Listing For JS
 

Is there any chance that Southwest will be going to an online listing process for offline guys?

Not sure if it's just my airline, NK, but we have to call the 800 reservations number to list. It's hit or miss but the past three times I've held for 31, 22 and 42 minutes respectively.

Southwest is great to jump on. Great, helpful and welcoming crews. 98% of your gate agents are super but over the past couple of years, most of them do request you list before showing up. It's no problem, just wondering if there were plans to automate the listing process for offline guys.

I doubt there's any great push to automate the process. We're talking about a fairly IT averse company after all. If any agent tells you that you HAVE to be listed ahead of time, they're full of $7!t and being lazy. They can do it themselves.

Either a customer service agent at the large podiums that are usually in between the gates, or a txt counter agent outside of security can list you. We have what are called "Ops agents" who work the flights and have their small podiums directly by the entrance to the jetway. Don't ask these people to do it as that's not really their job, but the other two groups of employees can.

It's a little confusing because the SWA way is different. We don't have gate agents in the traditional sense, but instead Ops agents and customer service agents.

Do what I do/did if you get any grief. Tell them that you tried to list by phone but were on hold for a while or go to another customer podium (we usually have several in the cities we serve) where the agent(s) doesn't look busy and ask them to list you.

Great info. Appreciate it! I've already been doing some of what you've suggested above. As always, I appreciate the great treatment and rides.

This is all good. My technique is to call (and be on hold) when I walk up to the podium so when they ask if I've called in a listing, I can say "trying, on hold with SWA right now in fact". They usually offer to list from that moment on.

Southwest still has paper buddy passes. You have to order and pay with SWAG points. Then it takes a month to print and be delivered to your base.

Does that answer your question?

Coincidentally, I just jumpseated with a SWA CA who said the CO is in the process of updating its reservation system. One of the expected end results would be the ability to list online, possibly via MyIDTravel. Could be baseless, but it would sure be nice.

Did he mention which decade in which this was supposed to occur? SW IT is hurtling into the '80's.......

They are supposed to be fully integrated into Amadeus at the end of next year. Expect the usual pain that comes with this. At the end, we should be able to use electronic passes and list online.
Allegedly.

Listing For JS
 

I continue to have issues with gate agents. Today I was told a Jumseater cannot pre board even when approved for the flight deck, because business select passengers pay for the opportunity. Basically the gate agent told me to pre board and the ops agent flipped out. The captain stayed neutral and said he didn't know what the rule was.
It shouldn't be this complicated

A jumpseater is in fact allowed to pre-board if they are approved for the cockpit. A general rule of thumb is to take a seat aft of the exit rows (not in the exit row because no pre-board passengers are allowed to sit in the exit rows). The ops agent was wrong on this one but it is usually is easier to not point that out and go along to get along.

Sorry. I hope to hell they go to assigned seating at some point in the future. It'd make things a little more civilized.

I don't know Whack.. I think the non-assigned seating and no food has been part of the highly touted customer service of SWA over the years by placing the onus of food and seat selection on the passenger rather than the company.

In only flying a fleet that has 33% of it's seats as middle seats, that's a lot of potential for disappointment. Right now, if a pax finds themselves in 33B, and hungry on Delta they think "darn airline sucks as there is no food to buy and this is the best seat I could get"

On as SWA flight the pax thinks "Man I screwed up, I should have woken up a 4am to checkin for an A card and I should have packed a lunch for the flight."

It's complicated because this corporation has a total lack of respect for pilots. It trickles down to ground ops, and it doesn't help when the captain doesn't know how to be a captain. He was probably standing there looking stupid with his flag tie.

SWAPA has told us countless times to start acting like a union. We have pilots sleeping in the crew room because scheduling told them there are no rooms available for purchase. He is probably one of them.

Didn't know what the rule is?! AYFKM? Let me guess, flag or airplane tie?
Jumpseaters preboard after the wheelchair passengers. It's in the ground ops manual. This is done so that they can make their introductions and get the f out of the way. The flight deck jumpseater is a crew member and the business select passengers have no bearing on when they board. The above comment about ground ops having disdain for pilots is spot on. I had an ops agent dress me down in front of customers in San Diego when I handed her my boarding pass stamped "deadhead" during preboards. She made it clear to me that she owns the jetway and that I don't decide when I board. I was actually embarrassed for her so I just deescalated and went about my day.
Always, even if the flight is oversold, ask the captain if it is ok if you just grab a seat. 9/10 times there is someone who doesn't show or the ops agent is keeping a secret and the flight is actually not oversold. I usually go 4 or 5 rows back and grab an aisle seat if I know it is going to be questionable, that way I can quickly make my escape up front if they need the seat and I don't have to play Tetris with the person standing in front of me who wants my seat when I need to go in front of him while he is just standing there.
The "rule" about nonrevs sitting aft of the exit row is dumb IMO. It creates headaches when the jumpseater actually has to take the jumpseat and if someone has to open that emergency exit, I would rather it be a crewmember who actually has training in doing it. Sorry if that hurts someone's feelings. A flight attendant should be overjoyed if a crewmember sits there.
When you actually nonrev it isn't an issue because you board last.
This isn't hard. Ground ops in some stations are on some sort of a power trip and I really don't get it. Most of the older and or smaller stations they are awesome.

Indeed. There definitely seems to be a culture of "this is my airplane" when it comes to Ops agents. A good example is when they get on THE CAPTAIN'S airplane and start making PAs. *** is that all about? At least coordinate with the front end crew.

At the end of the day it's the guy or gal in the left seat who controls the parking brake and signs the log book. Hey, at least they give us crew meals on nine hour international turns. :rolleyes:

Non-rev and DH's would be in those middle seats.

Not if it's put in our contract that we are not allowed to DH in a middle seat.