In order to get better service in the future.......If you are already at the airport, talk to one of the employees there. Most of the time the employee there will be alot more helpful than one on the phone. Most of the reservations agents will not be creative with your reservation because they have no idea what is really going on in the city that you are in. The best thing to do is to call the 1800 number while waiting in line to talk to an agent. This gets the reservations agent working on your reservation and when you get to the agent at the airport it gives them more ideas on how to reaccomodate you. Also to touch on the weather subject. I don't know how many people know this, but a weather delay is NOT the airlines decision. A weather delay comes from the FAA
(Federal Aviation Administartion). The FAA tells an airport that they need to slow the air traffic down, so the FAA gets a list of flights in and out of a certain city and then tells whichever airline that they are delayed. The airline itself has nothing to do with this. The only delays that an airline is at fault are mechanical and crew issues. So people please stop blaming the airlines for weather delays and cancellations.
About the long lines that caused your daughter to miss her flight. In this case the worst thing that your EX could have done was step out of line and call the 1800 number. The reservations agent has no clue that she waited in line for an hour. The agent on the phone is just following their policy. The agent at the airport knew exactly what happened with the line and would have rebooked her at no charge. It is not that she did not want to check her in 15 minutes before departure, it is that she can't. The computer system simply will not let her. Who knows what was going on that morning, 3 other agents could have called in sick leaving them very short staffed, but I'm willing to bet that the agent would have helped her out.
And to the final thing to write about. "Look at Southwest" are you serious? The only reason Southwest looks so good is because they are a low cost carrier and have absolutely no agreements with any other airline in the world. Try being on a cancelled flight of theirs around the holidays and they do not have the option of putting you on another airline and you are stuck in Chicago for 3 days. Also if they are so good, why are they taking employee buy outs right now? They are staring bankruptcy right in the face. Southwest employees seem nicer because they do not have to deal with all the problems that come with being interlined with all other airlines.
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