What about asking for a whole can of coke- I used to always ask for that but started getting shy about it post COVID after a few folks gave me weird looks- am I breaking the rules
You paid for the flight. If you want a full can, you ask for a full can and we will get you a full can. It honestly makes our job easier because we can put in our apron and hand it to you quickly and continue with our service.
I always do this. “Could I please just get a can of Coke, I don’t need the cup or ice”.
Fucking Alaska has started using those little 8oz cans though and it annoys me to no end.
Is the Nabisco snack tray on 3+ hour flights still a thing? I remember flying to MDW a few times and recall it being passed through the cabin.
I oddly enough like the snack mix WN hands out, I understand peanut allergies are a thing, else the honey-roasted peanuts were my favorite.
Yeah, we had to do away with the peanuts because of the allergies. There is currently a snack that we’re working on but I can’t go too much details into that.
And no, I don’t recall having Nabisco. I remember when we used to give out Fritos and Oreos though. Good times.
It is a treat that comes in brownie sized squares, but only a few millimeters in thickness. You can buy huge bags of it at Costco. There are always a ton of crumbs left in the bag, which are absolutely delightful when sprinkled over a bowl of ice cream. https://www.browniebrittle.com/collections/all
Brownie Brittle is a delicious snack. Imagine the taste of brownies and the crisp of potato chips. Each piece is about the size of a large potato chip and about twice as thick.
I was on a Southwest flight when I found out my mom passed away. When I got to my destination there was an employee waiting for me at the gate making sure I was okay to get to my hotel and was absolutely amazing, they really cared about me being okay and it’s like they knew I needed someone to emotionally fall apart with.
My question is, is this something Southwest has a plan for, or did my crew just go above and beyond to make sure I would be taken care of?
Just one time. We were headed to Albany from Baltimore and we went through a cloud that made the plane had a sinking feeling. It was scary but the pilots do a great job on avoiding clouds like that most of the time.
Coming into Houston one time, the storm turbulence and wind sheer was so bad the pilot had to abort the landing last minute. Coming in the second time seemed very dicy as well. When we finally landed, everyone applauded. A lot of nervousness that day!
My favorite airport is LGA. Especially since the renovations are finished and the airport looks wonderful. Least would be MCO during the summer time. It’s mayhem with tour groups and kids and everyone all over the place. When it’s calm, MCO is a delight.
HEAR HEAR. I’m absolutely devastated over this!! My family is in New Jersey and when I first moved away many years ago, SWA didn’t fly to EWR. Sometimes I’d fly them anyway to Baltimore or Philly but it was kind of a pain. The family home is at the Shore, in the middle of the coast. Then SWA started flying to EWR and oh, was life ever good. For years and years and years they’re the only airline I flew!
I legit burst into tears when I went to book a flight and discovered no EWR. What the actual fuck, Southwest. I still am angry and feeling betrayed.
LGA is so nice!! I fly out of MCO all the time and hate it! 🤣 Too many snot nosed kids going to/from Disney. Lol
I’m originally from IND, do you think that airport really deserves all the accolades?
I used to fly a lot through MCO for business. I would joke it is the best place in the world to see misbehaving children. Also nice LGA is confusing, I expect it to be a dump.
I honestly think we don't really care if you ask for more than one snack. At least I don’t. We get restocked on every provisioning city and we definitely have extra bags all the time. So please don't be afraid to ask. Whenever someone asked me for an extra snack I give them like three or four.
On a Saudia flight out of Dubai, I asked the FA if he knew the variety of date that was served as a snack. He didn't know, but did know where they were from, and also gave me a whole bag!
I’m also a SWA FA. If somebody makes it known that they like the snack mixes, I happily bring them a very large handful of them every time, it’s no bother at all bringing them all at once.
Great AMA, thanks for answering pretty much everything.
I've become a big southwest fan thanks to companion pass, but everyone working there is awesome. Keep it up
I love the PNW. The rain, the clouds, the city. I’m big on outdoors so I had plenty of time to explore Spokane. Gonzaga fans were amazing too during March Madness.
Before we takeoff, the captain will brief us on certain areas where there will be turbulence and ask us to sit down. And then during the flight they will call us and let us know that we might hit some turbulence, and to take a seat. That doesn’t take away from the fact that they might be some bumps on the flight and spill some drinks. Luckily, I have never dropped any drinks on the passenger. but if we do drop a drink on someone, we will apologize and try to get them dry and clean. and if it’s on one of their items or computers, we will direct them to our customer service agents to take care of them. Luckily, I have yet to drop a drink on someone *knock on wood*
Hi, Thank you
for all you guys do to fly us around the country, I believe most people love to complain instead of appreciating all your hard work. Now the question: How or who do we have to pressure to get something done about all the infuriating pre boarding abuses at the gate? Thank you.
That really depends. There can be a lot of issues when it comes to pre-boarding. Sometimes passengers need to be accommodated a certain way. Sometimes they need to board first due to service animals, medical needs. But to answer your question, you simply speak to the customer service agent, and they will try their best to accommodate to your needs. All you have to do is ask, where some people just go in, expecting us to know their accommodations, but we don’t have a clue with what you need. Honestly, ask and we will do our best to take care of you.
I always stress out about this. I am deaf, and I’m sure to everyone watching me preboard I look completely fine. But I prefer to sit close to the front so I can SEE the flight attendants, because I can’t hear them. It’s on my boarding pass, but I always wonder if I should I tell the FAs too?
I think you should, that way they will know you need extra help in an emergency. Or, if there is a long announcement, like a diversion, they can write it for you on a note or come closer so you can read lips.
When I fly SWA I like to bring the flight attendants a little treat. Usually chocolate based. It is typically well accepted. One time a FA came back with a business card with a nice thank you message with my name included. How did they know my name? I didn't say my name and sat in a random seat. I appreciated the hustle, but was a little freaked out that they knew who I was so easily.
Has boarding, in-flight, and disembarking behavior gotten worse since 2020? Have the average number of pre-boarders increased significantly from your perspective?
It’s actually gotten better. I know the masks and enforcing them was a very difficult part of the job back then. I think most passengers are stressed before the flight itself. They have to park, check their bags, go through security, find the gate, and then board and find a seat. The last thing they wanna do is cause a problem that's going to get them kicked out of the flight. As far as pre-borders I have seen a slight increase of pre-borders but I work at an airport where it's a vacation destination, so I can see why kids and family boarding are going to be a big thing.
It could be worse, but we really do need an upgrade. I mostly feel for our passengers because they rely on our Wi-Fi and they rely on our technology to get them to their destination. And it would be great for them to not have to worry about another thing such as IT.
What about the internal operational technology issues that led to the Southwest meltdown the week of Christmas 2022? I remember hearing something like 2/3 of flights were cancelled for days because Southwest’s technology for scheduling crew was so inadequate.
It could be better. My base supervisors are always great and checking in on me, or congratulating me for a great passenger interaction. We don’t get recognized if you don’t say anything. So please, if you had a great flight/service, a simple letter/tweet/fb post or whatever you do, will go a long way and mean a lot to us. They’ll let us know.
OK long story (Still can't tell this story without tissues).
Right after my daughter finished HS, she and her friend decided they wanted to drive around the Midwest and camp in as many State/National parks as possible before they were all closed down (all rumors from USA Prez in 2016, but I digress).
They took off from Austin, saw Big Bend, Grand Canyon, the redwoods, Pacific NW, but coming back through the Rockies, had a bad accident coming into Denver.
Hydroplaned, hit guard rail, car wrecked, parts everywhere. No serious injuries, (Thank God) but now they were stranded in a small tourist town, no way home.
At first I was calculating how I could get an emergency ticket to fly up and get them. While talking to a SWA agent, she says "Hold on a sec".
In 5 minutes, she two tickets from DEN to AUS ($99 each one way), locked in, as much luggage as they could retrieve from the wreck, fly out the next morning. BUT WAIT - they need an UBER. She booked an Uber to pick them up from some little ski town, swing through the Tow Yard to get their remaining luggage, to the airport, on-time - on the flight, so they could meet Dad at the bottom of the escalator. With flowers.
They were sore, tired, homesick, yet were treated like royalty the whole flight home.
All of those stories you hear about SWA going above and beyond - they are all 100% true. I wouldn't fly with anyone else. I don't care about computer glitches. You have me forever. Thank you.
I rarely see them now. It’s a recognition from our A listers. I appreciate them but they aren’t worth anything as far as like a prize or something. But I do like when people, especially frequent flyers like A listers, recognize us.
How can we best recognize your excellent service? I love to give credit when an FA has been really fabulous. Is there something I can fill out online? Thanks!
We are supposed charge for drinks. Sometimes a flight is so short that we honestly forget or realistically, don’t have time to charge due to having to secure our galleys and cabins. I usually charge for drinks when I’m taking drink orders if it’s a short flight. If you’re nice, going through it, or celebrating something, I will comp a drink for you.
I just asked a SWA FA this exact question last week. She said almost verbatim. Though she added that she was issued a new tablet and it was complicated to set up and get going. She also stated the company was making hand over first money, and didn't care if she charged for a $10 drink. The gentleman FA with her was a riot. He just doesn't care to charge anyone on anything less than 2 hours.
Interesting. I just don’t think I’ve been charged for a drink or had a drink coupon collected on a flight in like 8 months. I had one flight where when I ordered a second cocktail, the FA said she’d have to charge me for the second drink. (I said that was fine, not realizing that she wasn’t planning on still collecting for the first cocktail.) She never charged me for either cocktail. That was on a flight of about 2.5 hours.
It depends. Sometimes we don’t really have a long layover and we really need to rest instead of going out and exploring. But sometimes we do get long layovers where we go out, as a crew or just individually and explore the cities, try new foods and just venture out. It’s always fun to visit cities I’ve never been to, and ask local passengers where they recommend to go.
Honestly just be nice and cooperative. The reason we tell you certain instructions it’s because the FAA wants us to enforce safety on our flights. As much as I would like for you to keep your bag on your lap, it needs to be under the seat for takeoff. Treats are always nice, like chocolates, hand sanitizers. We really really really do appreciate when you say thank you for anything.
This is a neat idea. If I brought little hand sanitizers for you all, how would I hand them out, how many do I bring? Do I give them to the first FA I see in a big bag, or just hand one to every FA I see? Thanks for doing this, it's interesting to read.
I haven’t been charged for alcohol the past few times I’ve used southwest. I saw one guy one the plane actually get charged. Do you not charge for drinks often? Do you pick and choose who actually pays?
I answered this earlier, and it really depends. Our policies to charge passengers, but sometimes the flight is so short that we either forget or don’t have time to charge, because we have to secure our galleys and the cabin for landing. Sometimes we will not charge if it’s a birthday or a celebration(Southwest events) or we want to do a kind gesture due to an unprecedented event like a delay.
Just the fact that I can pick up and go wherever I wanted to at any given moment. The worst part is commuting if you don’t live in your base. It’s like a second job.
Hi! How often do you hear “cabin crew, take your jump seats”? As a semi-regular flyer who hates turbulence, it always makes me cringe, as if it happens pretty rarely.
I want to thank you as a group. The first time I flew with my service dog, a very small beagle whose mission in life is to make sure I don’t die in my sleep, the flight attendants were very gracious. She got scared landed and the flight attendants said they got scared too.
I love all animals. I remember someone was traveling with their pet turtle. Service animals are truly life savers and pets in general are always welcome. Only difference is Service Animals are allowed outside their carriers but pets are not. And yeah some landings can be rough than others, especially if you’re in the back but our pilots try their best to have what we call a butter(smooth) landing.
I was on a flight years ago when they had the six pack seats with the backward facing row. We called it the living room. I sat in those a few times and made some awesome drinking buddies for 90 minutes.
Oh man, yeah those were the Herb(our founder) days. I never got to see them or fly in them but I have heard stories. That’s awesome that you got to experience that. Very few people have.
How many attendants actually make the safety schpiel a comedy routine? I love when the flight attendants do this. It's sets the tone of the flight and relaxes a lot of people.
A lot do. You also have to read the room. Some passengers simply do not laugh no matter how funny the jokes are. You have to understand some are traveling for work, some for vacation, some to go to bury a loved one. But to answer your question the majority of the time we will try to take the stress out of flying. And I leave you with a good dad joke.
My friend David lost his ID. Now he’s just Dav
Hahaha. That's cute!
We had an attendant by the name of Boris a few years ago who had us rolling in the aisle! Since that flight, we haven't heard a single safety direction schpiel that was like that, so we wondered if had been discouraged. Thanks for confirming it has not!
I sometimes need a seat belt extender (depends on the plane!), and I always ask for it as soon as I step on the plane, and make sure to hand it back as I get off the plane rather than leaving it atcthe seat. Is that the best way to handle it? I feel like I'm making it easiest for the FAs that way, but figured I should check!
You are doing everything perfectly. If you ask for it in the beginning, we can take care of it and make it easier for both of us. For us to locate it, and for you take your seat and make yourself comfortable. And a big thank you for handing it back when we land. Sometimes they get lost and we really can’t find them. So thank you.
So happy I saw this comment! I was going to ask the same thing. I wonder if there’s an extender people can purchase just to have on hand, I always hate asking because I’ve experienced unkind flight attendants when asking for one.
I just recently flew for the first time in a LONG time, and knew I'd need a seat belt extender. I was paranoid and looked up how long the seat belts were and how long the extenders were. I was so afraid I'd get on the flight and neither would fit! The regular seat belt was only about 1 inch too short, though, so I was good.
I asked the flight attendant when I was in my seat and she was so nice and quick about it. It was no big deal at all. I did hand it back to a FA when I was getting off the plane. Nobody cared. I was so worried about nothing.
Also, please and thank you do go a long way.
This flight was with a different airline, and when we got our boarding passes my husband and I weren't seated together. I went up to the gate agent and just asked them "My husband and I aren't sitting together, and as you can see I'm pretty big. While my husband is perfectly fine with me leaning on him, I don't want to impose on a stranger. Is it possible for us to get two seats together?" I also said all this in a light and kind of funny way. They ended up giving us 3 seats together, since the flight wasn't full.
How do drink orders work at Southwest? Do they make all the sprite drinks at once and give them out to all the people who ordered sprite? Or do they make drinks based on the seat order?
It’s based on seat order. We all have our sections that we take care of. A little secret, on the Boeing 737-700, if you sit in row 1, 9 or 17, you will get your drink first. If you’re flying on a Boeing 737-800, if you sit in row 1, 9, 16, or 23, you will get your drink first.
It seems like an uptick lately in folks cutting the line on plane exit. Most are courteous and let each row file out in order, though on my flight 2 days ago from Pdx to Phx 4 people just blasted through. Are there ever altercations surrounding this practice you’ve seen? I should also mention this flight was 20 minutes early.
I honestly think there shouldn’t be any rush to exit the aircraft. I do understand passengers have been on a plane for an x amount of time and want to leave as soon as possible, but if you're impatient, then I think it's a lose lose situation for you. My best advice is honestly just to wait. There will be flights where everyone leaves in order, and there will be others where there will be people all over the place. Especially if you checked a bag, because you’re gonna be waiting more in the carousel. So take your time.
What do you recommend for a short connection or if a flight is delayed making it tighter than planned? Is it rude to mention or ask? Last flight on a different airline was delayed and basically started the process when the next flight was starting to board. Ive always thought and wondered would it make sense to let those people off first that have that issue.
I was on one flight where a gentleman had a very short connection (we were delayed getting off the ground at MDW due to weather) so he told the FA he really needed to get off first so he could run to his connection. They made an announcement that asked if everyone could stay seated for a minute so this gentleman could make his connection.
But most of the time my experience is there's always that one person who is just impatient .. 🤷♂️
I've noticed that a lot of my flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays are not as packed as other days. Also alot of night flights seem to be not full a majority of the time. But there’s a lot of factors too. What city you’re going to, what time of the season you’re flying, etc.
Makes sense, unlike the previous poster maybe half my flights (maybe more) are not full and my wife and I get an empty middle seat between us. But we take a lot of early or late Thursday flights and will fly back early Mon or Tues.
We used to honor them, because not a lot of people traveled during Covid. But now that everything’s back to normal we probably won’t honor it. But again everything is about our passengers. If you’re nice to us, we’ll definitely take care of you. But just don’t do it all the time and expect us to honor it lol
Yes, exactly, this is the thing. The FA can be extremely accommodating and let you do it - his or her call. But don't give them grief if not, as the FA is just enforcing the conditions of the coupon and may have his/her boss leaning on them to deny them. Appreciate the kindness, but don't denigrate if they can't/won't. Let it be an, "oh, well, thanks anyway" kind of moment.
It’s really 50/50 There is nothing in our manual that says we cannot tell you anything about saving seats or not saving seats. But if someone wants to sit on that seat that you're saving, we cannot stop them. If we have to intervene, we will but prefer not to. Everyone has a right to sit wherever they’d like.
It depends what you’re looking for in your quality of life. Do you want to commute for work? Do you want to travel internationally? Do you want to be away from home a lot? Sometimes pay isn’t as important as other factors. Yes we wanna be able to afford costs of living but we consider other things as well. I chose Southwest over Delta, because I knew I wouldn’t have to commute for too long.
I have a suggestion that made at least one crews day once. Somehow I ended up with over $40 in ones. They were thrilled to exchange them for the equivalent twenties.
When I recently traveled (on a different airline) in first class and the guy next to me was a pompous a-hole to me and dismissive of the flight attendants, barely grunting answers to them, I wasn't imagining that they were going slow to attend to him and bringing me lots of extras/taking extra care of me super quickly and giving extra care, right?
It helped me not feel totally awful and uncomfortable yo imagine the flight attendants and I were in solidarity about what a jack hole this guy was.
Some passengers can be straight up rude and not even bat an eye. We don’t like them, I don’t like them. I will provide the service you paid for but that’s it. I won’t go above and beyond if you disrespect us. It’s not cool. If you're nice to us, man I will totally take care of you because you’re making my job pleasant and we both win.
What's the least conspicuous way to ask for a different seat from your row mates (body odor, over-extending their personal space, etc)?
I had a flight where I ended up in the middle once (poor planning). The two guys on each side of me knew one another and spoke across me the entire flight. The smell was absolutely nauseating.
Pretend to go to the bathroom, ask one of us if there’s any other open seats and then just sit there. I’ve helped someone move because the person next to them had bad BO.
Husband flies a lot for work and is always getting free drink coupons in the mail. He can't use them and we've been unsuccessful at giving them to friends/family.
Is it frowned upon to give them to a FA to use at their discretion with other passengers? Is there a way to trade them for food/snacks instead of them always going to waste? He doesn't like talking to strangers so my idea to strike up a conversation while boarding and giving them to anyone that's nice and improves his day didn't really go over well with him.
Flying for the first time with our toddler. We bought her her own seat and plan on using an over the seat FAA approved seatbelt harness. I’m nervous about the person behind us not wanting the strap on the seat, will this be an issue you think? Do a lot of people use these? I’m already a nervous wreck thinking about flying with her in general and how she’ll behave/handle it… so all the extra anxieties aren’t helping lol
Also! What happens to my stroller if I gate check it? Where do I pick it up? I’m hearing mixed answers of “in the jet bridge after landing” or “at baggage claim”. Thanks!!
If you gate check your stroller, then you will also pick it up in the jetway bridge. Don’t be afraid to double ask the Ops Agent where it will be. But 99% of the time it can be picked up in the jetway bridge.
As far as the child seat goes, I don’t think you’re allowed to have another Seatbelt attached to the seat. Even if it’s FAA approved. Because our buckles can be different from yours. Just ask us for an extender and we will help you secure it. I've never had an issue with a child seat, so I think you should be fine. We’re there to help you.
Great, thanks! It’s not another seatbelt, it’s an over the shoulder harness that connects to the seatbelt already there so that my daughter has straps over her shoulders instead of using a car seat. We have no need for a car seat where we’re headed (Disney!) We’re using transportation that provides a car seat once there, so I don’t want to have to lug it just for the plane ride.
I suppose my next question would be, if she can’t use that harness - is it ok for her to just sit in her own seat with the lap belt? Are there specific rules since she will have her own seat vs sitting in our lap if needed at times?
I have never seen these used and I have been flying with my young children (I have 3) for many years. I would not assume the person behind your toddler would be cool with this at all unless you are flying with another family member who can sit directly behind your toddler.
We always always travel with carseats. We forward face them on the plane and it helps keeps the little ones from squirming around. I also would not trust a rental car seat, they are typically cheaper models and you really gamble with the cleanliness. Use a transportation service, sure. But I recommend bringing your own carseat.
Responding as a parent who flies monthly with toddlers... We bought a lightweight travel car seat (https://www.amazon.com/Cosco-Finale-Booster-Forward-Rainbow/dp/B0BS8Q7Z3C?ref_=ast_sto_dp) that we use on the plane. Kids are used to sitting in car seats and I find them to sleep more and have better behavior on the plane when they're in the car seat. Also, unexpected things regularly happen while traveling, plans change, etc. and I like having a car seat just in case. I've never seen anyone use a separate harness. Good luck and have fun on your trip!
If you mean a young preschooler, like a child closer to 4, then the CARES harness might work. For younger kids at the smaller end of the weight range, they can slip out underneath so the harness doesn't do much. It might be legal to let her sit with just a lap belt, but your concern should be what's safe for her, not what's allowed.
Lol I only made this account because I really wanted to answer questions that you guys had. I heard the name on family guy and I thought it was hilarious.
Yes and no. We can see the loads(passenger count) on flights. So we can take as many flights as we need to, to get to our destination, but sometimes it doesn’t work in our favor. We usually try to avoid holidays and big travel days to try to get where we're going.
There are a lot of factors airlines are looking for. Safety is the number one thing airlines focus on when hiring. You have to pass a physical test. Be able to sit in a jumpseat, walk through a narrow aisle and climb through a mock emergency exit window.
u/Officer-Nastyy have you ever been a Flight Attendant on a Southwest Airlines Special Livery if so what Southwest Airlines Special Liveries have you been on?
I haven’t been on one yet. I have been on an Honor flight where we had the honor of flying military vets from one city to another. Amazing stories from them and we appreciate them for their service.
I’m autistic and flying can be very overwhelming for me. How can I make your job easier when I fly alone? I don’t want my nervousness to take away from others.
Instead, ask yourself how can I as a flight attendant make your flight more comfortable for you? I’m there for YOU, not the other way around. Do you need water, Dramamine, a snack? Let us know what we can do to make you feel relaxed.
I used to fly SW a lot, then had probably the worst experience of my life flying home from Colorado.
During boarding process, a fight almost broke out because people had issues with lining up according to their checkin number, I had the guy behind me tell me he was going to beat the shit out of me if he couldn’t sit next to his girlfriend because I let 2 people with lower numbers in front of me, and I had a guy verbally abuse his wife for the entire 3-4 hr flight back home. I was also on edibles. I had about 10 panic attacks on the flight lol.
Do you think the check in number system is effective? How often do you hear about arguments/fights happening at the gate over it?
Very rare. Our Ops agents are very good when it comes to the order of boarding and enforcing it. I’m sorry you had to deal with that though. It sounds horrible. Maybe the edibles contributed to the panic attacks? I know it did for me back in the old days so I had to stop lol
I have flown before but havnt in a long time, and I am worried I’d have a panic attack, should I tell a FA that? And if you have a panic attack while in the air what would happen, what would the FAs do ? - thanks
You can tell us and we’ll try our very best to make you comfortable. As a person who has experienced panic attacks, it’s best to let them run its course. Yes it is a MISERABLE feeling but once it's passed, the worse is gone. Try to figure out what your triggers are. I usually recommend to try to fall asleep before take off and that helps a lot.
Why are some employees of airlines absolutely the nastiest people in all of the service industries and some are the nicest? It’s like a complete crap shoot who I deal with every time I fly any airline.
For example some employees take the time to show empathy and listen to a passengers problems and stress. Others take sick pleasure in maximizing the pain of traveling by air. It’s insane.
Some people get a power trip and it gets to their head. I’m not gonna pretend it’s rainbows and butterflies with all of us. You’ll get your fair share of rude FA’s. My advice, don’t take it to heart. Half the time they’re dealing with personal stuff and unfortunately let it out on the passengers. Am I defending it? Absolutely not! No one should be treated like crap because someone else is having a bad day.
OK, people without headphones on - how do you deal with that? Also, on a recent PDX-OAK trip on a 737-700 I somehow snagged exit row, one of your colleagues buckled in a stuffed cat I had on me, I thought it was a nice touch.
We make an announcement to either mute them or put headphones on for the courtesy of others. It can be annoying for everyone and us as well to hear sounds that are not coming from our phones.
The little things mean a lot to people and when we can, we will gladly do them.
Hawaii flights are domestic. So there’s no filling out paper work for customs whereas other international flights, passengers need to have custom forms. You do however have to declare fruits, meats and livestock like international flights.
Legit question. People watching NC-17 in their seat on a computer? I traveled once with my 5 or so year old and the guy sitting in our row was watching a show with a ton of nudity and sex. Hard core sex. I asked him if he would turn it off or away and he looked at me like I was trash and continued ignoring us through the flight. My husband still thinks I should have called the FA. How do you handle such things? We were in the air, full flight, to MCO. Lol
That’s tough. Technically speaking there’s really nothing we can do about that. We’re there to enforce safety and FAA regulations. I personally would’ve said something but that doesn’t mean that the passenger would listen. It’s tough, I’ll ask about that and follow up.
Just throwing in this happened to us on BWI to DEN once.
FA asked the passenger to refrain and he refused. She then let him know she would reseat him to the back of the plane then so he could watch it without making passengers uncomfortable. He whined and she stood her ground. He finally gave up. He was watching straight up porn too. 😣😣😣
1. As someone who always brings airplane bottles of booze on flights and discreetly drinks them, would you care seeing that? Or would you look the other way. Of course they/i would have to be responsible/respectful/not obviously drunk.
And 2. Have you ever caught couples trying to “join the mile high club”? And how would that play out if you caught someone. Genuinely curious. Thanks
I would strongly advise against that. It’s strictly against our policy and I don’t want to kick you out, get you arrested/fine for a few sips of liquor. it’s not worth it. I personally will show grace and give you a warning. Other flights attendant won’t be so tolerant.
I had a couple try to, and I was like come on guys, I can’t allow that and just chuckled it off. I don’t recommend any type of activity in the Lavatories. Some of them can be unsanitary.
Is turbulence always that bad at Denver International Airport? I've always wanted to visit Colorado, but I'm a nervous flyer.
Southwest has plenty of cheap flights to Denver(50-80 one way) from here.
Denver can be an airport that has some turbulence flying in and out of. The weather there changes so much that I can definitely say I always sit down early for landing because of how unpredictable it can be. Las Vegas is up there too believe it or not.
My personal favorites are in LGA because we’re so close to Times Square. Las Vegas because it’s in the strip and I like it see shows and walk up and down the strip.
Least favorite was a hotel in Houston because there was bedbugs and mold when I stayed there :(
One time I took a flight out of ONT, it was late at night, and besides the FAs and pilots, I was the only one on that plane. Is that normal? How often do things like that happen?
Thank you for your kindness in answering our questions (:
It’s rare but it sounds also about right. I’ve flown out of Burbank early at 5am and only had 6 passengers. Certain routes on certain days are just not popular but they still have to be flown.
Thank you for asking them. I didn’t expect it to take off as it did. (No pun intended)
Never flown southwest but flying from charlotte to Grand Rapids mi in august. Can’t wait for my flight since I hear that sw is not so stuck up like the other big guys. Never been to Mdw, got a five hour layover going to grr and a two hour going back. What can I do to kill time?
Flying with an 18 month old next week and we're trying to take all the proper precautions to have a smooth flight. With that in mind, we saw a video that suggested that it's nice to give the flight attendants a $5 star bucks gift card (for your troubles with having to listen to a crying baby at times). Would a gift card be good or just give the FA $5 bucks?
You don’t owe us anything. We however do appreciate those small gestures, they go a long way. I recommend bringing something to distract your little one like toys, games etc. I understand babies cry and sometimes there’s really nothing you can do about it. But again, you don’t HAVE to give us anything. It won’t be our first or last little one, that we’ll have to be around. But we sure do love you for it.
I love flying SWA with my kids. Family pre-boarding happens after group A so you will board when the plane is 1/3 full. Look for other families with small kids and sit as close to them as possible. It is great having seat neighbors who will likely have compassion when you are doing everything imaginable to quite an uncontrollably screaming kid. Sometimes they will even trade kids snacks when your child magically starts hating everything you brought.
What’s the best way/time to give an FA treats without seeming like a weirdo? I feel weird or shy about it, and they seem so busy every time they pass by. Also what do you think the best seat/area on the plane is?
If you give it to us in the beginning of our boarding, we will let the other flight attendants know and whenever we get a chance we will go up to you and thank you. So probably the beginning of boarding🫶🏼
The best seating area is anything forward of the over wing. Less bumpy. To be specific Row 1 and 9. You’ll get your drinks first.
Locking thread as the trolls are in force.
Do you get upset when people (totally not me) ask for extra snack mix and/or brownie brittle
Nope, I will give you as many as you like. Just say please and thank you (:
What about asking for a whole can of coke- I used to always ask for that but started getting shy about it post COVID after a few folks gave me weird looks- am I breaking the rules
You paid for the flight. If you want a full can, you ask for a full can and we will get you a full can. It honestly makes our job easier because we can put in our apron and hand it to you quickly and continue with our service.
I always do this. “Could I please just get a can of Coke, I don’t need the cup or ice”. Fucking Alaska has started using those little 8oz cans though and it annoys me to no end.
Wait…there’s brownie brittle on Southwest??
Always do, sick!
YES!!!!!!!!! I felt like they use to do that a long time ago!
Wait what the shit is brownie brittle??!
Brownie Brittle is another snack we have but it is only given out on long haul flights that are more than 3 hours give or take.
Dang I've taken loads of those and never gotten anything other than the snack mix
That snack mix is fire tho.
I love the snack mix!
Is the Nabisco snack tray on 3+ hour flights still a thing? I remember flying to MDW a few times and recall it being passed through the cabin. I oddly enough like the snack mix WN hands out, I understand peanut allergies are a thing, else the honey-roasted peanuts were my favorite.
Yeah, we had to do away with the peanuts because of the allergies. There is currently a snack that we’re working on but I can’t go too much details into that. And no, I don’t recall having Nabisco. I remember when we used to give out Fritos and Oreos though. Good times.
LMAO Fritos and Oreos? What is this summer camp? Next we’re gonna get a Capri Sun too.
Lol keep this up and I won’t serve you the Danimals we had for you.
Jet blue had (has?) that. It’s so yummy.
It is a treat that comes in brownie sized squares, but only a few millimeters in thickness. You can buy huge bags of it at Costco. There are always a ton of crumbs left in the bag, which are absolutely delightful when sprinkled over a bowl of ice cream. https://www.browniebrittle.com/collections/all
Feeling real good about having just renewed my membership
Brownie Brittle is a delicious snack. Imagine the taste of brownies and the crisp of potato chips. Each piece is about the size of a large potato chip and about twice as thick.
I was on a Southwest flight when I found out my mom passed away. When I got to my destination there was an employee waiting for me at the gate making sure I was okay to get to my hotel and was absolutely amazing, they really cared about me being okay and it’s like they knew I needed someone to emotionally fall apart with. My question is, is this something Southwest has a plan for, or did my crew just go above and beyond to make sure I would be taken care of?
Have you ever been in such severe turbulence where you were truly scared?
Just one time. We were headed to Albany from Baltimore and we went through a cloud that made the plane had a sinking feeling. It was scary but the pilots do a great job on avoiding clouds like that most of the time.
I take that route all the time, and I remember one instance of genuinely scary turbulence. If we were on the same plane, glad we all made it through 😂
Coming into Houston one time, the storm turbulence and wind sheer was so bad the pilot had to abort the landing last minute. Coming in the second time seemed very dicy as well. When we finally landed, everyone applauded. A lot of nervousness that day!
What’s up with Albany? The scariest flight I have been on was one out of Albany. And I have flown on Military aircraft.
I know exactly what you’re talking about haha that sinking feeling
I almost always encounter moderate turbulence around the Baltimore/Philly area, no idea why
Appalachians
What are your favorite and least favorite airports?
My favorite airport is LGA. Especially since the renovations are finished and the airport looks wonderful. Least would be MCO during the summer time. It’s mayhem with tour groups and kids and everyone all over the place. When it’s calm, MCO is a delight.
The LGA renovations are gorgeous, but damn do I miss you guys flying out of EWR.
Me too - I used to fly Southwest all the time from EWR to BNA. Definitely the airline with the best sense of humor.
HEAR HEAR. I’m absolutely devastated over this!! My family is in New Jersey and when I first moved away many years ago, SWA didn’t fly to EWR. Sometimes I’d fly them anyway to Baltimore or Philly but it was kind of a pain. The family home is at the Shore, in the middle of the coast. Then SWA started flying to EWR and oh, was life ever good. For years and years and years they’re the only airline I flew! I legit burst into tears when I went to book a flight and discovered no EWR. What the actual fuck, Southwest. I still am angry and feeling betrayed.
Nice - agreed on the LGA renovation!
LGA is so nice!! I fly out of MCO all the time and hate it! 🤣 Too many snot nosed kids going to/from Disney. Lol I’m originally from IND, do you think that airport really deserves all the accolades?
I used to fly a lot through MCO for business. I would joke it is the best place in the world to see misbehaving children. Also nice LGA is confusing, I expect it to be a dump.
How many snacks can I realistically ask for before I become irritating or annoying? They’re literally my favorite and nothing compares :(
I honestly think we don't really care if you ask for more than one snack. At least I don’t. We get restocked on every provisioning city and we definitely have extra bags all the time. So please don't be afraid to ask. Whenever someone asked me for an extra snack I give them like three or four.
I told a Delta FA how much we loved Biscoff one time. She brought me a whole BAG of them! I was like, DAMN! Lol
If you love our browse brittle and snack packs, I will bring you PLENTY!!!!
On a Saudia flight out of Dubai, I asked the FA if he knew the variety of date that was served as a snack. He didn't know, but did know where they were from, and also gave me a whole bag!
I always feel like a bother when I ask. If I could steal a whole bag without getting in trouble I would.
I’m also a SWA FA. If somebody makes it known that they like the snack mixes, I happily bring them a very large handful of them every time, it’s no bother at all bringing them all at once.
Can i get some snack packs?
* gives you 5 snack packs *
Love you ❤️❤️❤️
Great AMA, thanks for answering pretty much everything. I've become a big southwest fan thanks to companion pass, but everyone working there is awesome. Keep it up
I try. I’m not knowledgeable on everything but whatever I can answer I will🫶🏼
Favorite city for a stayover?
I LOVE Spokane!
Why do you say that? Thanks for doing this AMA.
I love the PNW. The rain, the clouds, the city. I’m big on outdoors so I had plenty of time to explore Spokane. Gonzaga fans were amazing too during March Madness.
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Have you ever spilled the tray of drinks due to aircraft turbulence? What do you do afterwards?
Before we takeoff, the captain will brief us on certain areas where there will be turbulence and ask us to sit down. And then during the flight they will call us and let us know that we might hit some turbulence, and to take a seat. That doesn’t take away from the fact that they might be some bumps on the flight and spill some drinks. Luckily, I have never dropped any drinks on the passenger. but if we do drop a drink on someone, we will apologize and try to get them dry and clean. and if it’s on one of their items or computers, we will direct them to our customer service agents to take care of them. Luckily, I have yet to drop a drink on someone *knock on wood*
I had an alcoholic drink spilled on me on Sw and they apologized and brought me paper towels and also got me a free alcoholic drink.
I feel like this is just inevitable. I can't imagine not dropping a tray or a drink
Hi, Thank you for all you guys do to fly us around the country, I believe most people love to complain instead of appreciating all your hard work. Now the question: How or who do we have to pressure to get something done about all the infuriating pre boarding abuses at the gate? Thank you.
That really depends. There can be a lot of issues when it comes to pre-boarding. Sometimes passengers need to be accommodated a certain way. Sometimes they need to board first due to service animals, medical needs. But to answer your question, you simply speak to the customer service agent, and they will try their best to accommodate to your needs. All you have to do is ask, where some people just go in, expecting us to know their accommodations, but we don’t have a clue with what you need. Honestly, ask and we will do our best to take care of you.
I always stress out about this. I am deaf, and I’m sure to everyone watching me preboard I look completely fine. But I prefer to sit close to the front so I can SEE the flight attendants, because I can’t hear them. It’s on my boarding pass, but I always wonder if I should I tell the FAs too?
I think you should, that way they will know you need extra help in an emergency. Or, if there is a long announcement, like a diversion, they can write it for you on a note or come closer so you can read lips.
When I fly SWA I like to bring the flight attendants a little treat. Usually chocolate based. It is typically well accepted. One time a FA came back with a business card with a nice thank you message with my name included. How did they know my name? I didn't say my name and sat in a random seat. I appreciated the hustle, but was a little freaked out that they knew who I was so easily.
I just want to say thank you. I am a loyal SWA flyer and the employees are a large part of why. Thanks so much! ♥️
🫶🏼❤️💙💛
Aaaaaaand I just noticed your username.
I'm going to guess they saw your boarding pass, possibly just your boarding number, and looked it up in the manifest.
Has boarding, in-flight, and disembarking behavior gotten worse since 2020? Have the average number of pre-boarders increased significantly from your perspective?
It’s actually gotten better. I know the masks and enforcing them was a very difficult part of the job back then. I think most passengers are stressed before the flight itself. They have to park, check their bags, go through security, find the gate, and then board and find a seat. The last thing they wanna do is cause a problem that's going to get them kicked out of the flight. As far as pre-borders I have seen a slight increase of pre-borders but I work at an airport where it's a vacation destination, so I can see why kids and family boarding are going to be a big thing.
Is Southwest IT really as bad as reported?
It could be worse, but we really do need an upgrade. I mostly feel for our passengers because they rely on our Wi-Fi and they rely on our technology to get them to their destination. And it would be great for them to not have to worry about another thing such as IT.
What about the internal operational technology issues that led to the Southwest meltdown the week of Christmas 2022? I remember hearing something like 2/3 of flights were cancelled for days because Southwest’s technology for scheduling crew was so inadequate.
How do you feel about your companies recognition program?
It could be better. My base supervisors are always great and checking in on me, or congratulating me for a great passenger interaction. We don’t get recognized if you don’t say anything. So please, if you had a great flight/service, a simple letter/tweet/fb post or whatever you do, will go a long way and mean a lot to us. They’ll let us know.
OK long story (Still can't tell this story without tissues). Right after my daughter finished HS, she and her friend decided they wanted to drive around the Midwest and camp in as many State/National parks as possible before they were all closed down (all rumors from USA Prez in 2016, but I digress). They took off from Austin, saw Big Bend, Grand Canyon, the redwoods, Pacific NW, but coming back through the Rockies, had a bad accident coming into Denver. Hydroplaned, hit guard rail, car wrecked, parts everywhere. No serious injuries, (Thank God) but now they were stranded in a small tourist town, no way home. At first I was calculating how I could get an emergency ticket to fly up and get them. While talking to a SWA agent, she says "Hold on a sec". In 5 minutes, she two tickets from DEN to AUS ($99 each one way), locked in, as much luggage as they could retrieve from the wreck, fly out the next morning. BUT WAIT - they need an UBER. She booked an Uber to pick them up from some little ski town, swing through the Tow Yard to get their remaining luggage, to the airport, on-time - on the flight, so they could meet Dad at the bottom of the escalator. With flowers. They were sore, tired, homesick, yet were treated like royalty the whole flight home. All of those stories you hear about SWA going above and beyond - they are all 100% true. I wouldn't fly with anyone else. I don't care about computer glitches. You have me forever. Thank you.
That is amazing. Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad your daughter and her friend are alright!
I used to get "kicking tail" tickets to give to employees. I stopped getting them. Did they go away? Were they ever worth anything?
I rarely see them now. It’s a recognition from our A listers. I appreciate them but they aren’t worth anything as far as like a prize or something. But I do like when people, especially frequent flyers like A listers, recognize us.
Well thats disappointing!
How can we best recognize your excellent service? I love to give credit when an FA has been really fabulous. Is there something I can fill out online? Thanks!
Tweets, Letters, Comments, telling the Ops Agent. It will get to us and they will let us know.
Have you ever witnessed any unidentified objects in the air when in the cockpit or heard any pilots talk about any objects they came across?
Is there a policy about charging for drinks (or not) now?
We are supposed charge for drinks. Sometimes a flight is so short that we honestly forget or realistically, don’t have time to charge due to having to secure our galleys and cabins. I usually charge for drinks when I’m taking drink orders if it’s a short flight. If you’re nice, going through it, or celebrating something, I will comp a drink for you.
I just asked a SWA FA this exact question last week. She said almost verbatim. Though she added that she was issued a new tablet and it was complicated to set up and get going. She also stated the company was making hand over first money, and didn't care if she charged for a $10 drink. The gentleman FA with her was a riot. He just doesn't care to charge anyone on anything less than 2 hours.
Interesting. I just don’t think I’ve been charged for a drink or had a drink coupon collected on a flight in like 8 months. I had one flight where when I ordered a second cocktail, the FA said she’d have to charge me for the second drink. (I said that was fine, not realizing that she wasn’t planning on still collecting for the first cocktail.) She never charged me for either cocktail. That was on a flight of about 2.5 hours.
The company lost $379M over the last six months. It’s not exactly making money hand over fist.
Thats after they had to write off the $1billion or so the Dec melt down cost them.
Is that after factoring special items and capital expenditures,l? They are making money. Their revenue is at an all time high.
I had about 12 flight segments last week and got a drink on all of them. Only one charged me. :-\\
Is there anything intriguing about your travels ever or is it just purely work/sleep?
It depends. Sometimes we don’t really have a long layover and we really need to rest instead of going out and exploring. But sometimes we do get long layovers where we go out, as a crew or just individually and explore the cities, try new foods and just venture out. It’s always fun to visit cities I’ve never been to, and ask local passengers where they recommend to go.
What are the best things a passenger can do to make your experience as a flight attendant better?
Honestly just be nice and cooperative. The reason we tell you certain instructions it’s because the FAA wants us to enforce safety on our flights. As much as I would like for you to keep your bag on your lap, it needs to be under the seat for takeoff. Treats are always nice, like chocolates, hand sanitizers. We really really really do appreciate when you say thank you for anything.
This is a neat idea. If I brought little hand sanitizers for you all, how would I hand them out, how many do I bring? Do I give them to the first FA I see in a big bag, or just hand one to every FA I see? Thanks for doing this, it's interesting to read.
I haven’t been charged for alcohol the past few times I’ve used southwest. I saw one guy one the plane actually get charged. Do you not charge for drinks often? Do you pick and choose who actually pays?
I answered this earlier, and it really depends. Our policies to charge passengers, but sometimes the flight is so short that we either forget or don’t have time to charge, because we have to secure our galleys and the cabin for landing. Sometimes we will not charge if it’s a birthday or a celebration(Southwest events) or we want to do a kind gesture due to an unprecedented event like a delay.
What are the best perks of being a FA? What are the worst parts?
Just the fact that I can pick up and go wherever I wanted to at any given moment. The worst part is commuting if you don’t live in your base. It’s like a second job.
Hi! How often do you hear “cabin crew, take your jump seats”? As a semi-regular flyer who hates turbulence, it always makes me cringe, as if it happens pretty rarely.
In my career, I’ve only heard it once. They usually brief us before take off and let us know the spots where it’ll get bumpy.
I want to thank you as a group. The first time I flew with my service dog, a very small beagle whose mission in life is to make sure I don’t die in my sleep, the flight attendants were very gracious. She got scared landed and the flight attendants said they got scared too.
I love all animals. I remember someone was traveling with their pet turtle. Service animals are truly life savers and pets in general are always welcome. Only difference is Service Animals are allowed outside their carriers but pets are not. And yeah some landings can be rough than others, especially if you’re in the back but our pilots try their best to have what we call a butter(smooth) landing.
I was on a flight years ago when they had the six pack seats with the backward facing row. We called it the living room. I sat in those a few times and made some awesome drinking buddies for 90 minutes.
Oh man, yeah those were the Herb(our founder) days. I never got to see them or fly in them but I have heard stories. That’s awesome that you got to experience that. Very few people have.
How many attendants actually make the safety schpiel a comedy routine? I love when the flight attendants do this. It's sets the tone of the flight and relaxes a lot of people.
A lot do. You also have to read the room. Some passengers simply do not laugh no matter how funny the jokes are. You have to understand some are traveling for work, some for vacation, some to go to bury a loved one. But to answer your question the majority of the time we will try to take the stress out of flying. And I leave you with a good dad joke. My friend David lost his ID. Now he’s just Dav
Hahaha. That's cute! We had an attendant by the name of Boris a few years ago who had us rolling in the aisle! Since that flight, we haven't heard a single safety direction schpiel that was like that, so we wondered if had been discouraged. Thanks for confirming it has not!
I sometimes need a seat belt extender (depends on the plane!), and I always ask for it as soon as I step on the plane, and make sure to hand it back as I get off the plane rather than leaving it atcthe seat. Is that the best way to handle it? I feel like I'm making it easiest for the FAs that way, but figured I should check!
You are doing everything perfectly. If you ask for it in the beginning, we can take care of it and make it easier for both of us. For us to locate it, and for you take your seat and make yourself comfortable. And a big thank you for handing it back when we land. Sometimes they get lost and we really can’t find them. So thank you.
So happy I saw this comment! I was going to ask the same thing. I wonder if there’s an extender people can purchase just to have on hand, I always hate asking because I’ve experienced unkind flight attendants when asking for one.
I just recently flew for the first time in a LONG time, and knew I'd need a seat belt extender. I was paranoid and looked up how long the seat belts were and how long the extenders were. I was so afraid I'd get on the flight and neither would fit! The regular seat belt was only about 1 inch too short, though, so I was good. I asked the flight attendant when I was in my seat and she was so nice and quick about it. It was no big deal at all. I did hand it back to a FA when I was getting off the plane. Nobody cared. I was so worried about nothing. Also, please and thank you do go a long way. This flight was with a different airline, and when we got our boarding passes my husband and I weren't seated together. I went up to the gate agent and just asked them "My husband and I aren't sitting together, and as you can see I'm pretty big. While my husband is perfectly fine with me leaning on him, I don't want to impose on a stranger. Is it possible for us to get two seats together?" I also said all this in a light and kind of funny way. They ended up giving us 3 seats together, since the flight wasn't full.
Nothing to add other than as a commuter from another airline - I’ve almost always had awesome crews on SWA!
We like to take care of y’all because you guys take care of us too🫶🏼
How do drink orders work at Southwest? Do they make all the sprite drinks at once and give them out to all the people who ordered sprite? Or do they make drinks based on the seat order?
It’s based on seat order. We all have our sections that we take care of. A little secret, on the Boeing 737-700, if you sit in row 1, 9 or 17, you will get your drink first. If you’re flying on a Boeing 737-800, if you sit in row 1, 9, 16, or 23, you will get your drink first.
My husband figured this out and always sits on row 9
He needs his drink first?
Always
It seems like an uptick lately in folks cutting the line on plane exit. Most are courteous and let each row file out in order, though on my flight 2 days ago from Pdx to Phx 4 people just blasted through. Are there ever altercations surrounding this practice you’ve seen? I should also mention this flight was 20 minutes early.
I honestly think there shouldn’t be any rush to exit the aircraft. I do understand passengers have been on a plane for an x amount of time and want to leave as soon as possible, but if you're impatient, then I think it's a lose lose situation for you. My best advice is honestly just to wait. There will be flights where everyone leaves in order, and there will be others where there will be people all over the place. Especially if you checked a bag, because you’re gonna be waiting more in the carousel. So take your time.
What do you recommend for a short connection or if a flight is delayed making it tighter than planned? Is it rude to mention or ask? Last flight on a different airline was delayed and basically started the process when the next flight was starting to board. Ive always thought and wondered would it make sense to let those people off first that have that issue.
I was on one flight where a gentleman had a very short connection (we were delayed getting off the ground at MDW due to weather) so he told the FA he really needed to get off first so he could run to his connection. They made an announcement that asked if everyone could stay seated for a minute so this gentleman could make his connection. But most of the time my experience is there's always that one person who is just impatient .. 🤷♂️
Will I ever snag a flight that's not completely full? I've only ever flown SW and the planes have always been at max capacity.
I've noticed that a lot of my flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays are not as packed as other days. Also alot of night flights seem to be not full a majority of the time. But there’s a lot of factors too. What city you’re going to, what time of the season you’re flying, etc.
Makes sense, unlike the previous poster maybe half my flights (maybe more) are not full and my wife and I get an empty middle seat between us. But we take a lot of early or late Thursday flights and will fly back early Mon or Tues.
Can passengers pay with expired drink tickets? I have a ton still from 2020 🤣
We used to honor them, because not a lot of people traveled during Covid. But now that everything’s back to normal we probably won’t honor it. But again everything is about our passengers. If you’re nice to us, we’ll definitely take care of you. But just don’t do it all the time and expect us to honor it lol
Yes, exactly, this is the thing. The FA can be extremely accommodating and let you do it - his or her call. But don't give them grief if not, as the FA is just enforcing the conditions of the coupon and may have his/her boss leaning on them to deny them. Appreciate the kindness, but don't denigrate if they can't/won't. Let it be an, "oh, well, thanks anyway" kind of moment.
What are your thoughts about saving seats?
It’s really 50/50 There is nothing in our manual that says we cannot tell you anything about saving seats or not saving seats. But if someone wants to sit on that seat that you're saving, we cannot stop them. If we have to intervene, we will but prefer not to. Everyone has a right to sit wherever they’d like.
Do FA’s ever sell their buddy passes?
Probably not. We can get disciplined if someone is using our buddy pass and is acting in a negative way because they are representing us.
Have you ever flown with Hoot Gibson?
I have not…..yet😉
Regarding pay: which airlines are common destinations for FAs looking for a fair deal?
It depends what you’re looking for in your quality of life. Do you want to commute for work? Do you want to travel internationally? Do you want to be away from home a lot? Sometimes pay isn’t as important as other factors. Yes we wanna be able to afford costs of living but we consider other things as well. I chose Southwest over Delta, because I knew I wouldn’t have to commute for too long.
I fly tomorrow, and have a coupon that expired 4/2023. What are the chances the attendant will accept/deny?
I would accept it. It's not too far off.
I have a suggestion that made at least one crews day once. Somehow I ended up with over $40 in ones. They were thrilled to exchange them for the equivalent twenties.
Yes! We tip our drivers and housekeepers in our hotels so having you break the big bills was definitely appreciate by the crew🫶🏼
When I recently traveled (on a different airline) in first class and the guy next to me was a pompous a-hole to me and dismissive of the flight attendants, barely grunting answers to them, I wasn't imagining that they were going slow to attend to him and bringing me lots of extras/taking extra care of me super quickly and giving extra care, right? It helped me not feel totally awful and uncomfortable yo imagine the flight attendants and I were in solidarity about what a jack hole this guy was.
Some passengers can be straight up rude and not even bat an eye. We don’t like them, I don’t like them. I will provide the service you paid for but that’s it. I won’t go above and beyond if you disrespect us. It’s not cool. If you're nice to us, man I will totally take care of you because you’re making my job pleasant and we both win.
What's the least conspicuous way to ask for a different seat from your row mates (body odor, over-extending their personal space, etc)? I had a flight where I ended up in the middle once (poor planning). The two guys on each side of me knew one another and spoke across me the entire flight. The smell was absolutely nauseating.
Pretend to go to the bathroom, ask one of us if there’s any other open seats and then just sit there. I’ve helped someone move because the person next to them had bad BO.
Husband flies a lot for work and is always getting free drink coupons in the mail. He can't use them and we've been unsuccessful at giving them to friends/family. Is it frowned upon to give them to a FA to use at their discretion with other passengers? Is there a way to trade them for food/snacks instead of them always going to waste? He doesn't like talking to strangers so my idea to strike up a conversation while boarding and giving them to anyone that's nice and improves his day didn't really go over well with him.
Flying for the first time with our toddler. We bought her her own seat and plan on using an over the seat FAA approved seatbelt harness. I’m nervous about the person behind us not wanting the strap on the seat, will this be an issue you think? Do a lot of people use these? I’m already a nervous wreck thinking about flying with her in general and how she’ll behave/handle it… so all the extra anxieties aren’t helping lol Also! What happens to my stroller if I gate check it? Where do I pick it up? I’m hearing mixed answers of “in the jet bridge after landing” or “at baggage claim”. Thanks!!
If you gate check your stroller, then you will also pick it up in the jetway bridge. Don’t be afraid to double ask the Ops Agent where it will be. But 99% of the time it can be picked up in the jetway bridge. As far as the child seat goes, I don’t think you’re allowed to have another Seatbelt attached to the seat. Even if it’s FAA approved. Because our buckles can be different from yours. Just ask us for an extender and we will help you secure it. I've never had an issue with a child seat, so I think you should be fine. We’re there to help you.
Great, thanks! It’s not another seatbelt, it’s an over the shoulder harness that connects to the seatbelt already there so that my daughter has straps over her shoulders instead of using a car seat. We have no need for a car seat where we’re headed (Disney!) We’re using transportation that provides a car seat once there, so I don’t want to have to lug it just for the plane ride. I suppose my next question would be, if she can’t use that harness - is it ok for her to just sit in her own seat with the lap belt? Are there specific rules since she will have her own seat vs sitting in our lap if needed at times?
I have never seen these used and I have been flying with my young children (I have 3) for many years. I would not assume the person behind your toddler would be cool with this at all unless you are flying with another family member who can sit directly behind your toddler. We always always travel with carseats. We forward face them on the plane and it helps keeps the little ones from squirming around. I also would not trust a rental car seat, they are typically cheaper models and you really gamble with the cleanliness. Use a transportation service, sure. But I recommend bringing your own carseat.
Responding as a parent who flies monthly with toddlers... We bought a lightweight travel car seat (https://www.amazon.com/Cosco-Finale-Booster-Forward-Rainbow/dp/B0BS8Q7Z3C?ref_=ast_sto_dp) that we use on the plane. Kids are used to sitting in car seats and I find them to sleep more and have better behavior on the plane when they're in the car seat. Also, unexpected things regularly happen while traveling, plans change, etc. and I like having a car seat just in case. I've never seen anyone use a separate harness. Good luck and have fun on your trip!
If you mean a young preschooler, like a child closer to 4, then the CARES harness might work. For younger kids at the smaller end of the weight range, they can slip out underneath so the harness doesn't do much. It might be legal to let her sit with just a lap belt, but your concern should be what's safe for her, not what's allowed.
Do you ever accidentally say “my name is Officer Nasty and I’ll be your flight attendant today”? 😉
Lol I only made this account because I really wanted to answer questions that you guys had. I heard the name on family guy and I thought it was hilarious.
One of the perks I know is flying for free. Is it fairly easy for you guys to get to where you want to go on standby?
Yes and no. We can see the loads(passenger count) on flights. So we can take as many flights as we need to, to get to our destination, but sometimes it doesn’t work in our favor. We usually try to avoid holidays and big travel days to try to get where we're going.
What is the criteria for becoming a FA? Do they factor in height, weight, etc… I’ve always wondered this Thank you in advance and fly safe 😊
There are a lot of factors airlines are looking for. Safety is the number one thing airlines focus on when hiring. You have to pass a physical test. Be able to sit in a jumpseat, walk through a narrow aisle and climb through a mock emergency exit window.
u/Officer-Nastyy have you ever been a Flight Attendant on a Southwest Airlines Special Livery if so what Southwest Airlines Special Liveries have you been on?
I haven’t been on one yet. I have been on an Honor flight where we had the honor of flying military vets from one city to another. Amazing stories from them and we appreciate them for their service.
You got any of those... free drink coupons? 😀
Did you drop these? * slides coupons while you board *
I’m autistic and flying can be very overwhelming for me. How can I make your job easier when I fly alone? I don’t want my nervousness to take away from others.
Instead, ask yourself how can I as a flight attendant make your flight more comfortable for you? I’m there for YOU, not the other way around. Do you need water, Dramamine, a snack? Let us know what we can do to make you feel relaxed.
I used to fly SW a lot, then had probably the worst experience of my life flying home from Colorado. During boarding process, a fight almost broke out because people had issues with lining up according to their checkin number, I had the guy behind me tell me he was going to beat the shit out of me if he couldn’t sit next to his girlfriend because I let 2 people with lower numbers in front of me, and I had a guy verbally abuse his wife for the entire 3-4 hr flight back home. I was also on edibles. I had about 10 panic attacks on the flight lol. Do you think the check in number system is effective? How often do you hear about arguments/fights happening at the gate over it?
Very rare. Our Ops agents are very good when it comes to the order of boarding and enforcing it. I’m sorry you had to deal with that though. It sounds horrible. Maybe the edibles contributed to the panic attacks? I know it did for me back in the old days so I had to stop lol
I have flown before but havnt in a long time, and I am worried I’d have a panic attack, should I tell a FA that? And if you have a panic attack while in the air what would happen, what would the FAs do ? - thanks
You can tell us and we’ll try our very best to make you comfortable. As a person who has experienced panic attacks, it’s best to let them run its course. Yes it is a MISERABLE feeling but once it's passed, the worse is gone. Try to figure out what your triggers are. I usually recommend to try to fall asleep before take off and that helps a lot.
Why are some employees of airlines absolutely the nastiest people in all of the service industries and some are the nicest? It’s like a complete crap shoot who I deal with every time I fly any airline. For example some employees take the time to show empathy and listen to a passengers problems and stress. Others take sick pleasure in maximizing the pain of traveling by air. It’s insane.
Some people get a power trip and it gets to their head. I’m not gonna pretend it’s rainbows and butterflies with all of us. You’ll get your fair share of rude FA’s. My advice, don’t take it to heart. Half the time they’re dealing with personal stuff and unfortunately let it out on the passengers. Am I defending it? Absolutely not! No one should be treated like crap because someone else is having a bad day.
OK, people without headphones on - how do you deal with that? Also, on a recent PDX-OAK trip on a 737-700 I somehow snagged exit row, one of your colleagues buckled in a stuffed cat I had on me, I thought it was a nice touch.
We make an announcement to either mute them or put headphones on for the courtesy of others. It can be annoying for everyone and us as well to hear sounds that are not coming from our phones. The little things mean a lot to people and when we can, we will gladly do them.
Are the flights to Hawaii any different than intercontinental flights? Thank you for what you do!
Hawaii flights are domestic. So there’s no filling out paper work for customs whereas other international flights, passengers need to have custom forms. You do however have to declare fruits, meats and livestock like international flights.
**& don't forget, the snack pack is totally different on the hawaii flight.**
Legit question. People watching NC-17 in their seat on a computer? I traveled once with my 5 or so year old and the guy sitting in our row was watching a show with a ton of nudity and sex. Hard core sex. I asked him if he would turn it off or away and he looked at me like I was trash and continued ignoring us through the flight. My husband still thinks I should have called the FA. How do you handle such things? We were in the air, full flight, to MCO. Lol
That’s tough. Technically speaking there’s really nothing we can do about that. We’re there to enforce safety and FAA regulations. I personally would’ve said something but that doesn’t mean that the passenger would listen. It’s tough, I’ll ask about that and follow up.
Just throwing in this happened to us on BWI to DEN once. FA asked the passenger to refrain and he refused. She then let him know she would reseat him to the back of the plane then so he could watch it without making passengers uncomfortable. He whined and she stood her ground. He finally gave up. He was watching straight up porn too. 😣😣😣
What kind of lunatic does this
1. As someone who always brings airplane bottles of booze on flights and discreetly drinks them, would you care seeing that? Or would you look the other way. Of course they/i would have to be responsible/respectful/not obviously drunk. And 2. Have you ever caught couples trying to “join the mile high club”? And how would that play out if you caught someone. Genuinely curious. Thanks
I would strongly advise against that. It’s strictly against our policy and I don’t want to kick you out, get you arrested/fine for a few sips of liquor. it’s not worth it. I personally will show grace and give you a warning. Other flights attendant won’t be so tolerant. I had a couple try to, and I was like come on guys, I can’t allow that and just chuckled it off. I don’t recommend any type of activity in the Lavatories. Some of them can be unsanitary.
Is turbulence always that bad at Denver International Airport? I've always wanted to visit Colorado, but I'm a nervous flyer. Southwest has plenty of cheap flights to Denver(50-80 one way) from here.
Denver can be an airport that has some turbulence flying in and out of. The weather there changes so much that I can definitely say I always sit down early for landing because of how unpredictable it can be. Las Vegas is up there too believe it or not.
Best and worst overnight hotels
My personal favorites are in LGA because we’re so close to Times Square. Las Vegas because it’s in the strip and I like it see shows and walk up and down the strip. Least favorite was a hotel in Houston because there was bedbugs and mold when I stayed there :(
One time I took a flight out of ONT, it was late at night, and besides the FAs and pilots, I was the only one on that plane. Is that normal? How often do things like that happen? Thank you for your kindness in answering our questions (:
It’s rare but it sounds also about right. I’ve flown out of Burbank early at 5am and only had 6 passengers. Certain routes on certain days are just not popular but they still have to be flown. Thank you for asking them. I didn’t expect it to take off as it did. (No pun intended)
Never flown southwest but flying from charlotte to Grand Rapids mi in august. Can’t wait for my flight since I hear that sw is not so stuck up like the other big guys. Never been to Mdw, got a five hour layover going to grr and a two hour going back. What can I do to kill time?
Flying with an 18 month old next week and we're trying to take all the proper precautions to have a smooth flight. With that in mind, we saw a video that suggested that it's nice to give the flight attendants a $5 star bucks gift card (for your troubles with having to listen to a crying baby at times). Would a gift card be good or just give the FA $5 bucks?
You don’t owe us anything. We however do appreciate those small gestures, they go a long way. I recommend bringing something to distract your little one like toys, games etc. I understand babies cry and sometimes there’s really nothing you can do about it. But again, you don’t HAVE to give us anything. It won’t be our first or last little one, that we’ll have to be around. But we sure do love you for it.
You are a gem!
No, you!
I love flying SWA with my kids. Family pre-boarding happens after group A so you will board when the plane is 1/3 full. Look for other families with small kids and sit as close to them as possible. It is great having seat neighbors who will likely have compassion when you are doing everything imaginable to quite an uncontrollably screaming kid. Sometimes they will even trade kids snacks when your child magically starts hating everything you brought.
Great suggestion about sitting near other families with small kids. I didn't think about that at all. Thanks!
What’s the best way/time to give an FA treats without seeming like a weirdo? I feel weird or shy about it, and they seem so busy every time they pass by. Also what do you think the best seat/area on the plane is?
If you give it to us in the beginning of our boarding, we will let the other flight attendants know and whenever we get a chance we will go up to you and thank you. So probably the beginning of boarding🫶🏼 The best seating area is anything forward of the over wing. Less bumpy. To be specific Row 1 and 9. You’ll get your drinks first.