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Southwest Airlines: the 'no skin, no standards' carrier

Thursday March 6, 2008 | 02:30:44 pm 286 words, 6131 views  

Not only are you unlikely to be seated next to any Hooters girls on Southwest Airlines, the plane might be a death trap, too.

The discount carrier’s recent squabbles with leggy women, including a Hooters girl and a recent case involving two, Paris Hilton wannabe primadonna teens, are nothing compared to the most recent claim announced today.

From CNN.com:

Documents submitted by FAA inspectors to congressional investigators allege the airline flew at least 117 of its planes in violation of mandatory safety checks. In some cases, the documents say, the planes flew for 30 months after government inspection deadlines had passed and should have been grounded until the inspections could be completed.

The report details many violations, all apparently very serious, and Southwest stands to get nailed by the FAA as a result.

I always liked flying Southwest. I like how they seat their planes not unlike how cattle feeds. I also like all the jokes the flight attendants make in flight. But now the jokes don’t seem so funny since apparently their staff would rather work on punch lines than pick up a wrench.

I can deal with an airline that doesn’t allow short skirts. After all, we have video IPods now where we can upload our own eye candy. But this new development is scary, because you have to wonder with shrinking margins in the airline industry how many other airlines are trying to cut corners to keep shareholders.

Hopefully this isn’t a trend among other discount carriers, like AirTran and Spirit. Southwest was always viewed as a “best in breed” among the bargain bin, so considering even they are cutting corners makes me nervous about other, seemingly sketchier airlines like my most loathsome: RyanAir.

Permalink 5 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Jim Blevins [Visitor]
Southwest is a stink carrier. They were once grand. Now they are awful. Their planes are overcrowded cattle trailers and their flight attendants are rude. Their prices and schedules are no longer cheap and efficient. Now the news of cutting safety corners.

It is only a matter of time before one of their pieces of overused junk obliterates over the desrt somewhere and sends 120 screaming, pants-pooping people to their gruesome deaths.

Southwest sucks. I will never fly them again.
PermalinkPermalink 03/06/08 @ 15:25
Comment from: Chris Baldwin [Member]
I never trusted those overly jokey and fakely enthusiastic flight attendants. I like my stewardesses grouchy and irritable. Hence, my appreciation for Continental Airlines.

You'll never think anyone's happy there.

PermalinkPermalink 03/06/08 @ 23:38
Comment from: BV [Visitor]
Flew SW Air ONCE, and it was just a Houston to New Orleans hop. NEVER again...packing folks in like cattle, no assigned seats, and those hokey attendants and their lame jokes! UGH

I agree with the Bald One - give me a top-line carrier where they DON'T care if you're happy or not...as long as your A*S is in a seat! ;)
PermalinkPermalink 03/07/08 @ 09:42
Comment from: Shanks [Member] · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
I'll be flying Southwest out to Las Vegas in a few weeks. Good thing about this story is in the near term, they'll be watching their Ps & Qs quite closely at least until the heat is off. If I survive it, I can blog about the flight as well as the golf & gambling.

On a positive note, Southwest has never had an accident where one of the passengers died. Once, while landing in a snowstorm in Chicago, a Southwest plane skidded through the end of the runway and killed an unlucky passenger of an automobile. That's it.
PermalinkPermalink 03/07/08 @ 09:47
Comment from: Kiel Christianson [Visitor]
All I know is that next time I fly Southworst, I'll
be wearing my shortest miniskirt and tightest tube-top.
PermalinkPermalink 03/07/08 @ 23:09

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Brandon Tucker Brandon Tucker

a WorldGolf.com Blog

WorldGolf.com's Brandon Tucker offers his unique perspective on golf and travel destinations from Scotland and Ireland to Myrtle Beach. He also chimes in on news events on the PGA and LPGA Tours, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and other happenings around the world of golf.