Experience with Southwest Airline?

[meggiebeth]

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice regarding Southwest Airlines - we will be traveling over from the U.K. and so while I’ve heard of them, I really don’t know if they’re a decent airline. Does anyone have any experiences with them? We are driving from Florida to Tennessee and then wanting to fly back to Orlando - Southwest and Allegiant seem to be the only airlines with direct routes. I’ve also seen that you can’t reserve seating in advance which isn’t ideal - does anyone know how likely it is that we will get seats together?

My main concern is that they’re a budget airline that might be comparable to Ryanair here in Europe which is notorious for its lack of customer service and hidden fees.

Plus, how early are you supposed to arrive at the airport for domestic flights in the US? I’ve seen two hours suggested in places, but I’ve heard security queues can be really bad so not sure if we need to account for more time.

Thanks in advance!

 

[low-key]

there my favorite

 

[jdb in AZ]

Southwest is fine. Stay away from Allegiant, far far away. Their planes are older and tend to have maintenance issues. Some friends were recently delayed five hours. They're lucky -- we were delayed a full day, so we canceled our tickets and flew Southwest. Allegiant also has hidden fees. I'm surprised they didn't charge us for seat belts.

As long as the govt isn't shutdown (making for long lines at security) 1-1/2 hrs should be fine. Tennessee airports aren't huge, so the lines should be shorter than if you were checking in for a flight from Orlando or other large airport.

On Southwest, if you book the "early bird" option the computer will automatically check you in 36 hrs before your flight. The fees for early bird will vary by flight/airport, but figure $25 per person. Otherwise you'll need to check in right at the 24-hour mark to get a decent boarding group/number. If you have a kid 6-yrs or younger you can board after the "A" group (basically after the first 60 passengers), so you should be able to get seats together.

 

[cassie58]

We are frequent SW customers and they are usually cheapest nonstops for us, and have had good service. They actually are known for their lack of fees, another reason we like them, as all is included in your price. You can take a personal bag that fits under the seat, a carry-on, and up to 2 checked bags/pp - all included, no extra charge. They give a drink and snack on the plane, only charge is for alcoholic beverage. There are also no change fees which is great if plans change. For the Wanna Get Away fares(cheapest) you can change your flight to different dates or times with no fees, other than paying the difference if new fare is higher. And if your current flight goes down in price, you can call and get a credit forr that as well. You can even cancel, and while you will not get a refund, you will get a credit that is good for a year.

As far as the seating, if you can check in right at the 24 hr mark , you usually get a position at the end of group A or beginning/mid of Group B, which generally gives you about half the plane to choose from, which we have always found ok to get 2 and 2(one with each child) behind each other. You can pay an extra fee to get early bird check-in(around $20/pp), where they check you in at 36 hours, giving you an earlier position to get on the plane and choose seats, usually in Group A. Getting to airport at 2 hours is normally fine, only earlier if a heavy travel time(or government shutdown)

 

[ForMyBoys]

Southwest is my favorite airline. It is known for free checked bags and very few hidden fees. The customer service is excellent IMO. They don't assign seats and board in order but we've never had a problem as a family sitting together as long as we check in at the 24 hour mark.

My dad once missed a flight I.bought for him on SW to visit me and he called me practically hysterical. He couldn't get someone to drive him to the airport so he tried to drive himself and got confused so went home. I called SW (after his flight had taken off) and they booked him on a later flight with no fee or even price change. I then called him a cab. I love SW!!

 

[Sandeep1]

Ryanair isn't even in the same universe as Southwest. SW is pretty nice for being so affordable.

 

[Jaymo911]

Allegiant iirc charges for carry on & checked bags, SW is 2 free bags, carry on & a personal item. I've had so really good experiences with SW flight crews. For my DD first ever flight, she was 4, they let her tour the **** pit, gave her wings, and a small cardboard airplane. Another time, they let her get on the intercom when we were exiting the plane to tell the other passengers to "Hurry off the plane she is going to Disney" then played the song clip "I like to move it, move it." I'm sure other airlines provide excellent customer service, but SW has never given me a reason to shop around.

 

[Elle23]

I won’t fly anything but Southwest (unless, of course, it is not available).

I have flown Southwest 5 times in the last 2 years and have had nothing but good experiences. They are very efficient and streamlined, and they don’t nickel and dime you to death like some other airlines.

 

[Sandeep1]

I won’t fly anything but Southwest (unless, of course, it is not available).

I have flown Southwest 5 times in the last 2 years and have had nothing but good experiences. They are very efficient and streamlined, and they don’t nickel and dime you to death like some other airlines.

Yeah only thing I don't like is they keep jacking up the Earlybird fee. Now $25 one way, I remember when it was $10 or $12.50.

 

[sonnyjane]

I fly Southwest whenever possible. It’s usually me flying alone so I don’t care about where I end up sitting. They’re awesome. Avoid Allegiant like the plague.

 

[Elle23]

Yeah only thing I don't like is they keep jacking up the Earlybird fee. Now $25 one way, I remember when it was $10 or $12.50.

True. That is annoying. I think it was $15 last time I booked.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Southwest is my favourite airline to fly domestically in the US. They do not nickle and dime the way other airlines do and usually have good service. It is FAR better than Ryan Air (I find it better than the legacy carriers within domestic USA).

The ONLY issue is the seating---whether or not you can sit together (unless you have a child under 6 with you, in which case one adult will be able to sit with the child for sure) is not a sure thing even if you book early bird (though you likely can if you do early bird and go way towards the back of the plane looking). Flgihts to Orlando seem to have more people buying early bird and also more boarding with kids under 6 or with special needs---we bought early bird to Orlando a couple of years ago and boarded at the very end of group B and very few boarding in C as so many who would have been C boarded with the kids' group.
For ME, sitting apart from my spouse for a short, domestic flight, to fly on an otherwise better airline (Seats are also roomier than the last United flight we flew domestically) and cheaper ticket pricce is not a deal breaker---so I am willing to risk that and I book Southwest. If it IS a dealbreaker for you, and you will be agitated or angry if you must sit apart, do not book Southwest.

 

[amberpi]

For years I've been SW A List preferred client. They are my favorite US domestic airline, and if you're flying BNA to MCO, they have (IMHO) the best flight times. The only time I don't fly them domestically is when the flight times don't work or they don't fly where I need to go. That's almost always for work though.

 

[bcla]

Customer service is excellent. If you need to talk to someone on the phone, they will actually have an American call center operator. I've called up other US based airlines that used an Indian call center where I spent a good 45 minutes on a scratchy phone line trying to change a booking. They are also well known for not charging change fees. If you need to make a change, you will only be liable for the fare difference (if any).

A lot of people don't like the "cattle call" boarding process. It's not really that bad, but some people detest it. It's roughly assigned according to the order one checks in, although those who pay for Early-Bird Check-In are automatically assigned better boarding orders, and there are Business Select passengers who are also assigned the earliest boarding order. You'll get a boarding letter and number (A1-A60, B1-B60, C1-CXX). They'll call for the A group to line up 5 passengers at a designated spot (1-5, 6-10, etc.) with 1-30 on one side and 31-60 on the other side. They have family boarding before the B group boarding.

Many people who don't pay for the more expensive Business Select or EBCI will try to check in exactly 24 hours before flight time to get an earlier boarding number. The one thing that they haven't really regulated is "seat saving" where one passenger who boarded earlier might try to hold seats for friends/family boarding later. There's no specific rule for or against it, but apparently the crews police it however they see fit. The is no official airline policy, but I've heard of cases where the crew allowed it and others where they said they wouldn't allow it.

Here's their official explanation:

https://mobile.southwest.com/boarding-the-plane

I've also never really had a bad experience. Sometimes they can be rather goofy as others noted, but they still take their work seriously. Another issue is that they haven't really been considered a "low cost" airline in years. I remember back when they had a an unrestricted, full-price fare that was fixed for each route, and even that price was generally less than other carriers. They do have excellent leisure fares, but they can be limited. They also provide complimentary beverages and snacks, which other carriers have dropped.

As for baggage, they still have the absolute most generous policies in the US domestic airline industry. Two checked-in pieces are included in all fare levels, as well as a standard carry-on and one "personal item". The check-in baggage limit is 50 pounds and 62 linear inches. Convert to metric as necessary. Their carry-on size is the largest in the industry at 10x16x24 inches including wheels. Other airlines are typically 9x14x22 inches where most luggage marketed as "carry-on size" are technically oversized although most airlines don't fight over a half inch if it fits in the overhead bin.

 

[elphaba91]

I LOVE Southwest! I first flew with them when we went to Jamaica and there wasn’t much choice of airline, but now will fly with them wherever possible when doing domestic US flights. My trips to the States are usually 3+ weeks so having luggage included is a massive saving and I just love the fun attitude and customer service. Even when I had flights cancelled due to weather they were great at helping me find alternative routes, with one rep even giving me instructions on how to get public transport from Long Island to midtown Manhattan. Even their pre-flight announcements are amazing!

I also strangely find that the other passengers on Southwest are more relaxed. When I fly United and everyone has assigned seats everyone is still pushing and shoving to be the first on board. But with Southwest I’ve encountered very friendly people who have chatted with me in line and nobody seems pushy to get to ‘their’ spot in line.

Yes, it can be a bit stressful to get checked in in time. When I flew to Jamaica we paid for early bird for 1 of us which proved useful for the flight home as I did have an issue checking in on time. For my flights in January last year though I didn’t bother and we didn’t have an issue getting seats together. I did have to get someone else to check in for us for one flight though as we were in a Broadway show at the time.

 

[John VN]

Yeah only thing I don't like is they keep jacking up the Earlybird fee. Now $25 one way, I remember when it was $10 or $12.50.

True. That is annoying. I think it was $15 last time I booked.

A campsite at FW used to be $29.00/night and now it's $180.00/night.

Now that is what I consider "JACKING UP" !!!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Southwest is my favorite airline!!

We get Early Bird Check-In, so I don't worry about boarding order at all, and I love the fun crews!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice regarding Southwest Airlines - we will be traveling over from the U.K. and so while I’ve heard of them, I really don’t know if they’re a decent airline. Does anyone have any experiences with them? We are driving from Florida to Tennessee and then wanting to fly back to Orlando - Southwest and Allegiant seem to be the only airlines with direct routes. I’ve also seen that you can’t reserve seating in advance which isn’t ideal - does anyone know how likely it is that we will get seats together?

My main concern is that they’re a budget airline that might be comparable to Ryanair here in Europe which is notorious for its lack of customer service and hidden fees.

Plus, how early are you supposed to arrive at the airport for domestic flights in the US? I’ve seen two hours suggested in places, but I’ve heard security queues can be really bad so not sure if we need to account for more time.

Thanks in advance!

As others have mentioned, Southwest isn’t really a budget airline but Allegiant is.

Southwest (and I’d say JetBlue) just have different business models than the legacy airlines. They have great customer service and awesom flexibility with their tickets. You can’t get a refund on the lowest fare tickets but you can always change your flight for just the fare difference.

As you mentioned, they don’t have assigned seats. Your best chance to get seats together is to pay for early bird seating. If that gets too much then just check-in right at the 24hr mark. I don’t know what the odds are as I usually don’t travel with small children, but I’m sure folks here can give their experiences.

I’d say 2hrs is about right. I wouldn’t tell anybody less than that unless that had pre-check and/or Clear, but I don’t think you need to be there any earlier. Aside from the tram ride and sometimes so security MCO isn’t really that big.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

We use SW almost exclusively. The price is aways right, and you can’t beat the free bags nowadays. We’ve never had an issue getting seats together, even closer towards the end of the boarding groups.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Also, unlike the other budget airlines, they are no hidden fees.