Southwest Offers Fairness On Ticket Changes

I was reminded today of another reason to like Southwest Airlines: flexibility on changing reservations.

While most airlines charge a substantial penalty to switch flights, Southwest simply charges the difference in fare, if any. So when I had to change a reservation today for business reasons, the cost was just $84 — and that was only only because I changed my return from a Tuesday, when fares are lower, to a Saturday, when they tend to be higher. Had I changed it from Tuesday to Wednesday, there would have been no charge at all.

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Segregating Kids On Planes

I used to really hate Southwest’s open seating policy, but over the years I’ve come to appreciate the rough democracy of it. First-come, first served, all in one class. Very American.

So why go changing it now that I’ve gotten used to it?

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Airlines Disappoint Customers

There’s a great headline in USA Today this morning: Airlines score lower than IRS in customer satisfaction. Oh, burn, as the kids would say.

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