It’s hard to believe that a couple of paragraphs in a memo from the company travel department can have the impact that it did. Late last week I learned that a lot of my contractually obligated air travel is going to be transitioning from Delta to Southwest next year. Given the breadth of service that Delta offers here in Atlanta, I’ll admit that I had not seen this one coming. I truly don’t know how to feel about it. I mean, we are talking about airlines, not my family, but this is not a small deal for me. When you spend so much of your time with an airline, learning their ways, their habits, etc. You kind of get used to doing things a certain way when it comes to going to the airport. Now, that’s all going to change.
Certainly, I do have some flexibility with this. It’s usually not a problem to fly whomever I choose as long as I get an equivalent or lesser fare. That’s an option I will use when it makes sense. But the hard reality of all this is that I’m about to become a more routine Southwest Airlines flyer…..and I don’t much like it. Granted, Southwest should fit many of my business travel needs just fine – short haul flights up and down the east coast. However, I’ve become accustomed to the level of service and care I receive from Delta Air Lines. Not only do I feel cared for when flying Delta, they do an outstanding job of actually operating their published schedule. I haven’t flown Southwest in a few years, but rumors abound that they are not nearly as reliable as they used to be. Most of all, I think I’m dreading the idea of not receiving the benefits of Delta Platinum Medallion status. I’ve acknowledged in the past that Southwest can be quite good at what they do, and that likely hasn’t changed. Of course, I might feel better about this if Southwest had an established history of status matching. A-List would be worth something to me. In the past, I’ve purchased Early Bird Check In when flying Southwest, but that becomes a lot less attractive when you’re flying an airline every other week rather than every other year.
On the other hand, I could look at this as an opportunity. The opportunity could lie in freeing me from the idea that I must have status. Elite status is pretty easy for me to maintain right now, but splitting up my flying is going to make it more challenging. I’ll certainly fly enough to earn A-List with Southwest which will make their interesting boarding concept more tolerable for me. Further, with no change fees, Southwest offers me much of the flexibility from the get-go that I enjoy now thanks to Medallion status. I’ll also view this a couple hundred times.
http://youtu.be/4fagAJ5YSx8
In the end, I have no idea how this will all turn out. I’m actually a little surprised at myself for letting it get to me the way it has. Whatever happens, I’ll leverage the benefits of status for as long as I can, and explore ways to make Southwest Airlines work for me. Have you faced a similar change in your preferred airline? How did you deal with it?
-MJ, August 13, 2014
[…] 3 years. This will be the first of several flights I take with them in the new year for both business and personal reasons. This particular flight is of the personal variety, paid for with Rapid […]
[…] you receive this offer? Personally, I’m participating as I will be seeing a bit more of Southwest Airlines this year than last, and they are a viable option for many of my short-haul […]
[…] a bit of a presence here in Atlanta. I posted a while back that Southwest and I were going to be spending a little more time together over the next year. While I generally have some flexibility in carrier choice as long as the fare […]
[…] got the offer too. For the record, I haven’t flown Southwest in at least 3 years, but that will likely change this year, though I have no near-term Southwest flights booked. Perhaps I’ll get to work on […]
Please ask why they are dumping delta. It may be due to skymiles 2015 and the way that program “enhances” the conflict between employees and the employers that pay for their flights.
Thanks for all the great comments here today. I appreciate everyone’s thoughtful responses.
I’m actually surprised that more companies don’t require SW flights more frequently, and not because they are cheaper (they often aren’t), but because of their liberal cancellation/ change policy. Most businesses need to ability to change their employee’s plane tix due to a meeting getting changed, moved, whatever. For most of us, this is $150-200 a tix fee each time it happens. I can tell you that these sort of fees drive CFOs & travel budget managers crazy because they feel like they are lighting $ on fire (and they are).
Does your company use a corp travel program where SW shows up in the results with the others? Our does, and Spirit dropped in one day throwing everyone out of compliance with normal routines. The problem was not handling all of the fees. SW shows up, but we still have some flexibility to choose, as long as we’re within policy. Just makes you think, and reminds you who’s paying.
The last time I flew SWA years and years ago (in an emergency; no award seats) I was crammed in the back of the plane in a window seat next to a tall man who smelled like potchouli – for four hours. Never ever ever again. My condolences.
I think a lot of corporate business travelers have run into this. I used to work for a large corporation that was HQ’ed in Chicago so they preferred I use UA but I lived in STL when AA had a hub there so I wanted to fly AA of course. It was the same deal. I could fly someone else if the price was better or I had a legit business reason. Southwest isn’t so bad but they are limited. I would make sure you have their credit cards and earn that companion pass and A list quickly. You’ll need… Read more »
The good news is your competitive price caveat. Southwest airlines hasn’t been a low cost leader for a couple of years now. Especially for flights booked a month or less in advance.
I had long been a loyalist enjoying one airline over another, learning the routines and enjoying the benefits. About 4 years ago, I diversified based on air fare matching or schedules and tried other airlines after I was ticked off by my preferred airline. Since then I have truly enjoyed my travel more, adapting and saving money and seeing how well or poorly other airlines handle the passenger experience. It is, after all, a commute. Now as a consultant, my expectations are always met because I don’t get hung up on the lesser things. For example, boarding is pretty consistent… Read more »
@Tyler,
I do remember. 🙂
Remember how you kept saying Delta’s changes including Skymiles2015 isn’t a bad thing? I believe this will continue with other companies, and Delta will have to backtrack their changes to encourage more spending.
Really well-written post MJ. While I haven’t gone through a change like this, I can feel your pain.