beware of the usual mechanical delays.

ExpressJet is now getting all my bad luck...or rather, I'm still stuck with the luck of Norm. Every gawdamn time I've flown them thus far, I've been stuck with those stupid "SSSS" marks on my boarding pass. If I get it again tomorrow, they're gonna get the letter from me. They "claimed" last week it was the TSA's fault...bull****! If it was the doing of the TSA, I would've been subject to secondary screening every freaking time I flew Southwest the past six months.

[olevetonahill]

Since I am currently on a six-month Southwest boycott, you're safe. I'd still pick them over American, but beware of the usual mechanical delays.

ExpressJet is now getting all my bad luck...or rather, I'm still stuck with the luck of Norm. Every gawdamn time I've flown them thus far, I've been stuck with those stupid "SSSS" marks on my boarding pass. If I get it again tomorrow, they're gonna get the letter from me. They "claimed" last week it was the TSA's fault...bull****! If it was the doing of the TSA, I would've been subject to secondary screening every freaking time I flew Southwest the past six months.
**** dude
just put yer Uniform on and Hitchhike Home :cool:
You be there in No time !

[jk the sooner fan]

its my understanding that the computers pick you out for screening, based on a number of different criteria

however, if you're always buying your ticket within a day or two of travel, you're almost always going to be pulled to the side

[olevetonahill]

So then Like I said
Hitch it Home !;)

[TopDaugIn2000]

southwest = more children on the flight (at least it seems that way)

so I fly american

[olevetonahill]

southwest = more children on the flight (at least it seems that way)

so I fly american
I like flying United , Ya know "mile high " :D

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

Southwest is 100 times better. The staff is friendlier and you are always have a 737, not an RJ. Also, I like the freedom of selecting the seats because you can choose who you sit next to. Also, they still have the little extras like pillows and blankets, something AA has taken away. Besides, AA is generally overpriced and overrated.

[NormanPride]

Southwest, without even hesitating. That's like saying "Would you like chocolate or a kick in the teeth?"

Southwest has always been pleasant for me, they never screw up, and their people are always really nice.

American in the opposite. It's always cramped and the planes are crappy (unless you're lucky enough to get one of their nice ones), they screw up every time (screwed up my wedding as well, when I wasn't flying), and their people are all a-holes. The pilots are fine, in my experience, but I've never met a nice attendant or desk person.

[goodonya]

Having spent a great deal of my professional life "tearing down the runway" (thanks Pete T.). It all depends on where you're flying and what status you have.

If you've got status on Continental and live in Houston it is a no brainer to Europe, South America and Japan. For one-stop world wide I use KLM or BA.

Domestically I fly all short legs on SW for two reasons. One, they are wickedly on time which matters to me. Second, the send you the unrestricted free tix like clockwork. They are ten times as easy to convert as miles.

One of my brothers is a pilot for AA and he once told me that the SW pilots and FO's got more landings in one month than he did in 6. Also, back in 1988 or 89 SW was the only airline that would fly me into Houston from Denver one day before a hurricane made land. The other airlines cancelled all flights. I was big time impressed as I really needed to get there for business.

As an aside it's great to have access to the President's club if you're doing lots of miles with CO. I've got another card called the Priority Pass that gets me into all domestic and international clubs with the exception of Lufthansa. It is worth its weight in gold.

[jk the sooner fan]

Lufthansa by far is the best airline I've ever flown

Air Ethiopia the worst.....

[soonerbrat]

British Airways was awesome..haven't flown Lufthansa..but I did fly Swiss Air, it wasn't bad

[SicEmBaylor]

Air Ethiopia the worst.....

Was this your pilot?
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/d/db/200px-Ep_109_starvinmarvin.gif

[TopDaugIn2000]

Swiss air was awesome. warm croissants and swiss chocolate....mmmmm

[soonerbrat]

I just had a really short flight on Swiss Air - Zurich to Milan..i think it was about an hour or so...I could be wrong...I had been up for many hours by that time.

[Viking Kitten]

Ditto Lufthansa being the best airline I've ever flown.

I used to work for Southwest and flew non rev all the country. Because of their (generally) lower prices, service and safety record, I would still choose to fly SW most of the time. The only thing I don't like is the constant stops, so when I go someplace like NYC, I'll pay a little more for a nonstop.

[Penguin]

If you want to save a whopping $20 and stop at every airport along the way, then fly Southwest.

I prefer non-stop flights. That Love Field rule would seriously affect my travel decisions if I lived in the Dallas area.

[Viking Kitten]

That Love Field rule would seriously affect my travel decisions if I lived in the Dallas area.

That's the Wright Amendment. It sucks.

[SicEmBaylor]

That's the Wright Amendment. It sucks.
There was a pretty strong fight over the Wright Amendment in the last Congress pitting AA and SW lobbyists against each other. It made it as far as a sub-committee hearing (which I actually listened to God help me) on the subject.

Anyway, the end result was that portions of the Wright Amendment were actually repealed and Southwest Airlines is somewhat more free in their flights out of Love.

[TexasLidig8r]

In fact, the Wright Amendment was repealed and is being phased out over the course of the next 7 years.

From Love, you can now be booked through to places like LAX, Phoenix and Las Vegas. You will have one stop, but you don't have to change planes, get your bags or have a certain amount of time elapse between flights.

Having said that... I like flying non-stop to either coast.

[SoonerStormchaser]

The thing is JK, I'm booked on these flights Fri/Sun through Memorial Day...I ALWAYS book them online...I ALWAYS pay with my CC...and to date I have NEVER been singled out like this.

And Vet...how wierd would it be having a 2 LT in a flight suit standing on the side of the road?

[mithrandir2398]

Southwest has always advertised itself as a cattle car. They are also one of the only airlines that makes any money what-so-ever. American tried to go cheaper and provide the same service and the government (excuse me, the taxpayers) had to bail them out financially. Now American has gotten rid of "better" service in lieu of going the Southwest route of cattle car and peanuts (except American stopped giving out peanuts too). If they had started to promote themselves as a higher class of airline and hiked their rates, they still would have lost a lot of money but would now be making something, somewhere close to a profit, maybe (probably not).

[soonersweetie]

We've never had a problem with Southwest. We fly them almost exclusively. We always check in 24 hrs ahead of time online.

[GrapevineSooner]

Qantas, by far.

[StoopTroup]

When was the LAST time you heard of SW crashing and Killing all aboard ?
nuff said . :eek:
That just means they are probably due....:D

Go with American....if there are first class seats open....fake a heart attack and they might upgrade you to 1st. ;)

[Ardmore_Sooner]

Well I've booked with SW, just pray to got stormchaser isn't thinking about being in the airport the same time as me. :D

[StoopTroup]

To bad...

Shaq might have been in first class...

You could have got a nice shot of the back of his head with your camera phone...

[Viking Kitten]

I have first-hand knowledge that celebrity-type folk fly SW. Czar and I sat next to Antonio Freeman on a SW flight out of Miami the day after the 2001 Orange Bowl, and when I worked at the SW reservation center in college, one of the ways we'd amuse ourselves on Friday evenings is to check the passenger lists on flights from LAX to Vegas and see all the Hollywood types who were flying out for the weekend.

[StoopTroup]

I wonder if Shaq can even sit down on a commercial aircraft.

[Viking Kitten]

He'd for sure have to sit in an exit row. Hope he's prepared to help in an emergency.

[C&CDean]

Fly whoever the hell you want. I fly American. Exclusively. I sit in 1st Class every flight, I'm nearly always out/in on-time and many times early, and I know half the flight attendants/airport people on the routes I fly.

Of course I'm not the twice-a-year traveller most of the experts on here are telling you to fly SW - I only fly every other week, and sometimes every week. For the past 18 years.

SW is the SUCCKK. They've got everybody bamboozled cause they're friendly, and hire a bunch of jokesters as flight attendants. Whoever said "they're always on-time" must not fly them much. I fly my kids on SW, and NEVER, EVER, in the history of the ****ing universe has SW airlines had my kids back to OKC on-time. My dad flew in a couple weeks ago from Phoenix on SW and I was shocked that the plane was only 35 minutes late. And it was a morning flight.

Maybe y'all who fly out of Love have better luck, but SW in OKC blows like Linda Lovelace.

[C&CDean]

Oh yeah, and United? Possibly the only other airline as bad as SW. And whoever said "you get to fly big jets on United" obviously hasn't flown on United in a while. Everything outta OKC is one of the Embraer wannabes.

And oh yeah too, I've flown in 1st class with Patrick Ewing - who is one tall and might I say butt-ugly sumbitch. He fit OK.

[StoopTroup]

As I am somewhat biased...I tend not to comment to strongly about airlines....especially the AA / SW stuff...

I think Dean is right on the money however...:D

[SoonerStormchaser]

Relax Ardmore...you're safe for at least the next six months...and VK, Southwest doesn't fly into Miami (only Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach).

[Viking Kitten]

Uh, dude, I worked for SW. I'm aware of that. I also talked about flying into NYC. SW doesn't service JFK, Newark or Laguardia, only Islip, Long Island. However, since my destination cities are/were NYC and Miami, and instead of being all dorky and explaining a bunch pointless minutia to a lot of people who don't really care, I thought I'd get to the punch.

However, just to make you happy, Czar and I sat next to Antonio Freeman on a Southwest flight out of Fort Lauderdale after driving 20 minutes north of Miami on I-95 in an Alamo rental car after leaving our Miami hotel the day after the Sooners won the National Championship in 2001.

Are we good now? :D

[Czar Soonerov]

I should also mention the Alamo we rented was a mid-size, but as a Southwest employee, VK was able to rent it at the compact rate, as SWA is considered a "preferred partner."

[Viking Kitten]

And it was a white car.

[jk the sooner fan]

was the gas cap on the drivers side or passenger's side?

[Viking Kitten]

And the hotel was right next to an IHOP, where we ate breakfast.

[Williesan]

i've NEVER had a problem with either airline

Northwest is the airline that possesses ALL of my travel horror stories.....
They're not called "Northworst" for nothing.

I had yet another dismal experience with those bozos two weeks ago.

(rant follows)

I had to fly to Raleigh, then drive my way down to Fayettville, NC so I could be within an hour of an 8:00 AM meeting in Elizabethtown, NC. I was scheduled to leave Tulsa for Memphis at 11:30 and be in Raleigh by 4:45. When the plan from Memphis hadn't arrived at 11:00, I knew it was going to be a looooong day. :pop:

I only had 45 minutes to make my connection in Memphis, and now I was looking at less than 10 from arriving at the gate to the next flight actually leaving the gate. I ask if they can re-bok me for an earlier flight, and the ditzy gate agent tells me with a straight face that I can go from A-7 (where we were de-planing) to B-29 "in 5 minutes". :eek: My reply? "Are you on crack????"

The "senior" gate agent shows up and starts making arrangements for people to get on other flights because the plane wasn't arriving until 12:30 now. They finally call me up and tell me that 10:55 PM was the best they could do getting me to Raleigh. Umm.. not gonna work. Another airline? Nope - their "partners" Continental and Delta were booked up or on weight and balance restrictions (f$cking regional jets!) and they had no seats available. The whole time I'm having this conversation, my travel agent is telling me American can get me there by 7:30. "What about American?" The reply I get is "Oh, we don't work with them."

So my travel agent books the AA flight and now, the clock is running. I now have 24 minutes to go back downstairs, check in w/ AA, get my bag from NW and run it over to AA to check in, go back thru security, and get to the gate. The AA agent was more than helpful - she checked my bag without it even being there and told me to go hit the security line, then proceeded to start banging on the backroom door at the NW counter and basically made them go get my bag and put it on the AA plane. She even called the gate to inform them I was coming. Running on Tulsa International's terrazzo floors in socks isn't fun. But I managed to make it. And surprisingly, my bag made it to Raleigh too.

The return flight wasn't much better. The plane was 45 minutes late and I had a 30 minute turnaround in Detroit already scheduled. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the night in Detroit! Fortunately, the plane had a flat tire... unfortunately, the nearest tire was in Memphis. Here we go again. Call travel agent and re-book on Continental - but I still had to wait in line and get NW to transfer my already purchased ticket over to CA. The line is jammed with people who are only going to Detroit. The plan was gonna make it to Detroit that night, just much later than scheduled. Did they ask for those people to step out of the line? Nope.

I finally get to the counter after 30 minutes (new flight on CA is leaving in 30 min. now) and am the next person in line. One agent is working on getting a couple to Milwaukee that night, the other ignores me, and starts helping other people!!!! :mad: Then when she finally acknowledges the fact I'm waiting in line and I explain to her what needs to be done, she then tells me the she can't help me and to go to the next gate!!!!!:stunned: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I could have gone postal at this point, but it was pointless. I go the the next gate and finally get the help I need and the ticket transferred. I ask about my bag to which I am told that once the bag is on the plane, it cannot come off. I look out the window and they're unloading the plane. The other gate agent assisting the Milwaukee-bound couple personally took off to get their bags. I realize arguing with them is fruitless, and head off to Continental where I'm the next to last person on the plane. I make it to Tulsa just fine via Houston. Hell, they even served a complimentary "dinner" on the RDU to Houston flight. Maybe I should fly them more often.

My bag finally made it to Tulsa the next day. After checking the schedule to see when the earliest possible flight my bag could possibly be on, I head back to the airport and they retreive my bag. It's the only thing they managed to do right over 3 days for me.

So I gave them a tip. An envelope with my Worldperks card cut up into about 100 pieces and a nice little love letter.

I've flown NW 4 times in the last 5 years - I know, it's not much compared to the 4 or 5 dozen AA and Delta flights I've been on in the same time - but each time was bad, ranging from nearly landing on top of a teminal building in Pahducah, KY, to a hormonal flight attendant on a power trip, to mechanical problems and unexplained delays.

Never had one problem with American, and only experienced minor delays on Delta and United. Only flown SW once since starting my current job - they are OK, but their destinations are limited.

To answer the question in the original thread mesage: if the price is the same, Fly SW if it's one stop (i.e. OKC->Love Field->Harlingen/S.P.I). If it's 2 stops (OKC->DAL->HOU or IAH->HRL), fly American to McAllen via DFW.

Williesan

[Viking Kitten]

was the gas cap on the drivers side or passenger's side?

Since Alamo rents GMs, it was probably on the passenger's side. And when we stopped to refill the gas tank before we dropped it off, I most likely used the bathroom and purchased a Diet Coke.

[jk the sooner fan]

wash your hands?

[StoopTroup]

I should also mention the Alamo we rented....
You can rent the Alamo?

Now there would be a cool place to have a Sooner Tailgate if San Antonio ever hosts a MNC....

:pop:

[SoonerStormchaser]

What do you do for WN there VK?

And damn right we're ok!

Ardmore, when do you go to the airport? I'll see if I can avoid the airport during those hours.

[TexasLidig8r]

Fly whoever the hell you want. I fly American. Exclusively. I sit in 1st Class every flight, I'm nearly always out/in on-time and many times early, and I know half the flight attendants/airport people on the routes I fly.

Of course I'm not the twice-a-year traveller most of the experts on here are telling you to fly SW - I only fly every other week, and sometimes every week. For the past 18 years.

SW is the SUCCKK. They've got everybody bamboozled cause they're friendly, and hire a bunch of jokesters as flight attendants. Whoever said "they're always on-time" must not fly them much. I fly my kids on SW, and NEVER, EVER, in the history of the ****ing universe has SW airlines had my kids back to OKC on-time. My dad flew in a couple weeks ago from Phoenix on SW and I was shocked that the plane was only 35 minutes late. And it was a morning flight.

Maybe y'all who fly out of Love have better luck, but SW in OKC blows like Linda Lovelace.

Well, Mr. First Class All the Time...

Actually, SW from Love is usually great. With their corporate HQ there, they're (how about the three proper uses of the their/there/they're in the same sentence!) on time and reliable. Never had a problem.

[C&CDean]

Well, Mr. First Class All the Time...

Actually, SW from Love is usually great. With their corporate HQ there, they're (how about the three proper uses of the their/there/they're in the same sentence!) on time and reliable. Never had a problem.

Executive Platinum baby. About the only perk there is anymore for frequent flyers that's worth a ****.

And you're just saying good things about SW cause you got to diddle some ho that works there.

[jk the sooner fan]

i've never once had a single problem with SW.........ever, never late, never nothing

AA is good too though........and love field is SUPER easy to get in and out of in my opinion......if you're a commuter to houston or some place like that, its a hell of alot easier than going in and out of DFW

[Harry Beanbag]

I hate flying altogether, doesn't matter what airline it is.

[TexasLidig8r]

And you're just saying good things about SW cause you got to diddle some ho that works there.

yeah well..there is that too.

Nonetheless, parking at the big airport is an asswhip and expensive.. especially for American where you may leave from Terminal D but your return flight puts you in at Terminal A.. then you have to get your bag, wait for the terminal train, etc etc etc. It's further to get to than Love Field as well.

Nonetheless, if I'm flying somewhere other than contiguous states, I usually fly American. As Wright is phased out, we shall see.

[Howzit]

yeah well..there is that too.

Nonetheless, parking at the big airport is an asswhip and expensive.. especially for American where you may leave from Terminal D but your return flight puts you in at Terminal A.. then you have to get your bag, wait for the terminal train, etc etc etc. It's further to get to than Love Field as well.

Nonetheless, if I'm flying somewhere other than contiguous states, I usually fly American. As Wright is phased out, we shall see.

Yep...arriving at a different terminal is a beating now, with the new security.

I don't usually check luggage but sometimes I have to. If the different terminal dealio happens, I'll take Skylink to where my car is parked, then drive back to baggage claim and use the 30 minute parking. The timing is usually about right, and the luggage is just coming out or on the carousel.

I used my ginormous bran to figure that out.

[C&CDean]

Or you could just drive up to OKC and fly out of there. I park and walk to the check-in counter in about 5 minutes, go through security in another 5, and am at the gate about 10-15 minutes after parking. If I'm gone all week parking is $25. Covered.

[jk the sooner fan]

yeah, that'd be so much more convenient

[Howzit]

OR, Dean could come pick me up and drop me off at my DFW terminal, and then drive back to OKC to catch his flight.

And don't be late picking me up.

[jk the sooner fan]

jk3 is flying to west point for their summer seminar in june.....i almost had him come down here to fly out of DFW straight to Newark, but continental has a direct flight right out of OKC

[Viking Kitten]

What do you do for WN there VK?

And damn right we're ok!

Ardmore, when do you go to the airport? I'll see if I can avoid the airport during those hours.

I don't work there anymore. I worked at the OKC reservation center when I was in college. As much as I LOVED flying non-rev, I had to quit soon after Sept. 11, 2001 because they put us on mandatory overtime and I was taking 18 hours at OU that semester. I'd go work for them in Dallas in about two seconds if they had an opening in their PR department. They are awesome to their employees.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

I'm late to this thread party....but I'm having a hard time understanding it.

Joe's Fresh Fish Turbo-Weenie Airlines would be a serious upgrade over my main flying option:

Freaking Northwest.

It is the hometown airline and they are rarely on time, and are nasty as hell to deal with.

Hate.

Them.

[soonerboomer93]

Oh yeah, and United? Possibly the only other airline as bad as SW. And whoever said "you get to fly big jets on United" obviously hasn't flown on United in a while. Everything outta OKC is one of the Embraer wannabes.

And oh yeah too, I've flown in 1st class with Patrick Ewing - who is one tall and might I say butt-ugly sumbitch. He fit OK.


The problem is United uses smaller jets out of OKC

I fly United out of Denver and it's just fine for me. I wouldn't even consider flying AA out of Denver.

and no, i'm not an every 2 week fly, I fly 2 times every 90 days.



Oh, Asiana and Korean air are pretty decent. I prefer Asiana. Singapore air is supposed to be really good, I may end up on flying on Thai in July though.

[soonerboomer93]

I'm late to this thread party....but I'm having a hard time understanding it.

Joe's Fresh Fish Turbo-Weenie Airlines would be a serious upgrade over my main flying option:

Freaking Northwest.

It is the hometown airline and they are rarely on time, and are nasty as hell to deal with.

Hate.

Them.


The company I work for wanted to fly me Denver to Minneapolis or Detroit, then to Tokyo, then to Busan on Northwest. I had to just say no to that one... My flight is still 3 legs, but I don't spend 1/2 the time going the wrong damn direction.