E-MAIL CHRIS   PRINT   2008 COLUMNS   ARCHIVES   SEARCH ARCHIVES I STILL FEEL SAFE FLYING SOUTHWEST By Chris Barnett March 13, 2008 -- Spunky Southwest Airlines, the 37-year-old, peanut-pushing carrier built on cheap fares and the public relations savvy of bourbon-swigging, chain-smoking former chief executive Herb Kelleher, has its first public black eye. Southwest is currently embroiled in a complicated safety squabble with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over the airworthiness of some of its Boeing 737s after cracks were discovered in the fuselages. The FAA wants to slap Southwest with a record fine of $10 million for skipping required inspections. Earlier this week, Southwest launched an internal investigation and put three staffers on "administrative leave." (The FAA has reportedly reassigned an inspector, too.) Then, on Wednesday (March 12), the airline voluntarily grounded dozens of planes for inspections, but said the groundings were not due to structural damage. The aircraft groundings--representing about 8 percent of its 520-plane fleet--led Southwest to cancel at least 4 percent of its flights on the first day. There could be schedule repercussions for days or even weeks, so be aware and check before you book. But I, for one, feel safe flying Southwest--for several reasons. It has never lost a plane in the airline's long history. And the only fatality it suffered occurred several years ago when an aircraft skidded off the runway at Chicago's Midway Airport and hit an automobile To be honest, I'm more concerned with the diligence of the FAA. As a colleague says, "the FAA inspects paper, not airplanes. They mostly make sure airlines have filed their maintenance paperwork. Their inspectors don't swarm over every airplane in the fleet." That doesn't fill me with confidence. If you haven't flown Southwest recently, you should know that the airline has done some tinkering with its first-come, first-board policy. But rather than switching to costlier, more cumbersome assigned seating--something many of the airline's existing passengers didn't want--Southwest invented a new boarding process. You still have the A, B, and C lines based on your boarding group, but now you get a number, too. There's no need to stand in line for hours hoping for an early boarding. The boarding group and number determine when you board. Recently, I was B-26 on a flight and B-25, a San Diego biotech software designer named Theresa Alexander, said, "It's less chaotic now and I can usually get an aisle seat--not true with assigned seating." And Spartan Southwest is still a financial bargain, usually undercutting the fares of its newest rival, Virgin America, which hasn't generated the buzz that discounter JetBlue Airways did when it came out of the chute eight years ago. On a recent weekend flight from San Francisco to San Diego, I snagged a 7-day advance-purchase fare of $166 roundtrip. That included all the taxes and fees, too. Granted it was a crack-of-dawn 6:45 a.m. departure. But Virgin America, with its cool in-flight entertainment systems and first-class section, wanted $266 for a coach seat on the same route at about the same time. Late last year, Southwest debuted a Business Select fare aimed at commercial travelers and it takes some of the chanciness out of getting a good seat. For an extra $10 to $30 per flight, Southwest guarantees that you are among the first to board in its "A" group. Plus, you get a free cocktail onboard and extra credit in its Rapid Reward frequent flyer program. Book it on the Web site, where you can get boarding passes 24 hours in advance. Both of my Southwest flights departed and landed on-time. I got an aisle seat and there was enough legroom so that I was able to pull down the tray table and use my laptop computer. Can't say that for most coach-class seats on the Big Six, where space is scant and legroom is extremely tight unless you get an exit row or bulkhead seat. Southwest's flight attendants haven't changed much, though. They were cheerful and attentive and more than willing to load you up with free soft drinks and salty, caloric peanuts. I passed.

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is syndicated by Copley News Service. THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett. A NOTE TO EDITORS Barnett on Business Travel is available biweekly through Copley News Service. Contact: Glenda Winders. This column is Copyright © 2008 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.