Yep. Plus, Southwest is really going to compete with RJ's going to MDW, for a hell of a lot cheaper.

Cheaper seats : check
Better seats/airplanes: check
Fantastic attitudes: check

The Emb's are already on the LGA-MDW route, and I've never had a problem getting a seat because they're usually at least 1/2 empty . . Unless, of course, there's the slightest hiccup in LGA (wx, ATC), in which case they're canceled like crazy. These can't be making any $$ for DAL.

I think the handwriting is on the wall for any routes served by EMB's in LGA. SWA will kill the MDW flights, USAir is doing a nice job cleaning up the Shuttle routes.

One very nice feature of Southwest is they did not adopt Northwest's punitive fee structure for changing flight reservations.

Friends who fly Delta a lot on business are all upset about the fees Delta has adopted which restrict passenger's abilities to change flights.

For example, the passengers find out a flight is oversold and they have no seat, so they try to change their flight reservation... and get whacked for $150. On Southwest this same change costs nothing.

The alternative is waiting at the airport until they get bumped off Delta, taking the Delta dollars and a hotel room for a flight the next day. Instead of a lose / lose which costs Delta money, why can't we give Agents the flexibility to do something smart that helps a passenger?

This "we are the World's largest and we can treat people indifferently because of our network" attitude has to get nipped in the bud. We are a service, it is our job to serve the passenger's needs. Much of the problem NWA had with its declining operations was IMHO the result of these fees that PO'd business travelers.

Rant over.

I believe if you change your flight on SWA you have to pay the difference in the fares. Granted it's probably not as much as a $150, but it still cost $$$ to change flights on SWA. Also, if WX goes bad and flights start cancelling or the flights are overbooked SWA has ZERO codeshare partners to reroute you on. That means you're stuck buying your own hotel room & food when you can't get out.

Johnson29: This weekend senior management type from General Dynamics called me and bent my ear for over an hour about these fees and how after years and years of loyalty to Delta, his employees now complained vociferously when they got booked on Delta, because of these fees and the manner in which the fees are being collected.

For one thing, if a Corporate travel department books the travel, they pay for it. If the employee then changes something, it is that employee's personal expense.

As a former silver medallion miler myself, I can tell you that business travellers are just like you and me. When their trip is done they want to go home and be with their family and friends. Even more to the point, they paid for a seat and Delta routinely over books the flights which means they do not get the seat they paid for. If they try to get home on an earlier flight with empty seats - wham $150 for the change AND usually a $15 to $50 bag fee (which Southwest does not charge).

Regardless of who's side I might happen to be on (and I understand the need to bring in revenue) Southwest is a legitimate competitor, as is AirTran. We really have to be better.

Who was the World's largest airline before us, who was before that, and before that? It is a distinction no one really cares about. If we are going to stay on top, we have to be better than the rest.

I told the manager to write a letter, sticking to the facts and I'd deliver it to Sr. Flight Ops Management. The guy had a point and they spend something in the range of six figures a month with Delta.

Delta is a great airline, that doesn't mean we should treat our best customers with an arrogant attitude. We NEED them, they have choices....

i thought the rebooking fee was $50 bucks? Does it very on segments? I was at the counter the other day in MSP while someone was rebooking and she was only charged 50. fwiw

Super - that's what I thought too. I'm no expert. I just know this guy that called me was in for almost $200 to avoid sitting around and getting bumped later. He said Delta had no seat to give him, but would not let him change flights without incurring the fees and then he got whacked with a bag fee because he did not want to check a bag when he did not know what flight he would actually be on.

The only point is, I hope we beat Southwest in the market. Southwest sure replaced us in Orlando and it would be great if we could beat them in some markets. MCO would be a great base for a whole lot of pilots who will be bidding ATL.

Bucking Bar:

I completely agree 100%. Our company needs to kill the extra fees.

I have a friend who lives in SLC. He is a consultant. Between his business and family travels, he flies more than even aircrew members. He was a whatever-medallion customer of DAL. However, he has since switched to SWA (when able). His #1 reason for switching was due to the fees and penalties for when having to change travel plans. DAL lost huge when this guy decided to switch carriers. And I suspect he's not alone.

AMEN!!! I've gotten the same complaint.

Do the math - let 4 pax move to an earlier flight and lost $300 or give 4 pax vouchers, hotels, etc for a lot more than $300!??!?

My question is DO the agents have the ability? Even if they did.....they are so overworked with the minimal staffing they wouldnt have much time to look ahead and determine whether this was a good idea.

We ranked 12th...TWELFTH in 2008 airline rankings...we should be ASHAMED. We are right above ALL our Connection carriers. Seems they are dragging us down some!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...tbjGgD97D1J2G0

Simple fix would be to hire more gate agents...it's a start. Then think about how to TAKE CARE of the customer vs nickel and dime them.

April 1st DAL added hourly service from MDW - LGA from 12-7. Used to be every other hour.

Exactly - and that is exactly the passenger we need.