[briansharonv]

Think about lowering your baggage costs.

[Gromit801]

I yearn for the days of no baggage costs. Of course tickets were more expensive then. Seems to be a correlation there.

[getoutthere]

Dont' yearn, just use Southwest.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by getoutthere

Dont' yearn, just use Southwest.

Don't count on Southwest to have free bags forever. From a recent interview w/Pres. and CEO Gary Kelly:

Q:Many airlines have started charging for checked baggage to generate more revenue, but the first two bags are still free on Southwest. Does Southwest plan to start charging for bags?



A:We don’t. And that’s not to say that we won’t revisit that. . . . But no, we have no plans to charge any bag fees this year.

(emphasis mine)

[Gromit801]

Originally Posted by getoutthere

Dont' yearn, just use Southwest.

I wouldn't fly SWA if they gave me a lifetime free pass.

Not after what came out about their maintenance practices, and out of general principle. The same principle I apply when refusing to shop at WallMart.

[jimworcs]

I think you will find Southwest's safety record second to none amongst the large US carriers...

What priniciple are you talking about which applies to both Walmart and Southwest exactly? Southwest treats it's staff and customers with respect.. Walmart uses slave labour and child labour and treats it's customers with contempt... how is that comparable?

[The_Judge]

Jim......have you forgotten about this? I know time erases memories but this was pretty recent.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/06...nes/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/domes...40389320080403

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...y&channel=comm

http://cbs5.com/national/faa.airline....2.691137.html

This is just one of the headlines.......

Records: Southwest Airlines flew 'unsafe' planes

And a quote from that article...."House panel chair says it's "one of the worst safety violations" he's ever seen"

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Regardless of what those, with or without an agenda, may say about Southwest the airline declared its 132nd CONSECUTIVE quarterly dividend on July 23rd. In other words Southwest has been paying dividends, non-stop, for the last 32 years. Can someone on here provides a link(s) which indicates any other US-based carrier has beat this record??? The dividend may only be 4.5 cents to the share. But, again, when was the last time American, United, et al, paid even a 4.5 cent dividend??

So if travelling with Southwest is so scary, or unsafe, do we assume the company has a few sugar daddies propping it up? I don't think so.

Over one year after the incidents referenced in Judge's links--on July 21, 2009--Southwest posted a profit of 54 million.

Dividend release:

http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/prindex.html

Earnings summary:

http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/prindex.html

For those who may consider screaming lies, etc: Remember the Securities And Exchange Commission ("SEC") imposes serious penalties for lying about this stuff. Just ask Bernie Madoff!

And yes, I acknowledge at least one unfavorable post about Southwest.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Both links in the previous post go only to the press releases of the current month. Click on "Jul" for the stories covering the dividend and earnings.

[The_Judge]

I wasn't disputing earnings nor do I have an agenda. A maintenance issue was raised and I responded to it. Maybe the costs they saved on bypassing maintenance has something to do with their earnings over the years?? Who knows?

[jimworcs]

I fully accept that Southwest dropped the ball in terms of inspections required under FAA regulations.. but if you look at this table perhaps you will see my point:

United States and Canada

Airline Rate Flights FLE* EventsLast
Air Canada +0.33 4.75M 1.583 1983
AirTran (ValuJet) 0.94 1.06M 1.001 1996
Alaska Airlines 0.33 6.13M 2.023 2000
Aloha Airlines 0.56 1.77M 1.001 1989
American Airlines **0.40 25.08M 10.0813 2004
American Trans Air 0.00 0.69M 0.000-
Continental Airlines **0.24 10.39 M2.476 2009
Delta Air Lines **0.17 24.8M 4.247 2006
Hawaiian Airlines 0.00 0.66M 0.000-
JetBlue Airlines 0.00 0.35M 0.000-
Midwest Express 1.92 0.52M 1.001 1985
Northwest Airlines **0.21 12.51M 2.614 1993
Southwest Airlines 0.00 15.26M 0.000-
United Airlines **0.31 21.9M 6.6911 2001(2)
US Airways **0.28 17.63 M4.979 2003

I would argue this is a pretty objective measure of the safety of an airline and Southwest's record is as I said "second to none".

[AADFW]

jimworcs, I am confused. What qualifies as an "event" exactly? As I seem to remember, WN1248 plowed into a highway near MDW killing 6-year-old Joshua Woods on December 8, 2005 because the pilots failed to activate the thrust reversers until there was less than 1,000 feet of runway left after touchdown. The accident sent 12 other people to the hospital and substantially damaged the aircraft. Why does that not count?

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by AADFW

jimworcs, I am confused. What qualifies as an "event" exactly? As I seem to remember, WN1248 plowed into a highway near MDW killing 6-year-old Joshua Woods on December 8, 2005 because the pilots failed to activate the thrust reversers until there was less than 1,000 feet of runway left after touchdown. The accident sent 12 other people to the hospital and substantially damaged the aircraft. Why does that not count?

Because the person killed was not a passenger or crew member. Statistically Southwest has zero fatalities but when you account for "collateral damage" that number is just a bit higher.

Still for the number of years they have been in operation and the number of passengers they carry their overall safety record is excellent.

[AADFW]

I forgot to mention WN1455, that nearly slammed into a Cheveron gas station in BUR on March 5, 2000 because the pilots landed 44 knots over the target airspeed. That one injured 44 people - two of them seriously.

[AADFW]

I'm pretty sure you weren't the one being asked, PHX.