Southwest?

[poohraedopey]

How has your experience flying SW been? We leave albany international at 7 am stop in baltimore then down to orlando. ALso with no assigned seating how long before flight do you recomend being in the terminal when do they generally start boarding?

[aprincessmom]

I've always found flying on SWA to be a good experience. My sister just flew them a few weeks back for the first time and had a great experience. Numbered boarding passes are distributed an hour before flight time so there is no need to get there much earlier than that. You board by those assigned numbers so, for example, they'll call for boarding passes 1 through 30, 31 through 50, etc. and you board taking any seat you'd like.

[Pluto4President]

We have used SWA multiple times now without any problems. We travel with an 8 & 5 yo.

[poohraedopey]

Thank you its been nearly 10 years since I have flown at all and that was a well lead school trip where we were little ducks in a row with no say in anyhting. SO needless to say the airport experience will be new to me.

[disneyagain]

We flew out on southwest, out of Albany, in April and found it was very easy. There are four of us 2 adults and 2 children (6 &8). We're taking the 7:00 am n/s flight to Orlando on 11/28 and we're planning on being to the airport by 5:30 am. We'll get to airport check our luggage, go through security and get in line for boarding passes, then hopefully McDonald's will be open in the airport for a quick breakfast while we wait to board. We're only planning on taking one carry-on, probably the size of a purse. It will hold the airline tickets, car rental papers, hotel confirmation and my DH medications. The less we carry on the better chance we have of getting through security without a hitch. It's a direct flight, so we only have to worry about the luggage getting on in Albany, no connections for the luggage.
One thing I noticed when we flew them in April, many people had lots of carry-on luggage, Almost like they didn't check any luggage. Example we saw a family of 4 and they all had the luggage with the wheels like the flight attendants use and the parents each had another smaller bag. The overheads were extremely crowded. I'm sure with the new regulations this has changed.

[SNOWBOARDER]

Our favorite airline!!

[DavidOH]

We flew out of Albany International Airport last may on SWA. It was a 7:00AM flight. Obviously things were different then. We were 4 adults DD (4) and DS (2). We got to the airprot about 5:30 were able to use SkyCaps to check our luggage and grabbed a quick bite at McD's. We then went to our terminal.

I found that even though they don't start giving out boarding passes til 1 hour before that peoople were lining up way in advance. One person was able to get passes for our entire party. They do let one adult preboard for each child under 5 (I think). After people got their passes they headed directly over to the gate and stood in the que to board the plane. As they board you in groups a boarding pass of 1 is the same as a boarding pass of 25.

My wife an mother-in-law preboarded with the kids and my father-in-law and I met them on the plane. they saved us seats so it wasn't that bad.

Our flight was a direct. I dont know how it works when you havae to change flights.

Overall it was not a bad experience just a bit more stressful. Looking back on it I could have goten the same price on USAir for a direct flight and had preassigned seats. Now if I was able to get a cheaper rate then I wouldn't have minded.

By the way I recommend park and fly for your parking. They are great. I think it is easier than parking in the garages.

have a great trip

[poohraedopey]

Thanks hoping alabny will eb allowing curbside drops by then so my parents can bring us to Albany int. We are in seneca falls driving to albany the day before flight to pass kids to MIL and hang out over night then off from there. I havent been int he airport since th eremodel was completed. Thanks for all the input! We wanted the direct flight but it was BOOKED solid within an hour of tix going onsale. MY mom bought us the tickets for our birthdays since she had vouchers from a cancelled sept flight.........

[DavidOH]

From what I understend they will allow someone to drop you off at the curb but they cannot stand there. I think the Skycaps are working but I am not sure if all airlines have been included in the luggage they can accept.

I think you will be surprised by the new airpoart. Enjoy!

[Disnydad]

Great airline and great little airport. (I still refuse to call it "international" though) We usually get there 1 1/2 hour early for the first nonstop out to Orlando. Check the bags and head up stairs. The family goes to McD's to get breakfast while I go stand in line. After they eat, my wife takes my place if I'm still waiting. I've had some great Disney conversations while in line.

On the way back though in Orlando, I'd get there earlier. Folks start lining up a long time prior to get the boarding cards.

[DMRick]

Hey, DisnyDad, I like that it's a "little" airport LOL. And it's International..they fly to Canada!They do have curbside drop back again, and it's an easy jump to SW from there (nothing is far in the airport). We went in September and are going again in January. In September, they let whole families preboard with the little guys. We generally take the 7:30 n/s, and the last couple of trips, they sure did start linign up early. Even earlier on the way back. We do our sign in, then one adult goes ahead and gets in line, while the rest struggle with kids, and carryons.
Be sure to sign up for their reward program. They have continually given double the rewards, which means we get a free ticket anywhere, after just 4 round trips in a year. With DC only $60 rt, that's not so hard ot do.
Just as an aside..they no longer allow non passengers to walk you to your flight area..they have to stop at the scanning machines.

[eeyore0062]

We heard about Southwest from my brother's girlfriend who uses them all the time in business. She has always raved about them. So, we tried it last May, and it was a great flight. The attendents were all very friendly and accomodating. We had no problems with lining up to get seats... just get there about 2 hours to go through check in, and then take turns standing in line to get your seats. Our flight was not full, so there was no problem, we were numbers 12, 13 and 14 in line, and had the pick of where we wanted to sit. They do serve snacks and beverages... of course alcoholic beverages are not free. Our flight left exactly on time, and arrived exactly on time... in fact, we were even a little early getting back. I would defininitely recommend Southwest!

[dcedwards]

We fly SWA all the time. We've gotten used to the boarding passes. We now have a 3 yr old so we get to preboard. They have always let our entire party board. One attendant said that we would save seats anyways so it only makes sense to let everyone board together. Makes sense to me. I think it depends on the airport.

If your flight originates where you get on it will be empty and you won't have a problem getting a good seat if you are in the first 60 numbers, even. If it comes from someplace else then there will be people on it and this will make a difference in seat selection.

I just love their rapid rewards program. You can get free tickets quickly. Five of us are flying on free tickets for our Nov. Disney World trip. If I've ever had a problem with them they handle it right away. I'm sure you'll have a good flight.

[Disnydad]

That's right! I forgot about the Rapid Rewards Program. I'm flying on a free RT to Orlando in January. Nothing to keep track of. You get your credits and they send your voucher when they add up to 16 automatically.

[ksdave]

OK, I'm ready. Slam me if you must.
I hate flying Southwest.
In the past year, I've flown over 50,000 miles. So I do alot of flying. I've flown Southwest three times and promised myself I would never do it again. I cannot bear to stand in the line for the boarding card, then stand in the line to load. I feel like I'm in the cattle line at the slaughter yard! I guess I'm spoiled, but I'll fly Delta anytime. We flew (17) of us from KC International to MCO non-stop last May for $210 RT each on Delta. We each had an assigned seat that I set up myself on the internet site months in advance, we all had complimentary drinks and snacks, and the kids all received wings from the captain. Since I fly so often, I'm now a Silver Medallion member and was able to upgrade to First Class from Providence to Atlanta last month FOR FREE.
JMHO.

[Beanie]

LOL Ksdave!! No one is going to slam you for stating your opinion!! :):)

We always fly Southwest! We love it...but we also have two toddlers, so that makes a big difference for us...We always preboard, which makes it much easier with the kids, so we usually get out pick of seats!! I also have found Southwest to be much cheaper than most other airlines from where we fly! Usually about $100 less, so that is also a big deal for us too! :)

[Pluto4President]

and the beauty about RR is booking online and getting double credit. That's 4 rt for a free ticket. I am flying free in January and after our March trip the 4 of us will fly free again!

[dcedwards]

My brother is a frequent flyer with America West and gets all those perks. Flies almost 100,000 miles a year, I think. That is wonderful. But for those of us who don't fly that many miles the SWA rapid rewards program is much better. I can fly 4 times a year, and if I book it via the internet, I get a free ticket. Not to mention the credits that go on the program from VISA and phone, etc. So for us it works good.

I've flown other airlines (Delta, United and America West) in the last year and have found their service to be similar to SWA. I guess it just depends on your expectations. The routes I fly typically cost me $50 more than SWA so it is a good deal for me. And standing in line doesn't bother me that much. Now you have to get to the airport early anyways, doesn't make much difference to me whether I am standing or sitting in the waiting area.

So, since I am not able to upgrade to first class and don't really care about assigned seating it works well for us. But, I can definitely understand why you would prefer Delta, with the additional perks. It just depends on what you are after and your expectations, I guess. So I can see where you are coming from.

[ducklite]

Originally posted by DMRick
Hey, DisnyDad, I like that it's a "little" airport LOL. And it's International..they fly to Canada!

I used to fly in and out of ALB all the time, not a bad little place. Nice and compact. And yes, they do fly in and out of Canada. Just don't ever try to get from ALB to Saskatoon Sakatchewan. ALB to SYR to YYZ, change planes. YYZ to YWG, change planes. YWG to YQR to YXE. Thank God I used ground transit after that and didn't have to repeat it on the way home!

I left ALB at about 7:00am, and arrived YXE after 11:00pm. Yeow!

Anne

[DMRick]

$210 is prob good for you using Delta..but for the little inconvenience of waiting in line to board, our last trip, and our Jan trip, from Albany to Orlando, was only $39 each way..so for a bit more than a third of your cost, I'll stand in line. I bet SW is one of the few airlines, that although they advertise a fee for changing your ressies..they haven't been charging it! We find the cute things the stewardess says to be amusing, and our grand loved the "call from Mickey" welcoming us to Orlando...and they even used all of the kids on boards names! I love leaving on time, and I love getting there on time. Or at least up til now, that's been the case.

[dandelion]

I'm another SWA fan, flying out of ALB. I like them for the fares and lately, for the fact they have the only direct flights. We flew to MCO in late October, and as others have said, passengers do start lining up early. The check in (handing out numbers) was incredibly slow though, they weren't done by the time people starting boarding.

In MCO the line up started sooner, but went quicker.

The McDonalds in Albany airport was open at 6:30 a.m.

I wish the fares for Feb. would come down soon - I have a hoped for trip Feb. 7-11.:cool:

[VickiVM]

I should count myself as another SWA fan. I used to fly SW all the time when my job required more travel. The Rapid Rewards program is the best. We rack up points not just for bookings, but on our MCI long distance, car rental and various hotel stays. Standing in line is no big deal...it's the norm in airports anyway. This is one of only 2 airlines (I believe) that were posting earnings in the black PRE-9/11. They also did not cut out any of their flights immediately after 9/11. Their safety and on-time record is very good. And their fares....they keep the other airlines on their toes to stay competitive. I'm happy to see this Texas company flourish in the east. (As a side note, there was a great article in their flight magazine a few months ago about the history of the airline. I think it was the magazine that was all about their 30th anniversary. If anyone knows how I can get a copy I would appreciate the info. Thanks.)

[lawgs]

ok....pluto.....HOW many times have you flown that you get two free flights in a year.....=))

sounds like you have done a lot of internet booking......

btw....we are on our way to baltimore sunday morning......to add to our "free" rapid rewards......and with the one in december .....we will have reached the goal.....

if only i had remembered to book our flight to california last year on the net.....we would not have "added" this lil side trip.....but oh well.....it is fun flying on SW.....sure beats going to toronto to get a good flight to florida....( we fly out of buffalo instead )

[Miranda]

I am a recently converted Southwest fan. We just returned yesterday via Southwest from Orlando, and I thought it was great. Admittedly we did not worry about our boarding numbers, as we were travelling with a couple with an infant, so they saved us seats during the preboarding, and we had numbers in the second boarding group, and then just did not worry about being at the front of the line for that.

But the price cannot be beat, and it is great for us because we live in seacoast NH, so we have a choice of going to Logan in Boston (nightmare) or Manchester, NH. I used to fly USAir exclusively and their flights were more expensive from MHT and there were no non-stop ones, so we made the grueling trip into Logan every time we travelled. Now even Logan has no non-stop USAir flights, but Southwest has a hub at MHT, and they fly 4 non-stop flights to MCO every day! I'll take the stress free trip into MHT for a cheap non-stop flight any day...and the seats even had enough room for my long legs! The only downside is that it is a little more inconvenient for when I go to visit my parents. They live in Punta Gorda, and I used to fly into Southwest Florida International in Fort Myers which was about 30 min away, but I'll have to go into Tampa on Southwest, which is about 90 min away.

[dcedwards]

Lawgs -- I'm not pluto but I can answer your question...

On SWA to get 2 free trips a year you need to book 8 flights on the internet in a 12 month period (For a roundtrip you get 4 credits if booked on the internet). But, you can also get their credit card and for every $1000 you spend you get one flight credit (16 credits total = 1 ticket). We charge everything and pay it off at the end of each month. It really adds up....If only I could get them to charge my mortgage payment...oh well.

All in all, the free trips add up pretty quick. We could never do this on a true "mileage" type of plan. There are 5 of us flying on free tickets in a week. I earned 3 of those and my son earned one (4 trips in one year). The other we got from a friend. It is a wonderful program. We love it.

[VickiVM]

It's way cool when your company books online and pays for it, but you get the points and vouchers!! And the vouchers are transferrable. Talk about a great loyalty program!