I miss Midwest Express Airlines

[Golden Avalanche]

My biggest issue with air travel is my fellow customer. I find them undignified, disrespectful, obnoxious, arrogant, and uncouth during every step of the process from unloading their bags at the curb, through the ticket kiosk elbowing, then their clueless happenings at security, especially the assholic approach they take to navigating the concourse, and finally to the blatant disregard of the gate agent's clear instructions for boarding.

[mu_hilltopper]

I'm not suggesting a Midwest Express experience, with food served on china.

Keep it simple and cheap.

First .. does great service cost that much? 

There's a Taco Bell I hit a couple times a month.   It's very clear the drive-thru people are trained to be happy and pleasant -- it's shocking, really.   They are trained to greet you and ask you how you are.   If there's a wait, they chit chat with you.   My guess is that the owner hires them and says: This is the job.  If you can't be pleasant and cheerful, you will be let go.    -- Somehow, it works and frankly it's odd and disarming at the same time.

Second .. do cheap things to trick people into thinking you are premium.   Cayman Air gives out free rum punch.    It costs them like $25 a flight for a few gallons of that, and it buys them thousands in good PR.    Be the free wi-fi or hot towel airliner.  Minimal cost per flight, huge PR benefit.

Bump your ticket price by $15 to pay for them, and ok, yeah, you're going to lose some business travelers who are forced to Spirit because it's cheaper.  Meanwhile, your planes are full because people are good with an extra $15-20 thinking they are getting a premium experience over Spirit's sh1ttiness.

[JWags85]

My biggest issue with air travel is my fellow customer. I find them undignified, disrespectful, obnoxious, arrogant, and uncouth during every step of the process from unloading their bags at the curb, through the ticket kiosk elbowing, then their clueless happenings at security, especially the assholic approach they take to navigating the concourse, and finally to the blatant disregard of the gate agent's clear instructions for boarding.

Nothing worse than arriving to your gate 45 min before a flight and the mouthbreathers have already lined up 15 min before boarding starts, and usually 20-25 min before their boarding section would begin.

If anyone on here doesn't have precheck and flies more than once a year, I dont even know what to say.  Its inexpensive and is the best change to traveling that Ive had.  I flew on a Thursday afternoon/early evening 2 weeks ago, in the midst of Ohare sending out warnings about 2 hour travel lines and walked into a crowded terminal.  I went from uber to my gate in less than 15 min, and that was terminal C at ORD, so I even had to take the walkway to the farther gates.

[GooooMarquette]

Pan Am
TWA

"Although we may run out of Pan Am coffee, we will never run out of TWA tea."

[Benny B]

Having flown occasionally for work since 2002, I first earned status in 2012 and have had gold status with American for 3 of the past 4 years, and I can tell everyone first hand that the experience is vastly different when you hit 25,000 miles or 30 segments.  Sure, I'm not fawned over like the Platinum and Exec-Plat flyers, but it's a night and day difference dealing with the employees which - most people don't immediately realize - is actually a 100x bigger deal when you're on the ground than when you're in the air.  I don't care if the FA is surly or spills a diet Sierra Mist all over me (which happened on my last flight)... it's when my phone buzzes me to tell me my flight is canceled that I want good customer service.

True story --- I've had return flights from Denver cancelled twice.  This happened about four years apart, which isn't bad considering I fly to DEN about 10-12 times/year.  Both times, I was at dinner at the exact same restaurant (which isn't much of a coincidence considering I eat at this place almost every time I'm in town) when the notification came.  The first time, I did not have gold status but I was booked on a first-class ticket... I waited on hold for 45 minutes before a rep answered my call, at which point it took another 15 minutes to get me re-booked (on another airline); the only consolation was that I earned both AA and UAL miles for that return flight.  The second time, I had gold status but was booked on a deep-discount ticket... customer service recognized my caller-ID, the computer system processed that my flight was canceled, I pressed something to acknowledge that was what I was calling about, and the call rep answered almost immediately... within five minutes, I was off the phone and was booked on a different flight home.  Now maybe technology is a bit different in 2016 than it was in 2012, but if this is a coincidence, than it's one of twenty or thirty coincidences of better customer service with status.

The one year in between I didn't have status, I was fortunate enough to only have one flight issue where I was in Des Moines and had a flight cancelled... I immediately made friends with other flyers who did have status, and despite there being no more flights back to ORD until morning and no more cars available at any of the agencies, the six of us managed to drive home that evening because one of the guys had super-mega-ultra-diamond-preferred status with Hertz and after 10 minutes on the phone, we magically had a minivan that apparently didn't exist on this Earth a mere 15 minutes prior.

Few times are worse than finding out your plane is delayed, cancelled, etc. when you're 1,000+ miles from home and have a sick child, a full to-do list at work, and/or just a busy schedule... I no longer dread having flight/scheduling issues, they're merely a hiccup now, if that.

Plus it's nice to be seated away from the riff-raff.  The crying baby doesn't bother me anymore... it's the petulant middle-aged, leisure flyers who act like babies who really make a flight miserable.

[GooooMarquette]

Having flown occasionally for work since 2002, I first earned status in 2012 and have had gold status with American for 3 of the past 4 years, and I can tell everyone first hand that the experience is vastly different when you hit 25,000 miles or 30 segments. 

Yep.  It varies by airline and level of status (I was a Platinum with NWA and then Delta for about a decade), but elite status can make all the difference in the world.

The First/Biz upgrades were great, but as you stated, the perks you get when flights are cancelled or delayed are often even more important.  I flew mostly via MSP and DTW, and there were many cancelled flights where I had been rebooked even before I knew the flight was cancelled.  And when it was the last flight of the day, I'd usually already be booked in the Marriott while other passengers were fighting for Motel 6 vouchers.

The best experience though was when my family of four was flying to Paris for vacation when the girls were about 10 and 12.  It was a full flight, but I had booked four seats together in the first row of coach.  The agents had been calling people to the podium to try to rearrange passengers to get other families together.  Then, I got called up.  I started with "but I planed way in advance to get these seats..." when the agent handed me four new Biz class boarding passes.

As my youngest and I headed back to where my wife and other daughter were sitting, my daughter shouted "mommy, they moved us all to first class!"  Priceless.

Now, I rarely travel for business, so I have returned to the world of self-loading cargo.

[jsglow]

Yep.  A List or Super A List at SWA 'bout the same.  For an airline that historically prided itself on 'everyone is the same' they have found small ways to treat loyal business customers more reasonably.  Things like dedicated phone numbers, priority boarding, etc.  I had gotten used to my chosen seat.  Too bad I'm back to commoner status.     

[dgies9156]

I can tell everyone first hand that the experience is vastly different when you hit 25,000 miles or 30 segments. 

Boy, you aren't kidding. When my wife historically flew with me, it was, "Hello Mrs. ___. How can we help you Mrs. ____? Is everything OK?" They addressed her by name and sought her out.

The reason: I'm a 1K on United and have had status on United since 1987.

When she flew alone, it was, "out of my way, Bi*ch. Line starts over there and maybe, we'll'' have time...."

There is poetic justice though. When I hit 1 million actual flight miles on United, I could designate anyone in my home to receive my status for as long as I live. My 21-year-old daughter begged me for it, as she knew what it meant. But since my wife will still be there, God willing, decades after my daughter is out on her own, my wife got it! And boy does it make a difference.

Benny, you hit the mark on this one.

[Jay Bee]

Boy, you aren't kidding. When my wife historically flew with me, it was, "Hello Mrs. ___. How can we help you Mrs. ____? Is everything OK?" They addressed her by name and sought her out.

The reason: I'm a 1K on United and have had status on United since 1987.

This goes back to my point though that, for me, flying sucks no matter what. I don't want some airline worker to check in on me.

STFU, keep sh1t moving, get me there on time.

Don't be loud and annoying (SWA), and I will pray some ahole doesn't bring fast food on the plane, forcing me to knock them out.

On a flight a few weeks ago we land.. taxi.. stop. Of course, everyone's in the usual mad rush to get up and go. As the rows are exiting, some dude (he appeared to be not from this country and carrying his clothes in a plastic Walgreens bag, but...) start cutting through the 'line' of people standing and waiting in the middle of the tiny aisle.. he got up to my row and I grabbed his effin Walgreens bag to let him know that's not how it goes down.

Cripes. People and flying are horrible.

Sitting in first class.. great, I board early and get a drink.. then I have to wait and wait, while hoards of dirty people walk past me to their seat. Yuck. It's awful.

[rocket surgeon]

remember when cruises were something special?  well, flying used to be almost exclusively for the "don't you know who i am" people too. 

[jesmu84]

Sounds like a great idea, and I'd certainly be willing to pay a premium if they do it right.  My two concerns would be the experience level of the pilots, and whether they have to abide by the same maintenance standards as the major carriers.  Premium service loses its appeal if you're significantly more likely to end up dead.

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/airplane-maintenance-disturbing-truth

Probably should look more into the maintenance on those major carriers

[mu_hilltopper]

Sitting in first class.. great, I board early and get a drink.. then I have to wait and wait, while hoards of dirty people walk past me to their seat. Yuck. It's awful.

Never understood why anyone would want to board early.  I want to be the last dude through the door.  (Except on SW, of course.)

[DegenerateDish]

The boarding process is one of the dumbest and most frustrating experiences in existence. I do not understand why it takes so long. Getting off the plane can be just as annoying. I always love the person who gets up to get their bag as soon as taxiing back to the gate starts. Highest risk of a plane accident is during taxiing, I feel like once every few months the pilot will slam on the breaks taxiing at ORD.

[GGGG]

Never understood why anyone would want to board early.  I want to be the last dude through the door.  (Except on SW, of course.)

Overhead space for carry on. Otherwise I agree.

[GooooMarquette]

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/airplane-maintenance-disturbing-truth

Probably should look more into the maintenance on those major carriers

Agreed.  But if maintenance rules for small carriers are even less comprehensive....

[CTWarrior]

The boarding process is one of the dumbest and most frustrating experiences in existence. I do not understand why it takes so long.

Many years back I took a KLM flight home from the Netherlands.  They boarded one row at a time, back to front, no exceptions.  Most efficient boarding I have ever experienced.

[Benny B]

The boarding process is one of the dumbest and most frustrating experiences in existence. I do not understand why it takes so long. Getting off the plane can be just as annoying. I always love the person who gets up to get their bag as soon as taxiing back to the gate starts. Highest risk of a plane accident is during taxiing, I feel like once every few months the pilot will slam on the breaks taxiing at ORD.

Mythbusters did a piece on this several years ago.  The process that CTWarrior describes was shown to be the fastest, most efficient method of any, but the explanation as to why it isn't done that way is because people pay more to sit up front, and when you pay more, there's an expectation of boarding first (or earlier).  It's completely counter-intuitive because the reason people want to board early is so they don't have to wait in line on the jetway but the reason there's always a line on the jetway is because they aren't boarding back to front.

That said, with the advent of checked baggage fees, there's no way passengers would tolerate back to front boarding anymore with overhead bin space being in such high demand these days.

[jsglow]

Mythbusters did a piece on this several years ago.  The process that CTWarrior describes was shown to be the fastest, most efficient method of any, but the explanation as to why it isn't done that way is because people pay more to sit up front, and when you pay more, there's an expectation of boarding first (or earlier).  It's completely counter-intuitive because the reason people want to board early is so they don't have to wait in line on the jetway but the reason there's always a line on the jetway is because they aren't boarding back to front.

That said, with the advent of checked baggage fees, there's no way passengers would tolerate back to front boarding anymore with overhead bin space being in such high demand these days.

Even on my beloved SWA I worry more about the spot for my single carry-on bag than I do for my single carry-on butt.  Damn do people abuse the rules.  Crap folks carry-on is ridiculous.

[warriorchick]

Even on my beloved SWA I worry more about the spot for my single carry-on bag than I do for my single carry-on butt.  Damn do people abuse the rules.  Crap folks carry-on is ridiculous.

Can't be polite about that stuff.  If I see a coat or a small bag in the overhead bin, I would pull it down and say, "Whose is this?  Do you mind putting it under your seat like the flight attendants instructed so I have a place for my carry-on?"

[JWags85]

Even on my beloved SWA I worry more about the spot for my single carry-on bag than I do for my single carry-on butt.  Damn do people abuse the rules.  Crap folks carry-on is ridiculous.

It gets a bit ridiculous, but I do respect the European budget carriers in a way for how they handle it.  They actually use that size limit cube and people that appear to be borderline need to show that it fits.  I have NEVER seen that in the US.  For awhile, they would gate check anything that was a bit too big, so it was almost a sneaky trick to bring something you knew was a bit too big and play ignorant.  Now its just a piece of checked luggage, so other than the fee it saves no time.  But in reality, usually that a-hole puts it sideways in the overhead and takes up the space of two other bags.

I'll never forget being delayed in Atlanta cause two women threw a FIT while trying to board.  Each had a large, about 4 inches too long on each side, "carry-on", a large-ish duffel, and a large purse and they were told they had to check one.  Screaming about how they were allowed 2 pieces and a purse was not supposed to be a personal item.  It was HORRIBLE.  I have no doubt if a lazy gate agent let them on, they would have put both big items up top.

[jsglow]

It gets a bit ridiculous, but I do respect the European budget carriers in a way for how they handle it.  They actually use that size limit cube and people that appear to be borderline need to show that it fits.  I have NEVER seen that in the US.  For awhile, they would gate check anything that was a bit too big, so it was almost a sneaky trick to bring something you knew was a bit too big and play ignorant.  Now its just a piece of checked luggage, so other than the fee it saves no time.  But in reality, usually that a-hole puts it sideways in the overhead and takes up the space of two other bags.

I'll never forget being delayed in Atlanta cause two women threw a FIT while trying to board.  Each had a large, about 4 inches too long on each side, "carry-on", a large-ish duffel, and a large purse and they were told they had to check one.  Screaming about how they were allowed 2 pieces and a purse was not supposed to be a personal item.  It was HORRIBLE.  I have no doubt if a lazy gate agent let them on, they would have put both big items up top.

My chosen business row on SWA was #3.  It's where the luggage bin on a 737-700 becomes full size after the nose taper necessary for rows 1-2.  My single bag fits comfortably.  Anyway, I was always amused at those folks who 'liked' row 1 until they realized that the FAA required all their bags to go up and nothing was available nearby.  I once had some d-bag ask the FA if a particular carry-on suitcase (MINE!) might be relocated so he could put his stuff up there.  Hey a-hole, there's a middle seat with your name on it back in row 22.  See ya.   

[martyconlonontherun]

My chosen business row on SWA was #3.  It's where the luggage bin on a 737-700 becomes full size after the nose taper necessary for rows 1-2.  My single bag fits comfortably.  Anyway, I was always amused at those folks who 'liked' row 1 until they realized that the FAA required all their bags to go up and nothing was available nearby.  I once had some d-bag ask the FA if a particular carry-on suitcase (MINE!) might be relocated so he could put his stuff up there.  Hey a-hole, there's a middle seat with your name on it back in row 22.  See ya.

I think there should be reserved space for those seats. I always wait to get on the plane since I'm not in a rush and usually pack small so that I can fit it under the seat. Both are usually positive to the flying community. Every once in a while I get screwed and the only open space is way back so you have to let the entire plane get off before you can walk back to get it.

Also the restricted baggage is a positive for me on spirit. They have loosened their rules on enforcing oversized personal items but since overall everyone has less, it's more efficient getting on and off. 

[jsglow]

I think there should be reserved space for those seats. I always wait to get on the plane since I'm not in a rush and usually pack small so that I can fit it under the seat. Both are usually positive to the flying community. Every once in a while I get screwed and the only open space is way back so you have to let the entire plane get off before you can walk back to get it.

Also the restricted baggage is a positive for me on spirit. They have loosened their rules on enforcing oversized personal items but since overall everyone has less, it's more efficient getting on and off.

I very much enjoy smart. experienced SWA travelers.  For personal reasons, I'm a window guy.  It's great to see a young college student with a tiny backpack get on as C-15 and immediately select the middle seat next to me in Row 3 slipping his/her tiny bag under the seat ahead.

[GooooMarquette]

Can't be polite about that stuff.  If I see a coat or a small bag in the overhead bin, I would pull it down and say, "Whose is this?  Do you mind putting it under your seat like the flight attendants instructed so I have a place for my carry-on?"

I saw an incident like this a few years ago. A passenger took a relatively small backpack out of the overhead to put in his suitcase and asked who put the small backpack in the overhead instead of under the seat in front of them. Nobody answered, so the passenger called the flight attendant and said "I believe this might've been left on the plane by someone from the previous flight." The flight attendant was about to take it when the overhead hog who owned the backpack spoke up and grudgingly put it under the seat in front of him.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Can't be polite about that stuff.  If I see a coat or a small bag in the overhead bin, I would pull it down and say, "Whose is this?  Do you mind putting it under your seat like the flight attendants instructed so I have a place for my carry-on?"

I had a related experience flying to Puerto Rico for work one time.  By the time I boarded there was no space in the overhead except where the guy who laid his jacket across a space that could have fit two carry-on bags.  I asked "Whose jacket is this?"  No one replied, so I moved the jacket to put my carry-on bag in and the guy woke-up and went bonkers.  Flight attendant told him to calm down and we need to make room for baggage.