Beverly Lynn, or any other Airline Knowledgable Person

[laurenk]

What are your thoughts on Southwest. I can get roundtrip out of BWI for about $110.00 per ticket. I really wanted to fly out of DCA, but this is 1/2 of what US Air and Delta are charging. Any paticular ticket type I should avoid? Thanks!!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I love SWA, the only down for some folks is that you do not get assigned seating, they pass out boarding passes one hour before boarding and it will have a number on it, you will then line up according to number and board.
There is only one class of service with SWA. Grab the least expensive ticket. Even if you don't use it, you can apply it to any future flight for one year.

 

[Chuck S]

Many people love SW. I usually fly them when I go to Vegas, or if their prices are substantially cheaper than Delta. Southwest has a good record on safety and equipment maintenance. My only real 'gripe' about this airline is that they don't have assigned seating. Check in early for your flight, especially if traveling with a group that wants to sit together. You will be given a numbered boarding pass at the gate area. They will call for boarding in order of these passes (like 1 to 20, 20 to 40 etc.) Special needs boarding (wheelchairs, non-accompanied children) pre-board as with other carriers.

There are a few seats that face backwards. I've sat in them once, they weren't bad, but avoid them if you are prone to motion/air sickness as the sensation is the opposite of what your mind/body expects.

When your boarding pass number is called, you can enter the aircraft and pick any seat you wish, the cabin is all coach. Their will be no meal, but they usually have trail mix or similar munchie along with beverages. On time performance is above average. They've added some newer model planes lately, but most of their fleet is 737s, 3 seats/aisle/3 seats.

Again, by all means, fly them if the price is right.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

To be honest I wish we had southwest flying out of pittsburgh for something other than a charter! I would fly them in a new york minute if they flew out of pit!

 

[laurenk]

Thanks Everyone!!

 

[Wendy]

Southwest is my favorite airline to fly! Like everyone said, the only down side is no assigned seating, but if you arrive early, you shouldn't have a problem getting seats together. They have a very good safety & on-time record and their flight attendants are the best, IMO!

 

[travelcoupons]

Southwest got rid of the backwards facing (lounge seating). Don't know if they've removed them from every plane, but they intend to.

If your willing to be at the check-in gate over an hour early to get a decent seating assignment, they are a good airline. I don't really care for the mad scramble for seats.

No airline food on their flights, either. Just a soda/snack. This can be good or bad depending on your opinion of airline food!

They have excellent safety/on time record. Employees are generally friendly.

They have a poor frequent flyer program unless you fly frequent short hops with them. All your 'segments' expire after a year.

If price is the same, I normally will choose another airline. (Except Delta)

 

[Lewisc]

TC, I disagree with you about SW FF. It only takes 4 R/T for a free ticket. You can transfer your AMEX rewards points if necessary. The FF tickets are not capacity controlled (very few black out dates), if there is a seat on the plane it's available.

 

[travelcoupons]

Your right, it is 4 RT's under their DOUBLE CREDIT promotion. Normally, it would take 8 RT's a year to get a ticket. That's quite a bit...and if you don't make it, you loose everything.

Their ff awards are the best as they are transferrable and easy to use.

As someone who flies 2 - 3 times/year, their program just wouldn't work for me. (Especially since the nearest SWA served airport is over 600 miles away!)

 

[CarolA]

I flew to and from New Orleans on SW last week and they still had the backwards facing seats. I fly them quite often and if they are taking these seats out, it is going slowly since I have yet to see them missing. However, my coworkers love them. We call it the party lounge and use our free drink coupons (only on the flights home in the evening!)

 

[travelcoupons]

Looks like it's supposed to take 10 YEARS!!!

See story...
Southwest ejects its reverse seats