Woman who broke SWA flight attendant’s teeth to serve 15 months in prison

[jrh]

I know it’s got it’s definite downsides, and I still need to get my butt in gear to do 121, but I’m so glad I get to fly corporate type aircraft and not deal with corporate type passengers. I’ll take uptight type A flight nurses and janky patients allllll day over what y’all describe as even the average corporate pax.

The stories here aren't a fair representation because there's nothing funny or interesting about most clients. Nobody wants to talk about the flights they flew with quiet, unassuming passengers who showed up ten minutes early, left the cabin clean, and slipped a $100 tip on the way out the door.

It's like riding the subway in NYC. Most of the time it's boring, but the spectrum of possibilities is huge.

My experience has been mostly in the Midwest too. I think that makes a difference. Most clients made their money doing "real" stuff like construction, agriculture, insurance, etc. They're not rock stars or "influencers" which seems more prevalent on the coasts. But that's just my anecdotal experience.

 

[SteveC]

The stories here aren't a fair representation because there's nothing funny or interesting about most clients. Nobody wants to talk about the flights they flew with quiet, unassuming passengers who showed up ten minutes early, left the cabin clean, and slipped a $100 tip on the way out the door.

It's like riding the subway in NYC. Most of the time it's boring, but the spectrum of possibilities is huge.

My experience has been mostly in the Midwest too. I think that makes a difference. Most clients made their money doing "real" stuff like construction, agriculture, insurance, etc. They're not rock stars or "influencers" which seems more prevalent on the coasts. But that's just my anecdotal experience.

Much the same here. On top of being midwest based, we actually do very little open charter, and most of our customers are with us (cards, contract charter, fractional owners, managed owners, etc.) for extended periods of time. We get to know them personally and develop some rapport, which is mutually beneficial.

 

[KLB]

The stories here aren't a fair representation because there's nothing funny or interesting about most clients. Nobody wants to talk about the flights they flew with quiet, unassuming passengers who showed up ten minutes early, left the cabin clean, and slipped a $100 tip on the way out the door.

It's like riding the subway in NYC. Most of the time it's boring, but the spectrum of possibilities is huge.

My experience has been mostly in the Midwest too. I think that makes a difference. Most clients made their money doing "real" stuff like construction, agriculture, insurance, etc. They're not rock stars or "influencers" which seems more prevalent on the coasts. But that's just my anecdotal experience.

That's a fair point. 90% of the clients I've flown have been what we'd consider "model" passengers. There is the 10% that was a bit more eccentric.

My current clients on my 91 account are great!

 

[FlyingAccountant]

We send our VPs and executive office across country all the time, on SWA (or whoever else has a good routing/schedule). Like was said, most efficient use of their time. These aren't the truly rich of course, but they are more than rich by most American's standards.

Yeah, we're PHX based, most of our people fly SWA despite being an AA hub too. The notion that only trailer trash type people fly SWA isn't accurate.

 

[ChasenSFO]

Breaking news into the newsroom: an ex-employee has a negative opinion about their former employer.

To be fair, he did get screwed pretty hard..especially living in ATL and flying the 717.

As a revenue pax, I think Southwest is fine as long as you get high group B or better now that they actually do number sequencing. It sucked when it was first come first serve and Group A had to sit lined up to ensure they got the seat they wanted, but now you can just show up when boarding starts and walk up to your B 1-5 group or whatever. I always check-in within the first few mins of the 24 hour mark unless its a last-minute flight and always end up with a comfy window seat, often in the exit row. I actually love E175s and prefer flying on them to most aircraft, but I'll take Southwest over a lot of the economy products out there. So long as I am not beyond B20 or so. For me though, I just like that all tickets are refundable and it's good if you travel with girls because they always want to check their fancy shower stuff.

As a non-rev, different story as not being in CASS you often end up not being permitted to board until your boarding number. I've gotten on flights with 45-55 open seats where nothing was left but middles, and an -800 going to Hawaii with 70+ open and yet I only got to sit next to my gf because someone was nice and scooted over. Combinations of people traveling together trying to "block" the middle seat since they know that the flight will be open and large numbers of people traveling alone. Kind of wild, as on any other carrier 45-55 open seats probably means you get assigned with no one next to you as a non-rev, if not your whole row.

 

[MikeD]

Combinations of people traveling together trying to "block" the middle seat since they know that the flight will be open and large numbers of people traveling alone. Kind of wild, as on any other carrier 45-55 open seats probably means you get assigned with no one next to you as a non-rev, if not your whole row.

I heard one large fat guy in the terminal talking on the phone once about how when he boards SWA, he takes the middle seat in an empty row, and since no one wants to sit to either side of him, he ends up with a whole row to his own.

 

[///AMG]

I heard one large fat guy in the terminal talking on the phone once about how when he boards SWA, he takes the middle seat in an empty row, and since no one wants to sit to either side of him, he ends up with a whole row to his own.

haha smart dude. I imagine even a normal sized person might be successful some of the time with this tactic. Until they come across someone who registers what they are doing and gets pissed about it......knowing that they'll still have an empty seat once boarding is done, and the original middle seat will eventually relent and move to the other aisle/window seat.

 

[knot4u]

I'm sure I spoken about this before. PT 91 it's not the passengers, it's the owners. We can talk about jeans, we had an owner (who happened to be a multi billionare) that would show up at the hangar in an F-150 and Levis to hang out when his airplane was being worked on, he liked the airplane and just wanted to see what was going on. We had another owner who'd show up in a Bentley and $500 jeans and start questioning everything that was being done (this same • didn't like the cabin monitors in his G-IV and went to Best Buy and bought replacements and flipped his lid when we informed him they couldn't be installed). The guy in the Levis grew up poor and built his company, fancypants inherited a multi billion dollar business that he'd never lifted a finger for. It takes all kinds of people to make the world go around.

 

[jrh]

I heard one large fat guy in the terminal talking on the phone once about how when he boards SWA, he takes the middle seat in an empty row, and since no one wants to sit to either side of him, he ends up with a whole row to his own.

Nice.

Here's the life hack my wife and I came up with for traveling with a lap child...buy aisle and window seats in the very back of the plane. The middle seat is the last one to get taken by paying pax or nonrevs. Absolutely nobody wants that seat unless they absolutely have to have it.

If nobody shows up, we get the whole row to spread out with the kid. If somebody shows up it's as simple as, "Oh, would you like the aisle and I'll take the middle?" Nobody will turn that offer down and we're no worse off than if we'd booked that way to begin with.

 

[FlyingAccountant]

I heard one large fat guy in the terminal talking on the phone once about how when he boards SWA, he takes the middle seat in an empty row, and since no one wants to sit to either side of him, he ends up with a whole row to his own.

This tactic works, that's all I'm going to say. I usually just sit in the window and no one wants to bother with the mid and that's fine for me.

I'm sure I spoken about this before. PT 91 it's not the passengers, it's the owners. We can talk about jeans, we had an owner (who happened to be a multi billionare) that would show up at the hangar in an F-150 and Levis to hang out when his airplane was being worked on, he liked the airplane and just wanted to see what was going on. We had another owner who'd show up in a Bentley and $500 jeans and start questioning everything that was being done (this same • didn't like the cabin monitors in his G-IV and went to Best Buy and bought replacements and flipped his lid when we informed him they couldn't be installed). The guy in the Levis grew up poor and built his company, fancypants inherited a multi billion dollar business that he'd never lifted a finger for. It takes all kinds of people to make the world go around.

I've worked for startups and it takes all types. Last guy I worked for was worth nine figures and probably the least pretentious person I've ever met. Showed up to the office in jeans and athletic shorts all the time. He got around in his own Challenger. Current boss is worth as much, flies economy and/or Southwest, doesn't have his own car and takes the wife's several year old car when he needs to go somewhere. Just because someone has more money than god doesn't mean they no longer prioritize how they spend it. Just like people don't care what they wear or what they drive, they don't care how they travel either. A lot of these guys didn't grow up rich, so they continue the habits they had when they weren't rich after they become rich.

 

[zmiller4]

I've worked for startups and it takes all types. Last guy I worked for was worth nine figures and probably the least pretentious person I've ever met. Showed up to the office in jeans and athletic shorts all the time. He got around in his own Challenger. Current boss is worth as much, flies economy and/or Southwest, doesn't have his own car and takes the wife's several year old car when he needs to go somewhere. Just because someone has more money than god doesn't mean they no longer prioritize how they spend it. Just like people don't care what they wear or what they drive, they don't care how they travel either. A lot of these guys didn't grow up rich, so they continue the habits they had when they weren't rich after they become rich.

I feel like there’s a chance you might have identified some of the disconnect between viewpoints here.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

I feel like there’s a chance you might have identified some of the disconnect between viewpoints here.

No, he’s identified exceptions rather than rules.

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

Out of SoCal I had to fly SWA to SAC, LVS, PHX and TUC and I hated those flights. When I had ABQ trips I took American SNA-DFW-ABQ to avoid the SWA cattle calls.

Ahem. TUS!

 

[averettpilot]

I heard one large fat guy in the terminal talking on the phone once about how when he boards SWA, he takes the middle seat in an empty row, and since no one wants to sit to either side of him, he ends up with a whole row to his own.

I was told years ago by a doctor that his hack was to wear a mask because nobody wants to sit next to a potentially sick person. Wonder what he does now lol

 

[Hiboglossi]

I was told years ago by a doctor that his hack was to wear a mask because nobody wants to sit next to a potentially sick person. Wonder what he does now lol

One trick I've heard of is pulling out the barf bag and holding it ready to use so people will think you're sick.

 

[NovemberEcho]

I just make eye contact with each person and pat the seat next to me. No takers so far.

 

[Boris Badenov]

I just make eye contact with each person and pat the seat next to me. No takers so far.

Max is going to get on your plane sooner or later, and the fun will be over. For you.

 

[derg]

I just make eye contact with each person and pat the seat next to me. No takers so far.

Yes! I'll blow a kiss at you.

 

[form810]

Had an owner show up with a measuring tape and a dishwasher. He thought he could just throw it in the back of the king air. Crazy idea, but you know they have Home Depot in Durango, right mr money bags?

Shoulda bought a Pilatus. You could totally get a dishwasher into a Pilatus.

Plus, if it's a 91 gig, why is his highness soiling his mits procuring appliances? Doesn't dish washing fall into the bucket of "other duties as assigned"?

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

To be fair, he did get screwed pretty hard..especially living in ATL and flying the 717.

NYC based A320. After the merger became LAX A320. Then became LAX B737.


You know what I didn't do? Rage quit airline flying and join the family real estate business.

Difference is had he stayed, he at least had an ATL option to come back to. Been #1 for several years. To each his own though. I've always thought he enjoyed playing ALPA more than he did airline pilot. He hated SWAPA with a passion and exit stage left for those post-merger reasons.