America West or Southwest??

[pooh.kim]

Which airline is better? Have flown Southwest with no problems but times are a little better with AW and I could pick seats. Price is exactly the same - not great on either. $196 RT CMH to MCO.
Need to fly down New Years Day. Should I buy at that price or wait and hope they go down. Have never had this much trouble getting lower airfares.

Anyone prefer one of these over the other? Good experiences (or bad) on AW? Which would offer refund/voucher if price did drop?

Please help! This is my son's Christmas present.

Thanks

 

[snowwhitemom]

These are the airlines I always fly with. I would choose America west just because of the flight fund program they have. It is really a good one. If you buy on line, basically after the purchase of three you get one free. On the other hand South west is #1 in safety if you aren't going to take advantage of the flight fund program. We are flying down on 12-27-02 and I haven't even thought about tickets yet, I always wait to closer , If you are going to go with southwest the rate will stay the same until 21 days prior to flight , then and only then does it get cheaper, I would be a lil afraid of it selling out on NYE however, so if you know you are going to buy before 21 days out do it now to get on the flight. I hope that I have not confused you greatly. I flew America West this past weekend to Vegas and this coming weekend I am flying to Chicago on Southwest, so go figure. Good luck. You have promted me to start looking now...I have NEVER traveled durong the holiday season.

 

[CarolMN]

If the price is the same or very close to the same, I would pick AW just to get assigned seats. Planes will most likely be packed during the Holidays and I would not like to be part of SW's boarding process. But that's just me.

 

[dan and scott]

We fly out of Columbus all the time and would prefer AmericaWest over Southwest anytime! Actually we have only flown SW once and I swore never to do it again!

Dan

 

[CarolA]

In terms of official complaints to the FAA. American West is near the top of the list (# of complaints) and Southwest is near the bottom. However, either of them could have a bad day when you choose to fly?

 

[Steve Hurley]

Go with Southwest. Their pilots are always sober!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[roque]

i prefer southwest...i may be a little swayed...i'm from dallas. never had a problem with southwest....america west..OH MY GOSH DON'T GET ME STARTED...MY EXPERIENCE CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS "CATALOGUE OF INCOMPETENCE", lets leave it at that...lets just say i could have driven to my destination and back and spared 4 hours and kept my sanity and luggage.

 

[antkim]

I can only say SOUTHWEST!!!I have traveled with them the past 4 years and have had WONDERFUL experiences each time!(We have a child also!)They are extremely friendly and accomodating!
They also give you credit on flights if a cheaper fare comes up.For example I booked our December trip at the end of June.I got 140.00 round trip from Hartford to Orlando.They just released new fares last week so I called and rebooked our reservations at the new fare of 110.00 RT-so now we have 140.00 credit to use on another flight before June!Can't beat that-not many airlines offer you credit-they usually charge you a fee to change your itinerary!

 

[pooh.kim]

Southwest is having Orlando specials!

Just booked Jan 1-5 for $108 PP + tax (a savings of $90 PP)
I am so excited. I also have used mostly southwest with no problems but always preboarded with small children and stroller. DS is now 8 yrs. DD is 5, but this is a mommy-son trip for Christmas. THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP!!

 

[roque]

Pooh.kim-- have a great time with your DS. i'm sure you both will remember this trip for years