Southwest still mum on Hawaii schedule

[RNCollins]

Southwest still mum on Hawaii schedule
https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Southwest-still-mum-on-Hawaii-schedule

By Robert Silk / Travel Weekly / August 21, 2018

“Denver -- Southwest, which is still waiting on FAA approval to begin its much-anticipated Hawaii service, won't schedule flights until that regulatory process is over, chief revenue officer Andrew Watterson said.

The carrier has said that it will fly to Hawaii from Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego. Specific routes haven't been announced, but its Hawaii destinations will be Honolulu, Maui the Big Island and Kauai. Southwest also plans to offer inter-island service.

The attention the plans are getting has irked at least one Southwest competitor.

"We get asked a lot about Southwest right now, which has done a masterful job of getting a lot of column inches in various publications by announcing very little," Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram said in May.

Speaking Monday at the International Aviation Forecast Summit at Denver's downtown Hyatt Regency, Watterson said he hopes airlines will continue to voice aggravation about the lack of information Southwest has revealed.

"I'm going to continue to needle my competitors and hope that they'll complain and talk about it, so we'll get free advertising," he said.

Nobody remembers when a new air service starts, Watterson added, but people remember if the launch gets screwed up.

Southwest is working through the process of getting Extended Operations Service (Etops) authorizations from the FAA for each of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737-800 aircraft it intends to use for Hawaii service.”

Photo Credit: Ozell Stephens Jr. / Airlines In The Sky

 

[taterhed]

so.....I might just have an inside source to 'consult' with this weekend.

If I get any feedback.....I'll update.
Very hush hush you know. JK

 

[dougp26364]

The last reasonable information I read indicated it's likely to be October or November before SWA's can even consider the start up of ticket sales. This based on typical timetables based off the speed, or lack thereof, getting all the i's dotted and t's crossed (FAA requirements, pilot training, training runs et....).
I don't look for much "new" information until maybe the end of Sept at the earliest and maybe as late as November.

To that end we have our flights booked on United for our Feb. timeshare stay. Waiting on SWA's was going to cut it way to close for my tastes.

 

[SmithOp]

We are going to BI next May, hoping to get a good price on Southwest. Hawaiian is still $700 RT from LAX, they don’t put spring fares on sale until Jan so I’m holding out.


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[PigsDad]

Hawaiian is still $700 RT from LAX, they don’t put spring fares on sale until Jan so I’m holding out.

If only I could fly RT to Hawaii that cheap! Sigh...

Kurt

 

[Passepartout]

It takes time to negotiate with the airports for counter space, gate assignments, even take-off and landing time spots. Then construction and staffing. There is far more to it than just announcing a route and selling some tickets. SW has shown that they know the RIGHT way to run an airline.

Jim

 

[taterhed]

Hmmm don't hold your breath....but I'll report back if I hear anything

 

[JIMinNC]

We are going to BI next May, hoping to get a good price on Southwest. Hawaiian is still $700 RT from LAX, they don’t put spring fares on sale until Jan so I’m holding out.


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If only I could fly RT to Hawaii that cheap! Sigh...

Kurt

Wow. I'm surprised it's that much from LAX in the spring, which isn't a high season.

Earlier this year, we booked RT Charlotte to HNL and then Kona back to Charlotte for a high season next Feb/Mar for only $868. That's from the east cost, and only $168 more than low season from LAX. Really strange because Charlotte is usually a high-fare market since AA has such a monopoly here. On top of the good fare, my wife just qualified for AA Platinum, so we were able to rebook our seats to Main Cabin Extra for free.

 

[Luanne]

Wow. I'm surprised it's that much from LAX in the spring, which isn't a high season.

I'm surprised as well. We can fly RT from the Bay Area to Maui in March for around $400 each on Alaska Airlines. Since I have a companion fare for two of us it would be around $500.

 

[SmithOp]

Wow. I'm surprised it's that much from LAX in the spring, which isn't a high season.

Earlier this year, we booked RT Charlotte to HNL and then Kona back to Charlotte for a high season next Feb/Mar for only $868. That's from the east cost, and only $168 more than low season from LAX. Really strange because Charlotte is usually a high-fare market since AA has such a monopoly here. On top of the good fare, my wife just qualified for AA Platinum, so we were able to rebook our seats to Main Cabin Extra for free.

I just checked again and its dropped to $635 but then there are bag fees, and thats economy coach. May 1-15th.

I used to fly from Sacramento for $399 RT before Aloha packed in, I think SWA competition will bring down prices again.


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[triangulum33]

Fingers crossed for nonstop Sacramento to Kahalui.

 

[canesfan]

This summer we flew RT from PHX $400 to Lihue.


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[taterhed]

Well, as promised, a little bit of update.

This isn't 'secret' information, but it definitely has a well-informed opinion from someone with a good view of the situation.

There are 3 issues affecting the SWA Hawaii deployment:
Equipment
Support
Approval.

I don't think the equipment is going to be a problem...once they are able to demonstrate the flights
I don't think the approval will be a problem....once they are fully ready to go...

Support:
Training the pilot/crew force isn't a huge issue...it's a common place activity for airlines. Many already have the experience from previous lives....
Training the maintainers.......well, that might be a sticky wicket.

I fear that SWA has a labor issue to resolve with their maintainers. Once this issue is resolved....the maintainers will need to be trained and deployed for the ETOPS operations. There is an opinion afloat that once the labor agreement is solved....many who receive the training/benefits may retire. This could cause some significant delays in training and deploying support for the operations. Obviously, these labor agreements are always tricky.

Of course, this is just conjecture. In fact, SWA could throw gobs of money at the operation and field it quite quickly. This seems unlikely.

Again, I think the Hawaii operations are still a good way off. I wish them the best of luck...

 

[BDMX2]

I was just poking around online to see if there is any recent buzz and came across this article from a few days ago: https://simpleflying.com/southwest-airlines-hawaii-flights-launch/

If I believe this article, word should be coming soon. I've been holding off making plans for next June in hopes that SWA starts flights by then.

 

[PamMo]

We flew SWA to/from Cancun last week (out of Baltimore) and the flight crew had fun with a major tease on the new routes to Hawaii coming up. They had the whole plane load of passengers cheering! It made me wonder if the flights will start sooner rather than later next year.

 

[BDMX2]

We flew SWA to/from Cancun last week (out of Baltimore) and the flight crew had fun with a major tease on the new routes to Hawaii coming up. They had the whole plane load of passengers cheering! It made me wonder if the flights will start sooner rather than later next year.

I like the sounds of this!

 

[triangulum33]

Beat of Hawaii has been posting timely updates on the subject. They also say we may be getting an announcement by the end of the month.

https://beatofhawaii.com/southwest-hawaii-airline-update/

Hoping that SW's routes drive down prices across all carriers, but I wonder if there is market space for all of them.

 

[spears2008]

Darn. In the earnings call today, SW stated they will sell tickets by the end of the year for flights next year. I was hoping for December flights with tickets being sold imminently. No luck.

 

[dougp26364]

We just returned from Vegas on a SWA flight. Going out, no mention of Hawaii. 4 days later, the flight attendants were telling the passengers the Hawaii was coming so start packing your bags. Granted I'm a little jaded because I've heard timeshare salesmen tell me something was coming that didn't happen but, I can't believe SWA's would allow flight crews to talk to passengers without an immanent announcement about to be made.

 

[Tamaradarann]

We just returned from Vegas on a SWA flight. Going out, no mention of Hawaii. 4 days later, the flight attendants were telling the passengers the Hawaii was coming so start packing your bags. Granted I'm a little jaded because I've heard timeshare salesmen tell me something was coming that didn't happen but, I can't believe SWA's would allow flight crews to talk to passengers without an immanent announcement about to be made.

My bags are already packed. I will be flying out New Years Eve on Hawaiian from JFK.

 

[rickandcindy23]

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/10/28/southwest-airlines-2019-hawaii-plans-become-a-bit.aspx

Good article on Southwest to Hawaii. Sounds like early 2019.

 

[WalnutBaron]

Thanks for sharing this. One part of the article I find stretches the imagination is the notion that Southwest's customers are so loyal that they have been waiting for years to visit Hawaii until Southwest could fly them there. Really? Ummm...no. The article's author maintains that Southwest will bring a lot of new, pent-up demand and that Southwest will not take as much share from Hawaiian and Alaska as one might think. If you believe that, I'll take 20 points plus the Warriors when they play again Wednesday night.

 

[SmithOp]

I’m going to suck it up and book Hawaiian for my May trip, just dont want to play the last minute booking game not knowing prices. I can also get the extra comfort class. I just flew PHX-FLL on SWA and 4 hours in a packed cramped middle seat was too much for this big guy.


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[spears2008]

I’m going to suck it up and book Hawaiian for my May trip, just dont want to play the last minute booking game not knowing prices. I can also get the extra comfort class. I just flew PHX-FLL on SWA and 4 hours in a packed cramped middle seat was too much for this big guy.


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did you know you can book an extra seat on SW and have 2 seats if one is not comfortable? You book the extra seat, pay for it, and then SW will reimburse you after you fly.

Guidelines for Customers of Size
Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s) may proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel in order to ensure the additional seat(s) is available. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats; width between the armrests measures 17 inches. The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification to Southwest of a special seating need, and allows us to adequately plan for the number of seats that will be occupied on the aircraft. In turn, this helps to ensure we can accommodate all Customers on the flight/aircraft for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking Customers to relinquish their seats for an unplanned accommodation. Most importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. You may contact us for a refund of the cost of additional seating after travel. Customers of size who prefer not to purchase an additional seat in advance have the option of purchasing just one seat and then discussing their seating needs with the Customer Service Agent at their departure gate. If it is determined that a second (or third) seat is needed, they will be accommodated with a complimentary additional seat(s).

For more information, please refer to our Customer of Size Policy Q&A.


Online Booking Instructions for proactively purchasing an additional seat(s) on Southwest.com

1. Click "Air."
2. Select your city pair(s) and travel date(s).
3. In the "Passengers" field, indicate the total number of seats needed by selecting that number of adults. (For example, if one Customer of size requires two seats and is traveling with one other adult in his/her party, select "3 Adults.")
4. Proceed through the "Select Flight" and "Itinerary and Pricing" pages.
5. Complete the "Who's Flying?" name fields for a Customer of size as follows:
   1. Customer with a middle name
      
      • A Passenger named Tom James Smith would designate Passenger One as "Tom James Smith," and Passenger Two as "Tom James XS Smith" (first name Tom, middle name James XS, and last name Smith).
      
      
      
   2. Customer without a middle name
      
      • A Passenger named Tom Smith would designate Passenger One as "Tom Smith," and Passenger Two as "Tom XS Smith" (first name Tom, middle name XS, and last name Smith).
      
      
      
6. If a Customer purchases a Business Select or Anytime Fare, the second seat can be sold at the discounted Child's Fare. It is important to note that the Child's Fare is only available via our Customer Support Services. You will need to call (800) I-FLY-SWA (800-435-9792) to book/purchase the extra seat at the Child's Fare.

 

[Tamaradarann]

did you know you can book an extra seat on SW and have 2 seats if one is not comfortable? You book the extra seat, pay for it, and then SW will reimburse you after you fly.

Guidelines for Customers of Size
Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s) may proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel in order to ensure the additional seat(s) is available. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats; width between the armrests measures 17 inches. The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification to Southwest of a special seating need, and allows us to adequately plan for the number of seats that will be occupied on the aircraft. In turn, this helps to ensure we can accommodate all Customers on the flight/aircraft for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking Customers to relinquish their seats for an unplanned accommodation. Most importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. You may contact us for a refund of the cost of additional seating after travel. Customers of size who prefer not to purchase an additional seat in advance have the option of purchasing just one seat and then discussing their seating needs with the Customer Service Agent at their departure gate. If it is determined that a second (or third) seat is needed, they will be accommodated with a complimentary additional seat(s).

For more information, please refer to our Customer of Size Policy Q&A.


Online Booking Instructions for proactively purchasing an additional seat(s) on Southwest.com

1. Click "Air."
2. Select your city pair(s) and travel date(s).
3. In the "Passengers" field, indicate the total number of seats needed by selecting that number of adults. (For example, if one Customer of size requires two seats and is traveling with one other adult in his/her party, select "3 Adults.")
4. Proceed through the "Select Flight" and "Itinerary and Pricing" pages.
5. Complete the "Who's Flying?" name fields for a Customer of size as follows:
   1. Customer with a middle name
      
      • A Passenger named Tom James Smith would designate Passenger One as "Tom James Smith," and Passenger Two as "Tom James XS Smith" (first name Tom, middle name James XS, and last name Smith).
      
      
      
   2. Customer without a middle name
      
      • A Passenger named Tom Smith would designate Passenger One as "Tom Smith," and Passenger Two as "Tom XS Smith" (first name Tom, middle name XS, and last name Smith).
      
      
      
6. If a Customer purchases a Business Select or Anytime Fare, the second seat can be sold at the discounted Child's Fare. It is important to note that the Child's Fare is only available via our Customer Support Services. You will need to call (800) I-FLY-SWA (800-435-9792) to book/purchase the extra seat at the Child's Fare.

Ok, are you saying that Southwest is allowing people who feel that 1 seat on their airline is not comfortable they can book and pay for an additional seat and then get reimbursed so that they really don't need to pay for an additional seat? That sound unbelievable!

I always feel that their seats are uncomfortable and I am 6'0 and 175 pounds. I am sure that if I was significantly taller or heavier I would be even more uncomfortable.