Airline

This is very similar to the UK tv show "Airport", and is actually made by the same production company and film crews. The main difference is that Airline concentrates on a single airline (that being Southwest), while Airport was about Heathrow Airport itself.

Airline is at various times: fascinating, boring, hilarious, etc. The vast majority of the time, it is well worth watching, if only for the seeming endless ignorance of so many of today's air passengers. People claiming racism because security won't let them bring more than one person to a gate to meet a friend on arrival, people loudly protesting when desk agents want to inspect a competition firearm, people getting completely belligerent drunk and then complaining when they're thrown off the plane. You really come to sympathize with the poor airline employees who deal with a seemingly endless stream of abuse and stupidity from all kinds of people.

Plenty of nice moments as well, and a great deal of light-hearted humor.

Caution: this show is ADDICTIVE!

Having watched every episode of this series, I have to express my thanks to both Southwest Airlines and A&E for the courage to allow the world to see the real world as it applies to airline operations in the 21st Century.

I have enjoyed the realism of the staff and crew of SWA in the production of this show, and, as a pilot who at one time was trying to fly with a major airline (with many friends in the industry) I have enjoyed the exploits, the conflicts, and the professionalism exhibited by the Flight Crews, Attendants, and Ground Operations Crew of SWA in the unappreciated execution of their daily duties, and also the stories of those passengers who show respect for these underpaid, overworked people who are attempting to combine safety, service and duty in this difficult age.

Also, I must compliment the ability of Southwest Airlines to show criticism to not only their clientele but also to their own staff, as this is the epitome of realistic television.

I fly fairly regularly for leisure but I have to thank SWA for allowing the dirty laundry of the airline business to be revealed. Now when I fly I'm much more able to relax and work with the customer service representatives and I think I'm treated more fairly as a result. I don't agree with every course of action the 'cast' took on problems and challenges, but I do have a much better understanding of the consequences. I've gained insight in what to pack (and more important, what not to), and resolved to avoid alcohol before and during any flight. Great show and I hope they produce more episodes as I would like to find out what some of my favorite 'cast members' are up to. It would also be nice to see what has transpired since Southwest revamped their "no pets" policy.

If you love Parking Wars and similar reality shows, you will love this. I love this type of show which is based on the frustrating situations that airline employees deal with during their shifts. Some of the travelers are ridiculous and others are sadly kinda right. Good clean fun!

First off, this is a train wreck in the world of Customer Service. The show is yet another BBC show that has made it across the pond. I have watched enough of it to know, that I will never fly Southwestern. During my younger years as a Customer Service jockey, I would have been fired or placed on suspension if I acted the way most of the Supervisors/Managers do on the show.

All in all the show points out just how stupid things are at the airport. What cracks me up the most is the fact that they actually have bars on the concourse, which gives the opportunity for an idiot to get drunk. The logic is like a gift shop that sells guns at the local prison. Sadly, there is always an idiot that will buy one.

So in a nutshell, drunks and rude CSRs make for funny show. If you enjoy bad service, and weird people in their 5 seconds of fame, then I would say watch it.

However, if you like the idea of the show. I would suggest watch the BBC version, which offers more of a story of the people who work there, and what actually happens there.