Southwest

Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
408
I just want to give a shout out to the Southwest Airlines staff, as well as TSA, at the ticket counter in Memphis this morning. I walked up and was in the process of telling the lady (red coat, supervisor?) I had a firearm when she completed my sentence. I filled out the card, she put it in the luggage on top of the Pelican case and immediately handed it to the TSA agent. The TSA agent ran it through the scanner in front of me and told me I was good. Took maybe 5 extra minutes at most. The experience could not have been any easier.
 

jayhawk

WKR
Joined
Apr 2, 2022
Messages
480
That’s great to hear. Good to hear some folks are still level headed these days. Thanks for the report.
 

shader112

WKR
Joined
Jan 20, 2018
Messages
313
Glad you didn't have any trouble. I had to wait an hour with southwest yesterday to check my gun in SLC. The agents were very rude and all around unpleasant.
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2013
Messages
1,023
Location
Colorado
When I flew SW fron CO to IL with my bow, they’d toss my SKB case on a cart, right in front of the unchecked exit doors and it would just sit there until i guess some baggage mover eventually picked it up.
Additionally, after I arrived at my destination, I’d eventually find my bow case sitting by itself, no one around…next to the unchecked exit doors.
Wasn’t impressed at all Lol
 
Joined
Feb 12, 2022
Messages
1,973
That’s great to hear. Good to hear some folks are still level headed these days. Thanks for the report.
Meh.

It's a training issue, not a gun issue.

I fly with a fly rod regularly, they're always confused and know less than I do.
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
40
I have found most airports are pretty good. My one experience checking one in Denver was a clusterf**k but most have been pretty easy.
 

WCB

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2019
Messages
3,551
Pretty much how all my interactions have gone here domestically or out of the country. Two times out of dozens my guns didn't make it on my final flight home. One time the were at my door by 1pm the following day the 2nd time I was going to be in the area so I dropped by and picked them up at the airport. Both times great communication and super smooth.
 
OP
K
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
408
Flying back today from Sky Harbor in Phoenix and had another good experience with Southwest and TSA, albeit slightly different procedure. The ticket agent at the counter escorted me to TSA where they manually searched the suitcase with the firearm, including opening and searching the Pelican case containing it.

The difference I saw was that in Memphis they had a newer scanning machine right by the ticket counter where in Phoenix they did not. Interesting.
 

woods89

WKR
Joined
Sep 3, 2014
Messages
1,786
Location
Southern MO Ozarks
I've had good experiences with Southwest on a couple trips as well, including one where I flew home with most of the meat from an elk.
 
Joined
Sep 30, 2015
Messages
84
Southwest seems to be the easiest to deal with when it comes to firearms. They used to be even better.

Old story. Way back in the day, my dad, uncle and grandfather flew from Dallas to Amarillo to go pheasant hunting up in the Texas panhandle. They get to Amarillo. My uncle's gun does not show up.

They go over to the Southwest booth and start to try and figure out where his shotgun was. A man comes up to them and says, "what's your name and where are you staying tonight?" my uncle tells him and the man says, "I promise you your gun will be at your door in the morning before you go hunting."

Sure enough the get up and his gun is there. The man that helped them was Herb Kellerher.
 

TJfromTX

FNG
Joined
Jan 30, 2019
Messages
67
Location
Sugar Land, TX
Always had good luck with Southwest, even had a rep at the baggage check ask what I was doing.... I told her "headed to Utah to go bowhunting" and she wished me luck with my hunt..... pretty cool
 
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